Love your videos Darrel. Thank you for getting me into building guitars and playing again. I almost gave up.

Darrell when are you going to do a video review of the Nick Johnston Schecter? You’ve done every other schecter please do that one next! 🎸🔥

My first electric guitar, in the 90s, was an HSS Pacifica like this one, but in a natural finish with a black pickguard. Solid guitar!

That fender hits different, yamaha looks nice tho

I've been pretty happy with my Godin Session HSS. I have a few Godin HSH guitars as well, and I kinda turn them into HSS in a way. I remove the slug pole pieces from the neck humbucker, and leave the screw pieces. That way I can still adjust the screws for better string balance, and it sounds closer to a single coil, but a bit fatter/darker, and quieter still, and still has decent output and compression. Personally I'd like them all the pickups to be hum canceling, but I like the single in the middle looks wise over 3 buckers, and I like the tone of a single coil in the middle for the in between positions, and I happen to really like the tone of a middle single coil. I also made a no load pot for a blend knob so when I'm on the bridge or bridge/middle, I can blend the neck. If I'm on the neck or neck and middle, then I can add the bridge. And I can take the blend out of the circuit too. Smaller value cap on the tone control so it acts almost like a mid boost when rolled down (due to the resonant peak shift) and a treble bleed on the volume so it still sounds nice rolled down and cleans up better(for my taste anyway). It's the most versatile setup I've come across, with minimal/passive mods that pretty much anyone can do.

Bought a nick Johnston a few months ago and it was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The thing plays like a dream!

To my ears I would rank them: 1. Yamaha 2. Fender 3. Schecter 4. Vola I almost bought a Pacifica, but the feel of it put me off. It definitely felt a bit rough.

I had a Pacifica a few years ago, and with a couple of upgrades and fret work, it played as good if not better than any strat. Love your stuff, Darrell

I own a NJ Signature Traditional SSS and is unbelievably good!! I love it!!

I love my Pacifica. Inexpensive and it rocks.

I feel like G&L should've been in this comparison.

I finally sprung for a Fender Elite HSS that I love. It has more options than you can shack a stick at but i love playing it. I can't say I every used every option but I look forward to trying them all in the future. I love your videos.

Dude, your videos are the most engaging, informative, entertaining and personable I've ever seen. Thank you so much for what you do and the way you do it. Would love to see you review maybe a couple Michael Kelly 1960's Series HSS's with the Epic Eleven Mod switching system to see and hear what you think. On it's way to me now is one of their Mod Shop 67 Duncan models. Hope you are well and long may you run!!

It has been mentioned a few times, but I will add my voice to the “You need to demo a Godin Session HT” (new model with no trem). I own a 2015 Session and it is better than any MIM Fender Strat I have ever played. Dollar for dollar, the Godin Session is very hard to beat. You need to contact Godin to get one to try & show to your viewers. It’s you duty as a Canadian!

I LOVE my Nick Johnston HSS sig model. The neck single coil is the best neck pickup I've ever played. Great demos Darrell! Love watching your videos bro!

Until yesterday (8-7-21) the only hss strat I had was a Squier Affinity, and it was surprising pretty good. I've been looking for an upgrade, playing guitars ranging in price from $600-$2500. And what did I buy? The Schecter Nick Johnston hss in atomic coral. FANTASTIC guitar! It outplayed almost every other guitar I played, with the exception of one, and at ONE QUARTER the price, it was a no brainer. Plus, I always wanted a pink guitar. Thanks for the review, D!

Schecter has the whole far east manufacturing thing nailed. They make a fantastic guitar, and that Nick Johnston signature model is a ridiculous value at around $600-700

My first electric guitar was a Pacifica 112J that i ended up getting for free because it was missing the pickup selector and the guy had just twisted the wires together and was using it to play rocksmith. I've since replaced the bridge and middle pickup with fender tex mex pups and might replace the bridge with a pearly gates some time.

Darrel I have never learned about guitars from anyone else more than you. Your videos have inspired me to build my own tele deluxe-style guitar. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Daz, your playing gets more and more slick, melodic and pleasing to the ear with each new video.

I have a Pacifica, but I think Fender always comes out on top for me. I was hearing the Fender as being fuller and warmer. Definitely the Fender for me in this shootout.

