Yamaha PAC212VQM vs Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Reasons to Get
Yamaha PAC212VQM over Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville over Yamaha PAC212VQM
Other Key Differences
Yamaha PAC212VQM vs Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Shared Features
Yamaha PAC212VQM vs Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Common Strengths
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville is probably the better product overall with its final score of 78 compared to the Yamaha PAC212VQM's 64 score, which is a significant difference.
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Yamaha PAC212VQM has the upper hand when it comes to value for the money.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Yamaha PAC212VQM is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville is the better choice.
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Yamaha PAC212VQM meets only 5. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Yamaha PAC212VQM- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Yamaha PAC212VQM Overview
- From Yamaha's 2011 Pacifica series
- Made in China
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 13.78" Fretboard Radius
- Quilted Maple top
- Maple/Alder/Quilted Maple Laminated body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Alnico Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Alnico Single Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Alnico Single Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Vintage-Style Tremolo with Block Saddle bridge
- Pacifica C Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville Overview
- From Gretsch's 2019 Artist Signature Edition series
- Brian Setzer Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 9.5" to 12" Fretboard Radius
- Arched Laminated Maple top
- Laminated Maple body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Ray Butts Ful-Fidelity (Humbucker/Passive)
- 3 volume and 0 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby B6CGH bridge
- Vintage V Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Gotoh Locking tuners
- Weight between 7.4lbs (3.4kgs) and 7.55lbs (3.4kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Yamaha PAC212VQM
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Woods Used in the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Yamaha PAC212VQM has an HSS configuration while the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville has HH pickups.
HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.
On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.
Pickups Quality
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville pickups from a more specialized brand than the Yamaha PAC212VQM. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Jazz and similar genres.
Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
The Yamaha PAC212VQM gives you 5 switch options while the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville gives you 3. This means that the Yamaha PAC212VQM gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Yamaha PAC212VQM offers Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville comes with the following: Multi-Voicing.
Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Yamaha PAC212VQM.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Yamaha PAC212VQM compares to the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Yamaha PAC212VQM is built in China while the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville is made in Japan.
China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
The Yamaha PAC212VQM has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville comes with a Delrin nut. It's a fabricated nut material made to be similar to bone, but a lot more slippery. It's good for tuning stability as long as it's cut well.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.
Winner: Tie.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Yamaha PAC212VQM's brige is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville's is a Bigsby Tremolo. Bigsby tremolos are built differently than regular tremolos. They have a stiffer arm, which is something a lot of people like because the arm won't wiggle around a lot. On the other hand, this type of tremolo is more complicated to restring and it might not be as newbie-friendly as other simpler tremolos.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville.
Tuners
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Winner: Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
The Yamaha PAC212VQM has a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
On the other hand, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Yamaha PAC212VQM.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Yamaha PAC212VQM
- Expensive Wood
- Coil Split Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in China
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville has the wider nut with 42.8mm (1.685'') vs 41mm (1.614''). This is a 1.8mm (0.071'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
The Yamaha PAC212VQM has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville is only 24.6" long. This is a 0.9'' (22.9mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Yamaha PAC212VQM has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville, on the other hand, has a V neck. This neck shape was more common during Fender's early years. Some people like it because they use their thumb over the edge of the fretboard to press the lower strings. It's rather thicker than most modern necks, so it's not usually used for playing fast solos.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville favors large hands more than the Yamaha PAC212VQM.
Yamaha PAC212VQM:
Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville:
Fret Size
The Gretsch G6120T-BSSMK Brian Setzer Signature Nashville has Medium Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Yamaha PAC212VQM's Medium frets.
Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.
