High-Res DNA pics

[jay ratkowski]

I was bored (well, trying to avoid chores) and since I had the camera out I thought I'd snap some pics.

These are all ~1200x900 and ~100k files, so they aren't bad but not dialup friendly. I forgot how hard it is to see that stupid glow in the dark inlay.

http://www.jayratkowski.com/pics/gear/dna_hires/

EDIT - before anyone says anything... the pickup selector knob fell off and I don't know where the hell it is. I don't seem to have any spares laying around either.

[nocluejimbo]

how is the "Tremol-no"?

i wasnt aware they were out yet. it looks like a great tool to have available.

[moro]

Wow, that's gorgeous. You could get lost in that swirl. Thanks for posting the pics.

I'd like to own a swirled guitar one day, but I think I'd just sit there staring at the detail all day and never actually play the thing.

The glow looks fine. How long was the exposure for that shot?

[jay ratkowski]

Tremol-No is not out yet, see the thread in the "gear/equipment" section. I'm one of the "players" that is testing the thing out. My review here.

moro - glad you liked the pics. I was looking at the old photos from when I first got the thing (right when they hit the US) and they really stunk. Was time for new shots.

For the pic of the glowing inlay, the exposure time is 15s at ISO 400 (on my digi point/shoot it's more like ISO600 or 800) at f2.8.

[screamndemon69]

thanks Jay! this is in my top 5 DNA swirls i have ever seen! SWEET!

maybe i knew but forgot about the neck glowing in the dark - very cool!
again, i am so pleased to see someone who actually plays a DNA and doesn't just keep it in the case!
did you keep the original pups in her? i really need to find out more specs on the DNA models - they are my top choice in a Jem!
* i went back and looked at the pics - seymour pups - which ones did you use?*
once Ibanez releases the new 2005 Jem(s), they are going to find it hard to keep topping the looks the developed on these past models - especially the DNA!
how long have you had this one (#23)? did you get it new or previously played? did you specifically hunt down this one for the swirl or did you get lucky and just "happened" upon it at the right time? (very green w/ envy!)

[jay ratkowski]

There's plenty of specs on the jemsite.com mainpage, but as you probably know they come with those Breed pickups in the green/black/orange variety. Along with matching single coil and funny colored plastic knobs and selector switch. Didn't dig that.

So this guy got Duncan JB/Jazz pickups, fender 5-way multipole switch and metal dome knobs in cosmo powder (think that's the color) which matches the rest of the hardware. Think the knobs are from an RG3120? The only other thing I did was sand the finish off the neck. I refuse to play a guitar any other way(pic 12 you can see the neck is a bit dirty).

I got this guy new from the store I always go to. Real tiny family shop I worked at for a bit. They really had to fight to get on the list and none of us could believe when we checked the order status and Hoshino had most definitely given them one. They were so excited they asked me if they could put it on display for a week or so after it arrived. I was the first person to see it, they called me when they had a box in their shop.

I'll admit, I barely played this guitar over the last year or two. I totally got burnt out on the trem business. The Tremol-No has been a savior for me. The pickups were a huge help as well. I had forgotten how perfect the nut width is and how surprisingly comfortable the radius on the fingerboard is. I even like the skinny neck now, the guitars I normally play are considerably fatter. I even find myself "unlocking" the trem now and then. I've had a real rebirth with playing this thing, which is why I'm suddenly so excited to post about it.

It's weird, as I was getting more and more into strats, I thought that the 7VWH had the best neck profile for a JEM. I hated how thin the new ones were. Now I kind of realized that the strat necks are perfect for strats. I love those fat and short necks. But on this type of a guitar, the new neck profile is really great. It's just so comfortable and easy to play. It seems to fit like a glove.

[screamndemon69]

thanks for the info Jay! i love this one and saved a few shots in my slideshow screensaver to show them off to others!
i've become quite a hardtail/ tunematic freak this year- i now have 5 or 6 i picked up this year alone but i love my trems - i try to have at least 2 trem guitars (usually my custom Jem and an RG or S) and 2 hardtail/tunematic guitars on stage with me (Gibson Explorer and i rotate the 2nd one so i get to use my others and show them off a bit).
some tunes just "feel" better to play with a non-trem guitar and others i must have a trem.
BTW - my 666 post was on your thread for your DNA/family pics woo hoo.

[screamndemon69]

how do you like the Jazz and JB in the basswood body? i tried a JB in a alder strat and it had a little too much edge in it for me but sounded HUGE in a mahogany body. my new Jackson SLS USA has a Jazz and a Pearly Gates stock in it w/ a mahogany body and flame maple top - AWESOME!!
i use JBs in most of my mahogany guitars w/ a '59 in the neck. i'm a big Tone Zone fan as well for mahogany.

[IbanezroadstarII]

action a lil high eh

[jay ratkowski]

I love the JB/Jazz. They are kind of "top heavy" but I keep the treble down around the 4-5 region on any amp I use so it really ends up sounding great. If I played with a lot of treble these pickups might be too bright, but it's not the case at all. The JB ends up sounding really warm and jangly at the same time when played with a heavy overdrive... kind of gets Jeff Buckley tones.

Action is at 3/32 on all my guitars. It does look high, but the pic is a funny angle.

[Allen Garrow]

Hey Jay,,,switch cap eh? Where the hell did the middle pickup go?
Glad to see you are enjoying it, and not afraid to make it more to your liking by tearing into it, appears that you play it, rather than hide it in a box under your bed...

~A

[jay ratkowski]

Middle pickups are meaningless to me, unless it's on a 3 single coil guitar. I got sick of looking at it...

[jemsite]

Jay, does that Powershot camera have full "manual" mode. if so use a tripod for proper exposure... glen

[jay ratkowski]

Yes it does have a manual mode and I have a tripod.

Help me out, which pics need the help? Or if all of them do, what needs to be changed? My biggest problem seems to be insufficient lighting... don't know if any part of my house would be better, unless I reshoot during the day.

[jemsite]

you used a tripod? they seem a bit underexposed & grainy which leads me to think you set the film speed to 400-800.... but upon downloading and viewing the EXIF info... it doesn't show the ISO (ie. film speed).

Can you set the film speed in any mode? lower speed will give less grain, even with a longer exposure. if the camera supports exposure bracketing (i doubt it does) try too that then you get 3 shots... one auto exposed and one "over exposed" and another "under exposed".

dna23_8.jpg EXIF info:
-------------------------
Make - Canon
Model - Canon PowerShot A80
Orientation - Top left
XResolution - 180
YResolution - 180
ResolutionUnit - Inch
Software - Adobe Photoshop 7.0
DateTime - 2004:11:30 20:23:34
YCbCrPositioning - Centered
ExifOffset - 216
ExposureTime - 1/3.3 seconds
FNumber - 4.50
ExifVersion - 0220
DateTimeOriginal - 2004:11:30 21:14:46
DateTimeDigitized - 2004:11:30 21:14:46
ComponentsConfiguration - YCbCr
CompressedBitsPerPixel - 5 (bits/pixel)
ShutterSpeedValue - 1/3 seconds
ApertureValue - F 4.51
ExposureBiasValue - 0.00
MaxApertureValue - F 4.51
MeteringMode - Multi-segment
Flash - Not fired, compulsory flash mode
FocalLength - 19.25 mm
UserComment -
FlashPixVersion - 0100
ColorSpace - sRGB
ExifImageWidth - 900
ExifImageHeight - 1200
FocalPlaneXResolution - 5714.29
FocalPlaneYResolution - 5714.29
FocalPlaneResolutionUnit - Inch
SensingMethod - One-chip color area sensor
FileSource - DSC - Digital still camera
CustomRendered - Normal process
ExposureMode - Manual
WhiteBalance - Manual
DigitalZoomRatio - 1.00 x
SceneCaptureType - Standard