1 Topic by Gusspoon (edited by Gusspoon 2014-04-08 01:55:34)

  • Registered: 2013-06-15
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Topic: Yamaha To Strat

I bought  a Yamaha 012 Pacifica Deluxe, it was OK but a little rough.

I tell you it is one heavy guitar, Agathis is almost 30lbs./cu ft. this guitar weighs about 9 lbs. A body this solid
must have good sustain, with it's Red Wood fret board and it does!
Some things on this guitar, like the Humbucker, didn't fit right, it was tilted and I couldn't make it stay flat.
The fret ends were unfinished and scratchy.

Here's what I did to fix it;  after filing and polishing the fret ends to make the neck feel smooth and finished
I installed a set of Seymour Duncan Vintage 1960's pickups, the middle pickup is reversed wound,
I wired the Bridge Humbucker where it can be switched from series to parallel by way of a miniature SPDT
toggle and this really changes the tone of that pickup from high treble to low and mellow.
I but in dual tone capacitors a .047mf and a .021mf with another mini-toggle switch.......this changes
the tone on high treble but hardly noticeable with a lot of bass........
I installed all new Stratocastor tone and volume control as the orginals were cheap China crap.
I installed a new Strat 5 way switch and got rid of the original cheap-o.........

This guitar really sounds good with a lot of tone selection .....you can play anything from low mellow chords
or smooth Jazz to screaming high treble licks.

But I wouldn't do it again!
You can buy a Mexican Fender for less money.

I would put it up against any Fender and I love to play this thing!

I don't know how to actually post a picture here, but try this site     https://www.flickr.com/photos/122653243@N04/


Gus

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Ummm ....Pictures???

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)
  • Grah1
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

I  have  a  standard  one  its  great  plays  better  than my  strat

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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Your last sentence said it all. If you love to play it then it was worth the expense. I did the same with a fender Duo Sonic. Mine was cosmetic. When it was done I hated the way it felt because of the shorter scale. My daughter loves it and now it is hers. And it is the only one like it. What you have there is a Yamaha Pacifica that is a one of a kind. There is probably no other like it. Enjoy it and play it as much as you want. Hot rodded guitars are so cool because they are one of a kinds.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.
  • Registered: 2013-06-15
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Grah1 wrote:

I  have  a  standard  one  its  great  plays  better  than my  strat

Is your Yamaha Pacifica very heavy?.......

I do not have wide experience with guitar types.
I'm trying to get an idea about weights, I have a Strat Clone that weighs about 5-6 lb.s
I have no idea what wood is in it, I do know that this Clone is made in laminated pieces about 1" inch........
I was wonder what a real Strat weighs

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • Grah1
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

In comparison to  my   Telecaster its  light , I  can   weigh it  tomorrow   but  as  I'm in the  uk at  the  moment  I  cant  compare  it  to  any  of  my  other   guitars  which are  in Crete. From memory it  feels  similar  to  my  Strat .I must  admit  that  I  only  bought it  to  use  at  a  few  gigs I had  planned  while  here  and  was going to   sell it  when we  go  back but on reflection I  will probably  keep  it at my  sons   till  we  come  again later  in the  year .

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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Weighed  the   Pacifica  on  the  bathroom scales   its  about  8.5lb   I did  about  15mins at   the Rossendale  blues   club  on Thursday with  it  and  didn't  feel  any  discomfort .If  I  do  a  longer  set  at  next  weeks  gig  I'll let  you  know  how  it  goes .My  normal  set  with  the  Tele  lasts  over  2  hrs and  I  always  have  a  bad  neck  afterwards .

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Re: Yamaha To Strat

From my limited experience with it I don't see why people turn up their nose at Agathis wood for guitar
bodies. It is very heavy and dense, I would think that would be the ideal parameter to make a sounding board.
I don't know the intrinsic resonance of such wood but it is bound to reflect vibrations needed for good sustain. And this is the property most desired buy the manufacturer.

Maybe the reason for the bad reputation is because it is used in a lot of cheaper guitars made in Asia so it gets tagged as cheap.
The fact is it is very plentiful in the around Asia and grows in many places so this would tend to make it cheaper to use.
Cheaper to use doesn't directly translate into cheap wood.
If they used it in an American Fender it would likely make the guitar more costly, because the wood would need be imported from Asia........

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • From: massachusetts
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

I never give any thought about the wood except for the fretboard. As long as it sounds good, the wood doesn't matter to me.

Enjoy Every Sandwich
Nothing In Moderation  -- Live Fast. Love Hard. Die Young And Leave A Beautiful Corpse. -- Buy It Today. Cry About It Tomorrow.
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

thats why a lot of lower guitars are made of Alder.  very hard, and plentiful.

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
  • Registered: 2013-01-20
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

From everything I've read (and what little I've experienced) the type of wood used affects a lot about the sound of a guitar. This is readily audible in acoustics more than electrics. The various woods selected will affect how rigid the neck is, how much sustain it will have, how well it holds tune, how the pickups react to the strings, and apparently a lot of other subtle things. For example, I'm really impressed with the way Ibanez uses a five-layered neck on many of it's bass guitars. This allows them to be thinner (faster) than many others, yet still very rigid.

