I got one of these in a Yamaha starter pack (strap, cord,picks, tools and an amp for $150.00 CAN. 15 or 20 years ago. I still play it all the time. And it's still perfect. The amp is long gone though.
to be fair amp technology has moved on a good bit in the last few years in the practice amp range, ive got a wee blackstar id core that sounds a million times better than wee amps did 20 years ago - guitars on the other hand... havent really changed since the 50s!
Great video, I have just purchased this guitar second hand and like yours the pots and switch seems to be playing up, did you remove the back plate to clean with contact spray? Also mine doesn't seem to be the C version.. well there is no C after the 121 any ideas what differences there could be?
yeah take the back off, put the pots at max , give em a skoosh with the contact cleaner, turn them up and down 10 times, turn them down , skoosh again and turn em up and down 10 times - should sort them.i think the letter at the end goes up over the years as the guitar gets revised, could be different pickups as they find better (or cheaper) units
I have the same, I use it with a boss gt 3 multi effect on clean laney amp and it screams heavy metal tones. What do u think would be the most necessary modification to this guitar?
both basically the same , the 121 has 2 humbuckers /1 single coil (hsh) and the 112 has 1 humbucker/2 single coils (hss) get whichever is cheaper or in a nicer colour
Great video! My bass playing mate just bought one of these for only £60 from a general second hand shop to help with his prolific lyric writing , as he was fed up with his acoustic being too much like a fight to play. And we're all getting much older and we all need a bit of a hand sometimes! I've heard that Yamaha were supposed to be great guitars for the money, but I've never played one myself. I'm familiar with the Ibanez RGs at the various lower price points up to about the £350-ish level, and from your info packed video here, i see that they are looking like they're pretty much the same as the Yamaha. The only real criticism I have of the cheaper Ibanez RG, is that I think that the Bridges are a bit "Too cheap" using some soft metal, and I wondered what the bridge metal was like on the Yamaha? I find that with Ibanez... that the locking nut, with the extra fine tuners on the bridge, are a pretty good and useful design idea, which i do like. This is on many of the RGs I think. But on my little phone screen I can't see if the Yamaha has a locking nut, I shall look it up i suppose!. Like you say, it's pretty unusual to get a guitar like this with the Trem Bar , and everything working.... ....and after you're playing , and going for it with the trem bar, I am very VERY surprised at how much it's stayed in tune!! The lowest end RG, similar to the Yamaha , would Not be in tune after that short-ish abuse. [i it didn't have locking nuts] So for £60 my mate"s buy today is most likely to be an excellent one. I shall have to make sure he's aware of what's involved with string changes, as he's probably unaware of potential problems, like trapping fingers, or the bridge falling to pieces, or a stray sprng becoming airborne! I've sent this video to him as it's very informative generally, and get one to him about string changes on a floating Bridge too, just in case I don't see him first. And, I look forward to looking at your other videos, as your very easy to watch and listen too. Thank you, John . ~~~~~~~~~~~~
its just a strat type trem on these but id reccomend just tightening the springs up in the back and hardtailing a trem unless you really really want a trem and you are pretty good on the guitar...with any tremolo its really important its set up correctly - this is another qustion id like to answer in a live stream i think or this reply will be 2 pages long haha
How the hell does dirt always get in the poties? Is it just dust or also abrasion? Does contact spray help in the long run or just for a short time? 👍🏼🤠🤘🏼🎸🖖🏼
Believe it or not I have just purchased one of these from a "Charity shop" in Abergavenny Wales For £5:00 and not only that the friend I was with paid the Fiver...Couple of stickers to clean off and a broken "E" string some small marks, haven`t tested it yet but looking good....
I have one of these in the next batch to set up for sale. I couldn’t believe it was a basic model, as it feels great, is comfortable and sounds pretty good, too. Only the headstock shape lets it down.
