Yamaha Pacifica Pac611HFM Guitar Demo & Review

Yamaha Pac611HFM Pacifica Guitar Demo & Review
Yamaha. The common man thinks about ATVs, motorcycles, and sports gear when Yamaha is mentioned -- not guitarists and musicians! Yamaha makes stellar musical instruments, and this Yamaha Pacifica 611hfm guitar is no exception.
Played through a Blackstar HT-20 amplifier and Avatar Vintage 2x12 cab on clean and overdrive settings, take a listen to how this Yamaha Pacifica 611 in transparent black finish with Seymour Duncan SP90 and Custom 5 pickups performs in a variety of tonal applications.
This Pacifica excels at modern tones, including rock and fusion. It's a great axe for those interested in a versatile guitar that can cut through a mix at live shows and provide cutting lead tones for lead guitar work.
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[@andychapman3100]

I bought a 611 HFM - 8 weeks ago - absolutely delighted! Beautiful playing

[@helixworld]

First I was blown away by your supreme tone and supreme playing. Then I was completely awestruck at the end when you explained you didn't like this guitar. Seriously?

[@empireentertainmentevents1353]

This is so much nicer than all those irritating distorted guitar review videos. Why do they always think that an electric guitar has to be played with distortion all the time??

[@tcdropouts1429]

I think It's too hide mistakes. Easier to mask poor playing with distortion IMO

[@gregaudrey307]

Great 611demo…love the smooth, tasteful playing as well.

[@6strings735]

Thanks for this, Matt. I am ordering one of these, made up my mind before watching your vid. I already have a Yamaha RS620, and I cannot believe the build quality. I mean seriously, if Yamaha can put out such quality fit and finish for well under $1000, what the heck is up with so many other brands? Looking forward to my new PAC611HFM.

[@davidelvis3901]

That’s a great guitar for sure. I own one. That’s a horse of a guitar. It does all styles

[@Jodyrides]

Yamaha is the largest producer of musical instruments in the world.. I don’t know how it happened but now that I think of it, I have five Yamaha guitars right now. a pacifica112, a Pacifica 312, an acoustic six string, a fourth string bass guitar… and a Yamaha, AES 800 electric. I saw photos of Sammy Hagar performing on stage playing my exact Yamaha AES 800 years ago. Just for the heck of it, I go on eBay every once in a while and check to see what some of the guitars I own are selling for used. I was very surprised to see that the Yamaha AES 800 that I have had since around 2002, They are now selling used for over $2000. I can understand why. It is well-made. It stays in tune, the next, or straight, there was no Fret sprout., i’ve never had any issues with scratchy pots, fret, buzz, Neck inlays, falling out, It has the original fantastic DiMarzio pick ups, three pots.. volume, tone, phase. You can change the face by rotating the third rheostat. I’ve never seen that on any other guitar. It has quite a change in the sound, more drastic than turning the tone control… 2 pick ups, five way selector.. rosewood, fingerboard, single cutaway, solid, body, maple neck, string through. I do not understand companies selling “Road worn “guitars that are all purposely damaged. Actually, I can understand that, instead of throwing them in the trash, where they belong when they get damaged, while being made, they just turn a liability into an asset and call those Guitars “road worn like it’s something great.. I have had some guitars since the 1960s until now, and they are not worn like that. My fender 1959 jazz master did have a very fragile paint job like Stevie Ray Vaughan‘s guitar. That paint just chips off very easily. my Omahas are good, solid Guitars. To tell you the truth, there are not many companies, making poor quality Guitars, there are some, the fender, Squier bullet, and there’s another model of a cell begins with an a I think. I don’t think anyone would like one of those guitars they are not made to a standard, they’re made to a price. But one of my cheap guitars is an epiphone les balls special. Painted flat black with black P 90s. It’s the one with two pots, they saw another version with four pots. That is a different guitar that gets very good ratings. But I have the one that sold for $189 new. I got it for 50 bucks on craigslist. It’s in perfect condition. it plays better than my gibson les paul classic. It won’t stay in tune, I need to change the tuners, which I was resisting, because the tuners were cost more than I paid for the guitar.. but this guitar just comes alive when I play it. Not all many guitars do. In fact, this is guitar I never put back in its coffin. I play it every day. When I sit down in my La-Z-Boy to watch TV at night, I pick that guitar up, and I play it without having it plugged in. I probably play it more than seven hours a week. I just got done watching the 2024 NFL player draft first day. I played my Les Paul P90 $50 guitar for 3 1/2 hours while I was watching the show. if only I could play a song. I haven’t played an entire song since I stopped playing in the bands. I got sick of getting home at 4 AM smelling like an ashtray, and then having to go to work the next morning at 7 AM sometimes.. I just practice my range and licks and runs.. I never had a guitar lesson. Just like Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, two of the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and quite a few others that can’t read a note.. I was told years ago, when you take lessons, you can only learn what the teacher knows.. So you better have a great teacher. But one thing, a teacher can’t teach you, is desire.

