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Hands On Player Reports Hands on player reports for instruments, gear and anything Jemsite related.
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last updated 4/24/2003
1989 Ibanez AM200-AV Semi-hollow body Ibanez 1989 Ibanez AM200-AV (Antique Violin)
April 4, 2003
by Glen G. Cianciulli (Jemsite.com) Features Overview: Semi-hollow body, Burl Mahogany top/sides/back, solid center section (under bridge/pickups) with hollow cavities, 3-pc. Mahogany set-in neck; 22-fret 24.75" scale neck, Ebony fretboard w/ Abalone Block inlays, Gold hardware, Gibralter-II w/ Quick Change-II bridge/tailpiece, Super 58 pickups (neck & bridge) w/ 3-way switch, two sets of volume/tone controls. Slightly smaller body than the Gibson ES335 or Ibanez AS-series, slightly larger than a LesPaul or Ibanez AR. catalog page | photo | body photo | neck & headstock | Ibanez JPN site In 1982 Ibanez introduced the Artstar Stagemaster Series, which was comprised of the AM small-body semi-acoustics. -"The Artstar Stagemaster Series is the perfect answer for semi-acoustic lovers who dislike the bulk of a larger thin line body. The Stagemaster Series is comfortably sized and lightweight so you can move around at will with the ease of a solid body and the sweet sound of a semi-acoustic. And don’t let the size fool you! The entire Stagemaster Series has been carefully designed and constructed to sound full, warm and sweet and to sustain like a full bodied semi-acoustic. Ibanez gives you the best of both worlds in the Artstar Stagemaster Series!" (Ibanez 1982 Catalog) The AMs (also known as the Stagemaster Series) were part of Ibanez’ Artstar line of semi-hollowbody guitars. The AM-series is similar in appearance to the Gibson ES335 or Ibanez’ own AS series, but with a smaller body. For reference, the AM bodies is still slightly larger than a LesPaul or Ibanez Artist AR (solidbody) guitar. The AM guitars feature a solid section in the center with hollow cavities on either side with two humbucking pickups. Let me start the review by pointing out something obvious... the fit & finish on the Artist AM-200 is simply incredible. Some call this the golden era of Ibanez guitars, and when you see an axe like this in person, it is a difficult to debate otherwise. As of this review, the slightly revised AM-200 was still available in Japan but is not imported in to the USA. The pricing reflects the marketplace realities of "vintage" instruments not made in America. In Japan the new JEM7VSBL lists for 240,000 yen whereas paradoxically, the AM-200 is 30% cheaper at 165,000 yen. Supply and demand economics sets these prices, as on a level playing field with unbiased consumers you would expect the pricing to be reversed. The AM-200 is the type a guitar that is a breeze to just plug in and play. As you can see from the photos, it is a semi-hollow body electric guitar, but is not a Jazz-box by any means. For reference, Jazz-boxes are typically fully hollow and much bulkier, being deeper with an overall larger body. The Ibanez AM has a timeless body shape with very good balance. This provides you with a high comfort level playing this guitar - something that many semi-hollow body guitars lack in spades. Many of these guitars might sound great, with a tradeoff being a chore to play. The AM body shape is definitely not too bulk nor is it too petite, instead it feels just right. With it's standard Artist 22-fret 24.75" scale neck, the AM has a silky-smooth and loose feel... even when strung with appropriate gauge strings (10s, 10s bottom heavy or 11s). I guess you could use thinner strings on such a guitar, but I would recommend against it. The Super58 humbucking pickups are a longtime favorite of Ibanez players; they are perhaps the perfect fit to this guitar. You will be hard pressed to improve upon them, unless you require pickups with a very specific characteristic and tonal range. The Super58 pickups respond nicely to the pick/attack, pickup switching (3-way) and especially the volume and tone controls (1 vol/tone per pickup). You really can pretty much dial-in any sound you want by using the 3-way switch and individual volume/tone controls. As you play this guitar, your amp/rig will probably sound much more versatile than what you have been hearing from your traditional JEM/RG/Superstrat... and that is good thing. As stated earlier, the attention to detail found on the AM-200 is exceptional... BRAVO IBANEZ - BRAVO! Some examples include the matching mahogany pickguard, to the bindings (body front & back back, neck & headstock) to the headstock inlay to the correctly balanced placement of the neck/body strap button. The machine heads are so accurate and fine, they make the JEM/RG tuners feel like the ones on your first Yamaha student acoustic guitar. It's nice to have a guitar where you know that the little things and small details were given full attention during it's crafting. All too often these small details are overlooked and taken for granted, figuring the discerning player will replace them or turn another cheek. The ebony fretboard is inlayed with the classic abalone blocks which are used on many Ibanez guitars over the years. They nicely compliment the overall look by adding subtle but not overpowering ornamentation to the guitar. Used guitar shoppers will note the AM-50 & AM-100 models (and all AM models below AM-100) are similar axes from this time period that instead feature dot inlays, rosewood boards and chrome hardware. No doubt, finding a 15 year old guitar still in great shape can be a daunting task in the used market. That said, a quest for this type of guitar can prove to be quite rewarding. Unearthing an AM-200 or similar Ibanez guitar would take a little bit of time and patience but remember these two ingredients ensures that you'll pay a lot le$$ then if you are a impetuous and compulsive buyer. Not to stereotype, but these semi-hollowbody guitars target more of a mature audience, one that is less likely to be a Spandex-kid who abused their 80s Ibanez superstrat on a daily basis. Given the state of the guitar market today in the USA, IMHO the used "vintage" market is a useful option and avenue to explore. When you think it through, it is almost mind-boggling that you can pickup a guitar of this caliber in the sub-$1,000 price range - a fraction of the price of comparable new axes. I'm not sure of the need to go on about the wood and fret types, except to say they are exactly what you would expect from this type of guitar. The stunning burl mahogany body looks to be made of just 3 pieces large pieces (top, back and side) and coupled with the ebony board give the guitar an even-keeled, yet BIG and substantial tone. The set 3-pc mahogany/maple/mahogany neck is rock-solid and unwavering with it's thick, yet unobtrusive finish. It would be interesting to compare the tone of the AM-200 to the same year AM-100 w/ rosewood fretboard, as well as the AM-300/AM-400 varieties with painted maple top (FYI - painting a maple top is a lesson in bad judgment in my book). The true Gibralter-II and QuickChange-II bridge/tailpiece is a tried and true combination that is second to none in functionality and ease of setup. Some would consider the AM-200 from this era to be a "collectable" guitar, being that they were expensive new, and relatively underproduced compared to most MIJ Ibanez guitars from the time. Even if that is true, I personally could care less. The AM-200 is a guitar that will diversify your arsenal and is meant to be played over and over. It is the type of guitar that remains one of your best friends. If you purchased one, you'd be a fool to sell it... mark down the AM-200 as a "keeper". Good luck finding yours.
Ibanez Prestige 2002 RGT3120TV (Transparent Violet) Ibanez 2002 RGT3120TV (Transparent Violet)
January 15, 2003
by Glen G. Cianciulli (Jemsite.com) Features Overview: The new neck-thru RGT3120 Prestige features a 3-piece maple neck (5-pc headstock) through body w/ thin AAA Flamed Maple Top & Mahogany body sides. Features include the Ultra neck-thru, Jumbo frets, LoPro Edge bridge, Violet Chrome hardware, DiMarzio PAF Pro (neck and bridge), Colors: Transparent Dark Brown (TDB) and Transparent Violet (TV). Announced at Winter NAMM 1/2002, List price $1999.99 USD without case. The RGT was announced at Winter NAMM 2002 much to the surprise and delight of Ibanez players. It is the first neck-thru RG style guitar available since the American Master series from the late 80s/early 90s. It is said to be Ibanez' answer to the upscale Jackson Soloists, and other guitars that migrated from simple bolt-on Superstrats. To listen to some, neck-thru-body guitars offers godly sustain, tone from heaven and nirvanic experience that will redefine what you come to expect in a guitar. I will not propagate that myth here. Instead, I will show some reasons why this Prestige Ibanez is a first-class ride that should be strongly considered when shopping similar guitars in this price range or the lower priced bolt-on RG3120 (list price $1499.99). The RGT3120, as a Prestige level Ibanez, has the important "three Fs" of quality guitars... fit, finish and feel. The guitar is minimally ornamented, focusing it's attention mostly on a decent AAA-grade flame top, subdued, yet classy offset-dot abalone inlays and the clean "violet chrome" hardware. The Transparent Violet is gorgeous, yet a bit dark as it masks the figured maple top when viewed from a distance. The fit and finish are well above average, and beyond what you will see in a standard MIJ (made in Japan) 500-series RG. The frets are well manicured, sitting on a better grade of fretboard wood than what is found on the lower-end Ibanez guitars. The "Prestige" neck has a glossy (yet not too sticky) finish on it's rear, along with a nice, beefy feel. The neck is said to be "Ultra Thru-Neck", yet it's width has been increased 1mm from the prior "Ultra" specs, if you believe the Ibanez 2002 literature (42mm nut of yesteryear vs 43 mm nut of the RGT). The Ultra neck, is one of my Ibanez favorites, as it has a nice meaty feel. Using the Ultra neck was a smart move, and it is a nice upgrade to the Wizard neck in which many of us find lacking in substance, tone and stability. Any guitar with the Wizard-II or Ultra profile is a welcome addition to the Ibanez lineup. I should note the singular area of attention to detail that needs improvement. The headstock has a nice look with the Ibanez/Prestige inlay, that unfortunately is marred by a poorly (un)finished (and uncovered) and messy trussrod adjustment cavity. If Ibanez chooses not to properly sand and finish