Hi I’m a beginner and I’ve had that Yamaha 121C for about 8 years now and still looks brand new. Don’t play it much because I’m hopeless. My 5 lever pickup switch does not work in the middle position, is that correct or is it faulty. I think it has never worked in that position? Any thoughts, many thanks nigel. ( purchase brand new)
I just got the slightly posher version... The ERG 121 UC2G. 🍀 Exactly the same, but better parts and a matching painted headstock. Only had it 48 hours but fettled it nicely --- beautiful set-up. Early days yet but has settled in lovely. 🍀 typical Yamaha fare... What it lacks in personality, it makes up in versatility and capability. 🍀 Loving the HSH configuration... Not sure they ain't done some splitting in positions 2 & 4... Sounds great, oddly,nothing at all like a strat... Man, am loving how me sonic toolbox is coming together. Doing loads of recording! Got way too many lyrics to write...coming up to being urgent, having recorded most of the tracks that are 100% written... Quite a stack now that just need words, wee words.... Bless ya Malk, awesome as always!
Been looking at epiphone player pack for a leap into guitar, having last had a Marlin Slammer bass in the late eighties, one of these has popped up on a selling page for 65 quid, with an amp. Think it might be worth a punt as a start?
I just picked up an erg121cpf yesterday with Duncan design pickups and a freedom hard case for 150canadian dollars it appears to be from 1990 serial number y0506 do you think I got an ok deal? I'm very happy with ir
Saya mendapatkan gitar itu bekas orang kapal Pertamina original saya bersyukur mendapatkannya Gitar Yamaha erg 121 masuk semua jenis genre musik apapun 🎸🎼💪
recently got my 121C out of storage and decided to upgrade, dyou reckon a HH 2Vol 0tone 3way configuration would work? want to stick a kill switch on this but don’t want to drill into it just yet
it would work yeah... dont think id want 2 vols though.. you will need to buy a new pot to replace the tone so maybe you could buy one with the killswitch in it? i dont know what theyre called but they exist - i have one in my parts box
Someone is selling a silver one near me on eBay did they do them in silver? I can't find one in silver anywhere ..they've offered me £76 ..is it worth that?
Hello I got a second hand one and I tried it on an Amp everything worked except for the tone button or circle the Amp was cheap tho idk is it broken or is the Amp not compatible
Can't fault Yams excellent quality for the price. I moved on lovely wee Yamaha Pacifica was mint condition I just wasn't in love with it plus trem arm was missing. Another marvellous wee jam good raunchy rock bud enjoyed that.
yeah , only fault with yammys is they tend to lack character , ie. they look a bit bland.i think this ones slightly better looking than the pacificas even though its a cheaper guitar.im not a big fan of the "superstrat" look at all. crazy paintjob should help!
@@MADMALKO it certainly sounded dashed good which if we're honest is most important thing. It's getting tiger's face art makeover should be interesting. Or Polka dot a la Randy Rhoads stylee?
My first and only guitar. I grew up with it. Always hated it. Had it set up, upgraded a pickup with a Tonerider, and still I was glad when it fell and broke. Never a friendly guitar.
I sanded mine down after buying a lite ash strat, then left it in the corner. Went acoustic and sold everything bar the Yamaha, mostly because no one wanted it. Now I’m looking at it again, the selector is a little wonky and needs attention but what a guitar it was. I taught myself mostly by ear playing one, one note at a time. It was 18 months before I ever played an actual chord 😂.
Sounds a s a decent NWOBHM axe...i guess the saxon and tank tunes with this guitar and that Marshall will be more than efficient!!! Now you made me wanna get the 121u that is for sale in my country
Creo q baja, pero Yamaha hasta en sus guitarras de esa gama son de muy buena calidad y he investigado mucho de esa guitarra y sale muy buena, tendrás guitarra para rato y suena genial 🤘😼
Some of the older models from 2008 were made out of some sort of hard plastic. I remember when I dropped mine the edge broke a bit and it was hallow inside. The current erg I have is made out of wood. But these guitars were always awesome, I’ve had a lot of high end guitars and when I found someone that had one I ended up buying it from that person specifically for nostalgia. Still one of the best guitars I own.
