Ibanez J custon

[Digital Jams]

Unless I can score one for $1000 I will hold off, I want the 3550 in white with the maple board

 

[glpg80]

Stock Neck and now have a Walker El Presidante custom in the bridge which is a hot alnico and zebra striped. The neck is good enough now but would like to throw a sd jazz in there.

The Walker rips

thats an awsome combo i've never heard/played a walker before. might have to check that out.

im thinking about a brighter pickup with the same feel as a tone zone in the bridge of this one. will probably switch out the ibanez V7 for a real air norton.

i would like to try and figure out what the center pickup was in the Jem, i think its an evolution single coil not sure though. it sounded great imho.

i love the focused sound that ibanez guitars have - nothing else like it.

 

[Dallas Marlow]

Couple of things here:

1. The RGT320Q isn't a J-Custom. It's a Prestige model.
2. The electronics are known to be lesser quality and not quite the best on the lower end Ibanez guitars. The pot shouldn't have cost more than $5, and the switch shouldn't be more than $15 for high quality replacement parts.
3. The bushing arms that you hate so much have been used since the 80s during the original Edge days. Lots of people like pop-in arm style.
4. You broke a string, so you sold it? Sounds like you just wanted an excuse to sell it for whatever reason.

1) Hey man are you sure it's not a J-Custom? That's what the tags and everything said when I got it, I want to say even the case may have said J-Custom on it or something, like the plastic molding was engraved that way if that makes sense? Not arguing with you but I really really really thought it was a J-Custom guitar!

2) The point was it was a $2000 high end guitar where shit broke, and FYI where do you get a PCB replacement switch other than from Ibanez, I don't believe the wiring config can be directly replicated with out that exact switch and I didn't want another ball bearing switch to fail on me again... The guitar spent to much damn time in the shop for being brand new, absurd imo and yes I realize EVERY brand has its lemons.

3) They bushings blow period there are better ways and better systems, most people don't use 10-52's and I put that on my explanation, I'm sure if you use 9-42's they don't have any issue what so ever...

4) Breaking a string really had nothing to do with why I sold it, it was just the order in which it happened lol, I broke a string and then traded it in the same time.

BTW - I guess I mistook Team "J" Craft for J-Custom? I don't know all the difference with ibanez guitars I'm no expert but it was J something on there!

 

[highgain510]

BTW - I guess I mistook Team "J" Craft for J-Custom? I don't know all the difference with ibanez guitars I'm no expert but it was J something on there!

Prestige guitars will say "Team J Craft" on the back of the headstock (might even say it on the case, can't recall offhand right now?) but that is NOT the same thing as a J Custom. Not even close.

I have an Ibanez LACS (yes, the ones built for endorsees! ) and the fretwork is not even as good as a J Custom in my opinion, other than Ron Thorn I think the J Custom models take the cake for fretwork. Those little rounded, balled-off edges are one of my gold-standards for fretwork... om nom nom!

 

[Dallas Marlow]

Gotcha, that makes sense I had no idea there were different levels of J-Craftsmanship I was under the impression that prestige j-craft was j-custom all the same stuff. Now are there also Ibanez guitars made in the U.S. as well, because I know the stuff Vai and Satriani use isn't the same as the stuff us normal people get?

 

[Dallas Marlow]

Gotcha, that makes sense I had no idea there were different levels of J-Craftsmanship I was under the impression that prestige j-craft was j-custom all the same stuff. Now are there also Ibanez guitars made in the U.S. as well, because I know the stuff Vai and Satriani use isn't the same as the stuff us normal people get?

 

[highgain510]

Now are there also Ibanez guitars made in the U.S. as well, because I know the stuff Vai and Satriani use isn't the same as the stuff us normal people get?

Yessir, the LACS (Ibanez Los Angeles Custom Shop), but that is only open to endorsees and not open to the public. As stated above I have one but while the guitar itself is phenomenal the fretwork is not as good as the J Custom guitars receive... I love the frets on a J Custom!

 

[AmpliFIRE]

How much are the floral Jems worth? There a real nice one for sale by me for $2500. The price seems high since it has a nickel size chip on the upper bout and there is a large crack by the neck pocket. It did play great, and the floral print was one of the nicest ones I've seen.

 

[Digital Jams]

How much are the floral Jems worth? There a real nice one for sale by me for $2500. The price seems high since it has a nickel size chip on the upper bout and there is a large crack by the neck pocket. It did play great, and the floral print was one of the nicest ones I've seen.

That seems real high if not mint.

 

[Mudder]

I think those J Custom fret ends are affectionately called "hot dogs" for their rounded resemblance to the delicious ball park frank. Several makers do it, all are smaller boutique shops, and it takes a lot of work.

 

[Code001]

1) Hey man are you sure it's not a J-Custom? That's what the tags and everything said when I got it, I want to say even the case may have said J-Custom on it or something, like the plastic molding was engraved that way if that makes sense? Not arguing with you but I really really really thought it was a J-Custom guitar!

