Any Ibanez Jem owners here?

[Rob Tahan]

Years ago i had the BFP jem and LOVED it! Sold it because it was played to death.
Later i considered buying another one because i always loved the smooth rich tone of a jem, but i didnt because it was a "signature" guitar.
Now im using the 1990 Ibanez Jem 77fp and so far (at bedroom levels) it sounds great!

Anyone else here love or hate these guitars? Im just curious i guess because ive been on a guitar quest for a LONG time now!

 

[Ventura]

Ya man, I'm loving them, but have resisted owning one due to their "signature" status.... As well, I'm a Lester guy, and that's just the way it's been, but lately I've been happily playing ESP's, Suhr's, etc. so who knows, maybe one day an ibby will be in the cards

http://www.ibanez.com/ElectricGuitars/model-JEM77

I love this one for reasons I can't quite explain...

V.

 

[glpg80]

owned a new one. hated it. thin sounding - had no balls in the pickups and no resonance in the wood at all.

played great, but my wolfgang stomped it in tone vs tone. i dont miss that Jem guitar at all..

 

[smdb]

I have a Rootbeer Jem from 1989 and I love it! I just started playing it again last year after leaving it in the case for 12 years or so. I can just beat the crap out of the whammy bar and it will not go out of tune. I don't care at all that it is a "sig" guitar...

 

[IndyWS6]

Ya man, I'm loving them, but have resisted owning one due to their "signature" status.... As well, I'm a Lester guy, and that's just the way it's been, but lately I've been happily playing ESP's, Suhr's, etc. so who knows, maybe one day an ibby will be in the cards

http://www.ibanez.com/ElectricGuitars/model-JEM77

I love this one for reasons I can't quite explain...

V.

I can explain why - it's because that guitar is just flat, friggin' cool!

I would love to have one of those, but I'm afraid it would be a case queen. I'd be scared to play it anywhere but the home studio (aka Madison Spare Bedroom..).

 

[Ventura]

Ya man, I'm loving them, but have resisted owning one due to their "signature" status.... As well, I'm a Lester guy, and that's just the way it's been, but lately I've been happily playing ESP's, Suhr's, etc. so who knows, maybe one day an ibby will be in the cards

http://www.ibanez.com/ElectricGuitars/model-JEM77

I love this one for reasons I can't quite explain...

V.

(aka Madison Spare Bedroom..).

CLASSIC!!!!

V.

 

[bigdaddyd]

I am lucky enough to have one of these that I had Vai sign at an EVO meet and greet. It is a great guitar. I used to have a LNG in college. I wish I still did.

 

[Tone Zone]

owned a new one. hated it. thin sounding - had no balls in the pickups and no resonance in the wood at all.

played great, but my wolfgang stomped it in tone vs tone. i dont miss that Jem guitar at all..

+1

I much prefer my Suhr Moderns to the Jem I once owned.

 

[Rob Tahan]

Which one did you have?
I find the prestige models a bit thin, but the JEM..?

 

[crankyrayhanky]

I owned an early yellow one for most of the 90s

Sold it off at a realtively cheap price because the tone didn't compare to the Gibson I had just bought...plus I was tired of the wise ass mocking comments I'd get when I'd gig with it!

Best move I've made in my gear career, my tone has been light years better since I moved on...but in retrospect, I didn't have the best amp approach to go with it back then- a Triaxis set on the red channel for Megadeth-type rhythms was just a square peg in a round hole. Knowing what I know now, that Jem should have been in a Marshally amp with plenty of mids.

But I did manage to put out my only instrumental tune with my band that got some college radio airplay, that was fun; check it out, solos/whammy bar aplenty. Sloppy energy everywhere, lol

I think this was the only tune I ever did in one take with none of my usual studio trickery
https://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_so ... ID=8793738

 

[Les Zombie]

I used to own a jem brmr and i loved it, i wished i still had it.

 

[Tone Zone]

Which one did you have?
I find the prestige models a bit thin, but the JEM..?

I had an early 90's Jem7vwh. Also, I played a friend's Jem7DBK quite a bit back in the day....same results.

 

[7 Stringer]

I used to won several Jems but sold them and got some RG770`s and 565`s. Better tone, better playability and a lot cheaper.

