Any Ibanez Jem owners here?

[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

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

It's a reissue. They made 200 red and 200 blue. The quality was stellar - not a mark, blemish or flaw and I haven't touched the setup. The action is in the weeds with no buzz and it plays effortlessly. That's why I'm looking for another one...

 

[rupe]

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.

They're very tonally inconsistant...great sounding ones do exist, you just need to try before you buy.

 

[guitarslinger]

They're very tonally inconsistant...great sounding ones do exist, you just need to try before you buy.

This.

Don't write off all MIJ Ibanezes.

It went like this:

My red '88 Saber, bright as hell
My Five Alarm '88 RG-750, very dark
My Desert Yellow '87 RG550, kind of dull
My White '88 RG-550 = a tonal monster. Absolutely inspiring. weighs more than any of my other basswood RG's.

 

[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..

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

They're very tonally inconsistant...great sounding ones do exist, you just need to try before you buy.

i did try before i bought. took me 8 months on lay away to pay it off. didnt notice its character and how bad it was until i got it home and holy smokes was it a POS.

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone - especially at $1800 after taxes. the prestige i own now is a much better guitar and valued at half of that.

so because of my experience, i wouldnt recommend them at all. look somewhere else - ibanez makes alot of models.

 

[guitarslinger]

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone -

any piece of wood, by its nature, can be a tonal dud. QC doesn't have THAT much to do with it.

I'm just sayin'

 

[glpg80]

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone -

any piece of wood, by its nature, can be a tonal dud. QC doesn't have THAT much to do with it.

I'm just sayin'

i can agree to disagree

under that circumstance, then you would have as many dud suhr models as jems and gibsons as well.

how many can detest they ordered a dud suhr, or ESP custom shop?

knowledge of wood types in the 21st century - it has more to do with QC and making a profit than i care to believe. i agree you will get some planks that just sound great, and others that sound average. but to sound like ass is unnacceptable at that level. it goes back to QC and wood sources.

then again, one man's trash is another man's treasure. thats the bitch about tone - all subjective.

 

[guitarslinger]

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone -

any piece of wood, by its nature, can be a tonal dud. QC doesn't have THAT much to do with it.

I'm just sayin'

i can agree to disagree

under that circumstance, then you would have as many dud suhr models as jems and gibsons as well.

how many can detest they ordered a dud suhr, or ESP custom shop?

knowledge of wood types in the 21st century - it has more to do with QC and making a profit than i care to believe. i agree you will get some planks that just sound great, and others that sound average. but to sound like ass is unnacceptable at that level. it goes back to QC and wood sources.

then again, one man's trash is another man's treasure. thats the bitch about tone - all subjective.

except, half of Gibsons DO sound like shit, and Suhr almost always uses Alder within a tiny weight range window. (I guess Ibanez could've done this too.) IDK. Either way, why would a guitar flipper (most forumites) talk about their Suhrs in a negative fashion? amirite? I'm sure there are Suhrs out there that don't sound AS GOOD as other Suhrs.

Wood sounds different from piece to piece.

 

[glpg80]

im not talking about average versus excellent. re-read my post - you just said the same thing i already said. im talking about wood that sounds like utter shit at a $1,800 price range. QC is quality control, meaning wood sources and careful selection - ibanez does not care and neither does gibson - they buy in bulk and build to meet demand. therefore its QC and money problems.

see what im trying to get at?

when you pay attention to plank quality, cure times, environment/location of wood, paying the extra fee's to get imported exotics, you are assuring the quality and control of the product it will be made out of.

costs that should be considered with building $1,800 guitars.

like scott/digijams once said when i first mentioned my dud jem - its the only ibanez at that price range that is assembly line built which is fucking stupid QC control. just stay away from them all together and spend another $300 and get a custom shop and you will have a much smaller chance and much less to worry about with dud's you mention.

 

[Tone Zone]

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone -

any piece of wood, by its nature, can be a tonal dud. QC doesn't have THAT much to do with it.