Never thought you'd review the Johnston Traditional model. Very cool!

Had a HSS Japanese Contemporary Strat back in the late 80's. Loved the tones I could get out of it. Didn't like the flat fret board, and thin neck, at first, but I persisted with it because the sounds that it made. Unfortunately it got stolen. Well maybe it was my fault for advertising it so much, I was young and liked it loud.

I totally agree with you on the sounds of each guitar. I was floored by how much I liked the sound of the Yamaha. I'll stick with my Fender for sure, but if a friend wants a guitar to start learning, I might just recommend the Pacifica.

Yamaha's entry level HSS guitaras always amazed me... Yamaha first, Fender second. That's it. And that's enough for me.

This is more of a request, really. I would really like to see a review of the Yamaha Pacifica 612V (Mark II) in a similar HSS guitar comparison video. Thank you Darrel! Your videos are really amazing.

Wow! A couple surprises on the sounds. Very nice video Darrel. Thanks.

Darrel, this is just the question I was asking myself recently. And then you made a video on it! Keep up the good work.

I’ve got a Michael Kelly 1960CC HSS and I love it so much, it plays like butter and wasn’t too expensive, (only $1000 Australian)

I'd love to see a comparison of the Yamaha Pacifica 612 HSS and the Schecter Nick Johnston you have there. Two GREAT guitars and great values.

I am a beginner, and I chose the Fender Stratocaster HSS Performer series guitar for it's versatility of sounds. Having the ability to split the Humbucker into two single pickups is a bonus. I subscribe to your channel for videos like this. Maybe someday I will play like you!

Today was a good day, I totally lucked into a 2005 mex strat hss for $200. It looks and plays and sounds awesome, a big upgrade from my Stagg L400 and my old Bullet strat. Now I'm in love and can't put Fendora down.

That Schecter wins it for me, gotta have one!

Fender, Shec, Vola, Yamaha in that order to me. But they all sounded good and performed well, not a whole lot of difference between them. So this just shows that with a good amp, you can get great sounds out of the cheapest guitars.

Peavey Predator has been my main guitar for over 10 years. HSS, in position 2, full-on humbucker w/center pickup. Still very quickly sounding. Neck has some figuring, with a Rosewood fingerboard. Great guitar.

Great job as usual! I just bought a Yamaha 112V and updated the wiring and pickups. 59/Custom hybrid bridge, hot vintage middle and cool rails neck. Fully planned to sell it but....yeah...it's staying here.

Ibanez: Am I a joke to you?

My favorite tones were from the Yamaha, hands down. Next was the Fender, then the Schecter and Vola tied. I had no idea that I preferred Ceramic pickups by that much. Thanks

Superb and very informative comparison,as always.

I sold my Ibanez RG and PRS SE semi-hollow to pay for some college expenses awhile back. Jumped back into building a rig and picked a hss guitar because of your other video on the differences in guitars and have been learning so much from this channel.

I play an Ibanez AZ premium HSS guitar. It's really an incredible guitar. Best neck I have ever played.

I love the warmth of the Yamaha and the Fender, and I prefer the styling of the Yamaha, so I'd say that is very good value for money indeed

I have modded my HSH Ibanez RG series to a HSS - it now has a P90 in the neck position and it really rocks!

I have an HSS Fender Strat Customer Shop. It was one of the MLB All-Star guitars they made two years ago when the All-Star Game was in Cleveland. It is painted to commemorate my beloved Milwaukee Brewers! Shawbucker in the bridge and Gen 3 Noiseless for singles and I love it. It is my pride and joy!

Very impressed with the Pacifica at 6:42. The gain seems more saturated by comparison.

The most important factor is playability and feel

Dude your videos are amazing man. Straight to the point, no BS, Different and unique. All i can say is, business always has a cycle that it must go though. Give it time, your channel will blow up. Stay safe and take care of yourself man.

Great video Darrel! The pacifica range has guitars from $200-$1000+ and a bunch of variations. I've heard that the higher range ones are incredible.