[@bradyoung1052]

It may be bright but it sounds great in the mix.

[@williamb2845]

For it not being a “shredding” guitar, you’re doing a lot of shredding. Nice job showing the sound range.

[@David_Downs]

I dont hear shredding at all

[@bryonmartin9221]

I own two of these! Maybe the best electric guitar out there! The p-90 is unbelievably rich and smooth, just like this in this video. The SD Custom is a gift from heaven.

[@markr2159]

Byron Martin why 2?

[@Allguitarinfo]

Awesome to hear. I've been torn between the 612 and the 611. I've never owned a p90 guitar ..my brother has the revstar midline model. It's awesome and I have an older 1990 pacifica 721 ..along with epi pauls mim strat.. but really wanting g a nice Yamaha...and the more I hear the p90 mire I'm digging it

[@markjohnson9485]

I love the tones on this guitar. you said it was too bright for you but, as a gigging musician, I want that, to cut through the band mix. But, like you said to each his own

[@wilsmtt]

Sounded great. Excellent playing, as always.

[@DragisaBoca]

Very nice playing man. :)

[@nyxaquar3474]

Great playing. Interestingly , I find the ‘bright’ tone a Yamaha trait. I’ve seen this in their mini guitar amps as well as stereo amps.

[@nesfan8]

0:29 no it cant. It surpasses them fastly at least compared to price range

[@tomsguldbarrensen4823]

The 611 sounds amazing on a very clean amplifier, like the Fender Super Amp. Lead guitarists may prefer a deluxe over a clean, if choosing a tube amplifier.

[@georgesabitpol]

One of the best most unknown most amazing guitars out there.

[@MDK2323]

Killer review Matt! Well done!

[@MustafaBaabad]

Thank you Chief. You help me alot to choose between Telecaster Classic Vibe and this guitar. Great review without too much information. Cheers from Indonesia.

[@EdgarBeja]

They come with D'Addario EXL strings. They are Bright! Love that guitar man! Peace

[@23skidoo46]

I love bright highs. It works for me.

[@296victor]

I have this guitar. Fantastic sound

[@Kevin.Hearty]

The Custom 5 is a bright humbucker. Many far Eastern pickups tend to get lost in a band mix for some reason, so I suppose Yamaha went on the bright side to counteract this. Blackstar like Marshall tend to be bright amps anyway. Guitar sounds excellent in this video though.

[@DragisaBoca]

What are "far eastern pickups" if I may ask? :p

[@Kevin.Hearty]

@@DragisaBoca Pickups that are made in the Far East, China, Vietnam, Indonesia, etc, etc.

[@Bazzguit]

Better Call Saul!!! :")

[@historyguy5942]

You articulated exactly what I have been thinking about this guitar since listening to several reviews and plays by multiple players. It's just too bright no matter what you do to tamp that sound down. I had been really considering purchasing this guitar, however, I am more convinced now than ever that I would regret doing so. As you say, it comes to personal choice of sound. In addition, love the locking tuners, the combination of pickups, and the overall quality of the guitar. But in the end, it's all about how it sounds. Wonder if the 4 series without the lamination would be less bright. But of course, you also get less guitar. The search continues.

