Yamaha PA012RM Electric Guitar: Full Review

The Yamaha PA012RM is a solidly built electric guitar that offers excellent value in its price range. Yamaha has a reputation for manufacturing high-quality instruments across all categories, from beginner models to professional gear. The PA012RM is an affordable 6-string electric aimed at guitarists looking for a versatile instrument that can handle anything from rock and blues to jazz and country playing styles.

This Pacifica model features a distinctive metallic red finish with black hardware that gives it an eye-catching look. The double-cutaway body provides easy access to the higher frets, allowing for solos and lead playing. Equipped with two Alnico V humbucking pickups, this guitar can produce a range of tones from warm and throaty to bright and cutting. The fixed bridge and sealed die-cast tuners help keep the PA012RM in tune through extended playing sessions.

Overall, the PA012RM offers players a lot of guitar for the money. While not loaded with top-shelf components, it includes many features found on more expensive models. This makes it an excellent choice as a first serious electric guitar or a solid backup option for gigging musicians.

Body Style and Design

The Yamaha PA012RM electric guitar features a double-cutaway solid alder body, providing a balanced and versatile tone. Alder is known for its balanced tone and resonance, with good presence across the frequency range. The solid alder construction allows the wood to resonate freely for excellent sustain and clarity.

The double-cutaway design allows easy access to the higher frets, making it comfortable for lead guitar playing. The body has been given a bright metallic red finish that looks great on stage. It's a stylish guitar that will turn heads.

The PA012RM has a bolt-on maple neck joined to the alder body. This makes the guitar lightweight and comfortable to play, whether standing with a strap or sitting down. Despite the bolt-on design, the guitar feels very solid and resonant when playing.

The 25.5” scale length and narrow 1.61” nut width make this a very playable guitar. It's ideal for rock and metal styles that require fast lead playing up and down the neck. The sculpted cutaways and contoured body edges provide good ergonomics for extended practice sessions.

Overall, the PA012RM has an excellent body design that provides great tone, sustain and easy playability. It's a versatile guitar well suited to rock and metal genres.

The body style and design is one of the most important factors in determining the sound and playability of an electric guitar. The Yamaha PA012RM features a solid alder body with a double cutaway design that provides excellent access to the higher frets while also offering a balanced, resonant tone. Alder is a popular choice for electric guitar bodies due to its balanced frequency response and good sustain. The double cutaway allows for easy soloing and lead playing.

In contrast, the Martin 000-15M StreetMaster has a smaller single-cutaway 000 body shape made of solid mahogany with a Sitka spruce top. Mahogany provides a slightly warmer, woodier tone compared to alder, while the combination with spruce adds crispness and clarity to the high end. The single cutaway limits upper fret access somewhat but contributes to the balanced, vintage-inspired sound. While the Yamaha aims for high performance rock and metal tones, the Martin targets old-school blues and country players who prefer a more organic acoustic-like tone and feel.

When selecting an electric guitar, the body style and wood choice have a big impact on the overall sound profile and playability. A double cutaway alder or basswood body like the Yamaha excels at rock/metal while a mahogany single cutaway is better for blues and country. The scale length, neck profile, fretboard radius and other specs also determine how comfortable a guitar feels for fast soloing or intricate chords. Trying different body styles is recommended to find your ideal blend of great tone and easy playability for your musical needs.

Neck and Fretboard

The Yamaha PA012RM features an excellent neck and fretboard that both feel great and contribute to its versatile tone. The guitar has a maple neck, which adds brightness and crispness to the sound. Maple is a dense, hardwood that produces a snappy, articulate tone. The fretboard is rosewood, which has a slightly warmer, mellower sound compared to maple. The contrasting woods allow this Yamaha to cover a wide range of musical styles and genres.

The neck has a thin, fast profile that makes it comfortable and easy to play. It uses Yamaha's slim taper design, allowing effortless access to even the highest frets. The neck feels natural and smooth, allowing fast runs and precise chording. The rosewood fretboard complements the neck shape, providing a pleasing tactile experience during performance. Overall, the PA012RM hits the sweet spot between playability and tonal quality.

The neck and fretboard are important components that directly impact the feel and sound of an electric guitar. As described, the Yamaha PA012RM uses quality tonewoods and an optimized neck profile to achieve versatility and playability. This allows it to work well for various musical applications. Other popular electric guitars also aim for a balance of great tone and smooth playability through careful neck and fretboard design. For example, the Oscar Schmidt OC11 features a fast maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. This combination provides clarity and definition along with warm, rounded tones. The neck has a comfortable slim profile for fast playing. Overall, the OC11 hits a sweet spot between bright, crisp articulation and smooth, mellow tones. This versatility comes from the pairing of maple and rosewood. The easy playability makes it suitable for lead lines, solos, and complex chording. When shopping for an electric guitar, the neck and fretboard woods are an important consideration along with body design and electronics. Their material and construction impact the tone profile and playability. Whether it's the PA012RM, OC11, or another model, look for quality components that provide both great sound and easy playing feel.

Pickups and Electronics

The Yamaha PA012RM electric guitar comes equipped with two alnico V humbucker pickups that provide a warm, rich tone. Humbuckers have two coils that cancel out background noise and hum, allowing the pickups to focus solely on the strings' vibrations.

