Ibanez jems: any fans? Is it comparable to the suhr modern?

[RSRD]

Really don't know anything about these guitars. Tell me the pros and cons. How do they stack up to suhrs or even a Prs cu24? Same ball park?

Thanks in advance and feel free to post pics if your a proud owner!

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

Dude, make a move on that mirror top Jem.. before I do

 

[thiswaythatway]

Jems have been around a lot longer than the Suhr Moderns and they've stood the test of time. I'm not a fan of most Ibanez neck shapes but most Jems I've played were pretty flawless and felt top notch to me. They're just not my thing at all though.

 

[Skrapmetal]

They are what they are... fast necks, light bodies, screaming leads.

They do surprisingly full and warm clean tones with the middle/split neck pickup position (or at least my bsb did).

 

[Skrapmetal]

Heh... I tried to find a comparison between a PRS and a Jem and stumbled on this... it's a universe, and the amps are clearly different...

I don't want to like this but it's kind cool.

 

[RSRD]

Dude, make a move on that mirror top Jem.. before I do

You know it! I love that guitar. I just have no idea what to expect from it. My biggest concern is that it isn't as usable for rhythm as say a les Paul..

 

[drewiv]

Proud owner. I've been an Ibanez owner since '91 when I bought my first JEMFP, pictured. I've never owned a Suhr, mostly because I never felt the need to leave Ibanez for that type of guitar. Maybe I'm naive, but I'm pretty happy with them.

Here's a link to a thread I started:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=100973

And a preview pic

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

Dude, make a move on that mirror top Jem.. before I do

You know it! I love that guitar. I just have no idea what to expect from it. My biggest concern is that it isn't as usable for rhythm as say a les Paul..

Most people I know that have/had RG's seemed to use them exclusively. I did too, until I snapped the neck on it during a practice.. yup, up and over the back side of my shoulder routine. This time, without strap locks.

Picked it back up and the fucker was STILL in tune! ..mostly

Love my les paul with a passion, too. No dive bombs though.

 

[vultures]

Heh... I tried to find a comparison between a PRS and a Jem and stumbled on this... it's a universe, and the amps are clearly different...

I don't want to like this but it's kind cool.

Two beautiful girls playing guitars

 

[xXDaveyJonesXx]

I beleive Steve K has a Goltop PRS identical to that up for grabs at a great price right now, too.

 

[Badchord]

Can'r compare to a Suhr, but I love my Jem's - I have an original black floral and a white one - whatever the model is

Both hold their tune as good or better than any other guitar I have ever owned and the white one is really special - my wife bought it for me on our first anniversary back in 2000. It has the alder body and ebony fret board - it is one of the best sounding guitars I have ever owned.

Comapred to a PRS Custom 24 - I feel like they are too different to compare side by side - love my PRS CU24 too, but the woods, neck shapes, bridges, pickups all add up to a different feel and sound.

One thing about Jem's - most of the time people either love em or hate em, not as broad appear as a PRS.

 

[bigdaddyd]

Jems are awesome. I have a 7vwh that Steve signed and it is amazing. One of my friends recently emailed me that he finally picked up a Jem and how shocked how great it is. He said that he can't put it down and he plays it all the time. He has a pretty amazing collection of guitars, most of which are traditional Gibson, Fender and vintage style....pretty much of the non shred variety.

 

[RSRD]

Great info as always guys. Thanks!

 

[SBlue]

I was fortunate to find a 1988 JEM 777-DY, no OHSC, few nicks and replaced PU's. Decided to get Evolutions in the original color(pink) for the guitar and I'm very happy with it. The neck is bigger and a lot deeper than I could imagine! Heard they got slimmer later on.
Anyway, the guitar is very versatile, and the split hums along with the single coil gives you a lot of great sounds. It does intonate perfectly and it stays in tune amazingly well. Even with excessive dive-bombing!
I have a few different guitars and I can't live without my Les Paul, my Strat, my Esquire(favorite guitar ever!), my PRS... and my JEM!
It's so different from a PRS or Gibson that I kind of struggle to compare them. But it's as good as a PRS or a GIbson. Just different.
One think I can tell you is that a JEM will never sound like a Les Paul... and vice-versa!