@Francesco Paolo Ardizzone Yea, I bought the beginner package from the shelf of my music shop. I used that for the majority of my beginner years. Idk what the material of the body was made out of. All I can recall is dropping it and the finish chipping off. Dropped it sometime later again after that and that’s what did it in. It was some sort of heavy and dense plastic for sure.
they are both very similar tbh , i think the rgx is maybe a bit cooler and more evil looking but the actual playability/function of the 2 are pretty much the same.ive got a video on the rgx on here too - i really liked that guitar
I got one of these in a Yamaha starter pack (strap, cord,picks, tools and an amp for $150.00 CAN. 15 or 20 years ago. I still play it all the time. And it's still perfect. The amp is long gone though.
to be fair amp technology has moved on a good bit in the last few years in the practice amp range, ive got a wee blackstar id core that sounds a million times better than wee amps did 20 years ago - guitars on the other hand... havent really changed since the 50s!
@@MADMALKO My kit is pretty simple as I am not a musician. I have a Boss ME50 and a 15 watt Traynor and a 50 watt Traynor. I get by well enough. ;-)
@@garyanthony8044 that should cover all the bases!
I’ve upgraded mine with loads of chrome parts on it and with covers on the Humbuckers and the single it sounds incredible
Great video, I have just purchased this guitar second hand and like yours the pots and switch seems to be playing up, did you remove the back plate to clean with contact spray? Also mine doesn't seem to be the C version.. well there is no C after the 121 any ideas what differences there could be?
yeah take the back off, put the pots at max , give em a skoosh with the contact cleaner, turn them up and down 10 times, turn them down , skoosh again and turn em up and down 10 times - should sort them.i think the letter at the end goes up over the years as the guitar gets revised, could be different pickups as they find better (or cheaper) units
"I should really go to one of these blues jams and be a complete arsehole" - genius.
I have the same, I use it with a boss gt 3 multi effect on clean laney amp and it screams heavy metal tones. What do u think would be the most necessary modification to this guitar?
paint it! - i did a bit of modding on this one actually - check out this video ua-cam.com/video/Dx7qoWRke6M/v-deo.html
Awesome painting work...
i just bought one of these but the guitar doesn’t come with a cable does anyone know what one i should buy
hi, great video
I am going to buy my first electric guitar soon, which is better for a beginner: this one or or Yamaha EG112?
both basically the same , the 121 has 2 humbuckers /1 single coil (hsh) and the 112 has 1 humbucker/2 single coils (hss) get whichever is cheaper or in a nicer colour
Great video!
My bass playing mate just bought one of these for only £60 from a general second hand shop to help with his prolific lyric writing , as he was fed up with his acoustic being too much like a fight to play. And we're all getting much older and we all need a bit of a hand sometimes!
I've heard that Yamaha were supposed to be great guitars for the money, but I've never played one myself.
I'm familiar with the Ibanez RGs at the various lower price points up to about the £350-ish level, and from your info packed video here, i see that they are looking like they're pretty much the same as the Yamaha.
The only real criticism I have of the cheaper Ibanez RG, is that I think that the Bridges are a bit "Too cheap" using some soft metal, and I wondered what the bridge metal was like on the Yamaha?
I find that with Ibanez... that the locking nut, with the extra fine tuners on the bridge, are a pretty good and useful design idea, which i do like. This is on many of the RGs I think.
But on my little phone screen I can't see if the Yamaha has a locking nut, I shall look it up i suppose!.
Like you say, it's pretty unusual to get a guitar like this with the Trem Bar , and everything working....
....and after you're playing , and going for it with the trem bar, I am very VERY surprised at how much it's stayed in tune!! The lowest end RG, similar to the Yamaha , would Not be in tune after that short-ish abuse. [i it didn't have locking nuts]
So for £60 my mate"s buy today is most likely to be an excellent one. I shall have to make sure he's aware of what's involved with string changes, as he's probably unaware of potential problems, like trapping fingers, or the bridge falling to pieces, or a stray sprng becoming airborne!
