AANJ vs BNJ - Affect tone or sustain?

[YngVaiTriani]

I'm wondering now if the older Jems are more for me. I want the harder alder and ebony fretboard but I find I appreciate large necks better. If the guitar is a little harder to play but sounds totally amazing then that's me.
If the neck is slightly bigger (like the older Jems) and has the BNJ (block neck joint), will it affect tone or sustain????

Are the 77's and 777's the older Jems with the bigger neck and BNJ? Are 7's at all like that?

Is the 7VWH small neck???

[SalemB]

By small neck I assume you mean the wizard neck.

The VWH has the original Jem neck as far as I know.
All 77's and 777's have the original neck profile except the 777VDY and 777VSK. These have the wizard neck.
The 7's with wizard neck are the 7DBK and the 7PBK. The rest have the original JEM neck.

[YngVaiTriani]

If the Jem7VWH had a Jem neck rather than the wimpy wizard neck then i'd be itchin even more to get one.
Thanks...
WHAT ABOUT NECK JOINTS? AANJ vs BNJ ... affect tone or sustain?

[rvj]

I recently picked up a 1987 Desert Yellow with the block style neck joint. When I compare it to my other Jems, I don't notice any affect on tone or sustain. But, all my Jems each have different pick-ups. So, who knows? I prefer the aanj on my newer guitars, because it is easier for me to hit those upper frets. I never liked bolt on necks at all, until I got my 7VWH. Now I only play my Ibanez's.

[maxax]

I too have both type of necks...AANJ & BNJ...along with the extremely thin neck found on the 777VDY...I can't say I've noticed any real difference in sustain between any of them. *There's certainly a difference between the pickups...and the basic tone characteristics that they produce....but any difference between the AANJ & BNJ in regards to sustain...would seem to be extremely minimal...if measureable at all.

[Captain Ron]

THe AANJ on a jem7vwh works well because that guitar has the most sustain i have ever heard.

Dont think the original has as much

[rvj]

Now that I've had more time with that old style neck joint on my 777DY, I absolutely HATE it! I've gotten way too spoiled by the AANJ on my newer Jems. Don't get me wrong, it's still a killer guitar. I love the maple fretboard and it plays really well overall. I'm having a hard time trying to reach those upper frets. On my 7VWH and my DNA, it seems like a breeze. Hmmm, I wonder if I can modify it? Maybe I'll sell it, who knows. I recommend you play both styles before deciding which to buy.

[YngVaiTriani]

...and what about the fretboards? Does maple, rosewood or ebony have different tone characteristics? I mean the JEMs have thick frets so the strings are so far away fromt he fret board the tone probably has nothing to do with the fretboard. Am I right in saying this?

[Vaibanez]

Quote: from YngVaiTriani on 12:16 am on Sep. 9, 2001
...and what about the fretboards? Does maple, rosewood or ebony have different tone characteristics? I mean the JEMs have thick frets so the strings are so far away fromt he fret board the tone probably has nothing to do with the fretboard. Am I right in saying this?

No.
The string doesn't have to touch the fret board wood to benefit from its tonal qualities. The frets do most of the work transfering the string vibration to the neck woods.

Also, you are incorrect in stating that the JEM7VWH has a wizard neck. It does not. The VWH neck has the JEM profile.

A little more research and a little less typing would work wonders....:read:

J>:thumbsup:

[YngVaiTriani]

[quote]Quote: from YngVaiTriani on 4:52 pm on Aug. 24, 2001
If the Jem7VWH had a Jem neck rather than the wimpy wizard neck then i'd be itchin even more to get one.

Whoops! I meant to Say 7DBK. I can't stand thin necks and I learned earlier that the VWH does have JEM. Whew! The JEM neck is beautiful.

So if the fretboard's tonal characteristics are still in effect no matter what fret size, how does rosewood compare to maple and ebony?

[Vaibanez]

Quote: from YngVaiTriani on 4:03 pm on Sep. 9, 2001
So if the fretboard's tonal characteristics are still in effect no matter what fret size, how does rosewood compare to maple and ebony?

It all has to do with the density of each tone wood and its ability to transfer the vibration.

Wood absords the vibration energy of the string, but is not the only thing on the guitar that does so. Factor's include how tight the wood fibers are together, how much moisture remains in the wood and how much oil or "resin" the wood has.

Rosewood is the more open of the woods and contains more oils than the other two. Not very dense. It will absorb the energy of the string more and make the tone different.

Ebony is denser than rosewood but not as dense as maple. That's why it is prefered over both most times. It give you the warm tonal qualities of rosewood with the sustain qualities of maple.

Maple is dense, hard and dry. It doesn't absorb much of the vibration of the string giving the tone, what some would call, a brightness and glassey tone. I used to own a JEM777SK and used it for my clean acoustic tones when needed.

I hope this helps.

J>:thumbsup:

[YngVaiTriani]

Thanks so much Jimm. That explains a lot.
Ebony is also a smoother running surface to the best of my knowledge?

If you have a moderate to slightly heavy distortion, will the fretbaord qualities have much affect on anything?

What about sustain. That's the most important quality of the 2. Sustain and tone.

[rvj]

The ebony boards give great sustain and awesome tone. Jimm pretty much summed it up with maple being the brighter sounding of the three. It is great for the clean/acoustical tones. Rosewood has a warmer sound overall. I highly recommend the 7VWH as it has the ebony board and alder body. --rvj

[YngVaiTriani]

It's all so clear now. Gald I started this thread topic. Well i'm definately leaning towards a Jem7Vwh and I hope I can find a good deal on a used one.

[rvj]

You won't be disappointed! I spotted a 7VWH at a local G.C. for $799. It was in pretty good condition too. Obviously it is gone now, but I did start a thread here on Jemsite to let everyone know. If I see another, I'll let you know. Good luck --rvj