how to tell copies of ibanez

[nightowl3000]

hi ppl, first time come to this forum. as i have been searching for my first electric guitar, i found this ibanez jem series. but then i realise that there are many copies in the market, how to differentiate the real from these copies??
is there any obvious marks that could tell the difference??

 

[Iwasneverhere35]

The monkey grip,the trem,the quality of the Tree Of Life inlay.Its best to compare it a pic of the real thing itself.

 

[luke_liu85]

Hi Nightowl, firstly, welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get info.

Most JEM copies just LOOK like the JEM, with the monkey grip and tree of life inlay. They are usually branded non-ibanez, and rely on their looks to sell themselves. The JEM is a beauty, and if you've heard the guy who designed the series play them (Steve Vai), you'll find they sound awesome too.

The thing is about guitars, you'll want to be looking more for the tone and sound of the guitar rather than just the aesthetics. Most JEM copies look good, but sound terrible.

Most people would not recommend the JEM as a first guitar, because the price is definitely not a beginner price (unless you're the kind who drives a ferrari as your first car )

If you're looking for a first guitar, get something with quality, like an epiphone, ibanez, or fender. What kind of music do you play / want to play? What do your favourite guitarists use? Go wiki them and you might get a good idea what you want to look for.

 

[dmitry_a]

Check the stuff mentioned ^. Also if you're really dead set on getting one second hand take a friend who knows ibanez guitars real well or research the guitar until you know all the details, check the serial, pics etc.

From what i've found on the net, the jem tends to be one of the more copied ibanez guitars, google it. The link below is gives some good pics of a fake.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f18/chibanez-autopsy-thing-72285.html
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=562773&page=1&pp=20

 

[dmitry_a]

Hi Nightowl, firstly, welcome to the forum. It's a great place to get info.

Most JEM copies just LOOK like the JEM, with the monkey grip and tree of life inlay. They are usually branded non-ibanez, and rely on their looks to sell themselves. The JEM is a beauty, and if you've heard the guy who designed the series play them (Steve Vai), you'll find they sound awesome too.

The thing is about guitars, you'll want to be looking more for the tone and sound of the guitar rather than just the aesthetics. Most JEM copies look good, but sound terrible.

Most people would not recommend the JEM as a first guitar, because the price is definitely not a beginner price (unless you're the kind who drives a ferrari as your first car )

If you're looking for a first guitar, get something with quality, like an epiphone, ibanez, or fender. What kind of music do you play / want to play? What do your favourite guitarists use? Go wiki them and you might get a good idea what you want to look for.

Fake JEM's are passed of as ibanez guitars.

Try and see if you can test the guitar before buying.

But i agree, it's not a beginner's guitar, maybe an SA or RG?

 

[LiQuiFireX]

Ibanez rules has plenty of pics of fake JEMs to warn buyers. Here are some from there:

Real JEM:

Fake JEMs:

 

[matthewchj]

Fake JEMs:

I could be mistaken, but isn't that a JEM555, a lower-end model in Ibanez's JEM range?

JEM555, off Ibanez's website.

TS, do you have any photos of the guitar in question?

 

[razorjumper]

Those copies looks surprisingly like the authentic one.. Well maybe you should get your guitars from trusted source

 

[LiQuiFireX]

I could be mistaken, but isn't that a JEM555, a lower-end model in Ibanez's JEM range?

JEM555, off Ibanez's website.

TS, do you have any photos of the guitar in question?

Well you may be right, Ibanez Rules might have made a mistake. However, I do notice some differences. Notice the text "JEM Jr" is not printed on the headstock in the pic off Ibanez Rules as well as the pearloid truss rod cover.

 

[lazy3yed]

I could be mistaken, but isn't that a JEM555, a lower-end model in Ibanez's JEM range?

JEM555, off Ibanez's website.

TS, do you have any photos of the guitar in question?

Pickguard screws are wrong, some out of alignment. The Ibanez swoosh is out of alignment. As alrdy mentioned, truss rod cover and Jem Jr label. The vine of life is different, lacking some details as well. Hardware looks more like black than cosmo, but that could be the lighting.

 

[matthewchj]

Well you may be right, Ibanez Rules might have made a mistake. However, I do notice some differences. Notice the text "JEM Jr" is not printed on the headstock in the pic off Ibanez Rules as well as the pearloid truss rod cover.

Hmm. True that.

Those copies looks surprisingly like the authentic one.. Well maybe you should get your guitars from trusted source

+10000000 EXACTLY. Second hand is always cheaper, so you can get stuff for a bargain, but you run the risk of buying fake goods. Fortunately SOFT doesn't see many fake guitars passing through the Buy/Sell section.

 

[nightowl3000]

hi ppl! thanks for all the help!
i ve check on the price on the real ones. and dont think i can afford. lol
any way. i was considering the RG series or the Fender stratocaster.
one think i like about ibanez is the design. haha
seriously i think it looks way better than gibson (no offence)
i will be choosing my first guitar with a fren this week!
thanks for all the help again!

 

[nightowl3000]

hi, was wondering , wats monkey grip? sorry for my lack of knowledge

 

[relinquish69]

actually a dead giveaway would be the trem that a Jem has. for older versions, it would sport the lo pro bridge whereas more recent ones come with the edge pro bridge. gold hardware. how to tell the different bridges? google.

if you are worried that you might be buying a fake, get it from a reliable source like a guitar store or the official retailer. my advice is if you do not know much about a guitar, its best that you do your homework before venturing into the 2nd hand guitar market for your own good.

 

[faekildare]

hi, was wondering , wats monkey grip? sorry for my lack of knowledge

U see that hole on the top of a Jem. Thats the monkey grip.
If u really like Ibanez and jem, get the Jem Jr.

 

[subversion]

if you can't tell the real article from the copies, link/ post us pics here & we can move on from there