I'm just sayin'

i can agree to disagree

under that circumstance, then you would have as many dud suhr models as jems and gibsons as well.

how many can detest they ordered a dud suhr, or ESP custom shop?

knowledge of wood types in the 21st century - it has more to do with QC and making a profit than i care to believe. i agree you will get some planks that just sound great, and others that sound average. but to sound like ass is unnacceptable at that level.

then again, one man's trash is another man's treasure. thats the bitch about tone - all subjective.

It is true that it is basically unheard of, someone claiming that they got a dud from Suhr. And, it is equally true what guitarslinger said about any piece of wood can be a "tonal dud". What I contribute Suhr's success at having great tone woods to, is the fact that John Suhr and company actually take the time to pick and choose the woods from the lots that come in for them. John has said many times, that they reject and send back many pieces of wood from a single shipment on a regular basis. While a huge company like Ibanez is more likely to just take what they get for the most part and go on about their business.

 

[rupe]

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.

They're very tonally inconsistant...great sounding ones do exist, you just need to try before you buy.

i did try before i bought. took me 8 months on lay away to pay it off. didnt notice its character and how bad it was until i got it home and holy smokes was it a POS.

as much money as they cost they should not be like gibson and have a QC problem of tone - especially at $1800 after taxes. the prestige i own now is a much better guitar and valued at half of that.

so because of my experience, i wouldnt recommend them at all. look somewhere else - ibanez makes alot of models.

So you tried it, bought it, and then realized it was a dud? So what you're saying then is you've got bad ears.

Have you tried dozens? Don't paint them all with them same color brush just because you bought a bad one...AFTER trying it out no less.

Contrary to what tin-ear says above ( ), its worth the effort to find a good one if you like the playability.

 

[glpg80]

i bought it after playing three, each time i was never able or allowed to try it on GOOD GEAR at GOOD volumes, and when it was, then it was understood the guitar was a bad piece.

came to find out, i was not the only one with this problem. i even know of a gentlemen who stripped his down to the bar wood to swirl paint it and found 11 pieces of wood glued together.

sounds to me like a QC problem and not bad ears on my part smart ass

 

[Tone Zone]

i even know of a gentlemen who stripped his down to the bar wood to swirl paint it and found 11 pieces of wood glued together.

Ouch!

 

[racerevlon]

My main stage guitar for years was a '91 RG770DXLB. I still have it and it's in almost pristine condition (there's one little finish flaw on the face where the case closed on it--didn't go through to the wood, just an indent in the clear). I bought an RG760BK as a backup and that guitar has the thinnest Wizard neck of any of the RG guitars I own. I finally bought a 1988 JEM77FP and loved it, so I also bought a newer JEM 7VSBL--love that guitar! However, my dream JEM is the BFP--something about the blue with the maple fret board. That collection of 565's is MONSTER--I have a 565EG in player's condition that I bought that way for $600, just because I love the 565. If I could complete the collection, I definitely would! I never really dug the 770DXRR, so that collection will have to remain a 2 out of 3 with the LB and VM "in stock." My 1992 RG770DXVM is in MINT condition--I bought it a few years ago from a guy who had it in the case under his bed. When I got it the plastic was still on the truss rod cover!!

Back to the OT, the JEM is an interesting tone machine. The older JEMs came with PAF PRO pickups in the neck/bridge, and I have no idea what in the middle (My '88 FP is like this). I can get a WIDE variety of tones out of that guitar. Newer JEMs come with the Dimarzio Evolution set, and the tonal variety doesn't seem to be as wide. My 7VSBL is set up like this, and it's not better or worse than my FP, just different. And I agree up top--I prefer the Original Wizard neck to the JEM neck.

YMMV.

This "family shot" is missing a couple (RG760, 7VSBL), but you get the idea:

 

[TeleBlaster]

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..

OMG!! You must be my long lost twin....