I've sent this video to him as it's very informative generally, and get one to him about string changes on a floating Bridge too, just in case I don't see him first.
And,
I look forward to looking at your other videos, as your very easy to watch and listen too.
Thank you, John .
~~~~~~~~~~~~
its just a strat type trem on these but id reccomend just tightening the springs up in the back and hardtailing a trem unless you really really want a trem and you are pretty good on the guitar...with any tremolo its really important its set up correctly - this is another qustion id like to answer in a live stream i think or this reply will be 2 pages long haha
How the hell does dirt always get in the poties? Is it just dust or also abrasion? Does contact spray help in the long run or just for a short time? 👍🏼🤠🤘🏼🎸🖖🏼
think its partly rust/corrosion - i dont think it happens when the guitar is used every day - its sitting still for years that causes the problem
Ive just bought one sounds amazing
I can get one of these for €125 secondhand, how’s the tremolo bar? Does it stay in tune after a dive bomb? Looking for a new lead guitar
set floating and with a well cut nut it should yes - i may be out of date but that sounds expensive?
Never had a bad Yamaha
I would like to start playing guitar, should I get this one ?
yes!
Believe it or not I have just purchased one of these from a "Charity shop" in Abergavenny Wales For £5:00 and not only that the friend I was with paid the Fiver...Couple of stickers to clean off and a broken "E" string some small marks, haven`t tested it yet but looking good....
bargain!
I'm able to pick one of these up second hand for about 60 quid, worth a go for a first guitar?
damn right it is
I have one of these in the next batch to set up for sale. I couldn’t believe it was a basic model, as it feels great, is comfortable and sounds pretty good, too. Only the headstock shape lets it down.
oh i dont mind the headstock, maybe it would look better painted black from the factory? a very efficiant guitar i think, just a bit bland to look at
@@MADMALKO I like the body, but find the half arsed hockey stick affair a bit boring. But I'm not looking at it when playing, am I?
@ this is true!
Hi I’m a beginner and I’ve had that Yamaha 121C for about 8 years now and still looks brand new. Don’t play it much because I’m hopeless. My 5 lever pickup switch does not work in the middle position, is that correct or is it faulty. I think it has never worked in that position? Any thoughts, many thanks nigel. ( purchase brand new)
sounds like the middle pickup is either broken or disconnected, you should get 5 sounds out the swiych and you are only getting 2
@@MADMALKO thanks for getting back to me. Any advice to sort it our
Out
@@nigeltaylor8310 id just replace the pickup , should be reallycheap on ebay - just 2 wires to solder
@@MADMALKO thank you. Not sure what I need, type/sort. Can you help with that thanks nigel
Thanks for the video. What is the song, that you played? I'm enjoying it a lot.
i was just making it up as i went, just 3 chords stuck into the loop pedal
@@MADMALKO awesome, very nice stuff!
I dont know if i should get this one or esp ltd viper 401.. i want to know which one is better for metal playing!
This is my first guitar , my guitar colour is blue . I crush on it . That's all .
haha awesome!
I just got the slightly posher version... The ERG 121 UC2G. 🍀 Exactly the same, but better parts and a matching painted headstock. Only had it 48 hours but fettled it nicely --- beautiful set-up. Early days yet but has settled in lovely. 🍀 typical Yamaha fare... What it lacks in personality, it makes up in versatility and capability.
🍀
Loving the HSH configuration... Not sure they ain't done some splitting in positions 2 & 4... Sounds great, oddly,nothing at all like a strat... Man, am loving how me sonic toolbox is coming together.
Doing loads of recording!
Got way too many lyrics to write...coming up to being urgent, having recorded most of the tracks that are 100% written... Quite a stack now that just need words, wee words....
Bless ya Malk, awesome as always!
