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Ibanez JEM 555 Steve Vai Electric Guitar
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neck type 3pc JEM Maple neck -
body Basswood body -
fret Jumbo frets -
bridge Edge III bridge -
neck pu DiMarzio® Evolution® (H) neck pu -
middle pu DiMarzio® Evolution® (S) mid pu -
bridge pu DiMarzio® Evolution® (H) bridge pu -
hardware color Cosmo Black -
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Neck Dimension -
Scale 648mm/25.5" -
a : Width at Nut 43mm -
b : Width at Last Fret 56mm (at 21 F) -
c: Thickness at 1st 19mm -
d : Thickness at 12th 21mm -
Radius 400mmR
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Searched Ibanez JEM 555 Steve Vai Electric Guitar in Reviews
Fair deal (2000 model) 
| Sound |
Sounds very good. Very rich harmonics and versatile tonal range. I mainly use this in the studio, plugged in a 1959 Fender Bassman, 1959 Marshall SLP or a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier. Plugging in the Bassman, I can get some nice clean tones and some bluesy sounds when I engage the TS-808 pedal. In the Marshall, the guitar really rocks and the high-output Evos scream. From the Mesa, I can extract the most Vai-ish sounds, using a DS-1 Keeley Modded as a boost.
Compared to the 7V, it's a little bit different. Although the pickups are the same, woods aren't and that has an impact in the sound, mainly when playing clean. In a 7V, you can get a more Strat-like tone; you can't do that in a 555WH, though.
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Well-finished, but action was really bad. I had to do a full re-work on adjusting this guitar. It came like that from the factory, as the box was sealed when I got it from the importer. Pickups and electronics were okay - very organized wiring and properly adjusted pickup height.
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| Reliability & Durability |
Built to last, except for the Lo-TRS II tremolo. I had to replace the studs twice and re-work the knife-edge once. Besides that, it's still fine, including the frets, which show minimum wear for a 9-year old guitar. One minor issue is the quality of the locking nut, but that's easily replaceable.
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| Customer Support |
Never dealt with Ibanez.
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| Liked about it |
- Excellent pickups
- Well built for a Korean model (compared to some Korean RGs I've played, this is excellent)
- Once properly set-up, plays great
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| Didn't like |
- Lo-TRS II tremolo is awful. Fortunately, you can install a proper tremolo, like a Gotoh, in this guitar without any additional body routing.
- Finished neck - personal preference, I prefer unfinished necks (I actually sanded the back of mine).
- Low quality locking nut.
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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4.0 |
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Missunderstood guitar
| Sound |
The sound of this guitar is almost similar to the Jem7v (heck they have the same pickups), but i would say that the tone of this guitar is brighter than my Jem7v(my 7v is warmer).
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| Action, Fit, & Finish |
Action and finish from the factory is A-OK!!!
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| Reliability & Durability |
It can withstand abuse, i mean ABUSE.
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| Customer Support |
No idea
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| Liked about it |
Inlay
Tone
and Yes the guitar's feel is good
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| Didn't like |
How i wish that the tree of life will go up to the 24th fret
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| Overall satisfaction: |
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5.0 |
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internal use: spec97 spec484 spec554
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