 

[bigdaddyd]

Sometimes one Les Paul won't sound like another Les Paul.....

 

[Anonymous]

i have a Jem BSB and it's consistently the most consistent of my axes! it even edges out my #1 LP on those "blah" days. just cause it's a "signature" guitar, dont discoutn the jems....as with any axe...find a Jem that suits you, season to taste and proceed to crush!

 

[Digital Jams]

Sometimes one Les Paul won't sound like another Les Paul.....

NOTHING SOUNDS LIKE A LES PAUL!!!!!!! THEY ALL HAVE THE SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Skrapmetal]

i have a Jem BSB and it's consistently the most consistent of my axes! it even edges out my #1 LP on those "blah" days. just cause it's a "signature" guitar, dont discoutn the jems....as with any axe...find a Jem that suits you, season to taste and proceed to crush!

The BSB has a couple of things going for it that set it aside from other Jems. For one, most people consider it the least signature-ish of the Jems because Vai didn't/doesn't really play one much (at all?).

The other is the tone. It's got a different woody tone to it due to the lack of any finish on the wood. I really liked the sound of mine.

If they made a BSB with the fixed bridge I would be in love.

 

[Tone Zone]

i have a Jem BSB and it's consistently the most consistent of my axes! it even edges out my #1 LP on those "blah" days. just cause it's a "signature" guitar, dont discoutn the jems....as with any axe...find a Jem that suits you, season to taste and proceed to crush!

The BSB has a couple of things going for it that set it aside from other Jems. For one, most people consider it the least signature-ish of the Jems because Vai didn't/doesn't really play one much (at all?).

The other is the tone. It's got a different woody tone to it due to the lack of any finish on the wood. I really liked the sound of mine.

If they made a BSB with the fixed bridge I would be in love.

The BSB was the one Jem that I played and liked the most out of all other Jems I've played (or owned) in the past. I think Jems are decent guitars as long as your cool with the specs. When comparing them to Suhr Moderns though, J-Customs would probably make for a better comparison as they are geared for more attention to detail and quality....as ALL Suhrs are. As you can see by my signature, it's obvious which one I prefer. Ibanez Jems are good for what they are though. IMO, if you're looking to spend $2K+, you could have a Modern that is built to your specs and is built with more attention to detail than a production-line Jem that is set in it's specs. I do believe however, that the Jem's design gives you slightly more upper-fret access.

 

[Anonymous]

my bsb and rg550 are blocked...i hate floating trems with a passion most days.
for the days i don't hate the floating trem approach, i play my 770dx, which is set to float...though, every time it goes out of tune/restring or i want to drop tune or tune down, i swear, i'm going to block it!!!!!

i played a shit ton of jems before i settled on the bsb. what set it apart for me was exactly what you guys mentioned....least "signaturish" of all of them....and it just has this fuckin vibe i can't explain..so i ordered one without even playing it to boot!!!!!....it almost looks homemade and when i gigged with it, i used to always get inquiries and compliments on mine.

the bsb has a naked neck too, which makes it just a true pleasure to wank away on....it's so fucking fast and smooth, it's almost like cheating at the guitar...it prompted me to steel wool all my Lesters and i even sanded one completely down..i love that bare wood neck.

if you want a jem you can play the fuck out of and find relatively cheap, get a bsb in good shape....or a 777DY with pyramids in the maple neck . watch for those neck joint cracks though on the finished jems...i swear, EVERY one i played had at least a hairline crack and they were pretty much factory direct. something about the humidity/change of seasons really affects those basswood bodies that are finished, at least in this area.

anyways /hijack over.