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Hey guys, my next guitar is hopefully going to be an Ibanez JEM. I've heard that the older JEMs are of better quality than the new ones. Is this true, beyong personal opinions? Which, if any, models are seen as the creame de la creame of the JEM series. Which ones should I stay away from, if any?

Thanks a lot guys,

BluesGuy

Do NOT buy a 555 Jem, aka quot;Jem Jr.quot; I had nothing but problems with mine. It did sound good but the trem wouldn't stay in tune to save its life and the neck eventually warped!

All the 7V's and 7D's I've tried have been great, though.

I had an original loch ness green 777 back in the late 80s. For the time it was a good guitar. It was well built, though no better than the RG560 that I replaced it with. Dunno much about the new ones.

i wouldnt buy one even if i had the money.

if you are looking at having a steve vai guitar, forget it. his are totaly NOT like any jem out there

if you ask me, save the money for some good pickups and buy a kickass prestige RG, IF you totaly gotta go ibanez

Buy used.
The new stuff do not equal the older stuff.

I agree with Davey....buy a Prestige RG....a lot less money and they play beautifully. Get some good pick-ups and your good to go. I haven't played anything older than a few years, but I can tell you from experience the new Prestige stuff by Team J Craft are top notch.

The only thing good about a JEM is the integrated handle for throwing it in the Trash

LOL..

yea I agree.. stay away from the 555


Originally Posted by jonyLOL..

yea I agree.. stay away from the 555

My udnerstanding is that the trems on the 555's can actually be fitted with Original Floyd Rose trems. If you've never cozied up to the Ibanez trems this might be a nice option for someone.

With that said...I haven't heard of any quality drops in the Jems. it's been a year or two since I got the Jones for one so I may not be up on all that's going on, but the Prestige line is usually very good QC wise.

They may be expensive but they do hold their value.

the new Prestige stuff by Team J Craft are top notch

Dunno it used to be way better than that cheap stuff they shovel out now.
I have only seen one new Ibanez that had the same quality as of old times, that was a S style guitar.
Everything else was awful.

arent all the quot;prestigequot; guitars now built in korea alos?


Originally Posted by ZerberusThe only thing good about a JEM is the integrated handle for throwing it in the Trash

Booya!!!!! LMAO. That's great, Zerb.

A buddy and I call them quot;Ibeenhadquot;.

Stay away from jems, to exspensive for what they are. The S series is Ibanez's best. The RG is pretty good 2.

Let me answer your original question.

All Jems have been top-notch guitars from the start. The biggest difference between the old and the new is the neck joint (Block vs All Access).

They have all used DiMarzio pickups, the older ones used the PAF Pro and the newer ones use either the Evolution or the Breed.

I spent some time with a 2002 JEM7VWH and it easily out-played any guitar in the price range, yet it was very similar to my 1989 RG750's.

So, it really comes down to what you like. I personally really like the AANJ over the block joint, but my RG's have the block since they are older. I prefer the Original and LoPro Edges over the Edge Pro, so if I were buying one, it would most likely be a 2002 or earlier 7VWH.

Check out for total info on the Jem.


Originally Posted by Ez74arent all the quot;prestigequot; guitars now built in korea alos?

I don't think they moved all prestige operations to korea. I'm yet to find a single reference that the production of the jems have been moved there. Same with the js series and uv's. Mostly it looks like the rg and s series ibanez' have made the jump to production in korea.

But like I said before...the jems hold their value exceptionally well. Some of the lesser production models now eclipse their original prices. Models like the swirls, the UV's and what were originally the low-end jems (root beer and black I believe) fetch a respectable sum compared to what they originally went for. Especially the swirls...those things just got insane.

Yes, the RGs are the same architecture minus the handle. But the ROI is less on the RGs and the pickups are almost always better right out of the box. The inlays on the VWH are pretty nice as well.

I just bought a 2004 JEM7VWH. I played a few before buying it and I do not believe that Ibanez are fraught with quality control concerns the way some other companies (that shall go unnamed).

I found that the QC is top notch - frets came levelled, no uneven edges or rough patches. I don't think that Ibanez's Japanese made guitars suffer from QC problems.

Like some have mentioned, they do cost a fair bit, but tend to maintain their value a fair bit better than your typical shredder axe. I disagree with the general consensus that Jems are RGs with a handle. I believe that a lot more QC and attention go into producing Jems, and the components that make up the guitar are a lot better too.

BTW, all jems (with the exception of the 555 models) are made in Japan. Any production QC concerns are usually associated with the Korean made prestige and s series, which are rather s**t in my opinion.

The playability is second to none. Notes just fly off the guitar, and the evolution pickups are very hot with a heap of harmonics, but I understand that they do not suit everybody's style.

The only downside to the guitar is its perpetual association with Steve Vai, which can be a double edged sword. All in all, its a 'love it or hate it' guitar. As for me, i'm quite happy to play and own a jem simply because it feels and sounds like I want it to.

New or second hand?

Something I've found with ALL guitars is the tendancy for necks to warp over time. This can occur with all brands and makes of guitars, not just Ibanezs. This generally occurs over time with large changes in humidity and climate.

So if you can find a good second hand Jem that is worn in with no neck warping, buy it after testing it out thoroughly. Chances are, the neck wood has aged sufficiently and will resist further warping in the future. If you buy a brand new jem, you will have the benefits associated with a brand new guitar, but you risk the neck warping.

I find that the S series (wizard) necks are more prone to warping and changing shape over time due to the thinner profile. The jems are a little bit thicker than the wizard necks so hopefully this won't be a problem for me in the future.

Check out jemsite.com for more info on Jems. These guitars have a dedicated following, and the forumites there will be more thna happy to address any questions you may have regarding specific details of the guitar.

Buy a late '80's or early '90's RG550 and outfit it with the pickups of your liking. Those are very close to the early JEM777's in many ways, and can be obtained very, very cheap. I've got a '91, in Coral Myst Metallic.

Ibanez RGA 121....made in Japan....excellent quality...and beautiful looks.

It plays every bit as good as my Jackson ...although with a different feel, but it's equally fast. The neck joint is super tight...fret work is beautiful...great finish etc. With the exception of the stock pickups, I couldn't be more pleased with it.

I can't speak for the quality of any of the korean built guitars as I've never owned one.