that cavity, they are best served to include a nice cover, preferably an inlayed or engraved one. Even a plain black plastic one (ala JEM/RGs - but smaller) would have been welcome. A guitar at $1999.99 list price should have be missing such a $5-10 item. Luckily, these can be purchased by aftermarket vendors. When you look at the guitar from the back, you will see the neck as it extends from the headstock all the way through the bridge to the edge of the body. In the past, many neck-thru's suffered from this "3-piece body" appearance on it's FRONT, so thankfully Ibanez put a thin flame maple top to give the guitar a classy modern look, instead of a "retro" neck-thru appearance. The maple neck-thru body serves up a significant impact on tone. Since the guitar has the perennial classic PAFPRO pickups, it is natural to have some tonal preexpectations about this guitar. It is advised to wipe the slate clean leave those ideas at the door. When you plug in the guitar, you will notice a significant "treble" shift, where the guitar will be very bright (trebly/twangy) on your current rig. This is undoubtedly due to the maple neck-thru design, as the decreased mahogany mass does not offset the somewhat colder properties that can found with maple wood guitars. The good news is that once your ears adjust, you will easily tweak your amp/effects and come to enjoy the tone of this guitar. Since the pickups are body-mount, there is minimal adjustment possible with this guitar, so you would want to possibly lower the pole-pieces if the pickups are closer to the strings than what you typically prefer. Either way, I would highly recommend playing the RGT for a few weeks before even considering swapping out the DiMarzio PAF-PROs. I feel these are some of the best pickups overall made by DiMarzio, being well rounded and versatile in both neck and bridge positions. Yet experimenting with other pickups will be something you might do anyway if the RGT were to remain in your guitar rack for the long term. A lot of the appeal of a neck-thru is what many will claim to be "unlimited sustain" since the elimination of a neck joint allows the guitar to resonate better, etc. If you have not heard the hype, consider yourself lucky, as that is about as realistic as the tooth fairy. The RGT, like the RG, JEMs, and similar Ibanez offerings, has substantial body routing (i.e.. removal of wood) to accommodate the tremolo, which happens to float on two thin knife edges that sit on two posts anchored to the body (neck-thru in case of the RGT). I don't think it takes much application of logic to realize that "Zen-like sustain" will really be more a function of player touch, technique, guitar setup, effects and amplification than it will be the "neck-thru" properties of these guitars. The RGT does offer nice, rich sustain (the PAF-PROs don't inhibit sustain provided the PUs are not too close to the strings) but honestly I have played Ibanez JEMs and Prestige/UCEW RGs with equal amounts of sustain... never mind fixed bridge Prestige Artists and other guitars that will "sing" rather nicely too. Pricing is a mixed bag, in that compared to a LesPaul or JEM7VSBL is a bargain, but compared to a used UCEW or even a new Prestige RG3120 it is unnecessarily expensive. The list price of the RGT3120 is $500 more than the RG3120, which is quite a stretch of logic. The Prestige guitars are marketed towards mature, advanced Ibanez players and as a result the RGT's price probably falls just on the high end of the price range where it belongs. Any pricier, and the RGT would fall into the K7 and to some extent the RG7620 category, where a guitar clearly misses the mark of it's target audience. Hopefully Ibanez dealers will be smart enough to populate showrooms with the RGTs, as they make a cool impact and can easily be hyped with a hang-tag that boldly says "neck-thru construction", in hopes of capturing spontaneous sales. A well setup RGT would lend itself toward gaining easy sales, as guitars like this tend to sell themselves if priced right. If a customer picks up an RG550 then immediately plays an RGT, the guitarist will immediately say to themself "I really prefer the RGT". Even if the customer stretches to purchase the less expensive bolt-on Prestige RG3120, Ibanez would be a winner. Ultimately, that might be why the RGT's list price is $100-200 more than what would have been expected. Any Ibanez guitar, upon receipt from dealer, is subject to proper setup and inspection. As with any new LoPro/Edge equipped Ibanez, the knife-edges need to be examined and filed thinner if tuning stability is compromised upon subtle trem pull-up. The neck-thru guitar limits setup to some degree, since you obviously cannot shim the neck to set/tweak the trem height/angle, yet this should be a non-issue. Once you let the guitar acclimate and settle for a few weeks, I'd recommend doing the typical setup and adjustments to get the RGT playing to your liking. In my mind, when looking to purchase an RGT, it strictly comes down to desired feature set of the guitar, it's looks and price. The RGT is 100% worthy of a purchase, as it's Prestige quality and construction is the best offered by Ibanez. Sure, many other Prestige/Signature level guitars have more ornamentation and detail, but that does not effect the "3 Fs" of evaluating a guitar, it only adds possible aesthetic appeal. The RGT has a classy, yet subdued look, offering a nice balance of both, ultimately making it a very safe purchase. The guitar will not be "dated" or appear from the wrong decade any time soon, as it pretty much has a classic-meets-superstrat style. Regretfully, Ibanez does not have a large offering of figured-top guitars, regardless of bolt on, set or thru-neck. Instead, Ibanez focuses it's attention and marketing mostly on signature series and low-end "beginner" type guitars, introducing guitars like the RGT (and now discontinued RG2027) on somewhat of a trial basis in the USA, with requirements of brisk sales for Hoshino to keep importing them to the States. When push comes to shove, if a neck-thru guitar with a floating trem is something you want to explore, Ibanez gives you very little to choose from. Which is not such a bad thing, because the RGT clearly stands on it's own as a viable, solid guitar which will please any "Ibanez player". NAMM 2003 is days away, and the RGT lineup will be expanded to what looks like a quilt top and possible new colors. Perhaps a surprise or two awaits, since the Prestige line is being expanded dramatically. Credit to Ibanez for releasing the Prestige RGT and now expanding it further. The RGT will serve a nice niche and provide yet another option for the serious Ibanez player. A test drive is highly recommended. It is difficult to find a new Ibanez floating-trem guitar that offers as much character, yet still offer a reasonable bang for the buck.
Ibanez 1998 Artist AR2000-VV (Vintage Violin) Ibanez 1998 Prestige Artist AR2000-VV (Vintage Violin)
October 15, 2002
by Glen G. Cianciulli (Jemsite.com) Features Overview: The new Artist Prestige features an AAA-grade flame maple top (that makes it lighter as well as gorgeous) on a mahogany body for full sustain. The set-neck Deluxe Artist neck (24.75" scale) has received 6 extra steps of hand finishing and feels like a neck you've played for years. The hardware is the classy Gibraltar-II bridge with die-cast Gotoh tuners. Two Super 58, Pickups (neck/bridge), 3-piece Maple neck w/ volute, 22 Medium Frets, Bound Rosewood fretboard w/ Abalone Dot inlays. List price $1999.99 USD. Click here for photo(s). Ibanez Artist Series Returns -- AR2000 -- January 29, 1998 -- Ibanez announced that after a nearly ten year hiatus, the Ibanez Artist is returning as a regular series in the U.S. market. "People have been asking us for years to bring the Artist back," said Bill Reim, Senior Marketing and Advertising Manager of Hoshino. "But the whole point of the Artist when it was introduced over twenty years ago was to offer a better and more affordable alternative to the very expensive classic humbucking guitars. Now with a return to more favorable exchange rates and even more efficient manufacturing, we can bring the Artist back." The new Artist is available in a high-end Prestige Model, the AR2000; several working professional versions, and the most affordable Artist model ever, the GAX70. (Ibanez press release, Winter NAMM 1998) The Ibanez Artist solidbody is a popular "vintage" guitar that has been around for three decades. It's longevity and popularity should be no surprise, since it meets all the prerequisite's required to be a guitar staple... double-cutaway solidbody, mahogany w/ maple top, set neck with medium frets that play itself. This type of guitar proves to be popular year after year, despite current musical trends or marketplace fads. Credit goes to Ibanez for reintroducing the Artist in 1998, as the upscale Prestige AR2000 (note the lower price Korean-made AR250 was made available too). Many of you, like myself, have probably kept an eye open for used Artists, looking for the "right" one to appear. Reliable info on the vintage Artists is somewhat difficult to obtain, especially from a player standpoint, as opposed to that of a "collector". Who cares about inlays, rarity, condition and color if they old axe doesn't play near as good as the new ones? Not me. When asking about the "old" Artists and the reissued AR2000, it was often recommended to not "overpay" for the vintage Artists from the 70s and 80s. The reason being that the new AR2000 Prestige is a better constructed instrument, and that perhaps the old ones were more on par with the Korean AR250, nostalgia aside. I must say that it was really nice to stumble upon a new, unplayed 1998 AR2000 at a reasonable price. It made a very easy decision to purchase a new Ibanez AR2000 Prestige at the same price of a "vintage" one... a "no-brainer" :-) The Artist AR2000 brings you back to a time of perhaps the "simpler" guitar that featured more workmanship and detail, with less computerized whos-e-whats and overly complex features that sound great in print but add very little to the guitar's appeal as you're playing. It's the type of guitar which is very easy to plug & play quickly and without hassle. There should be no need to learn your way around this axe, as it will be like going "home" with it's comfortable balance and silky smooth feel. The mahogany body w/maple top gives it a solid mass, but it's not a clumsy guitar, or as bulky as your favorite LesPaul might be. Of course, being a double-cutaway, it's not really appropriate to compare these guitars, even if they do