hi, i'm new to electric guitar and done some research w/ this conclusion. i'm gonna settle w/ H-S-S pick ups as i prefer cleaner sound (correct use of jargon?) of single coil but also gonna jam some metal songs w/ the humbucker

both are good guitars for beginners/intermediates as opposed to squire fat strat (lots of complains w/ inconsistency QC)

as i'm in residing in australia, these prices are in AUD. i manage to find RX40 jump start pack (w/ 10W amp and acc.) for $440 and pacifica pack for $570 (w/ 15W amp and acc.). however, i manage to find an as new pacifica w/ hardcase on ebay for $250-$360 and i'm pretty sure acc. and amp can be found really cheap on ebay too!

actually both of these are way out of my budget of $300 for the whole lot but i know nothing can replace quality as the no brand classical guitar i'm playing now is really turning me off! i'm willing to sacrifice some spending on a good guitar but wouldn't go all the way to spend $570 retail on the pacifica

i'm leaning towards pacifica due to 1) look (sunburst and natural wood colour is sooooo awsome!) 2) for some reasons i hav the feeling that yamaha would hav better QC.

but if someone would point out that the ibanez item has just as good quality as the yamaha, i would spend less for same quality anytime over looks!

*ps. it's 4:30am and i still can't sleep. partially due to this guitar issue! lol

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Added on December 12, 2007, 2:32 amoh, what's the retail of these guitars back in m'sia?

This post has been edited by vintec: Dec 12 2007, 02:32 AM

I prefer the pacificas just because they look better in my eyes. They plays great and sounds good too. But instead of getting the amp from the package I will buy a separate amp cause they usually don't sound good.

For 570 AUD (converted to MYR as RM1660), you can get an Ibanez GSA60 (man, have I been recommending this guitar ALOT!!!!!) AND a Roland Microcube plus a gig bag, a strap, extra set of strings and a tuner....... which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better then the RX40 jumpstart package.

For RM850 though (AUD 300), you could probably get an SX Strat-clone guitar (which is highly recommended in this forum) AND a Roland Microcube with a few accessories thrown in.

hey man..i think you mean Ibanez SA ? Ibanez SA is around RM1050 before discount ....

Ibanez GSA is RM650 before discount..so with 1500 you could actually get a roland cube 30 and GSA ...

RM1.5k only ibanez i still want is that SZ520 that i guess is still in mighty music

pacifica ftw !

haha...i have the same delemma when i wanted to buy my 1st electric guitar too. i've compared both side by side and took the grx40. playability wise, the ibanez neck was better. sound wise, i prefer the ibanez too since it's heavier. construction wise, the ibanez is sturdier. looks, pacifica wins in this part, since grx40 is pretty dull. the blue one looks cool though. it lasted for 5+ years before i outgrew it. it still looks gorgeous when i sold it .

this is based on grx40 5-6 years ago, when grx40 neck was still made in indonesia. the newer one, i'm not so sure. but i bet it still sound better & heavier that pacifica though.

@everydying:
i don't think that guitar is still there dude. haven't seen it in while there.

i like ibanez more
its kinda personal anyway

And technically, Ibanez has a higher resale value compared to the Pacifica in case you want to upgrade your guitar next time.

Aye, I thought that looked pretty sweet.

are these prices quoted from msia?

went to music store to try out GSA60 but they didn't hav any in stock, the price for guitar itself is $550++ so it's way out of my budget...so it's still down to rx40 or 112J

didn't try out rx40 the last time i went there, i tried a bit on the rx40 just now and it sounds great. as i'm still noob in this field, so i'm not sure how much i believe my ears but i find the rx40 sounds as good as 112J on single coil pickup, if not better...i think better. didn't hav time to try the humbucker but i didn't really like the sound of 112J single coil the last time i try it (or maybe i didn't really know how to tune the amp)

well, i'm more leaning towards the ibanez guitar since someone pointed out it sounds better than yamaha (and after trying it out just now), would like more confirmation and advice from u guys

i dont think i'll go w/ the package as the amps are crap, might get roland cube 20x...so my bet is to try out those guitars in store and buy them on ebay

