Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Yamaha PAC012DLX is an affordable yet high-quality electric guitar perfect for beginners and intermediate players alike. Part of Yamaha's Pacifica series, the PAC012DLX offers versatile sound, excellent playability, and robust construction - all for a reasonable price.

This dual-cutaway electric guitar features a solid alder body paired with a maple neck and rosewood fingerboard. The hardware includes sealed tuners and a vintage-style tremolo bridge for added flexibility. Powered by dual custom-wound Alnico V humbuckers, the PAC012DLX can crank out everything from crisp cleans to searing leads.

Overall, the Yamaha PAC012DLX hits a sweet spot between price and performance that makes it a compelling choice for guitarists looking for their first serious electric or a reliable backup option. While not loaded with premium appointments, it focuses on nailing the fundamentals.

Body & Neck

The Yamaha PAC012DLX showcases the iconic double cutaway body shape that allows easy access to the upper frets. It's constructed from alder, a lightweight yet dense tonewood that provides excellent resonance and sustain.

The guitar features a 25.5 inch scale maple neck. Maple is known for its bright, snappy tone that cuts through a mix well. The slim, fast neck profile with a gloss finish allows for smooth, comfortable playing across the fretboard. The rosewood fingerboard further enhances the guitar's vibrant, articulate tone.

Overall, the PAC012DLX has a solid, road-tested body and neck design built for versatility and reliable performance gig after gig. Players who need a guitar that can handle both rhythm duties and searing lead lines will appreciate the resonant alder body and snappy maple neck combination.

When it comes to the body and neck design, Yamaha has chosen tried and true tonewoods and profiles. The alder body produces a balanced, resonant tone while the maple neck delivers the crisp attack many players want for diverse musical styles. Together they form the foundation for a versatile electric guitar.

Other manufacturers like Fender utilize similar designs and tonewood combinations. The Fender CD-60SCE features a solid mahogany body and maple neck for an organic, well-rounded tone. Mahogany has a slightly warmer sound compared to alder, but both produce quality resonance and sustain.

When choosing between the Yamaha PAC012DLX and Fender CD-60SCE, consider the types of music you play and your tonal preferences. Alder will provide more top-end shimmer while mahogany has a subtle mid-range emphasis. But you can't go wrong with either guitar's thoughtfully constructed body and neck.

The materials and craftsmanship that go into any guitar's body and neck are incredibly important. These factors have a huge impact on the overall tone, playability and long-term reliability. Yamaha and Fender each have decades of experience designing high-quality guitars that meet the demands of working musicians.

Hardware

The Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS features quality hardware that enhances its playability and versatility as an electric guitar. It has chrome hardware appointments, including chrome die-cast tuners, a chrome vibrato bridge, and chrome control knobs.

The vintage-style vibrato bridge provides great tuning stability and allows guitarists to add expressive vibrato effects. The six die-cast tuners are modeled after vintage Yamaha tuners from the 1960s and 70s. They provide precise and reliable tuning, with a classic look.

Overall, the chrome hardware elevates the PAC012DLX with great functionality, while also complementing its classic double-cutaway style. Guitarists will appreciate the smooth and responsive tremolo bridge, as well as the accurate tuning stability from the die-cast tuners. The hardware performs well while also looking great.

The hardware on an electric guitar like the PAC012DLX is essential for playability and functionality. From the tuners to the bridge, each hardware component impacts the guitar's sound, tuning stability, feel, and aesthetics. This chrome hardware not only looks great, but also provides smooth performance for a better playing experience.

In addition to the PAC012DLX, there are many excellent electric guitars on the market with high-quality hardware. One such example is the Fender 0971722106. This guitar features chrome hardware appointments like the PAC012DLX. The Fender has a synchronized tremolo bridge and Fender-branded tuning machines. Both provide smooth performance and great tuning stability.

When shopping for an electric guitar, pay close attention to the hardware components. Die-cast tuners, like those on the PAC012DLX and Fender 0971722106, offer precise tuning capabilities. The type of bridge is also important, as different bridges impact tone and functionality in various ways. Test out the hardware to ensure it feels smooth and sturdy.

High-performing hardware elevates an electric guitar. The chrome appointments on the Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS offer great aesthetics, playability, and functionality. From the die-cast tuners to the tremolo bridge, the hardware provides smooth performance. Guitarists will appreciate the tuning stability and expressive vibrato enabled by quality hardware components.

Electronics

The Yamaha PAC012DLX features a versatile HSS pickup configuration with a humbucker in the bridge position and two single coil pickups in the neck and middle positions. This allows for a wide range of tones from searing lead tones from the bridge humbucker to crisp, clear Strat-like tones from the single coils.

The guitar has a 5-way pickup selector switch that allows you to access the bridge humbucker, middle single coil, neck single coil, and combinations of both pickups. This gives you tons of tonal options everything from rock and metal to blues and jazz tones.

Additionally, the PAC012DLX has a push/pull coil split on the tone control knob for the bridge humbucker. When pulled up, this splits the humbucker into a single coil for even more tonal variety. You can get glassy single coil tones even in the bridge position.

Overall the pickup configuration and switching gives you an incredibly versatile tonal palette in a single guitar. From searing leads to sparkling cleans, this guitar can cover a lot of sonic ground.