The guitar has a 3-way toggle switch which allows you to select between the bridge pickup, both pickups, or the neck pickup. Having two pickups allows you to get a variety of tones, from bright and cutting from the bridge pickup to warm and rounded from the neck pickup. Selecting both pickups provides a balanced blend of the two.

The volume and tone knobs allow you to fine-tune your tone by adjusting the output level and high-end response. This gives you great flexibility when dialing in your sound.

Overall, the pickup configuration and electronics suite make this guitar very versatile for a range of musical genres and playing styles. The alnico magnets provide vintage-style tone while the toggle switch and control knobs allow a variety of tones from the two humbuckers.

Hardware

The Yamaha PAC012 features high quality hardware designed for stability and ease of use. It has a fixed bridge made of chrome-plated brass that provides solid sustain and tuning stability. The strings feed through the body and are anchored with a threaded block, eliminating issues with bridge rocking or movement over time.

The tuners are Yamaha's die-cast models which feel very solid and precise. The gear ratio provides smooth and accurate tuning adjustment. These sealed tuners maintain tuning well, even with heavy use or during dynamic playing. Overall the hardware supports the guitar's playability and resonant tone.

Between the stable bridge and quality tuners, the hardware complements the PAC012 nicely without getting in the way during performance. Everything is durable, minimizes extraneous noise, and enables this guitar to stay in tune gig after gig.

Sound and Tone

The Yamaha Pacifica 012 has a versatile tonal palette that can produce clean, rich tones as well as screaming high-gain distortion. The dual coil-tapped humbucking bridge pickup can deliver everything from warm, rounded leads to crunchy riffs with plenty of bite and aggression. Switching to the middle single-coil pickup produces shimmering, glassy tones perfect for funk, fusion, and blues. The neck pickup has a smooth, dark voice that excels at jazz, R&B, and rock.

With the 5-way pickup selector switch, you can tap into the full range of tones - from sparkling cleans, to chunky rhythm, to blistering solos. The master volume and tone controls give you further flexibility to shape and fine-tune your sound. Whether you want to play blues, rock, metal or anything in between, the Pacifica 012 provides the sonic versatility to nail a wide variety of genres and playing styles.

Playability

The Yamaha Pacifica 012RM electric guitar offers very comfortable and smooth playability that makes it enjoyable for beginners and seasoned players alike.

One standout feature contributing to its great playability is the low action. Yamaha designed the Pacifica with a low and fast neck that brings the strings closer to the frets, allowing for easy fretting and bending without much pressure required from the left hand. This allows for fluid lead playing while reducing hand fatigue.

The neck is also thin and contoured for comfort. Its slim taper neck profile with satin finish allows fast yet relaxed movements up and down the rosewood fretboard. The thin neck maximizes playing speed while allowing the thumb to easily wrap around from the back. Overall the Pacifica's neck and low action provide a very playable experience for guitarists of all levels.

Pros

The Yamaha PAC012 is an excellent electric guitar that offers fantastic value for money thanks to its high-quality materials and construction. Though affordably priced, it does not feel or play like a budget model.

The PAC012 features a solid alder body, giving it a balanced and resonant tone with good sustain. The maple neck is slim and fast while still providing stability and sustain. The rosewood fingerboard is beautifully dark and inviting. Overall the woods and hardware are of professional grade, not cut-rate materials.

Attention to detail is also apparent in elements like the chrome diecast tuners, which hold tune reliably. The adjustable truss rod allows you to customize the neck relief. Little refinements like these are typically seen on more expensive instruments.

For guitarists shopping on a budget, the PAC012 manages to punch far above its weight class. Its quality rivals models costing twice as much. The value offered is outstanding. Yamaha did not cut corners on materials or hardware. As a result this guitar plays, sounds, and looks fantastic.

Cons

• The Yamaha PAC012 pickups provide clear and crisp tones, but some players may find them to lack output and not be as hot as they'd prefer for higher gain styles. The pickups are also passive, so there's no boost option. Players wanting a beefier rock tone may need to upgrade the pickups.

• The PAC012 only comes in a few standard color finishes like black, vintage white, and old violin sunburst. There aren't many options for customized or eye-catching looks. Players wanting more variety in finishes may be disappointed with the conservative color schemes on this model.

• The hardware, while functional, is very basic. The tuners, bridge, and other components don't stand out. Players wanting higher end upgrades on hardware may need to swap out some parts.

• There's no tremolo or whammy bar option. The bridge is a fixed, vintage-style unit. Players wanting to add expressive, wavering effects will need to consider a different guitar model.

• The control knobs are located in a standard position, not angled for easier access near the bridge. Some players may prefer knobs placed closer to their picking hand.

Conclusion

The Yamaha PA012RM electric guitar offers excellent quality and playability for beginner and intermediate guitarists on a budget. While not loaded with high-end appointments, it delivers Yamaha's renowned build quality and attention to detail at an affordable price point.

This guitar features a classic double-cutaway solid alder body paired with a 25.5” bolt-on maple neck for great sustain and bright tone. The rosewood fingerboard provides a smooth playing feel. While the pickups and hardware are basic, they perform well for a variety of music genres.

Overall, the Yamaha PA012RM is an excellent entry-level guitar that will grow with new players over time. It may lack some bells and whistles but delivers durability, reliable electronics, and fantastic playability right out of the box. For guitarists looking for Yamaha's craftsmanship without breaking the bank, the PA012RM is easy to recommend.