*ps. still very attached to the yellow natural satin finish of the yamaha

This post has been edited by vintec: Dec 12 2007, 08:00 PM

Yes. Those were the prices that was quoted from Bentley. You can get the GSA60 for about RM700.
So, there we go. It's WAY cheaper then aussie.

personally go for pasifica.. very versatile guitar

pacifica................................................(zombie like), seriously considering to buy the pacifica 112 before, then somehow got extra cash so buy the rg instead. GET THE PACIFICA. sound wise - awesomeness- for that kind of money

GSA is the cheaper version of SA am i right? so itd be better to buy the SA, no?

Yes. But if you want to save up cash, then the GSA is fine also.

I second blacktrix on the ibanez value
it has a higher resellin value than pacifica...
im selling 2nd hands now

a recognise brand is oways easier to sell than otherwise...
and take gud care fo ur gita
incase u wana sell it nex time


sleep more and rock more

i thought yamaha is also a reputable brand when it comes to guitar or is it because ibanez has a longer history since it's initial production in spain?

as for better sounding due to the mass of the wood, is it true that heavier = better sounding? or it is still down to personal preference? i realised that rx40 is a lot more heavier than pacifica when i tried it y'day

Supposedly, that's the point. But the quality of wood also makes a whole lot of difference. Compare Mahogany to Maple...... where Mahogany has a much richer sound compared to Maple.

Also, pickups play a big part in highlighting the attributes of the guitar.

so ibanez is the one to choose? in terms of performance, value and realiability. have to say bye-bye to that yellow natural satin of pacifica everyone agree that? sebulat-bulat suara?

This post has been edited by vintec: Dec 13 2007, 11:52 AM

bro...

if you observe this thread properly...

majority voting for pacificas ...


and..pacifica have my vote too , since you are getting 112 , with alder body...

firstly, yamaha pickups are better than ibanez's stock muddy pickups..
second..believe me ...yamaha pacifica 112's alder body isn't the cheap china mahogany that GSA uses...not to mention yamaha pacifica has wayyy more color options..

third..
fvck the resale value ...a bash up GSA cannot sell higher than a mint pacifica..
my point is ...the brand is not the only thing that affects the resale value ..

i would think that a yamaha with a seymour duncan JB combination will look more attractive for me than a GSA with seymour duncans combination..
and...this 2 guitars is still at a low end range..so the resale value difference is what?50 bugs ? 30 bugs ? no feel...


i admit that Ibanez has a better reliability ..the new pacificas has the pickup selector problem...
but in terms of looks ...(honestly ..you will look quite bad with IBANEZ GIO ..if you are using yamaha pacificas , u can always say JD from pop shuvit uses it..haha )
performance and value , i will give it to yamaha.

but hey , if you manage to push up your budget..to a real ibanez SA vs yamaha pacifica 112 ..then i would say SA..hands down

Again, it's all down to preference.
If you really like the look and feel and sound of the pacifica, by all means, BUY IT. Just because it's an average brand name, doesn't mean it doesn't play well. What we're saying is that we like the Ibanez on paper, because it's a good playing guitar, has a decent price point and an all-around performer... to our taste. What our taste is doesn't necessarily mean YOUR taste. The Pacifica is a great guitar as well, and we highly recommend it to budget guitar players because it performs well for it's price. But what we're saying is that you should shop around, TEST it for yourself and then come to a conclusion. We're just giving our opinions here.

And remember, at the end of the day, it's the guitar that YOU want to buy and YOU want to play.

just to clear things up, the ibanez guitar i'm talking all these time is the RX40, not the GSA60 as it's way out of my budget, it cost more than pacifica...in case u guys are talking about GSA60 cuz u guys mentioned it a few times

well, i've tested both rx40 and pacifica but havent done both of them side by side. i'll do it sometime soon, maybe w/ the roland cube 20x i mentioned

thanks for ur help, guys...more opnions are still more than welcomed

one thing too.. pacifica's vintage tremolo doesn't make ur strings run out of tune when u use it

yup, heard about the problem w/ rx40 termolo but i wont be using it any soon and if i do, i dont think i'll use it a lot

PACIFICA---------------(zombie like again)

Oh, if it's for the RX40, then I'd go for the Pacifica instead.
Crappy trem and crappy pickups = crappy guitar in my book.

