One of the most famous tales in guitar history is the journey and evolution of the Ibanez Jem Guitar. Steve Vai, who is one of the greatest and most famous guitarists of all time, is responsible for creating and bringing this masterpiece of a guitar to the world. The Ibanez Jem is a solid body with bolt-on neck and has come in various types of wood construction since its creation in 1987. No other signature guitar of the last 30 years has gained so much momentum and esteem as the Jem Ibanez produces for the world. Its monkey grip handle is unmistakable and is a feature that gives away its identity at a first glance.
The Ibanez Jem 7v is a current day model that I personally own and gig with as well. The 7v is constructed of solid alder, which is extremely light and is known for its balanced tonal characteristics. This really gives it some versatility and you can let the amp and the pickups colour the tone rather than the wood. The Ibanez 7v comes stock with Steve Vai’s signature Evolution pickups by DiMarzio. These are no ordinary pickup and are not the easiest to play on. They are very sensitive and precise and make the Ibanez Jem and true expert’s guitar in its stock form.
A very notable detail on the Ibanez Jem guitar is the Tree of Life inlay on the fretboard. This really gives the Jem a look of artistic beauty. Another unique feature to this guitar is the Ibanez Jem Prestige neck. The neck is almost identical in dimensions to the lightning fast wizard neck but it is 1mm thicker. Remember, this was a guitar created by Steve Vai for himself and this neck fits his hands perfectly.
Another model of this guitar is the Ibanez Jem 555. This one is manufactured in Korea (not Japan, like the other models) and is visibly lower in quality than its Japanese made brothers. There are many models of this guitar that are not offered in North America and this was a complaint of consumers who were hoping to own a Jem guitar at a lower price. The Ibanez Jem 555 is made of Basswood, which is much cheaper than most other wood but is still equipped with Evolution pickups and the Jem bolt-one maple neck.
I have a few other Ibanez guitars that have an Evolution pickup mounted in the bridge position but my Jem 7v is the first one that I own to have them in the neck middle and bridge. They are noisy if you don’t have the skill to use them but once they’ve been mastered your Ibanez Jem will almost start playing by itself. The tone and speed of the these guitar instruments is almost second to none and my only regret to owning one is that I never chose to but one 20 years ago. Oh well, don’t dwell on it. Just get out there and buy one if it fits your budget because it is a guitar that will always be reliable and over deliver on tone.