2) The point was it was a $2000 high end guitar where shit broke, and FYI where do you get a PCB replacement switch other than from Ibanez, I don't believe the wiring config can be directly replicated with out that exact switch and I didn't want another ball bearing switch to fail on me again... The guitar spent to much damn time in the shop for being brand new, absurd imo and yes I realize EVERY brand has its lemons.

3) They bushings blow period there are better ways and better systems, most people don't use 10-52's and I put that on my explanation, I'm sure if you use 9-42's they don't have any issue what so ever...

4) Breaking a string really had nothing to do with why I sold it, it was just the order in which it happened lol, I broke a string and then traded it in the same time.

BTW - I guess I mistook Team "J" Craft for J-Custom? I don't know all the difference with ibanez guitars I'm no expert but it was J something on there!

Yeah, as you know already, it's a regular production line Prestige guitar. It's not a J-Custom. Paying $2000 for that guitar was a mistake. You shouldn't have paid more than ~$1200 used for that guitar (I'm not a huge fan of buying new). Although, with Ibanez raising their prices like crazy these past few years, I can see where you're coming from. The dollar/yen conversion is pretty crappy at the moment. The wiring is basic wiring 101 stuff, so it doesn't matter what Ibanez used before. It's not going to affect anything, and there are diagrams galore on the internet. I could help you with future wiring issues if you need it. The string tension shouldn't affect the bushings at all, btw. They're going to wear within the first few days. I personally like the bar real loose, but I hate some of the noise they can create.

 

[Code001]

I think those J Custom fret ends are affectionately called "hot dogs" for their rounded resemblance to the delicious ball park frank. Several makers do it, all are smaller boutique shops, and it takes a lot of work.

Michael Tuttle @ Best Frets does them. He's a big SS fret installer, too. I think it's like $250 for a refret w/ SS frets, though. Rich @ Ibanez Rules also does them when you buy guitars from him and pay extra for it.

 

[Dallas Marlow]

1) Hey man are you sure it's not a J-Custom? That's what the tags and everything said when I got it, I want to say even the case may have said J-Custom on it or something, like the plastic molding was engraved that way if that makes sense? Not arguing with you but I really really really thought it was a J-Custom guitar!

2) The point was it was a $2000 high end guitar where shit broke, and FYI where do you get a PCB replacement switch other than from Ibanez, I don't believe the wiring config can be directly replicated with out that exact switch and I didn't want another ball bearing switch to fail on me again... The guitar spent to much damn time in the shop for being brand new, absurd imo and yes I realize EVERY brand has its lemons.

3) They bushings blow period there are better ways and better systems, most people don't use 10-52's and I put that on my explanation, I'm sure if you use 9-42's they don't have any issue what so ever...

4) Breaking a string really had nothing to do with why I sold it, it was just the order in which it happened lol, I broke a string and then traded it in the same time.

BTW - I guess I mistook Team "J" Craft for J-Custom? I don't know all the difference with ibanez guitars I'm no expert but it was J something on there!

Yeah, as you know already, it's a regular production line Prestige guitar. It's not a J-Custom. Paying $2000 for that guitar was a mistake. You shouldn't have paid more than ~$1200 used for that guitar (I'm not a huge fan of buying new). Although, with Ibanez raising their prices like crazy these past few years, I can see where you're coming from. The dollar/yen conversion is pretty crappy at the moment. The wiring is basic wiring 101 stuff, so it doesn't matter what Ibanez used before. It's not going to affect anything, and there are diagrams galore on the internet. I could help you with future wiring issues if you need it. The string tension shouldn't affect the bushings at all, btw. They're going to wear within the first few days. I personally like the bar real loose, but I hate some of the noise they can create.

I think thats about what I had into the guitar, it was originally purchased by the first guy who bought it and returned it for $2000, I then picked it up for some where between $1200-1400, I was just saying the initial cost of the guitar was around 2k, thats what they are on the net if you google them still too. And as you said you can see where I'm coming from for that price range.

For some reason none of the techs in the area I knew could figure out how to wire a mega non PCB switch to have Neck in Series and then neck in parallel in the first two positions of the switch, AND not have the sound cut out when you switched between the two spots... and the stock Ibanez ball bearing switch was a POS imo poor design.

I like my bar to stay very tight and in place and I hate spinning/wabbling/clanking around in there it drives me insane to no end, I want it to stay where the fuck I put it lol.

I guess at this point I'm not really helping the poster of the topic since my guitar was a J-Craft and not a J-Custom

 

[glpg80]

How much are the floral Jems worth? There a real nice one for sale by me for $2500. The price seems high since it has a nickel size chip on the upper bout and there is a large crack by the neck pocket. It did play great, and the floral print was one of the nicest ones I've seen.

i sold my 2007 like new for 1500. 2500 is extremely too high, i knew someone on the inside, and didnt pay more than 1800 new when i got it.

$1600-1700 is fair for both sides, and thats if it is even in like new/mint condition.