This post has been edited by blacktrix: Dec 13 2007, 06:59 PM

and the RX40 neck is most probably going to warp within a yr

how would be so. well, on paper, both rx40 and pacifica have maple necks and rosewood fingerboard unless the built quality of rx40 is so inferior compared to pacifica

i'm now leaning towards pacifica and might get the one on ebay...maybe i should do an extensive testing on both of these tmr

i've even seen brand new ibanez rx watever strat-wannabes with warped necks

and there is a reason why pacifica has been voted best beginner's choice for ages...its just not that popular here cos if not mistaken it sells for around RM700-800...
so ppl rather go get SX or squier.

well, if you're a sentimental freak like me and refuse to sell your first axe no matter what, pacifica. I'm not too sure about the resale for a Squier, but squiers should be fine too. im estimating it should last you 1-2 years, maybe 3 if you push it, before you outgrow it.

This post has been edited by liew90kw: Dec 13 2007, 09:49 PM

squire is out of the question cuz i've heard a lot of inconsistent build quality, it's like a gamble, u either get a very decent piece or a dud

i wont be worrying about selling it in the future as it wont happen any soon and might use it as a backup guitar if i ever getting another one

uhhh, that is why you play the guitar first before buying it.

well, i dont know how to see the problems within a guitar and no one to bring along to give me a hand. and what i've been doin is try out the sound of different guitars and buying it from ebay once i know roughly what i'm looking for

if no one wants to go with you...
another way of cos is to find a friend who has a good guitar and try his for awhile.

i dont know anyone w/ rx40 or pacifica

anyway, went to do side by side comparison and w/ cube 15x amp, which is very close to 20x that i wanted to get. this time i'm really convinced that pacifica is the one to get

now i just gotta shop around for the best price

Yamaha rocks. Anyway something not related but does Maton provides any budget models?

u mean Maton acoustic?
225 no electronics, rm3500 retail

I had one Yamaha Pacifica 112J black....Used to have it buy i sold it off....But days seem to haunt me with the flawless finish and its smotth neck and my fingers will itch like hell...The old one was made in china...

Then i bought a new Yamaha Pacifica 112J as well...LOL...but the new one is made in indonesia...Would say some of the MII were not so great compared to the China one...maybe its only me...

But overall..the MII is also great...just not as great as the MIC..strange huh??

MII, MIC?? @_@

sorry, noobie lost w/ jargons

anyway, won the pacifica on ebay for $300 delivered w/ hardcase and pedal....a lot cheaper than retail price of $450

now gotta get roland cube 20x

what's the price for this amp in msia? i think i'll buy one from msia and ship over here...rrp$330 is too much for me, after spend so much on guitar

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Added on December 15, 2007, 9:27 pmoh, the one i got is made in taiwan, i suppose built quality would be better than indon's one...and the one i saw in the shop is made in indon

This post has been edited by vintec: Dec 15 2007, 09:27 PM

pacificas were made in taiwan before??? never knew

i dont know, that's according to the seller's description on ebay...maybe he's just a redneck who thought that taiwan and china are the same

OR is it some higher end pacifica??
$300 on e-bay sounds like too expensive for a 112J

all Pacifica 012 , 112/J were made in taiwan

the ones that are made in indon..are EG series....EG212..etc..

But mine are clearly stated at the neck PAC112J...and i bought it from YAMAHA in kelana jaya...but in the body state it was made in indon...lake placid blue...if i remember it corectly, EG with basswood body were only in black right??
Im sure there are some 112J made in indonesia...

This post has been edited by judas: Dec 16 2007, 02:32 AM

ah yayayaya

now i remember..the latest production all MII ..

is there such thing as higher end pacifica? dont forget everything in australia are dearer compare to msia...probably except beer

the one in the music store says made in indon


ps. i just realise MIC and MII are made in china and made in indon