Ibanez Jem 7v WH
THE Stevie Vai signature model. Purchased on the occasion on my getting tenure for 25 kNOK. I considered three other guitars - Fender YJM stratocaster (I'll buy that someday), the Ibanez JS 1200 (actually I'm glad I didn't get that one as the neck is too thick for my taste - quite a hefty C profile, actually), and a Jackson King V (alas - impossible to sit down with). I tried one of the "cheap" Steve Vai models (15 kNOK) back in 2000, and I totally loved the feel and playability. The second I tried this, it felt like I'd played it forever - fantastic instrument.
Features: 10
Jem Prestige neck (24 frets fo' sho'), alder body, Rosewood fingerboard with pearl and abalone vine inlays, Edge Pro bridge, H-S-H configuration with DiMarzio Evolution pickups, and gold hardware. Kind of the ultimate bling guitar with actual playability. The pickups provide an almost unheard of versatility, from country-like twang to super high-output metal. Body is a modified RG-shape, well-known for it's use in shred-style metal. As you'd expect from a Steve Vai guitar, you can work the whammy bar as much as you'd like without worrying about tuning stability, and harmonics are available at the touch of your right thumb (ok - that was a dumb joke, seeing as how you'd never get any AH's any other way). This is the same guitar as Mr. Vai uses onstage for most of his work, so it's to be expected that it's a top-of-the-line instrument. I really can't imagine what other features would be useful, so top score in this category. For me, the purchase of a Steve Vai signature - you bet your ass SIGNATURE - guitar was not some moronic notion that if I just bought the same instrument as Vai, I'd be able to play just like him. Rather; this guitar comes with all the features I appreciate, but with the added bonus that since it's mass-produced (still hand-made, but you know what I mean), I get all those features at a lower price than what I'd have to shell out for a custom model which essentially would be indistinguishable from this one. The only thing I'm not too crazy about is the position of the jack input - it kind of comes in the way of your right thigh when sitting, and bends the cable something fierce. But hey - that's nitpicking at best.
Sound: 10
Again - what'd you expect? The combination of top-of-the-line woods, hardware and pickups tends to give you just that. Great tonal variety, great sustain (considering that it's got a Floyd Rose), and just made for solos. Sure; it handles rhytm work well, but it's when playing solos - sweeps, left-hand freakouts, Michael Romeo-style tapping or whammy harmonics - that the Jem really shines. Since getting used to the Jem, it's become my primary workhorse for neoclassical lead work. The scalloped high (21-24) frets really help in bringing out those high-pitched vibrato phrasings. And of course; if you're into heavy trem abuse, I doubt you'll be able to find any better-suited guitar.
Action, Fit & Finish: 10
Wide and flat D-profile, very low, buzz-free action - just the way I likes it. Not to mention the fact that it's a really beautiful instrument. Even the monkey grip grows on ya, even though it looks weird at first.
Reliability/Durability: N/A
Reliability/Durability: N/A
I've only had the guitar for little more than a year, so I haven't really gotten the chance to see how durable it is. However; tuning stability is the best I've ever experienced.
Overall rating: 10
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2 comments:
Even though I'm no fan of gold or pearloid, but I have to admit, this is a fine looking guitar. I does have a strat'ish body, but are modified enough to stand on it's own and are instant recognizable (mainly due to the grip on the upper side. Does that have any use at all?). And that tree of life(?) inlay are just wonderful, especially the way it "naturally" marks the usual frets (1,3,5,7, 9, 12 etc). Great artistic work. I have to try this guitar next time I visit.
Btw, seeing this guitar (and the G3 video of Malmsteen, Vai and Satriani) makes me wonder: Why hasn't mr. Malmsteen gotten a signature guitar from somebody else then Fender? He doesn't seem to be a very traditional player, not very into "vintage" stuff and the 21-fret neck must be limiting for him (he would probably play all the positions on a neck, even if it had 147 frets and 23 strings). And when hearing him side by side with Vai and Satriani, the Malmsteen tone doesn't really stand out as the greatest. I'm quite sure that a lot of guitar companies would bend over backwards to build a guitar after Malmsteen's specs and even pay him a fine premium. So why haven't Yngwie designed his own guitar?
The grip is excellent for just that - carrying and handling the guitar. After getting used to it, I actually miss it on other guitars, believe it or not...
I think the reason Yngwie still uses Fenders is that he sounds like Yngwie no matter what equipment he uses, plus that he is very much a traditionalist when it comes to equipment. Back in 92 or whatever I saw a video where he tried Brian May's equipment - both the Vox and the Red Special, and it sounded exactly like he always does, believe it or not. He actually uses a lot of high E's in his playing, but he does some extreme bends that gets him right from 21-24th fret. Just look at almost any video with him and you'll see.
I agree with you on that Yngwie's tone does sound a bit weak next to Satch and Vai in G3, but you'll also notice that Yngwie is the only one using Marshalls in that bunch - Satch has a signature Peavey stack, and Vai has his Carvin Legacy thingy. In my opinion, Marshalls suck next to a Mesa/Boogie or similar set-up. A lot of players still use Marshall cabinets just for the look, but actually operate with Mesas, Laneys and Line6 amps.
Even I have noticed how much fuller my sound is with my Line6 than back in the day whan I used Marshalls etc. for gigging. Rectifiers rule.
Also; Yngwie uses DiMarzio YJM or HS-3 pickups (depending on which guitar he uses), which is still closer to single-coil sound than 'bucker sound. Next to the high-output sound of Vai and Satch, that doesn't help either.
I'd still take his violin-y sound from Fire&Ice and earlier over any other guitar sound I've ever heard, though. That's almost always the lead sound I try to emulate.
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