Ibanez JEM77V Steve Vai Signature Electric Guitar Black

Gold Standard

Sound	It has a total and very rich sound. While still remaining the high output it is much less brisky agressive than the 7vwh and much more rounded. You can get a lot of different tones from it and especially the middle pickup selector combinations are much more versatile than the 7vwh. Of course it also has a little less personality than the 7vwh, but it makes up for it with the great versatility. I have played from country, blues, rock, metal from speed to symphonic with it and you can really get all the tones from it, with the destinct Jem look.
Action, Fit, & Finish	Guitar was new, but had a custom setup by the music store it was purchased. Setup was absolutely flawless, fit and finish of the guitar was up with many custom guitars I played.
Reliability & Durability	It has never let me down and combined with my 7vwh is the axe that I always have with me on the road.
Customer Support	Only had one dealing with European support (Meinl Europe) and was very friendly and helpfull.

Liked about it	- Sound - Look - Versatility
Didn't like	- Price Tag nothing else so far

Overall satisfaction:

5.0

By Tank
Oct 27, 2009

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Pleasantly surprised

Sound	Well rounded tone, full, much warmer than the Jem7VWH. The pickup selection is just fantastic if you play extended legato , arpeggio in octaves, chord soloing or progressive rhythms (string gauge 10). It allows the well known tonal versatility thanks to the standard Ibanez 5 way wiring. Plugged in through a HomeBrew Electronics Compressor Retro in a Splawn Nitro.
Action, Fit, & Finish	Fit finish was just amazing. The body binding was top-notch. You'd be surprised how well this guitar was set-up from the manifacturer. The action was low by default and the pickups were somehow adjusted but I adjust them to my preference either way. Absolutely NO manufacturer's flaws!
Customer Support	If you go through an Ibanez dealer then their support is good. I've had hard time getting in touch with them by myself.

Liked about it

The neck on Vai's guitars are somehow much more comfortable rather than the super-thin almost fragile regular necks. Most importantly there's no alteration of the neck width throughout so the awkward sense of having something push back when you slide-bend or having to open your palm just because the neck's width is wider at the neck pocket is something that you would never experience.
Second: The body wood is one of my favorite because of it's perfection in the low-mid frequencies (have you ever felt like "Hmmm is Steve's "E" string tuned in "D" so that's why it sounds so "low" (Die to Live? It's just the wood tone quality. If you really appreciate full low end but tight not muddy as other woods, if you get excited enjoying your scaling to have it's bass notes sound defined, chunky rhythms, acoustic arpeggios etc. make no mistake - you're in the right place.
Three: Stays in tune in the most aggressive situations!

Didn't like

I wish it was a once piece maple neck with a brazilian rosewood rather than 5 small piece neck. Option to have a maple top also would have been great!

Overall satisfaction:

5.0

By Kaloyan
Oct 08, 2009

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My main guitar!

Sound	Holy crap, does this thing sound sweet! I love the Breed pickups couple with the multi-pole 5-way switch. There are many switching options. The pickups sound great--not as hot and punch as the Evolution, but more of a classic tone. The cleans are wonderful and glassy. When cranked with some overdrive or distortion, they really sing.
Action, Fit, & Finish	The finish is limited to black, but the addition of chrome hardware and pickguard make this one classy and sexy axe. The action is phenomenal, as with most Ibanez guitars. The neck is one of the best necks ever installed on a guitar. Besides a few minor tweaks, this guitar comes from the factory ready to rip.
Reliability & Durability	This is now my main guitar. The only reason to have a backup would be for alternate tunings.
Customer Support	N/A

Liked about it	I love the classy chrome on black look. The stock Breed pickups are amazing, and can produce any sound imaginable from clean jazz to outright, rip your face off metal! The necks are to die for.
Didn't like	The price. At $2500.00, it's clear that the "name" associated with them are cause for the inflated tag.

Overall satisfaction:

5.0

By AlaskaBat
Oct 13, 2010

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Just too cool and too good.. Steve and Ibanez hit a home run

Sound	Outstanding clarity and a tad bright, but not too much. Wonderful harmonics. Wonderful tone in any postition with the switching system. The guitar is balanced, pretty, easy to play, and sounds great.. great fit and finish. what else could you ask for..
Action, Fit, & Finish	Perfect fit and finish in my opinion. The one I played which is a friends and I play quite often has a great neck to body fit. The trem never goes out of tune with 9's it seems. The pickups just rock.. They are about a nickel width away from the strings. Actually I think he ended up moving them down even more because they are so powerful that they go into that killer harmonic feedback just a bit too soon if you're not careful. He / like I loves it to be milked into submission! haha..
Reliability & Durability	Wonderful.. I woudln't use it as a broom, but anyone with any sense can easily keep this guitar for years and not have any problems with seasonal adjustments and taking it to a tech if you have any problems, but i can't see that.. Finish was perfect and I can't imagine it being bad without abuse.
Customer Support	NA

Liked about it	Everyhing. Fit, Finish, Pickups, Trem, Sounds, Versatility of tone from full out rock to straty tones to unique Vai sounds with the right amp and effects, and you can even make it your own with the different effects or none and different amps.. The guitar will do it's part..
Didn't like	I can't think of anything. Maybe I wish it were just a two humbucker, but that's personal..

Overall satisfaction:

5.0

By JustAGuitarDude
May 02, 2010

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Slightly different feel to the VSBL and VWH but st

Sound	The sound created by the light grain of wood and the breed pickups, to my ear, contain a lot more cutting mids and trebble compared to the VWH. The cutting sound can be described as more "tinny" in my opinion whilst maintaining the levels of harmonics provided by the standard evo pickups. That said the bottom end is really tight and doesn't blur even downtuned to C / C#. If you're after a jem with a bit more cutting/shrill high end then go for this, if you're after something with warmer mids, go for a normal evo bridge.
Action, Fit, & Finish	The finish is top quality as you'd expect from a Team J craft instrument. The binding is a great finishing touch and the mirror scratch plate is great for shining light around an audience when on stage. Repeatedly commented on by others as the sexiest Jem I own.
Reliability & Durability	I admittedly don't give this thing much play time, but that has changed a bit as of recently as I'm using it as a backup to my white VWH. Being a black guitar with a mirror pick guard I think the guitar is as susceptible to scratching and damage as anything out there, however saying that treat it with respect and it will last as the build quality is very good. No noticeable tarnishing of the pick-ups or tremolo just yet too (2 years old, 07 model)
Customer Support	I haven't had to contact Ibanez just yet, can't comment.

Liked about it	The difference in sound is great for people seeking out something a little different. The brighter trebs and tighter bottom end is great for anyone interested in "mid scooped" metal sounds.
Didn't like	I didn't like the feel of the slightly wider, rosewood board compared to the VWH (ebony in my case) and VSBL. The neck is a little wider in feel and the string spacing feels a tad wider. I'd pick my VWH any day, but my strat playing friend prefers this over the VWH.