To my ear the fender sounds the best. Vola is very good too though. The schecter looks damn good too. Yamaha great value guitar no doubt

You should compare a 612 yamaha that is in the same price range of the others

Hey from NC, USA. I really enjoy your thorough videos, has helped me make decisions in the past! Welp, cool i saw this 1 tonite, cuz today i just purchased a ESP LTD MH-103QM (HSS)

Nice review! In addition to a Fender stratocaster (USA) that I actually bought on the pure sound I now have an extra HSS "Strat". A Sire S7. Which has a, to an amplified extent, a similar sound. But some aspects that I found on that much cheaper guitar that I don't have on my Fender. It's a fine guitar, I suspect, fitting into this type of reviews.

I have the Yamaha and I love it I’ve had it for a year and it’s still my favorite

correction: pacifica is made in Indonesia, just read the back of the headstock.

I mostly come here just to listen to you play. And, occasionally, I learn something.

Great video. I’d love to see you do an SSS-HSS comparison in terms of what you gain and loss choosing between each. I see the question come up a lot.

The video I was searching for, great! A more fair comparison would be with the Yamaha Pacifica 612, with Seymour Duncan pickups and locking tuners.

...why did I like the Yamaha sound more? I also liked how you just skipped the middle pickup

Great video. I’m rocking a HSS polar white Fender Player Stratocaster. Very versatile and Love it to bits!

I’ve always had HH style guitars and was wanting something with some single coils, but I didn’t want to totally give up not having a humbucker because I really love H pups, so I went with the fender player series HSS Strat and love it!

The High end Yam Pacificas - 3, 6 and 8 series are well worth checking out - genuine top end kit

I’d go Vola. Looks amazing

I have just recently discovered your channel and I love it! You did a great job explaining the differences and there’s no doubt Yamaha was your favorite out of the 4. Darrell your the only one I watch. I have A D D attention deficit disorder which means I get bored easy. I have been but not your way of doing things. You’re laid back but steel make it interesting thanks man!

My first electric guitar was a pacifica 112v. Still love it. Yamaha makes a variety of pacificas now, and they come in several other pickup configurations as well

The Vola is super impressive! (Only watched the intro so far) ;]

My recommendation for HSS guitars: Godin Session. Incredible good value, USA/Canada made, awesome finishing and coil split. I love Yamahas, I have one, but it needs some fret finishing and upgrades to feel great.

I've got a Fender S American deLuxe. It's got a Shawbucker, and I love the whole package : Compound neck, locking tuners,roller nut, noiseless pups, rounded neck heel , more options w pup configuration, and one knob for going straight to the bucker without going into tone/volumecontrol

I got 2 HSS guitars one is my Ibanez SA 260FM which I bought because of one of your videos, I am very happy with it. The other one is an Aria "Legend" Strat which I modified with Pickups from Ultrassonic. This one is actually a HHH because the Single coils are humbuckers in singlecoil shape and the bridge humbucker is a true humbucker. This one is of course completly silent and humfree. Both sound totally different.

This would have been a golden opportunity to demo the godin session... 😆

A high end pacifica (the 612 vii) would honestly beat all the other guitars. And it retails for half the price of the other guitars, only 649 USD!!! It is such an underrated guitar imo, considering that it offers high end specs for that price. I would love to see Darrell do a review on it.

Hi I have a Vintage V6 hss I bought it as back up to my fender hss but now use it in preference. It was under £300 but the finish, hardware and pickups sons and feel better and better quality. Love the show keep up the good work Steve

Really helpful video. Precisely I am considering buying one ST guitar and this will help me to make a decision. Thanks so much.

Man, all of these brands are insanely awesome, it's genuinely hard to choose! Really amazing and worthwhile comparison here man!

Why does the Yamaha sound the best? Fender is a close second.

Very helpful for me to start my experience early electric guitar..thank for its channel.

My go-to is an HSH, the Godin SDxt and it is the smoothest, most versatile guitar I’ve played. All North American made, super tone, and amazing trem system.

The Strat and the Pacifica both sounded great, especially in position 2. The other 2 fell really short for me...whimpy sounding when clean. Didn't work at all for me...

The Pacifica and the Fender sound the best by far!

Darrell, Your guitar chanel is the BEST. I have learned a ton about guitars, I dont even play!!!