Been looking at epiphone player pack for a leap into guitar, having last had a Marlin Slammer bass in the late eighties, one of these has popped up on a selling page for 65 quid, with an amp. Think it might be worth a punt as a start?
yeah the starter epiphones are decent playable guitars, go for it
Should i buy mxr to make metal /rock sound?? Or depends on the amp settings?? Iam begginer (bad english)
mxr? i am not sure what you mean.my favourite pedal is a RAT (or a copy of a rat) rock on!
I just picked up an erg121cpf yesterday with Duncan design pickups and a freedom hard case for 150canadian dollars it appears to be from 1990 serial number y0506 do you think I got an ok deal? I'm very happy with ir
yeah i just looked up what cad is in £ - yeah i think you did ok, mine was cheaper but no case no duncans and no working electrics!
Saya mendapatkan gitar itu bekas orang kapal Pertamina original saya bersyukur mendapatkannya Gitar Yamaha erg 121 masuk semua jenis genre musik apapun 🎸🎼💪
Did you look into making the mod for 2 single coils at the 4/2 position? Would also be intrigued to do this!
i think you mean coil splits? -yes i did mod this guitar up.....i did a bit more than that..ua-cam.com/video/Dx7qoWRke6M/v-deo.html
recently got my 121C out of storage and decided to upgrade, dyou reckon a HH 2Vol 0tone 3way configuration would work?
want to stick a kill switch on this but don’t want to drill into it just yet
it would work yeah... dont think id want 2 vols though.. you will need to buy a new pot to replace the tone so maybe you could buy one with the killswitch in it? i dont know what theyre called but they exist - i have one in my parts box
Fabulous. Thank you for posting.
That's going to be my first guitar, I think I made a good choice 😼
what's better getting this for second hand or a bnew squire?
this- by miles - no competition!
actually this is an old video - i got another one last week and the video will be out at 7 tonight - if anything i like this guitar even more now!
the spirit of chuck berry lives on!!
should i get this or the yamaha EG112c? both are around the same price used on facebook marketplace i don't know which one to get
whichevers cheaper ,better condition , nicer colour
Someone is selling a silver one near me on eBay did they do them in silver? I can't find one in silver anywhere ..they've offered me £76 ..is it worth that?
i dunno if they came in silver? -maybe its been painted? if its in good condition and playing well its certainly worth £75
Aye I couldn't see one in silver when I googled...sparkly silver with a p90 in it...
@@julierobson2569 a p90? thats either been modded or its a new one
@@julierobson2569 oh i see it now - im not sure about it - you would really need to see it in person to evaluate it - looks kinda lumpy in the photos
Yeah I'm not convinced ...
Hey would you say the Pacifica or an Aria STG-004?
im not sure - ive not really tried many modern arias
Hello I got a second hand one and I tried it on an Amp everything worked except for the tone button or circle the Amp was cheap tho idk is it broken or is the Amp not compatible
sounds like a wires come off the tone pot
@@MADMALKO do u have any social media? Do u mind if I send u a picture of the wires?
Hi friend..how much does it cost in american dlls.???Nice video..thanks
i dont know how common these are in the us but over here they can be found pretty easily for £50/60 so in dollars that would be $60/70 ish
@@MADMALKO Ok thanks a lot.Could you make a video about Jackson guitars...??
Can't fault Yams excellent quality for the price. I moved on lovely wee Yamaha Pacifica was mint condition I just wasn't in love with it plus trem arm was missing.
Another marvellous wee jam good raunchy rock bud enjoyed that.
yeah , only fault with yammys is they tend to lack character , ie. they look a bit bland.i think this ones slightly better looking than the pacificas even though its a cheaper guitar.im not a big fan of the "superstrat" look at all. crazy paintjob should help!
@@MADMALKO it certainly sounded dashed good which if we're honest is most important thing. It's getting tiger's face art makeover should be interesting. Or Polka dot a la Randy Rhoads stylee?
@@RevGary that would be interesting....i will think about that one...
@@MADMALKO though you might prefer to hit a flying V that way. Hit like on your FB page earlier.