[@fatabeeno]

Sounds good to me. Great playing, too, Matt !

[@danielstryhanyn7278]

Great demo! I'm ready to purchase one of these. Looking for something without a trem. Just plug in and go!

[@miguelangelperezderada8692]

nice one Matt. the Pacifica has always had great opinions in forums and youtube. you make it sound awesome.

[@davidelvis3901]

I own one, that Guitar is a workhorse for any genre of music

[@celestelongway7315]

Yeah Super cool . Finally a top gun demo of the Yamaha Pacifica.

[@reallyeffingcooltechnodude]

Decided to check out when the next season of Better Call Saul is coming because of 2:12 Turns out the first episode was aired last sunday. I had no idea. Crazy coincidence. I think I need this guitar too

[@theblytonian3906]

Seymour's TB-14 has scooped mids as a feature/characteristic.

[@politicoinutil]

Beautiful playing. I hope to have one very soon.

[@sudkreuz7570]

Nice clean tones!

[@jerrycook3273]

Thanks for your honesty about the brightness of guitar.I had a very expensive robin guitar that was increíble in all aspects, accept it was to bright.

[@thelolguy007]

What a great review, playing and tone 👏👏👌

[@timshawguitar]

Superb playing! Great review

[@stevesargant5041]

I have the 611 VFM, simply an awesome guitar for the money.

[@lohansubramaniam6839]

Does it hold tune well?

[@stevesargant5041]

@@lohansubramaniam6839 The Grover locking tuners do a real good job. I’ve had mine about eighteen months and have no complaints at all about the guitar.

[@lelov1392]

I hear you bro. IMHO and experience, it’s the alder body capped with maple top plus the 500k pot that makes this guitar really bright. The 9 gauge string that it comes with doesn’t help either. I always go for a heavier string if I find the guitar too bright. I wish they make a mahogany body with maple top, ebony fingerboard, plus reversed headstock version! An example would be With Ibanez Andy Timmons models, although both share the same model of pick ups, same scale length, you can tell straight away that the mahogany version is much warmer than his standard version. Thanks to the hog body! Anyway, this 611 Pacifica model is still very good value, considering the specs and build quality you get for. I’ll take this one over a Mexico fender anyway. I’ll just a change the strings to a heavier strings with no coating! If I could find one, I would most likely put a lefty neck to get a reversed headstock on it. Cheers!!!

[@conradsenior5843]

Love the neck pickup around 4:05

[@aminzafri5256]

bocchi the rock

[@ianbarnes1406]

Really nice sound out of that amp my friend. Might have check the Blackstar out. Like this guitar a lot but the neck width at the nut seemed a little too narrow for me whenever I've picked one up

[@theblytonian3906]

I think that's the love 'em or hate 'em aspect of Pacificas. Small hands, I love them. OTOH no pun intended, I feel the same way about those cricket bat Fender strat necks with the fingerboard curvature of a fish bowl. Hate 'em. Yamaha HSS Strats for me. Superior body fit for me too.

[@kevinbradshaw1420]

Yeah, it supposedly lacks low end you have to cut from a mix anyway.

[@xCousinCletusx]

Sick playing my dude.

[@JG-ux7of]

I have the cheap version of this guitar (311) the stock pickups are weak but it's flawlessly built and feels great. I bought a G&L Fallout with the same pickup combination and it sounds alot better so I swapped the bridge humbucker with a GFS Fat Pat and swapped the neck P90 with a GFS Mini 59 mini humbucker and now it's one of my favorites.

[@basenjiguitar]

Best review of yamaha

[@trahnettilhcs]

@8:30 those pole pieces are definitely not from the stock Duncan P90 that Yamaha uses. These look like a Jazzmaster rod-style magnet, which would inherently increase the overall snap, brightness, and attack of that pickup. That likely is contributing to the overall bright characteristic of the guitar.

