..and I have some simple questions. (I've bugged Rich so much the past few days with so many questions that now that I've actually ordered up the guitar from him I just don't have the heart to keep bugging him with these extra questions...)
-Anything in particular I should know about cleaning that mirrored finish? Are we talking Windex and a soft cloth, or what?
-Reading about the "Chrome Boy" Satriani models it seems that there's no way around it, that finish will eventually wear off something fierce from the top of the guitar beneath the player's forearm. Should I anticipate the same thing happening with this mirrored finish or is this a completely different (and permanent) type of finish?
-I'm not familiar with the Ibanez serial # system. I know that with a Gibson you take the first and fifth digits and combine them to get your model year. How does one tell the model year of any Ibanez from its serial #?
-Is the middle p/up in the 77MRBR the exact same p/up as the middle p/up in a 7VWH, or is it a different p/up? On the 7VWH it really doesn't matter whether it's the middle single coil by itself or either of the notch positions, those tones are going to have WAY less volume than positions 1 and 5. This isn't the case with all H-S-H guitars though (such as any Carvin with bridge and neck 'buckers and a middle AP11R) and I've never actually played a 77BRMR so maybe the "Bad Horsie" differs in this regard from the 7VWH? I hope so. As much as I loved the EVOs in my 7VWH I love the Breeds in the "Bad Horsie" even more so that's why I grabbed the 77BRMR this time. No idea what to expect though about that middle p/up...
-Why do the six string 7VWH and the 77BRMR guitars include the "7"s in their names? What's that about? Shouldn't the Universe seven strings models be the "7"s?
That's it for now with the questions.
Anyway,this is my first post here. Though I previously owned a very good condition '94 JEM7VWH this will be my first brand new Ibanez. I've pretty much been going with nothing but Fender/Carvin/Gibson and even a little Warmoth in terms of all my new guitar purchases. The reason I switched gears and pulled the trigger on this new JEM is simple: I want that consistent low action/fret buzz free playability that so far I've only found on JEMs.
Great build quality, great playability and really great tone, especially with the Breeds. Hell, even the resale value is well above average with the JEMs so I don't feel like I'm risking losing a ton if ever I need to off a JEM. I'm no tremolo dive bomber but the playability of the JEM is so good that I finally decided I was willing to overlook that frustrating
Edge Pro bridge and the locking nut, both of which I really don't need.
Somehow though, I think I'll manage to suffer through...
The main thing that did it for me, the main thing that motivated me to pay over $2K for a floating bridge/locking nut "80s Metal" image guitar that isn't even a custom built fixed bridge mahagony guitar with a beautiful figured maple or flamed koa top?
Our boy here, Rich. That's the main reason for this purchase. I wanted to quit screwing around and simply get something that's going to play correctly, right out of the box. I didn't want to have to turn it over to some luthier or another after I've already bought it just to get the usual crappy factory set up sorted out to a satisfactory condition.
I also didn't want to pay the custom shop prices of PRS, Gibson or Fender.
A brand new 16" radius JEM, with Breeds, set up particularly well from top to bottom BEFORE I RECEIVE IT by a professional who not plays the things every day but who also takes pride in delivering to the customer a meticulously sorted out instrument?
THAT ought to be one slick
playing guitar, right from the start.
As far as I'm aware, this is a unique situation we have here with Rich's set up on top shelf Ibanez guitars. I don't know of anything else in the industry that's quite like this deal.
I'm there. In fact, I can also picture in the not too distant future an "Ibanez Rules" spec AT300 Andy Timmons and/or a JSM100VT John Scofield model showing up on my doorstep. I'm thinking I could easily get addicted to this whole "turn key killer guitars" concept...