I still own several UV`s though

I like the Wizard neck better than the Jem neck. I think the one Jem that had a Wizard profile was the Jem777DVY, the yellow with a vine. Sold that one

Chris

 

[rupe]

Bought an early yellow one back in '88 that played and sounded great but sold it due to the sig guitar stigma and the crazy colors didn't really "fit my image" at the time...I guess I was a bit pretentious back in the 80's. Bought and sold a few more throughout the 90's but never kept any of them. I also found them to be very inconsistent...some sounded great, others were absolute dogs. Fast forward to the 2000's and I decided I wanted another one, keeping the incosistent tone thing in mind. After a few misses I finally scored a BFP that sounded and played like I remembered from my first yellow one...simply a monster guitar. Later on I scored a dead mint LNG simply because I always wanted one...tonally its not quite a dog but its not even close to being in the same league as BFP (probably a good thing as it stays in its case in virtually NOS condition). Seems odd since they have the exact same pickups and body/neck woods...goes to show that you really can't generalize about guitar models as there's a great deal of varience within them.

Here are a few shots I took several months back:

Here they are posing with another favorite Ibanez:

 

[IndyWS6]

I used to won several Jems but sold them and got some RG770`s and 565`s. Better tone, better playability and a lot cheaper.

I still own several UV`s though

I like the Wizard neck better than the Jem neck. I think the one Jem that had a Wizard profile was the Jem777DVY, the yellow with a vine. Sold that one

Chris

I'd love to have pretty much any of the Ibby's in your collection, but I would especially like to have the RG770DXLB - my Ruby Red needs a playmate

 

[IndyWS6]

Bought an early yellow one back in '88 that played and sounded great but sold it due to the sig guitar stigma and the crazy colors didn't really "fit my image" at the time...I guess I was a bit pretentious back in the 80's. Bought and sold a few more throughout the 90's but never kept any of them. I also found them to be very inconsistent...some sounded great, others were absolute dogs. Fast forward to the 2000's and I decided I wanted another one, keeping the incosistent tone thing in mind. After a few misses I finally scored a BFP that sounded and played like I remembered from my first yellow one...simply a monster guitar. Later on I scored a dead mint LNG simply because I always wanted one...tonally its not quite a dog but its not even close to being in the same league as BFP (probably a good thing as it stays in its case in virtually NOS condition). Seems odd since they have the exact same pickups and body/neck woods...goes to show that you really can't generalize about guitar models as there's a great deal of varience within them.

Here are a few shots I took several months back:

Here they are posing with another favorite Ibanez:

I said it when I saw these in the original post and I'll say it again... The BFP and LNG are simply awesome. The floral pattern in an artsy sort of way and the multi-color in an 80's over-the-top excess sort of way

 

[7 Stringer]

I used to won several Jems but sold them and got some RG770`s and 565`s. Better tone, better playability and a lot cheaper.

I still own several UV`s though

I like the Wizard neck better than the Jem neck. I think the one Jem that had a Wizard profile was the Jem777DVY, the yellow with a vine. Sold that one

Chris

I'd love to have pretty much any of the Ibby's in your collection, but I would especially like to have the RG770DXLB - my Ruby Red needs a playmate

Yep, when you have one, you need them all after.....

Don`t forget that VM one, it`s essential for the 770DX collection

Chris

 

[IndyWS6]

I'd love to... I bought my RR new in the box for $900 and have been searching for a Lazer Blue playmate. The only ones I've found were either way overpriced (list...) or look like they were dragged behind a truck... on a gravel road... in the rain. If you ever see a blue or VM in pristine shape for a reasonable price (and, you know, don't want it for yourself ) let me know.

To the OP - sorry for hijacking. My bad

 

[chunktone]

owned a new one. hated it. thin sounding - had no balls in the pickups and no resonance in the wood at all.

played great, but my wolfgang stomped it in tone vs tone. i dont miss that Jem guitar at all..

This! It's not hard to find a better sounding guitar imho.

 

[7 Stringer]

I'd love to... I bought my RR new in the box for $900 and have been searching for a Lazer Blue playmate. The only ones I've found were either way overpriced (list...) or look like they were dragged behind a truck... on a gravel road... in the rain. If you ever see a blue or VM in pristine shape for a reasonable price (and, you know, don't want it for yourself ) let me know.

To the OP - sorry for hijacking. My bad

Is it a re issue or an original from `91-`93?

I like the originals better, but the new ones aren`t so bad either.

Chris