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

Hey! This was sent directly to me from Yamaha for this demo. Not sure if they sent this demo guitar to me after someone else had it and performed some "surgery" on it, but from what I was told years ago this guitar was all stock, direct from the manufacturer.

[@trahnettilhcs]

@@MattTheGuitarGuy interesting! Bright or not, your playing is inspiring to listen to. Great demo.

[@omarfalcon7828]

Great playing!! what's the name of the first song??

[@robertsmith-ux8ls]

Great playing andctone..love your phasing...killer guitar..I'm think I'm gonna pull the trigger on 612vii

[@myway43]

Whoa, that kind of surprised me!

[@richardx4456]

ANyone knows the riff starting at 4:03? thanks

[@AngelMartinez-qs3cf]

Hey you're man! Great shredding!! Would you recommend this guitar for classic hard rock, like Beatles, stones, AC/DC, skynyrd, zeppelin Sabbath, Greenday, that kind of music..., Thank you for posting this.

[@tomsguldbarrensen4823]

Soren Andersen is a professional musican. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHrEcqeFa7R0eKc www.sorenandersen.net/biography

[@abuzafeera]

with those pickups, you can play music like you mention, high end hardware, beautiful finished, i own this and 612

[@tomsguldbarrensen4823]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpDKi5uIr69_kLs

[@richardx4456]

@@abuzafeera Is 612 better than 611 just curious? Thanks man

[@edisonmirandilla1441]

Very good lead

[@theblytonian3906]

Why has it taken this long for this to pop up in my suggestions? WTF? IDK how many searches I have done on PAC61X's over the past five years...but a LOT.

[@markfahey3921]

put that guitar in the right hands and it will do anything by the sound of it. If you did not know it was "only" a Yamaha Pacifica you would think it was a far more expensive guitar.

[@stevef4010]

Nice playing dude. HOw do you like this vs the agile LP?

[@klausmitwoch]

beautiful sound, good player! :-)

[@daveschellenberg5894]

hi matt. nice review. grover usa tuners? semour duncan or duncan designed?

[@deliciasparatodos5083]

Grover USA tuners and Seymour Duncan pickups (not Duncan design)

[@k-ondoomer]

String saver saddles, graph tech nut and gotoh lock keys. I spent all day looking at guitars for 1k and none had all these.

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

There's no doubt they're excellent guitars and very well made! This particular one just wasn't for me, but I still think Yamaha is one of the best "value for your money" guitar makers out there.

[@k-ondoomer]

@Matt The Guitar Guy i feel you it has modern bite and a similar profile to my modded sss squier and a p 90. Plus it was in an anime lol

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

@@k-ondoomer Oh yeah? What anime?

[@k-ondoomer]

@@MattTheGuitarGuy bocchi the rock it had multiple yamaha instruments and a yamaha thrii 30 in it

[@scottschmittmusic]

Jus walked out of a store that had this and others.. It was purple flame very nice. But I'm a slave to the go to brands which I admit is sad I also get bored easy and am not sure you could flip a Pacifica let alone a Yamaha again sad but true.. I've yet to see one on craigslist in Pittsburgh anyway. Nice guitar and Playing I'm still kickin it around

[@billycarter4832]

What pedals are you using..?? Do the HT have a FX LOOP

[@kimmolingonheimo]

i love you, i had the model but i dont trust the self lubr anymore

[@vDomMusic]

That Better Call Saul theme tho!

[@brotendo]

It's been over a year and a half. Do you still like this guitar? Would you recommend it now with all the options on the market for someone looking in the $500-700 range?

[@Pedro-lb6ij]

wow, you play awesome.

[@conradsenior5843]

Outstanding. So many lame reviews out there. A real pleasure to see one I could watch over and over. Well done.

[@terryshrives8322]

Yamaha all the way baby

[@vincentlok8894]

"Flying under the radar" ... Yamaha is actually the largest musical instrument maker in the world.