share the same (or similar) combinations of woods, pickups and 24.75" scale set-neck. The Artist Prestige has one great feature that is often missing on guitars of all price ranges - when you plug this guitar into to your current rig, it will immediately come to life. The two pickup, two volume, two tone knob with 3-way configuration of this guitar is brilliant in it's simplicity. Yet it still offers a wide range of tonal variety when you venture to use the knobs. Just one example of the attention to detail of the AR2000 is the actual wooden pickup rings that are used to mount the Super58 Alnico magnet humbuckers. The gold covered Super58s are a dual humbucker configuration (neck and bridge) and provide for a wide variety of guitar tones. You should be able to recreate just about any solidbody guitar sound with the Artist, except the twangy Strats sound (single coils) or way overly powerful humbuckers ala the X-2Ns, EMGs, etc. When playing this guitar you will find yourself utilizing the volume and tone knobs like never before, since they function well and provide for a countless variety of sounds in all three pickup positions. I need to state that every piece of this guitar makes it feel like a premier instrument that was crafted with tender, love and care. Better yet, one that spares your bank account from taking an insufferable hit. The machine heads (tuners) are gorgeous, yet more importantly, their operation is smooth, tight and without slippage or free-play. The mahogany headstock features the holdover Artist inlay, which compliments the guitar's visual appeal. The rosewood fretboard is nice and has the vintage ("cream colored") binding with genuine abalone dot inlays. The soft rubber tipped knobs have a smooth feel, as does the exquisitely dressed fretboard. No attention to detail has been spared or overlooked with this guitar, which is something all of us would welcome with open arms. Even though the Artist is a set-neck guitar, it's neck-joint is non-obtrusive... solid yet comfortable. The finished neck back, often the blight of super-strat guitars, is really a non-issue with the AR2000. The rear of the neck is nicely finished, yet does not really obstruct or hinder the guitar's playability due to it's medium frets. While the Artist is anything but a "shreder" guitar, you just might find yourself flying up and down the fretboard on occasion, since the neck is very comfy to the touch. If you have never played an Artist then you should realize this... if your JEM, RG, S or whatever feels good in your hands, then so too will this guitar. The Prestige Artist has a rightful place back in the Ibanez lineup and with a list price of $1999.99, it probably classifies as a real bargain. For comparison, the AR2000 list price is five hundred dollars less than the vastly different 2002 JEM7VSBL ($2499.99) and compares quite favorably to similar offerings from other guitar manufacturers, such as the PRS McCarty (double-cutaway) which start at $3,200 list. No doubt, to keep the cost contained and bolster product availability, the AR2000 comes in exactly one color, Vintage Violin. Ibanez offers the customer zero options, except the choice you have to purchase a hardcase with the guitar or not. Some will find this limiting, but not me... the Vintage Violin (VV) color is a perfect match for this guitar, where less is more. Unfortunately, as with many upscale Ibanez guitars, it can be a daunting task to actually find and playtest an AR2000 at a local showroom. Sadly, the guitar buying public is probably just as much to blame as the sometimes "clueless" store owners and managers. How and why people would pay 2-3x more for an "American made" guitar of near equal quality and superfluous options, is beyond me. Yet this further highlights that perceptions and "brand names" are still very important in retail... quality and value be damned. The Ibanez Artist AR2000 is a timeless classic that not only lives up to it's past, but takes it to places beyond. It happens to be a guitar which is truly worthy of a purchase. More importantly, it's a guitar with appeal that will strengthen over time, remaining as a treasured part of your players collection.
Ibanez RG421 Hardtail Ibanez RG421 Fixed Bridge - Hands on Report
July 3, 2002
by Glen G. Cianciulli (Jemsite.com) Features Overview: Basswood body, Wizard II neck w/ 24 frets and bound Rosewood fretboard, Jumbo frets, string-thru fixed bridge, v7 neck pickup, v8 bridge pickup, 5-way switch, black or royal blue. List price $629.99 USD. July 25, 2001 Summer NAMM - Ibanez players and retailers who have been clamoring for a new Ibanez RG guitar with a fixed bridge got their wish with the debut of the RG421 at Nashville NAMM. "When people think of heavy rock guitars, the first guitar that comes to mind is the RG" explained an Ibanez spokesperson. "And when people think of the RG they think locking tremolo because so many heavy rock players—even those who don’t use the tremolo arm— like the stability of the RG’s Edge and Lo-TRS bridges. But there are still plenty of players who want the simplicity and sustain of a hard-tailed axe, especially those playing rhythm or using alternate and drop tunings. Plus many existing RG players have told us they want to be able to switch back and forth between locking and fixed bridge axes without making a major style adjustment. For all those players, we’ve got the new RG421." The RG421 was announced at Summer NAMM 2001 as a gift from Ibanez for enthusiasts looking for a high quality, yet simplified fixed bridge RG guitar. Ibanez' press release states that "many existing RG players have told us they want to be able to switch back and forth between locking and fixed bridge axes without making a major style adjustment. For all those players, we’ve got the new RG421." Having finally purchased an RG421, I'll get right into the hands-on report. Let me start by saying Ibanez should continue to improve their product line with guitars such as the RG421. With a street price around $450, this guitar is a much needed diversion from the midrange line of Ibanez RGs... you know the ones... the weedly-weedly axes that year after year feature the same locking tremolos and paper thin Wizard necks and offer little variety. While there is nothing wrong with "sticking to a good thing", at the same times it leaves you a bit hungry for a bit more or something different. The RG421 offers a string-thru fixed bridge body for those of us who want an RG type guitar without a tremolo too. The basswood body is coupled with the Wizard-II neck, which is 2mm thicker and 30mm less radiused (430mm vs 400) than the venerable Wizard neck. While the choice of only two colors seem a bit mundane to the catalog shopper, the Royal Blue (RB) has some pizzazz and proves itself to be a remarkable finish when viewed in person. There is no doubt that many people will order this guitar sight unseen based on a few JPGs and reports, this might even be necessary if local Ibanez dealers do not stock these guitars for the showroom. While Black is both the safe and boring choice of finishes, the RB has more character and is visually distinguished with it's metal flaking, which is a treat to the eyes. The quality of the finish is a testament to the Ibanez Japan factory, in that a guitar can have an exemplary finish while it's cost remains well under $500. The rosewood fretboard is best defined as servicable... nothing more, nothing less. The tonality of the rosewood board cannot be easily compared from one model to another, nor should it be, given it's intended price range. More importantly, the neck itself is rock solid and well manicured over the maple back. The neck has a light satin finish that provides a markely improved "wood" feel, as compared to some other pricier Ibanez models. The JEM7DBK and RG5xx models for example, feature necks (remember, we're not talking fretboards now) where you feel more polyacrylic than wood. Granted, that problem can be easily remedied (see the TECH SETUP area of jemsite) but at double the cost, the signature guitar's neck finish should be markedly improved over the RG421... and that is not always the case. The body routing is exquisite, showing a precise and tight neck pocket with no play or gaps in the all-access joint. The inlays are exactly what a buyer should expect in the $400 range and are the only thing that detracts from the guitars asthetics in my opinion; smaller offset inlays would be a huge improvement to my eye. When you factor in the neck binding and nice "jumbo" fretwork, the whole of this neck adds up to far more than the sum of it's parts. To my hands, this neck has a better feel than many Ibanez guitars at 2-3 times the price, granted some of this has to do with the Wizard-II dimensions & profile. Either way, it would be nice to see more upper end Ibanez RGs offer the Wizard-II and/or Ultra necks for those of us who want them. I don't want to dwell on the electronics, because guitar pickups are a very personal choice. They are truly the area of guitar reviews where one mans trash is the next man's gold. The RG421 features a nice choice in stock Ibanez pickups (V7 neck, V8 bridge) that will no doubt service a wide spectrum of potential buyers. These Ibanez V7/8 pickups are well balanced and offer diverse tones, a perfect fit for the stock guitar. It would be disappointing if the RG421 came with less diverse and one-dimentional pickups (Evolutions come to mind). Regardless of pickup types, I much prefer the 2-1-2 pickup configuration on RG body guitars. Still, the RG421's two-humbucker setup with 5-way switch works nicely for this guitar, while allowing the sticker price to remain very affordable. The pots and switches perform as expected, with no noise or static. The RG421 certainly lacks the sexiness of my fixed-bridge Ibanez USRG10, but this is expected since the list price would be double that of the RG421, if it were offered today. That is also not a bad thing. The RG421 is a widely available hardtail RG-body guitar offered at a very fair price. While affordable to beginners, its features will accomidate bedroom through professional guitarists. The RG421 is almost a no-brainer purchase for someone looking for a fixed bridge Ibanez RG. While no guitar can please every player, this one will come close when you factor in the inviting price. Hopefully these will get a warm reception in the marketplace so production will continue and a more upscale "prestige" brother can be released. Credit to Ibanez for implimenting almost the exact "wishlist" of an expected buyer for this guitar.... kudos for tapping into the brains of the target audience.
Ibanez JEM7VSBL Ibanez JEM7VSBL Hands On Report
Thursday, June 20, 2002
by Mike 777 Haug Ok, folks-here we go. We've finally got ourselves a new standard production model since the 7DBK's introduction in Winter of 1999. To the relief of many, Ibanez has brought color back into the line after tending to gravitate towards very basic color schemes over the past couple of years. Well, let me start by stating that, in pictures, it may, at first, look like an over-priced Japanese Strat copy but this is way more than that (especially in person), so let's go with the appearance aspect, first: The finish is a nice and well-saturated Sparkle Blue finish (SBL) which is not to be confused with the Blue Sparkle (if I recall correctly, the code was BLS) that was available on the RG-517 of the mid 1990's. What's the difference? Well, the BLS finish used to be an all-glitter (with clear coat) finish that was a nice, bight blue. The new, SBL finish on this new JEM is a little more detailed. First off, it's a standard metal flake finish with glitter pieces scattered through out. At first, this sounds like an old vinyl bench seat that you'd find in an old greasy-spoon diner or even on the covering of an old Kustom amplifier. Not so here. This is rather impressive. I don't know the exact finishing process for this model but my guess is that a silver, metal-flake base coat was used, then the silver glitter flakes were applied, then a transparent blue was applied, and lastly a clear coat. This is more traditional rather than using a pre-made colored metal-flake finish over primer and working from there. Well, my guess was correct-it shows and they really did an excellent job. The basic color is a nice, consistent, and well-saturated Bright blue. The glitter flakes blend in well so that the finish from the average distance blends in with the uniformity of the rest of the finish they are easier to spot close up and there is no difference in color between the glitter flakes and the rest of the finish. The result is numerous places on the finish that reflect beautiful, blue light. Also, the flakes are well spaced apart so that they do not appear clumped in some places and absent in others and it also doesn't look cheap and dated (like those old vinyl seats). It's a great finish and it really stands out-like a true JEM always has. Pictures don't do this any justice. Also, the entire logo on the headstock is actually under the clear coat unlike other many other models in the past. The "Ibanez" portion of the logo is actually some sort of thin metal (brushed aluminum, perhaps-not sure). It's not a pearl, abalone, or chrome as many would've expected. The hardware is a bit different. It's antiqued and quite uniformly, too. It doesn't have a bad appearance as if someone had it for many before I did. This new finish if hardware will probably wear very well from play and that wear will blend with the antique look. The bridge below the saddle pieces have a brushed-metal feel and an almost unfinished, raw feel (hope it's just as corrosion resistant over the years and that this is only cosmetic). This antique hardware is on the knurled metal knobs, the entire bridge assembly, the nut (not including the pressure pads), the tuning peg heads, and the tuning peg grommets. All other hardware is gloss black. It really looks cool-even to me and I try to keep everything in "like new" condition for as long as I can. The fret board is amazing. The fret bob they did on this guitar is the best I've ever seen Ibanez do. A very smooth fret-dressing job, indeed. Also, the vine inlays were well done-virtually no filler in mine. I really looked carefully. The vine is a little dark. It seems to be a darker blue than that used on the vine inlay on the JEM7BFP's. If it were the same, one would think it would appear lighter since, this time around, it is placed in contrast with the darker, rosewood fingerboard. Also, THE SCALLOPED upper four frets ARE BACK. Ibanez hasn't introduced a new JEM model (excluding the DNA's) with the scalloped 21-24 frets since the 7VWH. These were very well done and a noticeably better job than I've seen in a while. Don't let the alder body and the 7VWH-based profile neck fool you. It's not just another finish. The 7VWH had an Ebony finger board while this new, JEM 7VSBL has rosewood. This offers a more traditional feel than some of the other JEMs did since it has the more recently-used smaller frets and this neck profile. These three specs differ since older Jems did have a slightly bigger D-shaped neck in many cases and with larger frets. The smaller frets used recently have been featured on the Wizard-like necks or the ebony-boarded smaller, C-shaped neck of the 7VWH (I haven't had much experience with the 7BSB so I didn't include this in mind in my comparison. Also like the 7VWH, the new &VSBL features a satin-finished (no skunk stripe) C-shaped neck. It feels great. The combination of the rosewood fingerboard with the Dimarzio Evolution pickups gives a slightly warmer sound than that produced from the harder ebony on the 7VWH (very slight difference). My set-up out of the box was fabulous, although I will eventually be setting it up for .010"-gauge strings (standard factory set-up is .009"). My alder body (I cannot confirm whether or not it's a sandwich of alder/basswood/alder) is extremely resonant. It's great. Cosmetically, the white pickups and pickguard, at first looked too much like a Strat copy but it really grew on me big time. The H-S-H pickup configuration on this pickguard give this guitar a very powerful appearance to be just a Strat copy and it plays and sounds like a dream. For a change, I may, in the future, buy a black pickguard loaded with blue DiMarzio PAF Pro pickups and a single coil and blue knobs for a change of sound a JEM777V-style appearance. I really dig this guitar. I LOVE IT. It stands out like a JEM always has but offers something different and traditional for everyone. I have named mine "Charlize" after the actress, Charlize Theron. This will be the last Jem I'll be able to buy before I get married and probably for quite a while. The JEM 7VSBL turned out to be a great guitar to commemorate this. Best wishes to all!!!
Ibanez JEM7DBK 7DBK hands on report
1.17.2002
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I purchased an Ibanez JEM7DBK used on E-bay for about $750, with a case and tools provided. I am a big Steve Vai fan, and if i had the money, i would go for the master's axe; the 7VWH. But like many other musicians, i'm on a budget, so the 7DBK seemed like a good alternative. When the guitar arrived at my home, i was very excited. And when i opened the box, i was even more excited. I had never seen the guitar in person before i ordered it ( not recommended ), and was reluctant to order it, but when i took it out of the box and had a look at it, i was very impressed. Some might think the paint job is tacky, but i think it's really cool. With the combination of the screw inlays, and the mirrored pickguard, this guitar looks awesome! After doing some minor adjustments to the tremolo and replacing the strings, i plugged it in. I was pleased and relieved when i heard that the guitar sounded and played great. The Breed pickups arn't as hot as the Evolutions, but they easily make up for it with personality and tone. You can play everything from jazz licks, to fast speed metal riffs, to soloing like a pro. I was also very surprised that there was no string choking. The strings are super lower, the neck is very thin and the action is perfect all the way up and down the neck. And the Lo-Pro Edge stay in tune very well. This guitar is a whole different animal; and i was very surprised to see that it's quality is superb. You defenitly get what you pay for. I can see how some players wouldn't like the paint job. You'll have to decide for yourself. So if you are on a budget like me and want a JEM that's as good as all the others, this is the guitar for you. I've played many JEM's including the next step up, the 7VWH, and this guitar is of equal quality. A+
Ibanez JS100 Review by:
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March 25, 2001 Ibanez JS100 It seems that one of the most frequent questions here on Jemsite is "How do the Korean JS/JEM/RG's compare to the Japanese ones?" Certainly, this question can generate some passionate responses; though there's no question that the Korean Ibanez models - in particular the JEM555 and JS100 guitars - are built to a lesser standard with cheaper hardware than their Japanese equivalents, I've often wondered just how much "less" guitar you get for your money when you choose one of the models closer to the bottom of the IBZ food chain. As the owner of a number of Japanese Ibanez guitars, I was somewhat leary of buying my JS100BK, but chose to do it for two reasons. First, I got it for such a reasonable price ($250US) that I figured if I didn't like it I could always sell it off for more than I paid for it. And second, I really love the Satriani body shape, but was unsure as to whether or not I could get along with the neck profile, and I thought that the JS100 would give me an opportunity to try a reasonable facsimile of the real thing over the long term without the sort of $$$ commitment a JS1000 would require. So I bought it. Now the main reason I picked it up for only $250 is that it had been sitting in it's case for 4 years in a damp basement after being played by someone who never cleaned it for a couple years - basically, it was filthy and looked awful when I picked it up. Also, the 3-way switch was shot, and the rusty four year old strings did nothing to add to the guitar's sale-ability, particularly coupled with a 3 mm relief in the neck. That being said, the frets were hardly worn at all, and there was minimal scratching from picks or belts buckles on the front or back. Of course, under these circumstances, I HAD to strip it down to clean it and set it up fully, which gave me the chance to see just how well this poorer cousin of the JS1000 was put together. This JS100BK from the model's introductory year, 1994. Let's start with the outside - the finish. One of the first things I noticed with the JS100 I own is that the finish is dimpled in a couple places, and despite a few years wear and tear, it's painfully obvious that this was never a particularly well applied paint job. There is a very obvious rough spot on the back (under the finish - this is a factory flaw) and the various cavities - including the visible trem cavity - are sloppily done around the edges, although to its credit, the bottom of the trem cavity is padded with soft black rubber that's well cut and placed, and has worn well over the years. If I was being really picky, I would also note that though the control cover is recessed on the back, the route isn't particularly well done - there are a couple of areas around the cover where the gap between the cover's edge and the body are wider than necessary... The neck finish on the other hand, is a light satin that is very well applied. The medium frets are well seated and the fret ends well rounded, though you still know they are there, which is not my experience with my Jem or Universe necks. The fretboard itself is well shaped and the inlays are expertly applied - no filler to be seen here, which is a nice change of pace from many Korean guitars I've seen over the years. The "Joe Satriani" inlay at the 21st fret is well set, though in my opinion unnecessary, and even somewhat embarrassing. On to the hardware - and lets start with the Lo TRS II trem. My impression from reading various articles on the web was that Edge players generally revile the TRS tremolo, and I was curious to see exactly why. The tremolo on this guitar was absolutely filthy, so I got to take a good long look at it as I pulled it apart into tiny bits and cleaned it up. First, the chrome has held up well over the years - there's not much pitting where your hand rests on the tremolo. However, the steel is far too soft for a good trem, as evidenced by indentations in the chrome where the hex bolts screw into the saddles to set intonation, and the considerable wear on the knife edges on both sides of the trem. Shims have been welded to the bottoms of inside four saddles to ensure they follow the low-radiused curve of the Satriani-spec'd fingerboard. The posts are pretty much as basic as they can be - they screw straight into the body, and if you've come to appreciate the stability afforded by the locking posts on the Edge trems, you'll sorely miss them here. The fine tuners are large, ungainly looking things, though they seem to have a fair range of travel they're rough and uneven in use. At the other end, one of the hex bolts that tighten down the lock nut blocks was stripped where you set the key to turn it - I've had this problem before with cheaper Floyds, and though it's easy enough to solve by buying some good replacement bolts, it's irritating none-the-less. The nut itself is very well set into the neck - perfectly in fact, offering low, non-buzzing string clearance over the first fret without shimming... But the deciding factor for any trem will be how it feels in use, and though the Lo TRS II seems to hold the tuning passably well considering it's wear, it has a very stiff action that completely lacks the smoothness and subtlety I enjoy with the Edge tremolos on my other Ibanez guitars. Using this tremolo feels more akin to using the vintage trem on my Fender Strat than a Floyd! Applying enough strength, you can push the trem down till the strings are loose or pull up a full 5 semi-tones, but it requires far more work than the equivalent whammy action with an Edge. In the final analysis, I don't like the Lo TRS II tremolo at all, and will be replacing it with a Schaller Floyd if I choose to keep this guitar. On to the pickups... The AH1 and AH2 are Ibanez marque Korean pups. They are relatively inoffensive and utterly uninspiring medium gain units. They are - to my ears - flat, fairly thin and characterless, unless the tendency to mush out at high gain settings can be called "character". When the tone pot is pulled and the coils are split, they lose what little body and umph! they have; the middle position tone, for instance, can't even begin to compare to the tone of my JPM in the middle position. I fully intended to replace these stock pups with a pair of Evans humbuckers I've had lying around homeless for the last few months, but even if I didn't have anything on hand, finding better pickups isn't really an option here - these might suffice for bedroom practice, but not much else. Other hardware: the tuning machines are somewhat bulky Gotoh clones - functional and smooth. The volume and tone control knobs are simple gnurled black metal and work fine. The pots are fair quality - I figure I'll get another couple of years out of them - but it was easy to see why the original, el-cheapo three way switch was fried. Overall, I think the JS-100 is a reasonable quality Korean instrument. The wonderfully ergonomic body and highly playable neck bely the Satriani connection, but I'd be hard pressed to come up with a compelling reason why this instrument should qualify as a signature guitar, and with a list price in excess of an RG550, I can't understand why anyone would buy one new - the Japanese RG's are clearly superior instruments on virtually every count. These guitars really aren't that different than the other upper-end Korean models in Ibanez line, and I hardly see how a "signature" inlay on the 21st fret can command a several hundred dollar boost in list over guitars of similar quality. Issues concerning the market aside, I'm quite happy with this guitar for the price I paid, and if you can get one cheap I encourage you to check it out. But don't expect too much - these aren't in the same league as their Japanese cousins. In fact, they're distant relations at best, and in my opinion the line would be none the worse for their loss.
