it would be better to compare it to like a squier strat

I did a Vs of Squier and Fender here which you might find useful. It gives you a pretty good idea of the differences: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Z6qcqbpq3cXDj3U.htmlsi=Uf4rsF49f3YLH_cc

Exactly, entry level Yamaha vs. Fender Player strat.

The noise is a bit of a strange one. I've got two of exactly the same Yamaha guitars, albeit the other is a natural finish, and they both have that noise. It's not super obnoxious once you're playing, but it is noticeable here and there. It might just be a grounding issue and I'll investigate further when I get time. In all likelihood if I'm going to bother opening one of them up again, I'll probably go the whole nine yards and put in new pups and pots. Despite that, the Yamaha is a nice guitar for the money. It's another one of those that with some carefully selected mods it could be within striking distance of the Fender. Even as is, it's a very nice, enjoyable guitar to play. I would have loved to have had the Yamaha as my first guitar to learn on and it's not a million miles behind the Fender despite the gulf in price. I suppose the main difference is the Fender feels and sounds premium off the shelf. No mods needed... unless you really want to for fun, e.g. hotter pickups, locking tuners.... there's always an excuse :)

The Pacifica is a winner no doubt. The Pacifica has a very different sound and feel to either a Fender or Squier. They all have a lot to offer in different ways. Cool guitars. Keep rockin 🎸🤘

It's a cool guitar for the price

Yes, the Squier is a good one to face off against the Yamaha. I'll try and do that one when I have time. The price difference between this Yamaha and the Fender is what it is, but the message I'm trying to get across is that even the cheap Yamaha is still really good. It punches well above it's weight, mainly in feel. It's great fun to play. The body and neck are nice, so with some strategic hardware upgrades (pickups/trem etc) it could shine even more. These are both guitars I own and play regularly. If I can get my hands on a more expensive Yamaha at some point, I'd consider doing that comparison too. Keep rockin'

The Squiers are still pretty different from the Pacificas. Also there's more than one type of Squier.

The Yamaha range are great guitars. It sounds like you have a really good one for sure. I use my Yamaha here and there for fun. The more and more I play guitar, it becomes very clear that the most important thing is one's own ability on the instrument. As long as the instrument plays well and sounds basically decent, the focus is better placed on practice and enjoyment than the next guitar. I have got caught in that loop too many times! The Fender is brilliant too... But there are x2 guitars I play and use for practice every day at the moment which are relatively cheap 1. An Ibanez 421PB 2. A modified Squier Affinity (I switched the neck out for a much chunkier profile). The reason I use those is because they are very light and incredibly easy to play. I can stand up for hours to get good playing posture with little fatigue. I have various other guitars for slightly different sounds and for variety... and more reviews/comparisons incoming. I should really do a 'Squier vs Yamaha' video at some point if that's of interest.

The Yamaha is a nice playing guitar for sure. In the hands, it feels really good for a cheap guitar. The noise is there when you start paying attention to it, but it's not the end of the world and yes it could be a soldering fix. I have another Yamaha Pacifica in a natural finish and it has exactly the same noise going on when not touching the strings. I'm not sure if I got unlucky... either way I wouldn't want to part with my Yamaha's - they're really fun to play. When I've got some time I'll have to have dig into the cause. For me, it doesn't spoil overall enjoyment of the guitar. I've been playing the Yamaha like this for years - too busy enjoying it to listen out for the noise. It's really only in doing this video that my attention was drawn to it - and now I can't unhear it lol. For now I'm going to go back to ignoring it and rocking out.

I'm assuming ur talking about the noise from the Yamaha...? If so, to be fair that noise is very normal with a guitar that has single coil pickups. What's not so normal is to get it from the humbucker in the guitar. That might be a grounding issue somwhere inside, which with a bit of time should be a relatively easy fix. In day to day playing it actually really isn't much of a bother. I've had these guitars a while. I love playing both and the noise isn't something that I paid much attention to until I sat down to do the review and was being really critical of both. The Yamaha is still a great beginner guitar. I wouldn't want to part with it. It's extremely fun to play regardless of playing level. If you are looking for an excellent starter guitar, another option I highly recommend is the Epiphone Slash Les Paul Special II, I've done a review here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jb9dhax3yLmYmok.htmlsi=H3YMugSDmQJUPaYb

Wow, nice upgrades! The bones of the Yamaha are worth it. I might do the same at some point. With some upgrades the Yamaha could feel and sound very much like a high end instrument at a fraction of the cost. It's a really great guitar for cheap.

@@appetiteforguitar yeah lol the neck is to die for i'm a yamaha convert now

Thanks, constantly tinkering. It works nice like this. I did straight and I just like the feel of this. It might be the slightly different tension between high and low strings. Whatever works... 🤘

Interesting comparison. The Fender is much warmer sounding. What color is the Fender ??

They can go either way. Unless you have some physics principles on which way is better.

​@appetiteforguitar they can go either way, placing them diagonally just increases the spring tension :) (useful for counteracting thicker gauge strings)

@MrThomasv Thanks, I think these days it's called Lake Placid Blue. The Fender has a more nuanced sound to my ears, but the Yamaha still sounds pretty great for a less expensive guitar.