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

This is true, but consider it in terms of a guitarist's perception -- Fender, Gibson, Martin, Taylor, etc. are the household names most guitarists know. Most guys want that legendary Strat or Les Paul model; this video was to help shine a light on a less popular model by a less popular brand.

[@vincentlok8894]

@@MattTheGuitarGuy You're absolutely right. In terms of guitars, Yamaha is a less known brand, but for orchestra instruments, they are very well regarded. They've been making instruments for over 100 years!

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

@@vincentlok8894 Absolutely! When I see Yamaha on pretty much any product I know it's going to be something quality made and long-lasting.

[@parkerkenney6113]

Love the Better Call Saul theme song

[@lucasmunoz6951]

I've got a tone zone I'd throw throwing the neck so win on the US vs Bright battle there

[@danielhartman5086]

Love the guitar. Just not a fan of locking tuners.

[@DrewDrums]

Nice Vid!

[@capitan_sevilla]

have you (or could you) try the middle position, with the Custom 5 pickup turned to single coil mode?. I have the same guitar and I would love to hear you playing with this position. Also, for the bright tone, I try to use 09-46 pure nickel strings. With this, it sounds ok for me. Thank you!

[@savanaviolenta]

Here you can hear a cover for which I used the middle position between SP90 and custom 5 on single coil trough the whole instrumental played on my Pacifica 611VFM soundcloud.com/savanaviolenta/wicked-game-chris-isaak-cover

[@KozmykJ]

The bright is a nice kind of bright and I found putting the tone down around half way tames it just fine. The range of sounds from my VFM is well wide and it feels classy to play. Like a Fender from the old days to the touch. Oh and it came with 9s but I put 10s on it. Suits my clumsy paws better ...

[@salmamaula8282]

Njay jago banget lu maen gitar Mr wkkwkwkw

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Love my Revstar...blows my Strat and Les Paul away

[@A2MB5]

I borrowed this guitar, but recently one of my strings broke, what kind of strings would you recommend with this guitar ?

[@broed731]

Probably just didario 10-46

[@manymul]

I think Fender pick ups are brighter than this. I now because I own both. If you want mid or bassy tone, buy a les paul.

[@beameinzer4787]

sauce god fr

[@loveartist5043]

Stainless steel frets?

[@kappachino2569]

No

[@SteveCalwell]

Beautiful tones, but I would have said it was more vintage than modern.

[@valebliz]

It is a perfect guitar for blues and rock, the stuff about modern tones doesn't make sense tbh.

[@ahmetayaz41]

2.12 better call saul haha

[@miguelresendiz8883]

Better Call Saul :D

[@doctorgoobie7329]

I'll never buy another Fender or Gibson after playing Yamaha, they're built better, play better and are 1/8 to 1/4 of the price. The Revstar kicks the shit out of a Les Paul.

[@emgex]

im planing to buy one, is this guitar good for gigs and small live concertes? Im playing Scorpions, Black Sabbath, 80s cheesy metal, shredding, sweep picking etc i hope its good for that kind of music...

[@memil32]

I own a 611 V FM with a trem. It can basically play anything from JAZZ to METAL. It's extremely versatile. It's sound quality is also top notch. Compared sound samples with a Gretsch Duo Jet and the only difference is that the Pacifica si a bit cleaner over-all compared to the filtertron pick-ups. Go try one, it's totally worth it.

[@savanaviolenta]

Me too.I have this guitar and it's a killer guitar.A tone monster.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Any “good” musician thinks of Yamaha immediately....all they do is make high quality musical instruments

[@Windermed]

💙💛💖?

[@bluwng]

The action looks really low on your guitar

[@23-infinitymusic46]

Better Call Saul

[@infowazz]

for cheap folks, remember ROndo. they have P90 guitars

[@tagrav]

yamaha ATV's are trash Matt. they fall apart fast.

[@MattTheGuitarGuy]

Hahaha I didn't know that! I've got a few friends with Yamaha motorcycles and they love 'em, I shouldn't have assumed Yamaha's good engineering extended to their ATV's!

[@0800338833]

BCS! 👍🏻💪🏻🍻