Ibanez Jem Jr Custom Version(Only Piece in the World!)

[Gr3y]

Hi all!

I've seen many people selling their jem jr and buying from sweelee sale like it's really a good buy. I personally bought mine 6years back w/o even knowing it belongs to this artist known as Steve Vai.. After i've bought it, my friend in the school's guitar club told me it is an artist series and it is way damn cool. I start to check his clips and videos and was stunted!

This guitar been through alot of modifications and upgrades. Mine did not come with edge pro and it's the old lousy ibanez bridge.. The pickup comes with some inf1 or something.. so that's terrible too.. Mine was a MIK ibanez and i have heard so much of them being so much better then indonesia and china made ibanez but hey.. the later pics will make you think otherwise.. But again, that could be a minor case and you can consider me being unlucky.

Modification/Changes/Damages
Rosewood fingerboard -> Ebony Fingerboard with Vine of life Inlay(made myself)
Ibanez TRS Bridge -> Gotoh Floyd Rose Model
Bridge Cavity -> Routed to enable up wham(yes the old version actually didn't allow that!)
Stock Pickup -> Dimarzio Evo set
Dings and chips -> all according to the real Evo guitar of Vai.

Enough of talking! Let's View the photos!
( I will not be posting full detail steps nor will i discuss it so please do not pm me regarding it. I do not wish to mislead anyone with my "ah beng" methods. Will not offer any inlay service at the moment too, it's too shag and you can't afford to pay it most prob. Not being proud nor arrogant as the market rate is actually USD$75/hr )

The initial state

Shall skip the changing of bridge n pickup n making of dings and go straight to our main fingerboard magic

First, you got to cut the inlays!

Then you got to route the fingerboard

Check if they fit nicely every now and then!

 

[Gr3y]

Admire your hardwork once a while~

Strip your girl! I mean yeah the fingerboard!

I was taking about how bad Ibanez actually build guitars? Here's the prove!

They actually hide their errors in places you can't see at all! Omg.. what a rotten shit!

 

[Gr3y]

Clamp it! Yes that's my dinner waiting for me!

And when you fret it up, you'll get your new fingerboard! Clap now please!

Close up shots

 

[lightice]

very nice inlays, from your first set of pics, i thought there was some extra spacing between the inlays and the cavities. but from the finished pics, it looks great.

Also, was the crap wood shown the rosewood cap?

looks like driftwood.

 

[Gr3y]

If you are complaining the "stem" of the vine isn't nicely done, yes i heck it with coloured epoxy! It's my guitar and i don't wish to waste time for the stem thus i just do the very ah beng method~ hahaahaa

Person to thanks!
-My girlfriend, for being patience with me while doing all these shit!
-Hozen and KC of Maestro! Their guidance and care for me is unbeatable!
-All the website that i can source all the info allowing me to learn and attain the pictures
-Singapore National Library!


Rgds,
Gr3y

 

[Gr3y]

lightice

You refering to the rotten rosewood close up? Yes, that's my original ibanez Jem Jr MIK fingerboard!! lol

 

[lightice]

everything looks fine except for the end of the vine, but that can be touched up at a later time i guess.

nifty work, great to see it done.

 

[AzNjT]

Thats smething i've a;lways watned to do!!

your the man~ man....

 

[neurovega]

Nice work mate!

I'm wondering though, do you still do mods? Cause from your sig, it says No More.

I'm thinkin of doin a fretboard conversion (rosewood to ebony) on one of my guitars. Do you still do it?

 

[Gr3y]

nah.. the reason is that.. when i do they always find my price ridiculous when they are the funny ones.. they always feel i am out to cheat their money for doing something "simple"..

like stated earlier.. inlay jobs are based ard USD$75/hr and those ang moh luthiers will just tell you some hours they expect to finish this job, if you can't afford and ask for discount they'll turn you off. But here i normally give discounts and i still ganna complains.. Or they will go for "better" luthiers locally and pay the ridiculous price willingly.so after some hard decision i decides to stop for awhile!

Hope you guys understand!

 

[HarrisonYeo]

omg , that's awesome .

 

[JaarVis.]

its awesome.. it jus made me wanna do it on my rg. hahahah. i know its hell lotsa hardwork. damnn..

 

[edder]

wah.... when will you mod my pedales? can you do bubinga laminate on my pedal and inlay with paua shell on my pedales? :mrgreen:

nice one grey.

 

[edder]

anyway, another option for you guys who wants to do something like this BUT do not want to go thro the hassle of buying a router and doing the dirty work....

http://stores.ebay.com/The-Guitar-Parts-Center_Fingerboards_W0QQcolZ2QQdirZ1QQfsubZ7QQftidZ2QQtZkm

but don't expect customer service, don't expect email replies, don't ever do custom orders, don't expect anything. buy, pay and wait, and pray if you're the praying kind. i'm still waiting for my pickguards.

 

[Gr3y]

edder

lol~ paua shell i can't find as of yet!

erm pardon me, wads a pedales? your new pedal?? i can only do wood la dey~

And those fingerboards! I almost ordered them quite a few years ago! OMG~ haha.. Btw, I've recently seen a Ibanez Japan made vine inlay on maple, it's like shit.. so my advice is dun get e vine on maple.. even cnc does it badly... they route bigger then required so that it's a sure fit for your inlay pieces.. unlike what i am doing.. the cnc n man battle is never ending

 

[lightice]

In the ballpark how long did you take?

paua shell , is the inside of an abalone shell.

You've gotta get it from NZ.

 

[Ken]

Gr3y,

I am impressed with what I see.

I understand when you write about Singaporeans complaining about price. But good job, maybe one day I will persuade you to do something for my collection.

 

[holahee]

nicely done...haha
very nice...

 

[SoulJah]

Gr3y, that's impressive man!

Nice work.

And thanks for that picture of the rotting rosewood.

 

[sqoobs]

..........