Ibanez USRG30 - USA Custom Prestige Review by:
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January 28, 2001 1996 Ibanez USRG30 (TP) I am by no means a technical genius when it comes to anything guitar, so this review is basically coming from a novice player/techie. If I have incorrectly stated information, please let me know, because I am just as curious as you are. Unlike it's USA Custom brethren, these guitars were made completely in the USA, with exception to hardware and electronics. They were not made by Ibanez, although they do sport the Ibanez name. [Editor's Note - these were made by PBC Guitar in Coopersburg, PA USA] The neck is Maple, and is a PBC "Tension Free" neck. The tension free neck was designed to increase resonance from the neck. There is a notable difference in sound that comes from this guitar. The notes from the neck seem to resonate a much richer tone than those notes from a "conventional" guitar neck. The neck is not adjusted from the headstock, but from a small hole which is drilled through the back of the body of the guitar. The hole is located in the AANJ, and in it can be found the adjustment screw which will provide relief or back bow to the neck. Another unique feature of the neck is a small hole drilled through the treble side of the neck. It is through this hole that a pin was placed to hold the neck and fingerboard in place, to help distribute tension where it belongs - in the "truss rod." I have been told not to mess with this unless I like pretzels. The neck is very comfortable, not quite as fat as a Wizard, but not quite as thin as a Wizard II. The finish on the back of the neck is a matte lacquer, which I could do without. There is a significant difference in the tilt of the headstock, the degree of which I am not sure, but it is less than that which is found on most current production Ibanez RG & Jem guitars. The headstock is not "part"of the neck. It is attached to the neck, with a brass "bushing" in between the neck and headstock. In this brass bushing there are two holes, in which the string retainer rests. The headstock is finished in a Trans (Purple) Quilt with a Chrome "USA Custom" Ibanez logo. From the tip of the headstock to the end of the fingerboard, the neck measures 28" which is one inch longer than the standard RG series guitars. This obviously doesn't affect the length of the fingerboard. The fingerboard is Rosewood with offset dot inlays. The body is Alder, and is finished in gloss black. The top is a AAA Quilt Maple, with a Trans Purple finish. A "Tone Zone" in the bridge position and a "PAF Pro" in the neck, both of which are controlled by a 5-way "Mega Switch," a volume and tone control. Not having a "trained ear" I would venture to guess that the pickup selection is identical to that which is found on the modern day Prestige RG3120. This guitar is equipped with Cosmo Black hardware, including a Lo-Pro Edge trem. All right, we know what it looks like and what it comes with already....it's everything I had hoped it would be. As I mentioned before, I am not crazy about the finish on the neck. I would prefer a raw or oiled finish, but this is something that is easy to overcome. I have always been a fan of the TZ and PAF pickups, they are a great match. It is very easy to be articulate with this guitar. Notes played are deliberate, and resound easily. I've droned on for far too long, but I hope that I have been able to give an accurate account of my experience with this guitar. Your best bet is to try one yourself. You won't be disappointed.
JEM2KDNA Hands on Report Review by:
Mike Haug- Owner of JEM-VAI2K-DNA
Kevan Geier- slobbering all over Mike's guitar when not typing this up. The Look Once again kudos to Darren and Steve for the color choices- my guitar came out great and is much more vivid than in any of the pictures I've seen thus far. It's much more fluorescent, intense and vibrant in person. The 6-color choices makes for a wild pattern and, with Steve Vai's blood mixed into the paint, well, that makes it even wilder. Think of it as the big brother to the PMC. This is really only the third time I've ever seen a swirl in close proximity and pictures really don't do these guitars any justice. When I said vibrant, I REALLY meant VIBRANT!!!!!!! The fingerboard is a nice deep rosewood with the "DNA strand" design inlay. It consists of the "vine stalk" on the vine-necked JEM's, and the second "helix" of the DNA strand is made of a glow-in-the-dark material. The "histones" and the top dots also glow. The main fret dots are cut from beautiful abalone. The dots at 12 and 24 are NOT doubled; they are offset. NOTE: The green & black humbucker coils on this guitar do NOT glow; they're just REALLY bright, as are the green knobs and green switch tip. The red single coil cover works very well with this swirl pattern. The pickguard refracts light into a nice bluish/lavender color, but does not glow. Blacklight test coming soon. :-) This JEM features a Wizard neck; not the standard JEM neck. For added stability, they added a bubinga stripe on the back. The neck has a normal S/N as well as an stamped Series Number. The Y2K Ibanez Icons are also imprinted on the back of the headstock. Contrary to rumors, it is a standard Wizard neck- NOT the Wizard 2 neck (which is found on RG-4XX and below, as well as the lower S-Series guitars). This JEM is also missing the truss rod cover. Kooky. The case lining is a deep and luscious purple velvet, and the guitar comes in the "JEM Sleeping Bag" with the Y2K Icon Logo silk-screened on. Case included has the three Y2K Icons on the plaque located by the locking latch. The latches are much more "heavy-duty" than on the UV1000C. The Tole x on the outside of the case is closer to elephant skin than the regular texture of the standard UV1000C cases. If you REALLY want a flight case, keep your box (see the edges of the Hoshino box to get that joke). NOTE: No logo on the top/front of the case. The COA is a brushed aluminum-looking plastic plaque with irridescent lettering and comes in a neato presentation folder. NOTE: On the box from Hoshino it's labeled "JEM2K-DNA", but on the plaque it's labeled as "VAI2K-DNA". Go figure. :-) The Feel The guitar was setup by Jim Donahue, as per Darren Johansen. (BTW- thanks to both of those guys for checking to make sure everything was setup nicely. Also, a quick thanks to Darren for the personal phone call congratulating me on my new guitar and making sure I was EXTREMELY happy with the finish- that was super-nice of him to do that.) My DNA came with 9's and was setup with super-low action. There was some SUPER-minor buzzing, but that's to be expected considering UPS guys aren't exactly graceful. A string change and some SUPER-minor tweaking alleviated that problem. I might change to 10's next string change. Much like the other Wizard necks, this one is nice and quick. The finish on the back is very "satiny" and smooth. It's constructed from 3-pieces (one being the bubinga stripe) and comes with the standard 14 degree scarf-jointed headstock. I'm glad to see that frets 21-24 are scalloped. There is one shim under the nut. This JEM has smaller frets than on my other JEM's; close in size to those on my JEM7DBK, and the smooth, well-rounded fretjob is Immaculate. The pickups are the DiMarzio Breeds with the matching JEM single. Compared to the Evolutions, they're nice and fat, but not as much "over-the-top" gain. They have a nice, good punch, but still smooth and responsive (is this a frickin' Lamborghini or a guitar? LOL). I like the direct mounting the p/u's as it definitely adds a fuller tone. The body is just like my other JEM's- very comfortable. The AANJ is a welcome addition to the swirl family. The LoPro edge has the new dark powder-coated finish, so it works nice with the loud colors; not too bright, but not too dull. It performs just like my other LoPro's- perfectly, even after a "Crossroads Duel"-type trem usage. The guitar is balanced well and feels wonderful standing or sitting...just like all the other JEM's do. Truthfully, and not to get too mushy, the sensation holding it is worth every dime. The Sound This JEM has the Breed pickups with the matching JEM Single coil that work quite well with each other. Going thru my Marshall's, they kick much ass. I have complete control through the full spectrum of gain; nice and "crystaly" when running clean, and they can push some nice bottom end. The basswood body resonates wonderfully, and don't worry- the finish has little or no affect on the tone. With a list price of $5000, it's definitely a bit steep, but for a JEM player/enthusiast/collector, it's definitely worth the thrill of looking down at the swirl finish, and savoring the sensation of playing it. NOTE: When you recover from the shock of the list price, realize a few things: - This is a limited edition (only 300 made)
- It's a Y2K model.
