# pickup suggestions - Yamaha Pacifica



## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

as an offshoot from this thread http://www.guitarscanada.com/electric-guitar/36473-best-used-guitar-range-200$-400$-2.html

give me some suggestions for good pickups to swap into a rock solid Yamaha Pacifica.
obviously I wouldn't want to spend a ton to upgrade a $200ish guitar. 
so what is your best bang-for-the-buck strat pick-up set?

I've heard good things about Bill Lawrence Keystones. 
anyone else in contention in the same range? GFS maybe?


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

puckhead said:


> as an offshoot from this thread http://www.guitarscanada.com/electric-guitar/36473-best-used-guitar-range-200$-400$-2.html
> 
> give me some suggestions for good pickups to swap into a rock solid Yamaha Pacifica.
> obviously I wouldn't want to spend a ton to upgrade a $200ish guitar.
> ...


What pac model do you have out of curiosity?


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## The Grin (May 5, 2009)

It depends on what kind of pickup. I google "Yamaha Pacifica" and I mostly see humbuckers. First to give a suggestion, we would have to know what kind of music you play.

These are the ones I normally consider.
Seymour Duncan Phat Cat
Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates
Gibson Dirty Fingers
DiMarzio X2N

As for a Single Coil Pickup... I was looking at this for myself.
Seymour Duncan Hot Rail

But look into bareknuckle pickups, apc pickups

I never heard anything about GFS pickups, but eventually i plan to buy one.. Probably the lipstick tubes.. I do however, hear good things about the pedals.


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## Maxer (Apr 20, 2007)

If it's a 112 series or better, it's a good platform if you like tradition. The body on that model is alder and the upper series have stuff like different tops and nicer finishes as well as better hardware. The lesser series beneath the 112 (the ERG line, I think it's called) use cheaper woods and are the bottom of the barrel for hardware. That said, Yamaha is a good company - even their cheapest guitars tend to feel very playable in my experience. Anyway, with the typical H-S-S config of a PAC-112, you'll have fun putting your own pickups in. I think GFS Lil Killers are pretty good - I like mini-humbuckers in a Strat-type guitar like that.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

TDeneka said:


> What pac model do you have out of curiosity?


honestly, I don't know. I got it used, and the headstock decal was scraped off.
The Pacifica logo was faintly visible, though. 
I have yet to see another one exactly like it on a google search.
here it is:


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

that actually looks like a nice guitar. i know a girl who has a yammie and it's a plank.


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

Looks sort of like a PAC012, but i don't know why the headstock looks liek that. no serial on it?


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## Rick31797 (Apr 20, 2007)

thats a 112 model, i have the very same guitar , same color.This guitar was bought new in 1997


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

TDeneka said:


> Looks sort of like a PAC012, but i don't know why the headstock looks liek that. no serial on it?


yeah serial numnber is NH31307 - stamped into the wood in the back of the headstock 
(presumably the Pacifia counterfeit cartel is not out there keeping a vigilant eye for authentic SN's) 
according to Vintage Guitar Pro - Vintage Guitar Serial Numbers - Yamaha
Yamaha recycles their serial numbers, so the only info I can figure was that she was born January 31, 1997 (or 87? prob 97 though)


edit.... thanks Rick. as mentioned, I'd never run across one that wasn't different in some way.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

The Grin said:


> It depends on what kind of pickup. I google "Yamaha Pacifica" and I mostly see humbuckers. First to give a suggestion, we would have to know what kind of music you play.
> 
> These are the ones I normally consider.
> Seymour Duncan Phat Cat
> ...



thanks for all the suggestions. 
generally I like to playstraight up rock... noisy, sloppy stuff - in the Neil Young, Stones, Tom Petty, the Cult, Stooges, Clash, etc vein.


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## naisen (Nov 25, 2009)

i put a GFS crunchy paf in my yammie 112, it is great. i play GnR plus punk type stuff and lots of tragically hip tunes.. it does the job great. I love my yam, i got it for 100$, bought new bridge saddles and the gfs humbucker and it has been a solid axe for going on 5 yrs. I think the single coils sound fine.


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## The Grin (May 5, 2009)

If you use any kind of dirt (fuzz, OD, Dis, etc), I stand by the Dirty Fingers full force. But maybe try to be original and spread some GFS love. The price is right.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

naisen said:


> i put a GFS crunchy paf in my yammie 112, it is great. i play GnR plus punk type stuff and lots of tragically hip tunes.. it does the job great. I love my yam, i got it for 100$, bought new saddles and the gfs humbucker and it has been a solid axe for going on 5 yrs.


do you have pics of that PAF in there?


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## naisen (Nov 25, 2009)

yeah, i was just looking for the camera.. will post a pic when i track it down. its a cream zebra, i think its pretty swanky myself!
here it is:
















should add, i slapped a mity mite neck on it too, just for kicks. It wasn't really an upgrade, i just had an opportunity to swap necks with another guitar. That's the other beauty of a cheap guitar, you can mess around with them without worries.


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## puckhead (Sep 8, 2008)

that does look swanky!

I love this thread.


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