La recomiendan más para metal? Busco una Yamaha más para soul
yes its good for metal
My first and only guitar. I grew up with it. Always hated it. Had it set up, upgraded a pickup with a Tonerider, and still I was glad when it fell and broke. Never a friendly guitar.
my first working guitar was a yamaha rgx321 which was basically like this but with a floyd rose - i HATED it!
Oh damn I really have this and want to play blues
perfect guitar for that - even though it looks a bit "metal"
way to go Yngwie!
only thing i got in common with yngwe is being overweight and i occasionally do bad karate type kicks when i play....
I Will Pay 580 Brazilian Real in this One, what you think?
sorry i dont know how much that is compared to pounds/dollars - great guitar though
I sanded mine down after buying a lite ash strat, then left it in the corner. Went acoustic and sold everything bar the Yamaha, mostly because no one wanted it. Now I’m looking at it again, the selector is a little wonky and needs attention but what a guitar it was. I taught myself mostly by ear playing one, one note at a time. It was 18 months before I ever played an actual chord 😂.
bet a skoosh of contact cleaner will sort the switch
@@MADMALKO I just finished the vid and that’s what I’m thinking. Cheers. Also saw the mad paint job you did on this. Great stuff esp the rewiring job
@@cannibalholocaust3015 ah cheers dude
Sounds a s a decent NWOBHM axe...i guess the saxon and tank tunes with this guitar and that Marshall will be more than efficient!!! Now you made me wanna get the 121u that is for sale in my country
saxon is one of my favs
Well now you got to do a cover I m not saying which one or a full song or just a riff...Just a little bit of what you fancy !!!
Esa guitarra la pedí y me llegara en una semana, estoy muy emocionado por tocar metal
great - enjoy it
MADMALKO thank u 🥺
This guitar or pacifica 012?
not a pacifica - a cheaper version of the pacifica
my first guitar, damn that ripped! great playing man thanks for the entertainment
haha no prob - rock on!
¿Qué gama es?
Creo q baja, pero Yamaha hasta en sus guitarras de esa gama son de muy buena calidad y he investigado mucho de esa guitarra y sale muy buena, tendrás guitarra para rato y suena genial 🤘😼
will it chug?
yes
have the same one!
you see what i did to it? ua-cam.com/video/Dx7qoWRke6M/v-deo.html
...the string should be a bawhair off the middle fret.........hilarious..........madmalco's school of luthiery....
indeed!
I’ve got one too lol serial is Y0508
and im 0612... maybe mines december 2006 and yours is august 2005?
MADMALKO yeah mate be round about then I got it jan 2006ish
@@davidgibson598 well that pretty much seals it - mystery solved!
MADMALKO glad I could be of help
@@MADMALKO mine is Y0808
Baw hair!
im very accurate!
Wow Malk... Those viewing figures, almost on par with the BBC!!!
Except you do better content🐶
IVE GOT THE SAME GUITAR IT DOESNT SOUND LIKE THAT
lol
Some of the older models from 2008 were made out of some sort of hard plastic. I remember when I dropped mine the edge broke a bit and it was hallow inside. The current erg I have is made out of wood. But these guitars were always awesome, I’ve had a lot of high end guitars and when I found someone that had one I ended up buying it from that person specifically for nostalgia. Still one of the best guitars I own.
@Francesco Paolo Ardizzone Yea, I bought the beginner package from the shelf of my music shop. I used that for the majority of my beginner years. Idk what the material of the body was made out of. All I can recall is dropping it and the finish chipping off. Dropped it sometime later again after that and that’s what did it in. It was some sort of heavy and dense plastic for sure.
nice video! do you think it would be better to invest in this guitar or a Yamaha RGX112? (at a standstill and need guidance as a beginner)
they are both very similar tbh , i think the rgx is maybe a bit cooler and more evil looking but the actual playability/function of the 2 are pretty much the same.ive got a video on the rgx on here too - i really liked that guitar
Would you recommend buying this or pacifica 112 or the squier affinity strat?
think this is the cheapest one of the 3, the pacifica is the best and the squier is the least good but has the most resale value
@@MADMALKO thanks buddy