Yamaha Guitar

[bayswater]

It never occurred to me to look at Yamaha for an electric guitar. I had a mediocre acoustic that I traded in for a Taylor a long time ago. But a local store has a load of Yamaha Revstar II's including some LH models they're all excited about. It looks very versatile. Are there any opinions about Yamaha?

[monkey man]

The first electric I ever bought was a Yamaha. Black body with maple neck & fretboard. Great action and a solid guitar. That was in the late '80s.

They had a good reputation for their basses since the '80s.

They took over making Line 6's Variax guitars a few years ago, which was seen as a positive move for Line 6 'cause they were previously made in Korea and suffered QC inconsistencies.

That's all I've got from personal experience, Brother Stoivo.

[bayswater]

The first electric I ever bought was a Yamaha. Black body with maple neck & fretboard. Great action and a solid guitar. That was in the late '80s.

They had a good reputation for their basses since the '80s.

They took over making Line 6's Variax guitars a few years ago, which was seen as a positive move for Line 6 'cause they were previously made in Korea and suffered QC inconsistencies.

That's all I've got from personal experience, Brother Stoivo.

Thanks. I’m reasonably familiar with Yamaha basses (bassi?). They’re fine, although I never got one. But the guitars — I don’t associate them with any particular sound or style. But I heard back form someone with a friend who is “obsessed with the history of Japanese guitars”, so I anticipate learning more.

[monkey man]

The only model line I've heard about in the years since is Pacifica.

Great-value, apparently. Play and sound great. Well-made.

[stubbsonic]

My friend got a Pacifica. For the money, it is a really good entry level guitar. But having played it and heard it, you don't forget that your playing an entry level guitar.

That said, I could imagine someone taking a Pacifica and swapping out some stuff and having a decent guitar. Not sure that would save you any money though, once all is said and done.

[mhschmieder]

Yamaha makes good guitars, both acoustic and electric, and especially good basses. But I sold my Yamaha guitars as I have unusually tiny hands (and grip) and just couldn't get comfortable on them. I had a Strat-like Pacifica and a kind of Gretschy racing green RevStar with a flexible tailpiece.

They are great value for sure, and well made as well. For someone not owning a Les Paul already (it was too late for me), I'd recommend their higher-end RevStar models. I bought the 520T when it came out, as something a bit different, and still wanting something Gretschy even though they never attach to me for very long.

The Pacifica is a great buy and comes in many flavors, but the neck profile, nut width, etc., are significantly different from the more common Fender and Squier models -- bearing in mind that there are so many variants that I am simply comparing to the more standard editions that have high sales.

Arch-top-wise, Yamaha is similar to Ibanez in bang-for-buck, but they are harder to find in the USA, even used. And for me, the grip was all wrong. But there are some historic models in particular that have a very special reputation within arch-top land. I can't remember which ones specifically.

When the BB-Bass series got revived a decade ago or so, I upgraded both times the series got a pip. The neck's a bit narrow for me, but it's great in the studio (I have the 5-string high-end model). It's a nice P/J combination.

The acoustics are all across the map and are also mostly good value and well-build, with most models having shapes and sizes that are somewhat between dreadnoughts, jumbos, and orchestra models or "000" size. Even their entry-level line is quite good. Not so much the nylon models though; intonation issues galore, but possibly not so present in more recent manufacturing due to CNC.

[ed belknap]

Are there any opinions about Yamaha?

My very first guitar in 1972 was a Yamaha FG-50 acoustic. It served me well until ~1980 or '81 when I (foolishly) sold it 'cuz I needed $50 cash.
Then in 1985 I won an entry-level Yamaha solid body electric (model SE200 I think?) in a raffle, and that guitar was my main or my #2 studio instrument for the next ~35 years or so. It got some well-deserved mods -- new pickups, bridge, and tuning machines -- and if it weren't for the fact that the machines self-destructed a couple years ago it would probably still be one of my go-to instruments.

Yeah, I wouldn't hestitate to get another Yamaha guitar.