Definitely a Project - Yamaha Pacifica - Help will be needed

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YellowLedBetterManYellowLedBetterMan Frets: 1185
edited March 2020 in Making & Modding
Today, the 24th of March, is my 22nd Birthday. While stuck in quarantine, I wanted a project to fill up the days.

Enter, this Pacifica 112.


You may be able to see from this image, there are some issues. Firstly, it's filthy. The more eagle eyed amongst you may also know its missing a bridge saddle for the high E, and subsequently, the string has also gone. The electronics also do not work, in fact the plastic jack plate has shattered entirely, probably at the same time a chunk was made in the back which goes right down to bare wood. Did I also mention it's filthy?

So, I don't plan on spending a fortune on getting her into a tip-top shape, but I will be experimenting on it. I currently have a Tele, a 335 and a strat, in black, red and blue respectively. With this battered pacifica, I want to create something entirely different, unconventional, and suited to the jangly indie sounds which I play a lot of.

So, the current to do list:
 - Clean up the neck and plastic parts of the guitar as best I can
 - strip battered black poly from guitar
 - refinish (I have a few ideas about this - that may or may not involve something @Andyjr1515 taught me once upon a time)
 - replace the bridge
 - replace the electronics
 - new nut
 - if budget is still there, new tuning keys

I will also be trying to save pennies where possible, so will be looking into the parts drawer and reusing parts where possible.

And don't think you guys won't be able to get involved - in fact, I will be relying on the expertise of the people here for this entire project. Which leads me to my first question:

How do you lift gunk out of a fretboard? I have read white spirit and kitchen roll can do the job or 0000 wire wool, but wondered is there another method people use?
Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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Comments

  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    Kitchen cleaner and a nail brush! Spray, scrub, wipe dry, with a clean cloth, oil.....Leave it wet you will have issues.....folk will recoil in horror!...it works!.....
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • JalapenoJalapeno Frets: 6378
    Don't forget that you need to get Pacifica specifica parts as Start/Tele bits won't fit
    Imagine something sharp and witty here ......

    Feedback
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  • steamabacussteamabacus Frets: 1258
    Yes, watch out for that narrow Pacifica string spacing.

    Includes some mention of the size differences in this old Guitarist article I scanned for someone on here a few months back. Maybe it'll provide some inspiration for you too ...

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  • CeeJayCeeJay Frets: 455
    Here's one I did earlier. Might be a few nuggets in the thread for you to pick out regarding Bridge/Saddles etc.

    https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/167877/pacifica-project/p1
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  • DrBobDrBob Frets: 2998
    You might struggle finding a replacement trem/parts from memory the string spacing is quite narrow
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    I have a Yam 112 left hand trem somewhere you are welcome to the saddles/screws/springs...
    That reminds me, the unpainted body is in the loft too, it really needs to become kindling!...took me ages to strip the finish off it!...ended up with a LH neck on a RH body....gave it away to a mate...
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • YellowLedBetterManYellowLedBetterMan Frets: 1185
    edited March 2020
    I am thinking then, instead of replacing the whole bridge, simply replacing the saddles? I have a couple of import Strat bridges in a parts drawer and will see if they or their saddles fit first.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • Andyjr1515Andyjr1515 Frets: 3127
    Today, the 24th of March, is my 22nd Birthday. While stuck in quarantine, I wanted a project to fill up the days.

     Which leads me to my first question:

    How do you lift gunk out of a fretboard? I have read white spirit and kitchen roll can do the job or 0000 wire wool, but wondered is there another method people use?
    Happy Birthday, Harry!

    I look forward to seeing this progress.

    There are various ways you can clean.  Naptha (cigarette lighter fuel) is pretty good.

    Personally, I go in much harder - I use a single edged razor blade held in both hands and drawn from fret to fret with the grain like a mini-scraper and take off the whole top gungy surface down to clean wood and then re-oil.  But then, that's probably just me...  ;)


    Andy
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  • Good to have you on board Andy.

    I did chuckle this morning when presented with this disasterpiece. The first words that left my mouth were "I can see a trip up the A38 to Fradley coming up here"
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • So, update on today's progress:

    - Have fully disassembled and cleaned the guitar with kitchen cleaner and cloths.
    - Scrubbed the fretboard with kitchen cleaner and wire wool. As a result the frets are super shiny too.
    - Applied first batch of lemon oil to fretboard. Looks already like it's drying out so might apply another lot tomorrow.
    - Have ordered new strings and a new graphtech nut. Let's see when they get here.

    I have noticed a few minor dings and dents in a couple of the frets, especially in the cowboy chord positions. Am currently 50/50 on whether to try and level, crown and polish the frets, but I know if I do want to do that I'll be ordering a new fret file. I've already butchered one neck with the 'baroque" branded one I have where the filing slot is too shallow to crown a fret and instead takes away too much of the top of the fret.

    Slow progress, but we'll get there.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    I don't plan on spending a fortune on getting her it into a tip-top shape
    In that case, abandon any plans for refinishing.

    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    replace the bridge
    The weakest aspect of the PAC112 vibrato bridge is its waffur theeeeen sustain block. Some of the Wilkinson WV 5+1 steel block vibrato bridges can be persuaded to fit with minimal work on the guitar body. 

    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    replace the electronics
    The stock pickups and controls leave much to be desired. As a PAC311 owner, I can assure you that a humbucker-sized P90 will sound nice. 

