Ibanez JEMs

[Rocketship]

First off, I haven't been playing guitar for very long (only some months of serious playing), but I love it so damn much.

I want to replace my Yamaha Pacifica. I was thinking about a JEM Jr, but my folks are telling me to go for a JEM555 because it's much better.

I feel bad about buying a 555 because it's so expensive ($2500-ish at Swee Lee), and I'm probably not good enough to own one.

Any advice?

 

[HarrisonYeo]

($2500-ish at Swee Lee)

Any advice?

There's u're problem
With 2.5k you can hunt for a used jem7wh on ebay.

 

[funktastic]

you could get a good guitar now, it'll inspire you to play more with all the tones you'll get out of it.

 

[relinquish69]

have you sat down and tried out a jem? it might not be something that you can play. maybe you dont like this you dont like that. I remember reading in 1 thread that a brand new unit at ranking sports is around $3500+. that in my opinion is very expensive for a guitar.

try before buying. who knows, you might just like something else.

do walk around peninsular plaza/excelsior hotel. you might find some good 2nd hand deals too.

 

[AaronSoFat]

wah.. your parents recommend you to get the more expensive guitar.. that's something that i've never heard of before.. haha.. but the JEM Jr is definitely not worth the money. it's capabilities are really limited. you could try it out first, and if you still like it, then buy it. yeah. recommend the triple 7 though.

 

[teokiatuan]

to clear up any confusion...

models of jems are..

jem jr(aka 333): super budget model with not so good quality parts, a RG350DX(or EX i cant remember) with the monkey grip cut into it. totally a gimmick in my opinion, stay away from this!made in indonesia i think.



jem 555: less budget than the Jr, difference being a half vine, and with dimarzio evos. can consider if you are short of cash, but the trem is not that stable with abuse i've read.try to get the 7 if you can...

mik
black or white
basswood
maple neck
rosewood fb
dimarzio evos HSH
LO TRS II Trem

jem7v: main production model. 'the real thing' imo.

specs as of 2008:


mij prestige
alder body
white only
maple neck rosewood fb
gold edge pro and gold hardware
2 dimarzio evos with a dimarzio custom single coil in the center HSH

(universe)UV777: production 7 string


mij prestige
black only
chrome hardware
edge pro 7
Blaze HSH


limited ed for the past few years, the JEM77v

mij prestige
black only
basswood body
rosewood fb
dimarzio Breed HSH
edge pro


there is no JEM777 currently in production, those are discontinued and are now very rare and valuable, as a rule of thumb, 777(early models) is the rarest followed by 77(limited ed for certain years) and then the 7v(current production)

ibanez has released sparkle blue, chrome, and a few other fancy jem colors over the years, but now it is the 77v in black, i myself am waiting for namm 09, hoping they release a new 77 in a different color.

cheers

 

[hidhir]

with 2.5k,go for a RG Ibanez Prestige models.any model.take ur pick but try to go for the ones with the edge pro bridge.i think swee lee has some left.U wont regret buying it.

 

[Whitestrat]

I remember reading in 1 thread that a brand new unit at ranking sports is around $3500+. that in my opinion is very expensive for a guitar.

That applies to you?:mrgreen:

 

[relinquish69]

really what !

 

[shioks76]

Your folks telling u to get the more expensive guitar?
Are they paying for it?
If they are what are u waitiing for?

 

[PinkSpId3r]

thought of j-custom?

 

[xklusivly4u]

JEM Jr is no go zone. .JEM555 comes with Edge III, no more TRS by the way. 555 is okay guitar but it’s not worth it for its price tag. You can get a good condition second hand JEM 7V or J-custom from Japan around that price range. If you can pump in cash a bit more, Ishibashi has discounted 77V and final price would be around 3100 S$.

http://1484.bz/c/61357/

 

[ShredCow]

hmmm... you gotta play the guitar before anything actually. Regardless of price or sponsorship (wow!), the key is getting a guitar instrument. Unless you're absolutely inspired by some dude who is playing a certain guitar and you absolutely must must must own the same thing!

Having that nagging doubt at the back of your mind that you've splurged unnecessarily on gear isn't going to help too.

So just troop down to a guitar shop and try out guitars. Helps to ask a friend who might know more about guitars down with you for opinions & advice.

 

[hidhir]

JEM Jr is no go zone. .JEM555 comes with Edge III, no more TRS by the way. 555 is okay guitar but it’s not worth it for its price tag. You can get a good condition second hand JEM 7V or J-custom from Japan around that price range. If you can pump in cash a bit more, Ishibashi has discounted 77V and final price would be around 3100 S$.

http://1484.bz/c/61357/

how do you order frm ishibashi?Its all in friggin japanese...

 

[leecs]

i would go for j-custom then jem..

 

[jskadiang]

hidhir: www.ishibashi-music.com

 

[xklusivly4u]

how do you order frm ishibashi?Its all in friggin japanese...

can't we all read japanese ?

 

[Whitestrat]

you gotta play the guitar before anything actually. Regardless of price or sponsorship (wow!), the key is getting a guitar instrument.

Exactly. Honestly speaking, I wouldn't think of the 555 as a "lesser" guitar compared to the 77. The neck profile is completely different. Hell, even Vai himself no longer plays a 77. His guitars are bastardisations of 77s and 555s. The 555 neck for me is really nice.

As Shreddy said above, go try them both, and decide on WHICH one feels better. Not which one is more expensive. I'd get a 555 for me simply because it feels more comfortable.

Unless you're absolutely inspired by some dude who is playing a certain guitar and you absolutely must must must own the same thing!

Having said all that, you don't want to know how much I paid for a full John Mayer pickup assembly on eBay. Goes to show how far I'm prepared to go to try to get his kind of tone for single coils.

 

[Whitestrat]

i would go for j-custom then jem..

Why so? Is the J custom significantly better made compared to the JEM? Or is the law of diminishing returns coming into play here? I've played both. Both are pretty good guitars once they're set up properly. There's nothing aside from the wood combo that I would prefer for the J custom over the JEM. But that wood combo. Is it what really works for the player? Or is it simply being a case of being exotic? I still say the buyer should go try both, rather than believe it to be a "A is better than B" scenario.

 

[xklusivly4u]

Hell, even Vai himself no longer plays a 77. His guitars are bastardisations of 77s and 555s

where do you get this info?