Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus PACS+12 Fired Red Electric guitar

Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus PACS+12 Fired Red — A Premium ST-Style Electric Guitar

The Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus PACS+12 Fired Red is a premium ST-style electric guitar from Yamaha's refreshed Pacifica lineup. Built around a newly designed alder body and a slim C-shape maple neck, this model pairs vintage-inspired tone with modern hardware for guitarists who play hour after hour. The vibrant Fired Red gloss polyurethane finish, inspired by Japanese City Pop art and Southern California vibes, gives the instrument a sharp, contemporary look on stage. Reflectone pickups co-developed with Rupert Neve Designs sit in an HSS layout, delivering the dynamic sensitivity and articulate voice that working players demand.

Standout Features That Set the PACS+12 Apart

What makes this guitar stand out is the Reflectone pickup system, co-developed with Rupert Neve Designs. Yamaha's Acoustic Design technology adds another layer of refinement, using 3D modeling to route the alder body in ways that increase resonance and improve vibration transfer between neck and body.

Body, Tonewoods and Construction

The alder body is the foundation of the PACS+12's tonal character.

• Body Material: Alder — balanced tone
• Finish: Gloss Polyurethane in Fired Red — durable, stage-ready sheen
• Body Style: ST-Style solidbody — classic double-cutaway silhouette

Neck, Fingerboard and Playability

A bolt-on maple neck has a slim C-shape profile, finished in smooth satin polyurethane for friction-free movement across the fretboard. The 350 mm rosewood fingerboard carries medium stainless-steel frets that resist the divots and flat spots common with less durable fret materials, retaining their smoothness through years of heavy playing.

• Neck Material: Maple (bolt-on) — bright attack with stable feel
• Fingerboard Material: Rosewood — warm tone with smooth attack
• Fingerboard Radius: 350 mm — comfortable for chord work and lead playing
• Frets: Medium stainless steel — exceptional durability and bending ease

Pickups, Electronics and Hardware

The HSS pickup configuration pairs an HH7b humbucker at the bridge with HS7m (middle) and HS7n (neck) single-coils, switchable through a 5-way selector for everything from thick bridge snarl to chimey neck cleans. A push-pull coil split on the tone knob extends the tonal range further, while a Master Volume with a highpass capacitor preserves top-end clarity as the volume is rolled back. Pro-grade hardware anchors the package: Gotoh locking tuners, a Gotoh 2-point tremolo bridge and a Graph Tech TUSQ nut keep the guitar stable through aggressive whammy work.

• Pickup Configuration: HSS (HH7b humbucker + HS7m and HS7n single-coils) — versatile from blues to rock to country
• Pickup Brand: Reflectone, co-developed with Rupert Neve Designs — vintage character with modern precision
• Controls: Master Volume (with highpass capacitor), Master Tone (with push-pull coil split), 5-way selector
• Bridge: Gotoh 2-point tremolo — stable intonation under heavy use
• Tuners: Gotoh locking — fast string changes and reliable tuning stability
• Nut: Graph Tech TUSQ — consistent tone and smooth string travel

Who Is the PACS+12 Fired Red For

The Yamaha Pacifica Standard Plus PACS+12 Fired Red is the right choice for working guitarists, session players and serious hobbyists who need a versatile HSS electric guitar with pro-grade hardware and premium tonewoods at a single price point. Players who split their time between clean arpeggios, crunchy rhythm work and saturated lead tones will appreciate the 5-way selector combined with the push-pull coil split, which effectively turns the bridge humbucker into a single-coil for glassy, Strat-style tones. The slim C-shape neck and 350 mm fingerboard radius suit both chord-heavy rhythm players and lead guitarists who bend and solo across the upper register. Right-handed players looking for a distinctive stage look will find the Fired Red finish a refreshing alternative to traditional black, white or sunburst electric guitars.