JEM on the way!

[quiksilver]

Re: JEM still on the way

Thanks for the moral support guys.
To quote Homer J., "And now we play . . . the waiting game. Ah, the waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos."

[quiksilver]

The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

YEEESSSSS! The waiting has been HELL (first the seller cruelly waited almost a week to ship it, then FedEx, well you know that part), but my JEM is here!! Woo hoo!! I've been jumping every time a truck goes past for the past 2 days, and when the FedEx driver FINALLY stopped at the end of my driveway at around noon today, I actually ran down the driveway to meet her before she could get away. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

I love it when other JCF'ers have allowed me to vicariously live through their acquisitions, so this time, I had the camera ready from the start and took pics to commemorate the grand opening. Here we go, starting with the box (oh, I love this part):

. . . after furious wrangling and some regrettable profanity, I made it through some very stubborn tape, reaching the sarcophagus, er I mean the case:



I know, it's not an authentic Ibanez case, but the seller told me that it wouldn't be, and I don't care. Actually, I'm really happy with this case, which appears to be new. I like the older style, vinyl-over-wood variety better than the new molded ones. Seems more exciting somehow, like it's going to contain some killer vintage or unusual guitar. Tweed is better yet. This case does seem to allow quite a bit of movement inside though, so who knows, maybe I'll end up looking for one that fits better.

Anyway, without further ado, here she is!



Wow. I am stoked. I love how small this baby is, too. I was afraid it might be oversized, since it's Vai's signature axe, and he looks like a big tall guy (unlike myself). It's very comfortable, and I wish I could play it right now! Oh yeah, the pics. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Here's the back:



OK, back in the case she goes. I can't play her yet, because she's cold as ice. I did note that there is NO bar included (or wrenches or any kind of paperwork, dang it) [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Thus, if you found one, Hippie Tim, please PM me and I'll buy it from you. Otherwise, I'll post an ad in the Classifieds. I have no Guitar Center within hundreds of miles, so that's unfortunately not an option. I love Budman's workmanship, but I think his Ibanez bars are silver, and the original Ibanez ones are black (someone please correct me if I'm wrong), and I want to keep her stock.

Whew! This is exciting! Now where is that Vai DVD? [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

[Crankdaddy]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

Great looking axe, bro. Congrats! Enjoy it and rock it hard.

[guitarsjb]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

That is sweet. Enjoy!!

[jgcable]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

Nice axe bro. FYI... the Jem cases are absolutely outstanding. Plush as heck and they fit the guitar perfectly with absolutely no movement at all. I am an Ibanez junkie and I can tell you for sure that the JEM case (UV1000) is probably the nicest stock case ever. The only step up might be a Calzone or Anvil flight case. You should search for one for your new Jem. They come up on Ebay all the time.

[jwoods986]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats, that is awesome. It looks to have no gold-wear on the trem, which is hard to find. Man, you're killing me, I want one sooooooo bad. I had one back in April that I sold a couple weeks later and wish I hadn't!

[kmanick]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

NIIIICE! The only Ibanez I would ever even consider buying, (or an old Frank Gambale model if I could find one)
Sweet! give us an update on how it plays,sounds etc... once
it's all settled in to it's new home.
Congrats looks very clean [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[Tetsuo]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

I loved my jem... Sold it for a Snakeskin SL2H anyway I love Jems.

I suggest in the future personally not to open that guitar up though until it has been warmed. The case helps it ease into the new enviroment I usually wait 4-6 hours before opening the box myself hot or cold but that is just me.

[AfterForever]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

awesome axe! congrats, happy for you she made it [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[pro-fusion]

Re: The JEM made it!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, that's a beauty! Congrats. [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

You can get the bar from Rich at ibanezrules.com, I believe, as well as the wrenches etc. Fortunately, however, Ibanez uses pretty standard sizes for its various guitar tools, so you might already have some that fit.

[quiksilver]

JEM review

All right, time for a review. I LOVE the JEM. The neck is nice and thin. I was a bit worried about this, because I love THIN necks, and I had read that JEM 7Vs have thicker necks than the old RG Wizard necks. This neck is plenty thin, I'd say thinner than my SL2H, very similar to my SL4, but with the added benefit of a satin finish. I also love the tall/thin 6105 frets, and of course the ebony fretboard. I haven't been able to really do anything different with the scalloped frets, but I love looking at 'em.

Speaking of looks, I can't look at this axe without smiling and feeling like playing. I agree with JG's statement that there are no limits to what you can do with a JEM 7. That's the way it made me feel when I saw Vai playing his, and that's exactly how I feel when I'm playing this.

I love all of its unique features: vine inlay, scalloped frets, monkey grip, lion's claw, reverse output jack (why don't all guitars with a side-mounted output jack have it positioned like this?). I also love the dramatic, snow white paint. I've never been a fan of gold hardware, but I'm getting used to it. Hope it wears well.

Speaking of wear, I know very little about JEMs, but I do know that the gold tends to wear off the bridge, and the neck joint can develop cracks. I am lucky in that the gold on this bridge is in perfect shape, and there are no cracks anywhere (the seller assured me this was the case, but it was still a relief to see that it was true). I don't know what year this was made, but the only marks I can find are a couple of pin-sized marks near the output jack. There is even still some protective plastic on the pickguard.

Thanks for the tip on the case, too, JG. I found a pic of the Ibanez UV1000C case at Musician's Friend HERE. It really does look impressive, and the case my JEM came with really doesn't fit it, so I guess I'll look for a UV1000C next.

Regarding the trem bar, I was surprised to find a push-in bar in my parts box which seems to fit, but I don't know what it's from (not an Ibanez as I've never had one before - maybe my old Charvel Model 2?), so I haven't installed it all the way, as I'm afraid I'll get it stuck or damage something by sticking the wrong part in there.

Sound-wise, I really like the DiMarzio Evolution in the bridge. The neck and middle pickups sound good too, but I'm a bridge pickup kinda guy. It seems very responsive to harmonics - pinch harmonics, in particular. It sounds great through my Tech 21 amps. Not as good through my Pod XT, which is currently set up for my EMG-equipped guitars. I think some tweaking is in order there.

Overall, I am impressed and VERY happy with this JEM!!

[tigertailz]

Re: JEM review

[img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img] jems are great guitars enjoy [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[dinkyjacksonman]

Re: JEM review

I had one maybe 6-7years ago and I think Jem7VWH is the best Ibanez guitar ever.
Congrats again!

[jwoods986]

Re: JEM review

You can tell the model year by the serial # on the back of the headstock. It is Fxxxxxx, with the first two number being the year (i.e. F99xxxx would be a 1999). The gold on the trem will wear but the neck joint cracks were a problem on the older, block-type joints. You shouldn't have a problem with the newer, all-access neck joint (which the 7VWH has). As far as the neck, I think it has a slight bit too much satin finish on the back and would like jumbo frets instead of the 6105s but I do like the scallops on the high frets for bends. Congrats again!

[quiksilver]

Re: JEM review

Thanks!!! Using the serial #, it looks she's a 2001.