My first ever electric guitar, bought at age 48, was a second hand Cort G110 HSS Strat, black finish, white pick guard, and its a player,. I only had to sort the loose wobble in the trem bar with a nut and rubber washer, to get it how I prefer it.

I’m was thinking about to get the Yamaha as my first e-guitar. Perfect timing for this video :)

Damn loved that schecter, i was planning on buying a US made hss from schecter

Great video as usual Darrell. I have a 2013 MIA HSS Fender deluxe strat that is phenomenal, and in your comparison the Fender sounded quite a bit better to me (could be just unconscious bias) but that Pacifica sure held its own.

I love the Yamaha Pacifica tone, and it's incredible how an unexpensive 012 line sound so good. My favorites are the Pacifica 112 V, and the 212. Fender second because sound good but the neck is a little bit slow for my hands. Vola, is very impressive too. and next, Schecter, really good too but not so brilliant and warm. Greetings from 🗿Chile 🇨🇱

The others are ok and maybe I'm just old school but its Fender all the way with me. I have a Fender Elite Strat and it plays and sounds great.

5:05 I thought the HSS trend was started by the superstrat (Jackson, Charvel, Kramer, etc)

Great video as always. However, the pacifica actually goes up to around 700 bucks for the high end version with seymour duncans, wilkinson trem and grover lockers. Would love to see a review of that one.

I purchased a gently used Pacifica last year a gifted it to my son for Christmas. After a good cleaning and full setup, it sounded just great for the 85$ I paid for it.

Man, even though these are all pretty much the same design, I can hear the Fender right away, after the first few notes I can tell right away.

Darrell, I noticed something during your tones showcase: Some of the single coil positions sounded brighter than others, but I noticed some fret buzz along with the additional brightness. Since starting to set up and work on my own guitars, I've noticed that the setup really influences the eventual tone. I wonder if the additional brightness of those guitars would fade if the action was raised or the relief increased. Such small adjustments would not affect the feel of the guitars very much -- probably not enough to feel. I'd like to know some of those details, but I understand that this sort of thing is too "techy" to do a vid on, and I'm only mildly curious at most. Just sayin'!😎❤️️🎸‼️

I bought the Sire S7 blue flame maple on your suggestion and I love it. I also have a Fender Strat. I prefer to play the Sire though. You can’t beat the playability of that neck. The rounded fret board, the weight is perfect, the sound is unbelievable. And I’m not even really a very good guitarist. But I love it. I have also ordered, but have not yet received, the black and gold version of the H7 from Sire and also the L7 Gold Top from Sire. I can’t wait for them to arrive. I will eventually get a T7 as well.

I have an HSS with Suhr Thornbucker Plus Humbucker, Suhr V60LP Single Coils and it sounds insane. The neck is maple back with rosewood board. It’s my favorite guitar because an HSS does it all. As for your tone test, the Schecter was the best. Even low output pickups the tone was so different.

I wouldn’t kick any of them out of bed.... but I’d marry the Fender!

The fender sounds the best. Especially on the single coil position 5

The Kramer Focus VT-211S is only $129.00 and it's actually not bad at all. It even has a treble bleed circuit. Cool video man, I stopped by to check out the Nick Johnston signature. I've been scoping that one out for a while now but it's never in stock where I buy my guitars.

I have an HSS 1996 lone star fender strat... 2 Texas special singlecoils and pearly gates humbucker.... absolutely love it!

my heart is saying "WHERE'S THE CUTLASS BRO!?"

That’s simple.....Charvel!

your guitar playing is excellent. videos great as usual

My best HSS is a Strat Elite with Burstbucker 3 pickup 4 wire that splits. S1 switching that does 5 additional tones + the coil splitting Humbucker and a blow push/push button. That's 14 basic pickup selections but I really only use 7. It's white with white pearl pickup guard, maple neck. It needed a fret end dressing 2 times before it finally stabilized. Now it plays great but it was one of the worst fret sprouting I had out of 40 guitars. A couple of charvels were even worse. Yamaha Pacifica PAC612 run $650 and are very nice. I have the 611 with trem and a P90 pleked and set up by Sweetwater and plays perfect. I never needed to address any fret sprouting on the Yamaha 611. I sanded the back of the neck on the pacifica to take some of the lacquer off and I like it even more.