Sound

The Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS offers a wide and versatile range of tones thanks to its H-S-S pickup configuration, consisting of a humbucker in the bridge and two single coil pickups in the neck and middle positions. This allows the PAC012DLX to nail a wide variety of genres and playing styles.

The humbucker in the bridge provides powerful output with a rich gain tone that excels for lead playing and really shines when using high gain and distortion. Chordal riffing with the bridge humbucker also sounds big and fat, making it fantastic for hard rock and metal styles.

Switching to the neck or middle single coils produces clean and articulate tones perfect for funk, blues, jazz, and other genres requiring a bright crisp sound. The 5-way pickup selector switch allows blending the pickups, so you can dial in anything from glassy cleans to roaring distorted tones.

Overall the PAC012DLX offers impressive tonal versatility. The humbucker grants thick overdriven sounds for rock and metal, while the single coils provide shimmering cleans, all easily accessible via the pickup selector switch. It's an excellent choice for players that need a wide range of great electric guitar tones.

Playability

The Yamaha PAC012DLX features a fast, thin maple neck optimized for speed and comfort. The neck has a modern C profile that feels slim and allows for easy access to the higher frets. Despite its thin profile, the neck still provides rigidity and stability thanks to the 5-piece maple and rosewood construction.

The rosewood fingerboard has a 12" radius and is topped with jumbo frets. The jumbo frets help produce clean and clear notes when bending strings. They also hold up well to aggressive playing styles. The 12" fingerboard radius gives the neck a flatter feel, while still providing a curve that fits the natural shape of the hand. This allows for fast lead playing with low, comfortable action.

Overall, the neck is designed for speed, allowing for quick runs up and down the fretboard. The thin profile provides comfort and playability, even during long practice sessions. The jumbo frets and fingerboard radius optimize the PAC012DLX for fast soloing and shredding.

Build Quality

The Yamaha PAC012DLX is known for its high-quality construction and components, especially considering its affordable price point. The body and neck are made from solid alder wood, which helps produce a warm, balanced tone. The neck is very sturdy and smoothly finished for great playability.

The hardware is also quite durable, including diecast chrome tuners and a vintage-style tremolo bridge that stays in tune well under heavy use. Many reviewers have been impressed by the guitar's solid feel, commenting that it doesn't seem like a budget model at all.

The PAC012DLX uses quality electronics as well, with Alnico V humbucker pickups and coil-splitting capabilities via a push/pull pot for versatile tones. The pickups and electronics allow for everything from crispy cleans to high-gain distortion.

Overall, Yamaha did not cut corners on materials or craftsmanship with this guitar. While keeping costs down, they still constructed the PAC012DLX to a surprisingly robust standard that can handle serious playing. Many owners say it rivals more expensive guitars in terms of build quality and durability.

Pros

The Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS offers great value with its quality components and versatile tone, making it an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate players.

• Great value: At its price point, the PAC012DLX OVS packs impressive specifications like its alnico V pickups, locking tuners, and coil-tap switching. This guitar delivers professional sound and playability without breaking the bank.

• Quality components: From its solid alder body to its rosewood fretboard, the materials used in the PAC012DLX OVS are high-end. It has a comfortable contoured body, quality tuners and electronics, and a very playable neck.

• Versatile tone: With dual alnico V humbucking pickups and a coil-tap switch, you can get crisp, clean tones as well as thick overdrive. The 5-way pickup selector provides excellent tonal variety. Players praise its dynamic voice across genres from rock to blues.

Cons

The Yamaha PAC012DLX has a very bright, treble-heavy tone that isn't for everyone. The alder body and maple neck produce a lot of top-end that can be harsh in the wrong hands. This isn't a warm, bluesy tone - it's aggressive and in-your-face. If you're into metal or need to cut through a mix, this tone may work well. But for mellower genres like jazz or country, the strident treble will likely be too much.

The PAC012DLX is really made for aggressive lead playing. Rhythm work can easily get ice-picky if you're not careful with your dynamics. The pickups are hot, so back off your volume knob and tone down your attack if the treble is too overwhelming. This isn't the most versatile guitar in terms of tone.

It takes some tweaking to tame the toppy tone. Rolling back the volume and tone knobs helps, as does adjusting your amp EQ. But out of the box, the PAC012DLX has a one-dimensional sonic personality geared toward searing lead tones. Those seeking a smoother, rounder sound should consider the neck pickup version or upgrade the stock pickups.

Conclusion

The Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS is an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate level players looking for a versatile, well-built electric guitar at an affordable price point.

With its alder body and maple neck, the PAC012DLX offers bright, focused tone across a variety of musical genres. The two single-coil pickups and one humbucker provide tonal flexibility, while the 5-way switch allows easy switching between pickup configurations.

This guitar excels in clean tones, making it a great choice for pop, indie rock, blues, and jazz. The humbucker delivers thicker distortion for classic rock and metal styles as well. While the PAC012DLX may not satisfy shred players, it provides dynamic tone for most playing styles.

The hardware, electronics, and playability are very good for the price. Well-finished frets, quality tuners, and a comfortable neck shape make this guitar easy and enjoyable to play. The build quality is superb with attention to fit and finish.

Overall, the Yamaha PAC012DLX OVS is an outstanding starter or mid-level guitar highly suitable for students and hobbyists. The combination of versatile tone, excellent playability, and sturdy construction make this an extremely appealing model for a wide range of players and musical genres.