General JS100 Info

[mc_carlini]

Im a bigger steve vai fan then a JS fan, but i dont have the money for a JEM right now. There is an offer out on a $400 JS100 with a red finnish and i was thinking that would still give me a tone closer to Vai. Is $400 a fair price for a used one with a few minor chips? My big concern is the middle pickup on the Jems. Does he really use it? I want one cus i see it on his guitar but i dont really know if it has too much of a tonal difference from the other two and since the JS has the splitting on it, i figured it would give me almost the same tone anyways. Let me restate the goal:

To get a guitar that can produce sounds close to steve vai's JEM


Could anyone give me a little bit of a run down on the JS100 and things i could expect from it.

Thanks!
-Michael

[corey j grieve]

Try and find a set of Steve Vai's hands on the bay,that'll get you half way there.All joking aside,if you like the guitar buy it,personally i would find myself an 80's RG550 as that is where the Jem comes from! You could find one for around that price and it will serve you better,sound better and its a real japanese Ibanez just like the Jem. Please remember,tone comes from the hands of the player,everything after is just the vehicle to get it to the speakers.Too many young beginners focus on the equipment as being 'the tone'. Steve could play a chibanez and still sound like Steve.
As for the JS100,it is the basics of Joes signiture guitars minus the good bits(Dimarzio pups,Gotoh tuners,Edge trem,Japan built) etc.. It just shares the body shape and neck profile,so for it to be able to transfer YOUR tone in the same way it does Joes you will need to spend some $$$ on pick ups at least! Save your $$$ a lil longer and find a Jap built RG,and then you will be in Jem territory.Just my opinion,i hope it helped. Goodluck mate.

[mc_carlini]

Thanks! Im thinking an RG550 would be the best bet as well

[postofficebuddy]

why not look for a secondhand 555?

[kevlahnota]

Originally Posted by mc_carlini

To get a guitar that can produce sounds close to steve vai's JEM

A pair of evo's, stock jem single coil pups, alder body guitar and a carvin amp. correct me if i'm wrong.

[Roryrockslinda]

Originally Posted by corey j grieve

i would find myself an 80's RG550 as that is where the Jem comes from!

Other way round mate

Anyway, yes, he does use the singlecoil, but you clearly aren't fond of snglecoils, don't base your tone on someone elses tastes if they don't also fit yours!

The JS100 would be fine with a pickup change and a new trem, but with all those upgrades you're nearly in the higher end JS/JEM price range.

[slade]

I just got a js1000, but if it were me I would just get an RG550 (probably used to save $$) to play on for now.
Then all the while saving money for a NEW JeM. Over time that RG550 (plus trying out a few JeMs overtime) will shape your opinion to little doubt about what you want to do.
Then when you have the money, make the choice.
I say get a used RG550.

[Rax13]

RG550 dude!!! Can't go wrong with that one...

[t1r12003]

You can get different tones from a H-S-H guitar than a H-H with coil splitting. I remember reading Vai likes the Strat type tones he gets out of the split bridge humbucker with the middle single coil and the split neck with the middle single coil, i.e. position 2 and 4 on the 5-way switch.

Go with a used RG550 or similar with a pair of Evolutions and a good mid single coil.

Trust your ears too. What sounds good to you is always the best choice rather than trying to copy someone else's tone.

Good luck man!