- The "blood in the finish" is not something you find in any other guitar out there.
- Each design is an original; none can ever be truly duplicated. With these factored in, the STREET price (right around $3800) makes it a little easier to handle (pun FULLY intended.)
JEM7DBK Hands on Report Review by Jemsite.com The JEM7DBK is Ibanez' answer to those wanting a more affordable JEM beyond the compromised 555. The guitar was introduced over a year ago but in that short time, the JEM market has experienced changes-o-plenty. JEM list prices have risen, the JEM7VWH by $200 and DBK by $100. The used market, buoyed by uninformed buyers, has also experienced a disturbing price increase. From the DSY to the DNA, the used and new market has been rough sailing - fasten the hatches and grab hold of your wallet. For this reason alone the JEM7DBK is a welcome entry into the JEM lineup. You can simply go any Ibanez shop (or online vendor) and grab a brand new JEM at a reasonable price. Questions abound though. Is the DBK a real JEM7? Is it a "worthy" replacement for the JEM7BSB which it pinch hit for? Is it a step up from the dreaded JEM555. Would Steve Vai proudly play this guitar? Yes, Yes and Yes. Steve could answer the last question better but he has approved it top to bottom. The first thing you notice about the JEM7DBK is it's black textured finish. Instantly recognizable, it is another unique & distinguished member of the JEM family. While not as classy as the machine-like JEM90, the textured paint drippings are pretty damn cool too. The textured finish is a whole lot easier to contend with for the player; this guitar will not cling or grab onto your clothes. The typical, quality JEM fit and finish of this guitar screams out at you. The various hardware, electronics, pickguard and covers are installed neatly and without defect. On this guitar, everything functions as expected, with no warts or blemishes. The LoPro Edge tremolo was dead center to the posts and the neck, which is always a good sign. Given some personal tweaks and minor setup, this guitar could comfortably fit just about any player. There were no problem signs or slipping quality control with this guitar. Make no mistake, you would be hard-pressed to find even subtle improvements on other manufacturer's guitars selling at double the price. If you have prior experience with a JEM, UV or RG, you will feel right at home with this axe. Owners of other brand guitars will have no trouble either, as the DBK is a smooth fit. As with it's past brethren, the JEM7DBK is a forgiving guitar that suits players of all caliber. From the casual player to the professional musician, everyone can benefit from this JEM. The guitar neck, for many players, is the most crucial piece of the puzzle. Not surprising, the neck of this guitar will thrill you. Ibanez literature states the DBK neck has a "JEM" profile. That is odd since it feels more like the Wizard neck, vintage JEM7PBK with narrower frets. It would be nice to take a caliper to several DBKs to get a true reading. Approved by Steve Vai, in actuality, the DBK neck is a cross between the JEM & Wizard profile. It seems Steve likes thinner necks for 2K. Over the years the JEM neck has lost it's D-shaped profile and has gotten flatter and flatter. This is demonstrated with the VWH and BSB; neither are a dead ringer for the original 777 necks. Personally speaking, I'd like to see Ibanez remove the poly acrylic finish on the rear of the neck and use an oil instead, ala the UV777BK. Whatever the reason for the finish, it paves the way for an afternoon shop project; a somewhat easy modification for the owner to remove the acrylic. The DBK neck, like the JEM90HAM, features the bubinga skunk-stripe reinforcement which will eventually appear on most Ibanez guitars. Unfamiliar looks aside, in no way does the skunk stripe get in the guitarist's way. It should be noted that in front of the neck, the fretwork feels just fine and is mediculous by all accounts. Some can take or leave the hex-screw plastic inlays but I'll take them. A good fit for the DBK. Would it be a surprise to say the playability of the DBK is virtually unrestricted? Featuring the DiMarzio Breed neck and bridge pickups along with a single coil JEM exclusive pickup, versatility is the middle name of this guitar. More powerful than the PAF Pros but less harsh than the Evolutions, the Breeds are "just right" for my tastes. Plent of punch but minus the assault on your eardrums. When you roll back the volume or tone knobs, the guitar will take on a different personality. Changing pickup positions, via the 5-way, is a treat since you can squeeze a huge variety of tone from the DBK. Personally I would prefer a coil tap (push/pull pot) but as a signature model, this is not something Steve Vai had in mind. Typical of Ibanez JEMs, the controls have a good feel to them and are completely noiseless. Introducing these pickups gives the buyer yet another choice and the multi-JEM owner with another alternate set of pickups. It is nice to see the JEM evolve and move forward with it's sound. Bottom line: those shopping for a shiny, new JEM have no reason to overlook this guitar. The price is right and the look is cool. The whole package just screams "take me master, I am forever yours". In 2000 there are less JEM options; the BSB and Floral are retired, leaving the VWH or DBK for the players. A win-win for anyone buying a new Ibanez JEM. Glen G. Cianciulli
Jemsite.com
Line 6 POD Effects Unit Review by Paul "Goldboy" Urizar Hey folks! I had started typing a little review for the POD myself and realized it was pretty daunting because I had so much to say. My friend pointed out that there was a pretty well written article on it already out on the web at Harmony Central right here . I read this and it pretty much says what I wanted to say in a nutshell and I would rather expand on the settings as it is what most of you might be interested in, DOES IT SOUND REAL Tthe answer is an emphatic YES! The pod is really, really, really cool! No really, the POD's emulations are just dead on and when you read the history behind the POD in their manual you can see why. Tone fanatics and electrical design engineers exclusively studied the effects of gain structure balanced with tone and harmonics and how it affects the overall sound produced through various cabinets. From that information they were able to make a program that emulates those same real world effects of how tone controls and tone levels are different and unique to each amp. Essentially they made the "tone" of an amp into an editable algorithm in the POD. What does that mean..well, with the Sound Diver software that comes w/ the POD you can choose a head, say a Dual Rectifier and then a cab, a 4X12 boogie closed back. The tone would react the same as the characterstics and nuances of a real Half Stack and it's controls, and I am a Boogie man, and it NAILS the tone dead on. What Ginsu there's more!!?? yep, with that same program you can edit via MIDI delay time, reverb presence, compression, and even better mic placment. Say you wanted the mic off axis from the cone and the other dead onto the baffle? Well, dial it in. And can you hear the difference..YES!! I cannot emphasize enough how INTRICATE the algorithms are in the program. Here was a test I tried on my own with a JS. I wanted to make that feedback that Joe Satriani does for Flying in a Blue Dream. And I was able to do it!! I chose a JTM-45 head on a 1960 4X12 Marshall Cabinet. I turned up the controls Mid's midway, Treble at about 8, and bass around 7. Now this is "emulating" a head at THOSE levels realistically so imagine that I have those level on a half stack in my studio, pretty loud huh?!! But of course the gain structure will be emulated at such but at heard at monitoring levels through my mixer and monitors. Well sure enough I was getting feedback and it sustained and NO CLIPPING!! There are no digital dropouts..ALL the algorithms have been written to decay naturally in respect to its given volume, gain, tone structure that you create. Very intuitive indeed. How bout something more evil. I tried a Universe plugged into a Drumble 100 Watt head through a Boogie 4X12. For those who don't know, Drumbles are boutique amps that are made exclusively for the big players and easily run in the $3000.00 range for just a head!! Well you can have one through the POD! I set the gain to about 7, the mids 5, treble 6 and a slight delay with large room reverb. Can I say that it was the closest I have ever sounded to VAI!! I own an Eventide even..and I really mean that this thing nailed a heavenly tone..the 7 string just roared through the mix and was so well balanced and the harmonics were so true. It was just eye opener that the effects do not get "muddied" because of lower frequency response. You 7 string players know what I mean, it takes a bit to find that tone that does not muddy out your bottom end to keep it well defined. Well I had so much control over it it sounded like the tone from "Audience Is Listening". Well, how bout a Bluesy tone...well how bout this setting. Took the JS (because of the coil tap and hi pass filter!) and chose a Fender Blackface 4X10 Combo. Settings, bass around 8, treble at 9, mids at 6. No gain...used the rotary speaker emulating a leslie at a slow vibrato speed. Can we say Chris Duarte...Stevie Ray Vaughann!! I kid you not...it was extremely thick and incredibly smooth. With the Cakewalk Pro program you can see the input waveform as it comes in once you record it. I have recorded w/ the JMP from marshall and saw it CONSTANTLY clipped and my dissapointed was the headroom...no headroom at all unless you have a hell of a compressor but that would mean spending more into your rig. Don't get me wrong..if used smartly and effectively the JMP dials up some MEAN tone..but in my honest opinion it is a one trick pony. The Algorithm on the POD makes for a great reproduction .. the proof was in the waveform. All nice even distortion with TONS of NATURAL harmonics. It is that responsive. Well there are some settings in a nutshell, if you have specific questions, just email me.