    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    if budget is still there, new tuning keys
    Probably only essential if you expect the vibrato to hold pitch. If you lock the bridge down against the body, the stock machineheads should be acceptable.
    Be seeing you.
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  • TTonyTTony Frets: 27345
    Great guitar to bring back to life - those were really popular as modding platforms in years gone by, so you should end up with a decent guitar out of it, that you can then mod, mod again, put back to stock, mod, mod again ....

    :D
    Having trouble posting images here?  This might help.
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  • I don't plan on spending a fortune on getting her it into a tip-top shape
    In that case, abandon any plans for refinishing.

    I actually plan on dying the guitar using Andy's buff and slurry method. I have had a look at Rit dye and the like and it isn't particularly expensive. We'll come onto that at some point.
    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    replace the bridge
    The weakest aspect of the PAC112 vibrato bridge is its waffur theeeeen sustain block. Some of the Wilkinson WV 5+1 steel block vibrato bridges can be persuaded to fit with minimal work on the guitar body. 

    I'll see what I can do to frankenstein together a working bridge from the 3 or 4 i have in the parts draw.

    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    replace the electronics
    The stock pickups and controls leave much to be desired. As a PAC311 owner, I can assure you that a humbucker-sized P90 will sound nice. 

    Great minds and all that - I was actually thinking of either using a pair of H90s or trying to switch the magnets on some spare strat pickups I have to Neodymium and having just the one H90 in the bridge. I also have some 250k CTS Pots with orange drop cap and switchcraft jack plug which I pulled out of a P-Bass a while ago, so I won't have to buy anything but pups and a switch on that front.

    YellowLedBetterMan said:
    if budget is still there, new tuning keys
    Probably only essential if you expect the vibrato to hold pitch. If you lock the bridge down against the body, the stock machineheads should be acceptable.

    This is my current biggest thinking point - whether I want to use the trem or not. It's something I use on my strat but don't miss on either of my other guitars. I might set it up to detune only, I know this can help tuning stability somewhat as can roller string trees and a graphite nut. Both of which I have on order.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • DrBobDrBob Frets: 2998
    paulnb57 said:
    I have a Yam 112 left hand trem somewhere you are welcome to the saddles/screws/springs...
    That reminds me, the unpainted body is in the loft too, it really needs to become kindling!...took me ages to strip the finish off it!...ended up with a LH neck on a RH body....gave it away to a mate...
    How much of the left handed guitar do you have left ?As the owner of a left handed guitar playing daughter with a penchant for drawing on things I have a vague idea brewing 
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    DrBob said:
    paulnb57 said:
    I have a Yam 112 left hand trem somewhere you are welcome to the saddles/screws/springs...
    That reminds me, the unpainted body is in the loft too, it really needs to become kindling!...took me ages to strip the finish off it!...ended up with a LH neck on a RH body....gave it away to a mate...
    How much of the left handed guitar do you have left ?As the owner of a left handed guitar playing daughter with a penchant for drawing on things I have a vague idea brewing 
    Just the trem and the body, which has been stripped, you can have them for the price of post....you will probably struggle to get a LH neck, but right handers come up on ebay....pm me if you want more info...

    Back to the scheduled programme!
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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  • Today, I've taken a proper look at the neck and frets. I think, for now, I won't touch the frets. The few minor dings in them are just that, minor, and so long as when I put some strings on there isn't any buzz or rattle, I think we can go as is.

    The back of the neck needs a good scrub up, and I might go over it with some fine sand paper, maybe starting at 800 grit and working my way up, to smoothen out some of the nicks and imperfections in the lacquer.

    I am also pretty dead-set on switching the tuners. I don't think the ones on there now are particularly bad, but I want to be able to gig this guitar at some point, so a set of locking keys might go some way to helping that. Besides, the current ones are filthy.

    I also stripped the current bridge assembly of all of it's pieces, and am soaking the bridge plate and screws in soap and water. Will then use an old toothbrush and metal polish to get it nice and shiny, before putting on a heavier block from my parts drawer and some new saddles from that same drawer. I'm also hoping one of the selection of trem arms I have knocking about will fit.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • midiman1962midiman1962 Frets: 100
    I love pacifica's . I changed the tuners on my yamaha  ERG121 6 months ago and kept the old ones which i could post to you for nowt if it's of any interest? most of the parts between ERG121 and Pacifica are the same ....
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    putting on a heavier block from my parts drawer 
    If I recall correctly, the Sung-il block fastening screws are spaced differently from the overwhelming majority of other fulcrum vibratos. Hence, sustain blocks may not be interchangeable. 

    With a Wilkinson 5+1 pivot arrangement, you would need to fill and redrill one screw hole in the body. (The one in front of the low E saddle.)

    If you are going to refinish the body anyway, there is nothing to stop you making all manner of alterations to the vibrato cavity. 
    Be seeing you.
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  • So today I have successfully cleaned and put together a new bridge. Saddles and arm from one bridge, plate and block from original.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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  • I love pacifica's . I changed the tuners on my yamaha  ERG121 6 months ago and kept the old ones which i could post to you for nowt if it's of any interest? most of the parts between ERG121 and Pacifica are the same ....
    I may take you up on the tuners - I've been trying to find some that would fit and for the life of me I can't.
    Just so people are aware. I have no idea what any of these words mean.
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