Stock Yamaha Pacifica pickup sustain issues?

[Myst and rain]

Hi,

Hey, does anyone else have sustain issues (as in not much sustain) with stock pickups in their Yamaha Pacifica's?

I used to use a compressor which resulted in decent sustain but now that I have a VOX Satchurator I don't use one anymore. The sustain is almost cut in half now which isn't really practical for me.

I think a fretted note sustains for 3 to 4 seconds. Am I wrong when I say that that's not much? Would just changing the pickups do the trick? Or is there more to it than that? The guitar has an alder body, btw.



Myst

[Big Job]

Alwyn,

I had that guitar once, but it had a different tremolo on it and I got to say that the pups were a little bit of an acquired taste. For clean work - I'm talking positions 2, 4 and 5 these pups are excellent. However if I used gain then they didn't really cut it for me. You could do a lot worse than installing a JB into the bridge and perhaps keeping it as that. I dont know if it makes much difference but my 812S has the same pup config as your 612 and I have no issues with sustain at all. However, these are stock custom DiMarzios....

On all of my pacificas I have changed the pups, this is my only critisism of them.

As for the sustain, I cant say I've ever really had a problem with it.....only the tone.

Take care and keep us posted on your progress...

Chris

[asix]

the pacifia is a great guitar for its price but i do think it has its limits and maybe you have reached them.

[Myst and rain]

Thanks for the replies.

I played my Pacifica again through the VOX and it kind of sounds Strat-ish when soloing with the humbucker engaged. It's weird.

I'm finally getting a guitar made this year which will be my new main guitar, so to speak. So I might just keep the stock pup in there so I have a number of different sounding guitars which is cool.

But it would be interesting to replace the stock pickup with a Seymour Duncan. Just to see what kind of difference that would make. If I actually end up doing that, I'll let you know how it went.

[ColinMmmmm]

I'd tighten the trem springs . . . maybe lower the pickups, and see if it improves . . .

[DavyH]

I don't know Pacificas that well, but their rep is an excellent budget guitar, no more than that. I've heard a number of people saying the stock pups are pretty bland and generally not all that great; the only one I've spent any length of time playing had the pups changed out years ago and no sustain issues there.

[Myst and rain]

Thanks guys! I'll look into that.

[Burnwash]

I have Pacifica 112x 1998 Japan .This is great guitar but the stock pickups sucks and in the bridge I mounted Seymour Duncan SH 4 .I don't now like play NEW model Pacifica
but these new models do not match the old.Whatever ,replace the pickup and check te sustain . I prefer you SH 4 because is aggressive and very cool sound ! Please check my youtube profil ,where I play that guitar.

this is my review of Yamaha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_RL4...e=channel_page

and my new peace ,titled RockNspace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg1qq...e=channel_page

enjoy