JPM100P4 Hands on Report Review by
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Hello again, I did a players report months backs on a P3 (black/white) JPM. Since then ,like an ass, I sold that guitar and acquired a P4. As stated in my last review I was not happy with the finish on the P4 and this still stands, but after owning the P4 for several months now, I feel better prepared to give an overall review of this soon to be discontinued model ( too bad). First off let's recap on the guitars looks. The P4 comes with a camoflouge flat matte finish. The back,headstock, and whole underlying theme of this guitar is painted in a black matte color hue. Over the top of course is the Picasso graphic which looks like some type of parchment paper our Constitution was written on, it looks kinda neat. So in general ,if your accustomed to those shiny Ibanez top notch finishes this guitar does'nt have that. That is my biggest disappointment with this guitar. Hardware is all black, not Cosmo-Black like on the P3's or various Jems. Also has AANJ, LO-PRO trem, Air Norton and Steve's Special direct mount pick-ups with 3-way toggle switch. Neck and headstock are bound in white (nice touch of class) and the craftsmanship looks flawless. Everything looks like a nice tight, clean fit thanks to highly automated manufacturing. Some frown on the fact that Ibanezs are produced like this but manfacturing guitars this way insures a consistant quality that surpasses the possibility of human error, thus being able to bring you a guitar that is flawless. So don't buy in to all the hoopla about handmade guitars. You or I really don't want to spend the amount of money for an "authentic handmade guitar" and you really don't wanna know what they cost either. The sacredness of a guitar comes from owning it for years, breaking it in to fit your style and knowing all the little naunces about it as you get to know it, and in time it will reveal to you it's secrets. Wow that was deep! Did'nt mean to get that deep on you. Well anyway lets move on to another aspect of the P4. The playibility is awesome. This is what these higher end Jem/Jpm models are known for. I compare this model to the Jem because the playibilty rivals the Jems. I've played several Jems and I love them but I soon became partial to the Jpms because they better fit my style, technique, sound,etc. One of the things I'm talking about is the volume knob being placed out of the way. I did a speech at college and it was recorded on video. When I saw the video I noticed I was constantly fiddling with my volume knob. I never knew I did this as much until I saw myself play on video. Playing the Jpm helped me to correct this problem and concentrate more on my playing and I have become a better player. The trem can be lowered deep into the cavity and the trem can also be pulled up sharp like on the Jems. Locknut comes with the thin brass shims underneath to further dial in your playibility preferences. Neck is smooth and traditional except for the fact that it has a taper as you move up to the higher frets. This works out great and the taper meets the AANJ at a perfect transition. You'd be hard pressed to find a better playing neck. I prefer these necks over the "super thin" Wizard necks and Jem necks because my hands get in very akward positions and I have to fan my fingers and suspend my hand out causing fatige. But with the JPM I can go all day. So the playibility is excellent (plays like silk ) but the neck is not for everyone. Sound? Where do I begin? It's loaded with a Steve's special at the bridge and an Air Norton at the neck position. After playing this guitar for a year and getting used to these pickups there's only one beef I have with them. I cannot find a use for the center position on the toggle. With the toggle in the center position it coil taps the two humbucker's outer coils only. When you hear it, it sounds total Petrucci. I don't personally care for this tone but it is somewhat original to the Petrucci sound. I would have much better of had a single coil tap in the neck, I don't know if this was possible or not but I would have gotten more use out of it that way. But as for the Air Nortons themselves they are cool and out character for this guitar. The tone is real bubbly and clean, almost like an old hollowbody or something and if you have a tube amp the Air Nortons will really talk to you. They're also direct mounted for that earthy tone. Lots of air for fat sounding jazz. I like em. Steve's special pickups? These babies are HOT. Great sustain and not too gainy and overbearing. Harmonics scream out this guitar, and they're so easy to get. The brochure for these pickups said "harmoniclly rich overtones", boy they got that right. Anyway these pickups have got a perfect blend of tone and sustain. Petrucci knew what he was doing when he had these pickups installed into these guitars. I'm playing through a 5150 combo and I usually set my Lead Gain at 5 1/2 , anything more than that begins to sound rediculously overdriven. It's not the amp either giving me my sustain because I had a Yamaha RGX guitar of the same type and a Washburn and neither would begin to sing until I cranked the Lead Gain up to 6 1/2 to 7. Lately I haven't been using the lead channel at all. I've been using the rhythm channel for both rhythm and lead playing (just don't need it). One thing about this Ibanez I've noticed is that it has that same Steve Vai tone in the higher fret range whenever you do something fast. You know what I'm talking about. That brite, brittle, chimey sound you hear on all those Vai records. Oh well must be the basswood or something. But to wrap things up, I love this guitar, and unlike my previous P3 I won't sell it. The way it sounds, looks (shape), feels. I'll just stick to P1s, 2s, 3s,and 90s in the future. Yes the P4 might not be what I expected in the looks dept. but it does make up for it in playibility and sound. Besides it's already become a part of me and I can't sell it if I had to. If you want one better get one of the few left quickly.
Ibanez J-Custom RG-ART Hands on Report Reviewed by:
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Guitars Owned: JEM77FP, UV777BK, Belshe Custom Telecaster, TUNE fretless bass. Rig: 1968 Fender Bassman Head, ZOOM 3000S Effects Unit, Shure Wireless, Marshall 4x10 Cabinet. This is my fourth Ibanez guitar. Even though it took me a little over 2 years to find one and purchase it, I can not explain how happy I am with this guitar. I'll try though... The Look- All of the J-Custom line that Ibanez showed off at Summer NAMM 1997 brought the crowds to the booth. I wasn't physically there, but I was on the Ibanez website drooling over the RG-ART (If you were at that NAMM show you saw *this* guitar- no kidding; same one). It wasn't as kooky as the "geared" top on the RG-GEAR, or "asphalt textured" like the RG-METAL, and wasn't an S-body like all the other J-Custom's. It's geometric shapes and thick flame maple top attracted me the most. Upon closer inspection (my eye about .5" from the body), I can see that the top is hand-etched (patterns drawn); there's no way a machine could make SLIGHT errors like the ones I found...it just makes the guitar more human. Does that make sense? :-) Each of the individual shapes in the pattern are hand-stained. I can tell this by the SLIGHT "spill-over" from one shape into the other. From 3 inches away, you can't even see it. The one shape that struck me when I saw it for the first time in person, was the "right angle" that comes into the "full circle" just above the trem and bridge p/u- in all the pictures I've seen (total: one), it looked dark orange. Today it's VERY red! It's the one contrast that tells you this wasn't a finish thought up by a computer. The blue stain is much like that on the Prestige RG-3120, and the dark brown is close to the color stain I've seen on the RG520QSTK's. The yellow satin is a little closer to light orange and is on a few of the other Ibanez guitars. I think the guys who stained these, went around to all the other benches in the shop and grabbed a jar of stain from each person staining guitars. :-) Fabulous color scheme. Think of it as the analytical brother of the swirls. The Feel- Having owned an RG550DSY for a long time, going back to the Wizard neck was NO PROBLEM at all! I had forgotten how fast these necks are! It's BARELY thinner than my JEM neck, but I have no problem switching between the the two. The Wizard's headstock joint has been updated (un-noticable when playing) with a contoured thick head-to-neck joint to prevent the truss rod from popping out the back of the neck- I'll show ya a pic of my 550 where this happened (oops! LOL). Kudos to Ibanez for solidifying that part of the neck AND making it comfortable! The lack of inlays is kind of kooky and took me about 30 seconds to get used to. :-) The body is basically the same as my JEM and Universe, so there's no problems there. I'm super-comfy with it in any playing position (standing, sitting, rolling around on the floor, etc.) The Sound- Well, here's where it's definatley different than my JEM or UV- the Tone Dept. Now, when I first got the UV777BK, I wanted it to sound just like my JEM, but upon playing it for several (ok- MANY!) hours, I realized that it's NOT a JEM and shouldn't sound just like one. Now I really like the tone on the UV. I think it takes some time for your ears to get used to the sound. Same thing with the RG-ART- it's different than my JEM and different than the UV. Actually, now that I think about it, it's kind of a combination of the two- the availability of high end of my JEM, and the low air-pushing tones of the UV. I like it. If you've played the JPM, you've basically heard this guitar. The RG-ART's have the same pickups (Tone Zone & Air Norton) in the same configuration, body mounted. The only difference is the wiring: The RG-ART has 5-way wiring where as the JPM has the 3-way toggle. Switching the pickups is more of a "noticable" change as opposed to a "drastic" change. The sustain is great...not LesPaul-type, but then again, I'm not playing a LesPaul. :-) With an original list price of $2499.99 (includes J-Custom case), this guitar was not really designed for the "masses". It was designed for those with discriminating tastes...and guys like me. :-P It's as much a work of art as it is a beautifuly playing/sounding guitar. Don't be afraid to show it off to your friends. I sure as hell do! --------------------- - Body Material: Basswood with 1/4" (7mm) flame maple top.
- Body Shape: RG
- Color: Custom graphic; hand-etched and each section is individually stained.
- Neck: Original Wizard (with updated headstock heel); 3-piece.
- Headstock: Flame Maple top with abalone Ibanez logo. Note: missing the
- "check mark" under the logo.
- Inlays: J-Custom-12th Fret only: circular part is dark purple mirror; rectangular part is light purple mirror. Top Dots- black.
- Fretboard: Maple
- Fret 21-24 Scalloped: No
- Fret Wire: Dunlop 6100
- Neck Joint: AANJ
- Hardware: Cosmo Black
- Pickups: Neck- DiMarzio "Tone Zone"; Bridge- DiMarzio "Air Norton" Black;
- body mounted.
- Pickguard: None
- Knobs: Cosmo Black- (1) Volume, (1) Tone
- 5-way Tip: Black, plastic
- Tremolo: LoPro Edge
- Years: 1997 only
- Quantity: Unknown by Hoshino, U.S.A. My guess: Less than a dozen worldwide.
- Note: Visually stunning and a super player. VERY limited numbers make them difficult to find. ALL J-Custom guitars (should) come with a J-Custom case which is included in the price. Consider charging admission for friends to play this one!
