Yamaha Pacifica 112JL MKII Black Electric guitar

Yamaha Pacifica 112JL MKII Black — Left-Handed ST Electric Guitar

The Yamaha Pacifica 112JL MKII Black is a left-handed ST-style electric guitar built around an alder body, a bolt-on maple neck, and a walnut fingerboard. Part of Yamaha's long-running Pacifica 112 series, this model has earned a reputation as one of the best-value electric guitars in its category for over a decade. The HSS pickup configuration, vintage-style tremolo, and 22-fret fingerboard give left-handed players a familiar, flexible instrument for practice, lessons, and stage use across a wide range of musical styles.

What Sets the 112JL MKII Apart

What makes this model stand out is the HSS pickup layout — a ceramic bridge humbucker paired with two ceramic single-coils — giving left-handed players access to both glassy cleans and a thicker bridge tone for rock and lead playing. The five-way selector adds two "quack" positions between the humbucker and middle pickup, expanding the tonal range beyond a traditional three-single-coil setup. A urea nut, dual-action truss rod, and die-cast chrome tuning machines round out the hardware package.

Alder Body and Polished Finish

Alder is a medium-weight tonewood known for balanced response with strong mids, clear highs, and moderate bass — well suited to clean, crunch, and lead settings. The comfort-contoured body shape keeps the guitar comfortable against the body during long sessions, and the double-cutaway design provides easy access to the upper frets.

• Body Material: Alder — balanced tone with strong mids and clear highs
• Finish: Polished gloss — durable lacquer with a reflective surface
• Construction: Bolt-on neck — classic ST-style join for easy servicing

Maple Neck and Walnut Fingerboard

The maple neck is finished with satin on the back, reducing stickiness for smooth left-hand movement along the fingerboard. Walnut offers a warmer, more rounded feel than rosewood, with a rich brown colour and distinctive grain pattern. A 350 mm radius and 22 medium frets give a moderately flat curve suited to both chord work and lead playing.

• Neck Material: Maple — hard, stable wood with bright, articulate response
• Fingerboard Material: Walnut — warm tone with clear articulation
• Scale Length: 648 mm — standard ST-scale string tension
• Nut Width: 41 mm — comfortable for most left-hand playing styles

HSS Pickups and Vintage Tremolo

The bridge ceramic humbucker delivers a thicker, higher-output tone for rock and lead, while the two ceramic single-coils provide the bright, glassy character that defines the ST sound. A five-way selector, master volume, and master tone give quick access to all five pickup combinations. The vintage-style tremolo allows subtle vibrato effects, and chrome die-cast tuners keep tuning stable through bends and tremolo use.

• Pickup Configuration: HSS — humbucker at bridge, single-coils in middle and neck
• Bridge Pickup: Ceramic Humbucker — fuller, higher-output tone for rock and lead
• Middle and Neck Pickups: Ceramic Single-Coils — bright, glassy clean character
• Bridge: Vintage-style tremolo — classic six-screw vibrato

Who Should Play the Yamaha Pacifica 112JL MKII Black

The Yamaha Pacifica 112JL MKII Black is the right choice for left-handed players who need a reliable, great-sounding electric guitar at an accessible price point. Beginners will find the comfortable body shape, smooth satin neck, and familiar ST-scale feel easy to learn on, while the HSS layout gives room to grow into rock, blues, funk, and pop styles without needing to upgrade. Intermediate players will appreciate the bolt-on construction and dual-action truss rod that make pickup swaps and hardware changes straightforward.

Yamaha Pacifica — A Decade of Value

The Pacifica 112 series has been one of Yamaha's most popular electric guitar lines for over a decade, known for combining reliable build quality with an accessible price. Yamaha designed the Pacifica to give new players a great-sounding instrument right out of the box, and this MKII update continues that tradition with refined hardware and electronics while keeping the same tried-and-tested body and neck combination.