I posted a link a while back to a wood database site, and have really enjoyed reading up on them. While some are dense / hard and seem suited for instruments, they're often oily and hard to work with, hard to glue, etc. I've been told I'm hard-headed and hard to work with! (hyuk)

http://www.wood-database.com/

For example, I've often wondered why "Verawood" (a.k.a. Argentine Lignum Vitae) isn't used for fretboards, as an alternative to ebony or rosewood. It's relatively inexpensive, plentiful, good to work with, and much harder than either of the other two. It's ranked at 3710 on the Janka hardness scale, while African Ebony is at 3080, and Brazilian Rosewood is at 2790. I understand that the harder the fretboard, there's more sustain and a cleaner tone.

  • Registered: 2013-06-15
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

I looked these woods up for hardness, which I think is the main parameter looked for in making a good
(echo) sustain electric guitar........

And still be light enough to carry.

Rose wood 2790 hardness
Maple        1450 hardness
Alder         590 hardness
Agathis     1350 hardness

There plenty of much harder woods

http://ejmas.com/tin/2009tin/tinart_goldstein_0904.html

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • Registered: 2013-06-15
  • Posts: 25

Re: Yamaha To Strat

beamer wrote:

Ummm ....Pictures???

Try this site:                https://www.flickr.com/photos/122653243@N04/

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • Registered: 2013-06-15
  • Posts: 25

Re: Yamaha To Strat

Tenement Funster wrote:

From everything I've read (and what little I've experienced) the type of wood used affects a lot about the sound of a guitar. This is readily audible in acoustics more than electrics. The various woods selected will affect how rigid the neck is, how much sustain it will have, how well it holds tune, how the pickups react to the strings, and apparently a lot of other subtle things. For example, I'm really impressed with the way Ibanez uses a five-layered neck on many of it's bass guitars. This allows them to be thinner (faster) than many others, yet still very rigid.

I posted a link a while back to a wood database site, and have really enjoyed reading up on them. While some are dense / hard and seem suited for instruments, they're often oily and hard to work with, hard to glue, etc. I've been told I'm hard-headed and hard to work with! (hyuk)

http://www.wood-database.com/

For example, I've often wondered why "Verawood" (a.k.a. Argentine Lignum Vitae) isn't used for fretboards, as an alternative to ebony or rosewood. It's relatively inexpensive, plentiful, good to work with, and much harder than either of the other two. It's ranked at 3710 on the Janka hardness scale, while African Ebony is at 3080, and Brazilian Rosewood is at 2790. I understand that the harder the fretboard, there's more sustain and a cleaner tone.

I looked up vera wood it seems from the chart to be the second hardest wood there is 
I wonder if it would be too heavy to carry or too dense to work with??

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • From: Nova Scotia, Canada
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Wondered the same thing, Gusspoon. I wouldn't think that going to a denser wood for just the fretboard would have much impact on weight. Verawood isn't dark, which may be the reason it's not used. It would be good to hear from an experienced luthier about this ... I'm sure there s a good reason.

  • Registered: 2013-06-15
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

I heard an online instructor say one time, learn how all of your amplifier controls work because you are really
playing the Amp.
True to some degree I suppose..........

I have two Marshall amps, the 30watt has all the bells and whistles, I can't figure out how to work it.
It has a programmable foot controller and 4 channels plus clean/crunch.......

Marshall instructions are lousy, the owner's manual is devoid of detail!

Gus

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
  • Registered: 2013-06-15
  • Posts: 25

Re: Yamaha To Strat

Tenement Funster wrote:

Wondered the same thing, Gusspoon. I wouldn't think that going to a denser wood for just the fretboard would have much impact on weight. Verawood isn't dark, which may be the reason it's not used. It would be good to hear from an experienced luthier about this ... I'm sure there s a good reason.

The hardest wood that was listed is African Ebony 3080 on the hardness scale...........must be expensive!
I agree with you about using verawood for the fret board.........

I read recently that the fret board counts for 70% of sustain, the body it's self is less than 30%........
Which makes me wonder why Fender uses Maple necks and Maple fret board or no fret board at all with
the Maple neck?

Rosewood is 2790 hardness and sugar maple is 1450 hardness.........

I think Elvis is going to make it big if he keeps going like he is!

Speak up I don't see as good as I used to!
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Re: Yamaha To Strat

Gusspoon wrote:

I heard an online instructor say one time, learn how all of your amplifier controls work because you are really
playing the Amp.
True to some degree I suppose..........

I have two Marshall amps, the 30watt has all the bells and whistles, I can't figure out how to work it.
It has a programmable foot controller and 4 channels plus clean/crunch.......

Marshall instructions are lousy, the owner's manual is devoid of detail!

Gus

go to a music store and get one of the techs to show you,, or have you looked on YT??? theyh have most all the answers LOLOL

“Find your own sound.  Dont be a second rateYngwie Malmsteen be a first rate you”

– George Lynch 2013 (Dokken, Lynchmob, KXM, Tooth & Nail etc....)