JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

[pedalGEEK]

I just bought this. Any opinions? Did I get taken? Ripped off? Good deal?? I thought it looked really cool and the price seemed reasonable so I took a chance on it:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...e=STRK:MEWA:IT

[Mr Graphic]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

I almost bought it last night...I think you did O.K., especially if you keep it/play it. Looks killer if you ask me. Goes to show you, great guitars can definately be had for well under a grand.

[hippietim]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

I was going to pull the trigger on that - someone called me away just before I did and I never went back to it. Great score - congrats! [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[BigDaddyD]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

I played that years ago at the Great American guitar show. They were asking $1200 for it which is way too much. It is nice, but i didn't think it was that great. I would have paid $500 for it. That said, if I saw it online I probably would have bid on it. I don't think $695 is that bad for it. Enjoy it.

[jgcable]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

Any idea what is made out of. The neck looks alot like a Chandler. To me it looks like maybe Chandler/Chandler or Chandler/Mighty-Mite. $695.00 seems fair. Did Vai ever own it or play it?

[pedalGEEK]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

Not sure about where the parts are from. The HS does look rather Chandleresque. Not sure about the body. There appears to be a front bevel on the lower cutaway and a rear bevel on the upper cutaway (why??). Maybe these were added by Despagni? Are there parts bodies that come (came?) stock that way?

[BigDaddyD]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

Vai never owned or played it as far as I know.

[jgcable]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

Did Vai ever play any of the original Despagni Jems or did Ibanez buy him out before Vai hit it big? I like the guitar. I have seen others on Ebay and I have been tempted several times.

[diablomozart]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

joe was real bad about taking strat style bodies and basically hacking them up...i've owned a real jem that was really cut up (charvel junkie owned it later after i did)...it was a good guitar...not a jackson by any stretch of the imagination tho...for 695?...you did good...d.m.

[BigDaddyD]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

I think Vai still owns some Despagni's. They are in his vault. He definitely played some.

[Krash]

Re: JEM .. Pre-Ibanez Joe Despagni

I think the Green Swiss Cheese guitar Via had was the original monkey grip guitar made by Joe Despagni. I had heard that some of the early bodies mahe by Ibanez (the ones that became the root beer & PBK modles were manufactured before Ibanez secured the rights to the "Monkey Grip" idea from Joe.....I don't know it if's true, but that's the way I seem to remember it.