Identical experience. I was an Ibanez guy for at least a decade. Last one I ordered, a JEM, was in 98 when my PG was stolen after a show.
Some time later, through a series of fiascos and screwups at a local music store, they gave me a Wolfgang USA Special to make amends.
I was playing 5150s at the time and I did not originally have any interest in taking the guitar because I did not want to show up at the gig and have the sound crew think we were a Van Halen tribute or that I was an Eddie fanboi or anything.
But my tech was just gushing over the guitar and said I would be nuts not to take it. He's always right on when it comes to anything on the guitar, woods, pups, strings, etc...
So he was right. I was in denial for a long while that this guitar of half the value of my JEM had 10x the tone.
I reshaped the Wolfie neck a little and sold the JEM.
I don't know if QC slipped out a bad one or perhaps it was indicative of that specific time period in Ibanez history. Paint was not the best, some bare wood showing inside the monkey grip area. Board felt soggy and rubbery. Tone was flat and dull. I've heard similar tales, but please, I'm not bashing Ibanez nor anyone else.

I would not buy one that I could not play first, unless it were a collector.

 

[7 Stringer]

My main stage guitar for years was a '91 RG770DXLB. I still have it and it's in almost pristine condition (there's one little finish flaw on the face where the case closed on it--didn't go through to the wood, just an indent in the clear). I bought an RG760BK as a backup and that guitar has the thinnest Wizard neck of any of the RG guitars I own. I finally bought a 1988 JEM77FP and loved it, so I also bought a newer JEM 7VSBL--love that guitar! However, my dream JEM is the BFP--something about the blue with the maple fret board. That collection of 565's is MONSTER--I have a 565EG in player's condition that I bought that way for $600, just because I love the 565. If I could complete the collection, I definitely would! I never really dug the 770DXRR, so that collection will have to remain a 2 out of 3 with the LB and VM "in stock." My 1992 RG770DXVM is in MINT condition--I bought it a few years ago from a guy who had it in the case under his bed. When I got it the plastic was still on the truss rod cover!!

Back to the OT, the JEM is an interesting tone machine. The older JEMs came with PAF PRO pickups in the neck/bridge, and I have no idea what in the middle (My '88 FP is like this). I can get a WIDE variety of tones out of that guitar. Newer JEMs come with the Dimarzio Evolution set, and the tonal variety doesn't seem to be as wide. My 7VSBL is set up like this, and it's not better or worse than my FP, just different. And I agree up top--I prefer the Original Wizard neck to the JEM neck.

YMMV.

This "family shot" is missing a couple (RG760, 7VSBL), but you get the idea:

We have similar tastes my friend

I really love my 770DXRR, it`s got a different vibe than the LB and VM. It`s way heavier and the neck is just perfect.

I have a Jem BFP, and it`s an amazing guitar, but not like my 565`s. Nothing ever is.... I always come back to them. The H-S layout is just perfect, nothing beats a single coil for clean tones, so it`s a no brainer for me.

And all my guitars are fitted with Anderson pups, from an H-2 all the way to an HN3+, i`ve got every model in double!!!!!!!!!!!LOL I love those pups.

I also just added an RG1527M, the white 7 string with maple board, again, awesome guitar. I bought a custom set of andesrons for it too.

I need to take an updated pic of all my axes, sooooooon.

 

[CaseyCor]

This "family shot" is missing a couple (RG760, 7VSBL), but you get the idea:

Awesome collection! Would you happen to have a close up picture of your 770DX? I've got a '91 in LB as well, and I'm looking to put a new pickguard on it. When I got it, it came with a black guard. Was going to take it back to stock, but I'd like to explore other options before spending any money. That mirror guard looks sweet!

 

[racerevlon]

Ask and ye shall receive:

 

[Anonymous]

i have a jem bsb, a 98 i think. LOVE it.

and own currently a 1990 laser blue 770, also, love that, but the action is kind of wonky.

and some cheap ass h/s/h rg that i bought on ebay for 200 that sounds better than both, but plays less fortunately.

 

[CaseyCor]

Thanks for the picture mate! Looks great. Now I can't decide which I want

I didn't realize how many people had 770DX's around here, very cool. I love mine, but I hate the stock pickups. Everything sounds "twangy" through them. Can't dial it out, even through multiple rigs. I've gotta get them swapped out, but I want to keep the blue color scheme. Will most likely end up calling Tom at BK Pickups, see if he can hook me up with some blue bobbins on a set of his pickups.

 

[Random Hero]

Played one, thought it sounded awful. Thin necks do not equal great sounding instruments IMO and the Jems have a very thin neck. Add into that the trem, pickups and probably quality of the tone woods and I wasn't impressed.