Good news for all PGM fans !!!

Christoph_JEM · #1 06-04-2003, 06:24 AM

Hello everybody!

Well, I think I have good news for all or lets say many PGM 300 fans!
Yesterday I made an enquiry to Koichi at the Ishibashi Web Shop. I had several questions and just for fun I asked him if he knows if Ibanez might produce the PGM 300 with a fixed bridge someday, just like the PGM 500.
As I said, in my opinion this was a less serious question, but well here is the answer I got today:

"Dear Chirstoph,

Thank you for your e-mail. This is Koichi from Ishibashi WEB SHOP.
Let me start up with a good news. The Ibanez has just announced us that
their new PGM301WH,the fixed bridge version of his model will be available
in this coming July. Our offer for this model will be 180000 Yen.

<PGM301WH Specification>
-Body:Basswood
-Neck:1pc Maple
-Fingerboard:Maple
-Bridge:GTC101 fixed
-Pickups

iMarzio PAF PRO/Front,DiMarzio JEM Single/Center,DiMarzio PAF PRO/Rear
-Controls:1 vol, 5 WAY SW
-Hardware color:Cosmo Black
-Available COlor:WH only"

Ain´t that great!?!

I will definately order the new PGM 301 WH

And I hope that this information is true...
What do you think? Eddie, you as a huge PGM fan

?

Rich · #2 06-04-2003, 06:28 AM

As resident PGM whore Eddie already knows, in fact he was the first to tell me about it. He heard it from the horses mouth so I knew it was true

Christoph_JEM · #3 06-04-2003, 06:35 AM

That´s great to hear that I am not the only one who got this information!
But what do you mean with "horses mouth"?

By the way Rich, what time do you have right now? Here in Germany it is 11:30 a.m. So I wasn´t expecting an answer that fast

Do you know something about the fixed bridge that is listed in the specification? Is this the same one as on the PGM 500? Gotoh?

Greets.

Rich · #4 06-04-2003, 06:38 AM

Horse - Paul

Same as on the 10th I believe

5:40am

BeastofLove · #5 06-04-2003, 08:19 AM

Sweet! I was wondering about that. I recently ordered and received the new PG album (+Gilbert Hotel), and noticed that the white PGM featured on the cover and inside didn't appear to have the 'mod' done to it (the block put in to mount the fixed bridge). At first I thought it may have been 'fixed' in Photoshop, but since he'd never bothered with that before, I thought it may have been a new model, if not a special one made just for him.

Good news!

-Ben

Christoph_JEM · #6 06-04-2003, 08:50 AM

Beastoflove, yes I was wondering about the guitar on the new cover too!

The only thing I don´t quite understand is the price. Koichi says that "their offer will be 180000 Yen". The list price of the PGM 300 is 190000 Yen and they sell it for 152000 Yen.
Usually non-tremolo guitars are less expensive than guitars with tremolo, right? I hope with 180000 Yen he meant the list price!
I think it is no argument that the PGM 301 is new and therefore will cost more, because when the JEM7vsbl was released, it had exactly the same price as the 7vwh. So...

Is here anybody who can imagine ordering the new PGM 301?

EKG · #7 06-04-2003, 12:36 PM

Yes! