Buying new JEM...

Tubyboulin · #1 12-09-2008, 07:15 PM

Do all standard production Ibanez JEM7vwh's play pretty much the same? Im asking, because for my next guitar i really want to buy a JEM but the price of a new one is kinda high. I was going to go used, but if the necks vary from guitar to guitar (I dont know if its a production line model, or what. I know Gibsons ive tried tend to differ a lot) So would i be best going to a store, trying a new JEM to see if i like it, then buying one used of the 'bay or a similiar site?

PS - What are the prices a JEM will usually go for in a store, and on 'Bay? I saw one in NY on sale for like 1800 new (black friday)

rickcard71 · #2 12-09-2008, 08:03 PM

$1800? If so, that is a good price you should have picked it up.

Tubyboulin · #3 12-09-2008, 08:25 PM

Dont have $1800 right now

And my parents are deffinitly not going to spot me that much. Maby if i had 1600 saved up and saw it, but not if i myself only had 200.

ibz_SA · #4 12-09-2008, 10:09 PM

I dont think they vairy to much, I think they all roughly the same sort of play expect for the ovious reasons like the trem, etc. For a 7vwh your looking at $1500 on **** new is $2100 vbk's are the cheapst at about $1100 but you can sometimes find DY's for about $1100 sometimes.

Tubyboulin · #5 12-09-2008, 10:16 PM

Desert Yellow would be awesome, but they would be much older, no? When i say used i meen like 05-07 kinda thing, not mid 90's.

ibz_SA · #6 12-09-2008, 10:53 PM

Dont be hatin the oldies my friend, Hit **** shame you dont have the money now comming up to christmas id think more people would be after the fast cash, also if you look in the sales section here you might even be able to pick one up even cheaper or hit www.ibanezrules.com Rich comes highly recommanded.

Bowie · #7 12-09-2008, 11:37 PM

I hope I don't get anyone upset but I really think that most of the older ones are built better. If I were you, I'd keep a look-out for one of the early Jems. The economy is bad in most places and it's a great time to buy!

jallen · #8 12-10-2008, 02:05 AM

How much can you spend? If you're at the lower end you may want to consider a different Ibanez model over, say, a Jem555 or something.

rob777vdy · #9 12-10-2008, 05:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tubyboulin

Desert Yellow would be awesome, but they would be much older, no? When i say used i meen like 05-07 kinda thing, not mid 90's.

the 777s are my favs.i had a 7vwh but hated the neck,give me any 777 over a 7vwh any day,dbk or a bsb are the cheapest,i paid £875 for my 777vbk well over the odds especially as i was told it came with origanal case but it didnt.thank you mr PASSION N WAREFARE

ibz_SA · #10 12-10-2008, 06:48 AM

Dont buy as 555 ask anyone on here they are overpriced rg350 with a grip. If you have trouble saveing and still want an briliant axe look into the prestiges 2550 or an ibanez RG550 they are both briliant axes and come highly prasied and are a little cheaper then a jem. Old school jems are my prefrence but when you live in Australia you cant really be picky and not knowing about ET guitars (check them out by the way) when I brought mine it was hard to go old school.

Tubyboulin · #11 12-10-2008, 03:20 PM

Dont worry guys, im not going to buy a 555

i know they are pretty badly overpriced, so now matter how daunting the task of saving seems, i will not settle for the low end of the JEM line.

@ The discussion of older jems, its not that i have something against older guitars, but from my experience looking at the used market, older guitars are generally in worse condition. If i catch a really nice one thats older, i wont hesitate because of its age!

Tank · #12 12-13-2008, 04:51 PM

There are sometimes some pretty new 7vwhs (one or 2 years) on the bay for quite a bargain if you snap them.

I have a "last year" 7vwh and love it. Got a used DY and while it is a classic and I love it for that, I prefer to play the 7vwh. But I am one of the few on jemsite who love the Edge Pro, the new necks (as they look stronger to me) and the Evo Pickups...
Plus the vwh is an enRICHed model and the DY is from the bay and needs brush ups, but I keep it as a collectors item. The vwh is my player modell.

But it definately is worth it to safe up enough cash to buy it knew and from someone who tunes it to your liking, the best feeling I had playing guitars unwrapping my box from Rich and playing that excalibur vwh.

Tubyboulin · #13 12-13-2008, 08:32 PM

I really regret spending the 1100 dollars on the Ceriatone, because if i didnt, i'd most certainly have a JEM right now

Word of advice, do a LOT of research before you buy something.

So Tank, your model is an '07 then? When did they begin to put Evos stock in JEMs? I dont want to end up with a model that has breeds or PAF pros (They are great pickups, but i want the evolutions)

Tank · #14 12-15-2008, 05:17 AM

They still make models with breeds (77vbk) the 7vwh has Evos, since the beginning. So if you buy a 7vwh you have Evos. Why I prefer the new one is the rosewood board (while others prefer the ebony), the new neck and the EP trem.

Tubyboulin · #15 12-16-2008, 06:00 PM

Yep, i know they put Breeds in the vbk model, but when you said you prefered new models because of the evo pickups compared to your DY, i thought you were infering that Ibanez didn't have evo pickups stock in the VWH till a few years ago.

So the general consensus is try one out new, if i like it, look around the 'Bay and get a used one?