JPM100P3 Hands on Report Review by
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I bought my first Ibanez approx. 2 years ago. Not knowing what to expect, I decided on a JPM100 p3. I had come to this decision by pricing many models by other manufacturers and had it narrowed down to a Jackson Soloist and the Ibanez. So I went to the local Ibanez dealer down the street and ordered the JPM for several reasons. First off, I have a problem of hitting the volume knob when I play and on the JPM this isn't a problem because the volume knob is placed out of the way. Second, I wanted something with a fatter neck and binding for " the look". Also, I wanted a high quality tremolo unit and high output pickups (direct mount if possible). I had finally received word from the dealer that my guitar was in! So off I went to see what I was forced to live with. The tension was mounting as the dealer went to the back to retrieve my NEW axe (am I over- dramatizing?) and now the moment of truth was upon me. As he opened the case all I could think about was the empty wallet in my back pocket. Would what's inside the case justify this empty wallet of mine. I am glad to say yes, it definitely did. This guitar is simply a beauty to look at (unlike the new p4 came finish which is at best UGLY). The paint is a mile deep and the colors aren't actually black/white but black/creme or black/ivory. To anyone who has seen the higher quality Ibanez' knows what I'm talking about when it comes to the finishes they put on the more expensive models. Catalog pictures do them no justice. But anyway now was the time for the real test. THE HOME TEST. Sound? the guitar has lots of sustain. I run through a 5150 combo and with gain at 5 1/2, this guitar has more in reserve than I'll ever use. The direct mount pickups help to give this guitar a real earthy tone, its very noticeable and I've come to favor this sound over free-floating cavity pickups. The neck is the best neck I've ever played on hands down! It is thicker than most necks made by Ibanez and when you play the guitar you hardly have to move your fingers because the size of the neck helps to support the rest of your hand. I realize some "small guys" won't like this but isn't Petrucci like 5.9 or 5.10 ft. tall? Not a tall guy (I'm 6.1), remember what I said earlier about the volume knob? It never even came close to my pick hand! Of course the Lo Pro trem is the best at staying in tune as I was told and this turned out to be true (after my strings were stretched out) Oh, I almost forgot, the Air Nortons (neck pickup). Coooooool ass jazz tone, very flexible, except for strat tone. No strat tones coming out of this baby. I'm OK with that. This just gives me a reason to buy a JEM (could anyone ever have enough guitars?). This review was done using Super Slinky .009-.042 strings, low action (who buys a guitar like this and sets it up with high action?), Also, I ran no effects on my initial HOME TEST . Over all I'm very pleased with my decision to purchase this guitar, but very unpleased with my decision to sell it. Yes , I have 3 children, and many bills forced me to do the thing I most feared. But just a few months ago I scraped enough money together to buy a new JPM 100 P4 and as for play ability the guitar is identical to my previous black/white one, but in the looks dept. it is lacking BIG TIME. If anyone is interested in this type of guitar I highly recommend this guitar. However you might want to wait till next year until that ugly ass came color scheme is hopefully over.
RG520QSTK Hands on Report Review by
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First of all, let me say that this is my first Ibanez guitar (technically second) and I chose this one after seriously considering several other models. I'd also like to say that this isn't the first Ibanez I've played... The look Well... it looks like an RG. haha... no, it does, but it looks classier. The neck and hardware on it are no different than an RG570. The body is where the beauty is. It's true that from just a few feet away (light angles are important as well), the quilted top just looks like solid blue (more of a dark aqua blue). When in hand or if the light is proper, the quilting really shows through. Very pretty... I also like how you can see through the finish and right into the mahogany back. As stated on the forum, the top is a seperate piece of wood, albeit a rather thin one. Anyway, if they used a lighter stain and did a sunbursting effect or something, the quilting would really show.Overall: looks great (although the finish is a subtle beauty) The feel It feels a lot like an RG570. That, to me, is a good thing. After playing someone else's RG517 for a while, I'm glad to say my guitar's neck feels exactly the same. It should because it is. Super thin, super fast. Here's where it differs though. The body is heavier (only by a very wee bit...) due to the mahogany. I should have said this earlier, but I jumped at the chance to pick up a 1998 model from a local store after an unpleasant experience with a 1999 RG Prestige and then I heard Jim McCloskey's story about Ibanez changing mahogany for the 1999 line (call me superstitious). Also, I was never a fan of a single coil in the middle... main reason for picking up an RG520 of any kind. Overall: feels great (AANJ, Wizard neck, etc. etc.) The sound The sound was quite surprising. As you probably know, the guitar is outfitted with V7 and V8 humbuckers and has a five way switch. The neck position has a nice smooth lead sound to it... works pretty well clean too. The coil tapped neck was a disappointment though... instead of sounding straty, it sounded more like a quieter neck pickup... no real twang there. The both humbuckers on position... well I never really use this. The coil tapping (outside coils of both humbuckers) position, to me, does what the coil tapped neck should have done. Much more straty! The bridge position, I thought, could use a ton more definition. It works for crunchy rhythm sound, but it's muddier than I'd like it to be. We'll see what happens with new pickups. Anyway, I can honestly say the mahogany has a pretty big impact on the tone. Being much more used to brighter woods, I noticed how much darker this guitar sounds than a standard RG. Sort of a harder sound... it's hard to describe, but so far I'm liking it. Overall: good, but needs work here and there (i.e. new pickups, though I think the V7 and V8 work great in basswood bodies) Well, I can honestly say I'm very pleased with this guitar. I've got some JPM pickups I'm going to drop in soon and I've already dropped in a Lo Pro Edge (seriously don't see why you guys like this one better... I'm convinced I just bought a spare bridge). After pickups, this thing'll be a beast! Addendum: I forgot to mention the sustain... I've never actually experienced a mahogany body's sustain. When you hit a note, not only does it hold for such a long time, you can really feel it in the body.
JEM77FP Hands on Report Review by Mike "777" Haug The Jem 77fp is a guitar suddenly seems to be under appreciated these days. While it may be understood that it has been in existence since 1988 (I just got a hold of a 1988 Ibanez catalogue-what a nostalgic trip back.), it isn't the most rare. As you may be aware from Jemsite spec pages, the Jem77fp undergone some changes in recent years which makes this guitar even better. For starters, the All-Access Neck Joint (AANJ) was not added to this model in 1997. I purchased mine in November of that year and it has the same block-style joint. This isn't bad or good, but it does keep this guitar different from the other jems. It maintains a more traditional feel. A change that was made that I feel really improved this guitar was its direct-mounted pickups. This allows more of what comes from the neck and body to shine through. There's also a nice "bite" obtainable from this and yet remains smooth and versatile like the other Jems. It seems like many I've met have the pickguard-mounted pickups so if you try out a new Jem you will have a different impression of this model. I was expecting the traditional mounting but this was a nice surprise. Visually, this is a true Jem. It has this classy floral pattern with a very-noticeable mystique. Since it's quite different looking it's a Jem that represents the guitars we've all come to know and love. This guitar and my 777dbk are my best sounding Jems (actually, my best sounding guitars, period). What is nice is that more recently the different Jems are in fact more different from one another than they were in the past. I miss the colors of yesterday. The Blue floral patterns turned out to age nicely and if the same changes were made, this would've made a nice maple-board alternative if it were still in production. By feel, sound, and look, this guitar (especially a current version) is a must-have for any Jem-lover.
RG520QSTK Hands on Report Kirk A. Slossar It has a 24 fret Wizard neck, which is made from Maple with a Bubbinga stripe, and a Rosewood fingerboard with Jumbo frets and dot inlays. It has the AANJ. I never noticed the advantage of the AANJ until I got this guitar! This is a very "fast" neck, it was easily played right out of the box. A very thin and flat neck, I was actually impressed with the feel of it, and had difficulty putting the guitar down because of it. I have it set up with low action, and am using 9's on it. I would change only two things, although they are not big issues, I would like to sand the back of the neck a bit and I would prefer a different type of inlay (maybe the ovals or none at all.) The body has a Quilted Sapele top with Mahogany back. Although it is a Mahogany body, the weight of the guitar is a non-issue. The finish is obviously a quilt top, and Ibanez calls it Transparent Black (TK) but it has more of a brown or chocolate tone. Pictures do it no justice, it is a truly beautiful guitar. The guitar comes stocked with an Ibanez V7 in neck and a V8 in the bridge. However, the guitar which is being reviewed was customized with a DiMarzio Tone Zone (TZ) in the bridge and a Humbucker from Hell (HFH) in the neck position. The pickups are ring mounted, and although some claim that this may affect the tone, I do not notice loss of tone. There is one volume and one tone control, which were originally barrel type knobs, but were replaced with black plastic knobs because the barrels did not fit properly and spun like a Goose's neck. It has a 5-way pickup selector. The five way allows for some sweet configuration, tones ranging from a strat to the metal shredder. This is actually the first guitar which has moved me to use the tone control mid-flight! The HFH name is deceptive, as I would have figured it to be a bridge pickup. It is a "humbucker" but also does a great job of impersonating a single coil pickup. Roll back your volume on the HFH, or cut back on your distortion and this thing will sing sweetly. The TZ compliments the HFH nicely, and is a high output and very sensitive pickup. Great for overdriven/distorted tone, lots of lows and just the right amount of mids. I don't particularly care for the clean tone the TZ produces when it stands alone. When combining the two, or using the single coils, the pickups operate very quietly. The hardware is cosmo black and originally came with a double locking Ibanez Edge trem, which was replaced with a Lo-Pro Edge. The body has been routed for the trem to give a wider range of tremolo effect. As can be expected, the Lo-Pro is a superior trem, capable of taking abuse with little or no effect on the tuning of the guitar. The pickup mounting rings are cosmo black as are the tuning pegs/machines. I also replaced the strap studs with a DiMarzio clip-lock system (effortlessly BTW.) This particular RG came with a flight type Ibanez molded case, which protects the guitar just as well as a Jem case, and is actually more convenient due to it's compact size. Enough of the BS. This is an excellent guitar, and cannot be compared to a Jem because there are only a couple of similarities. I have been a slave to the Jem 7VWH, because until the time I had gotten it (7VWH), I had never found |
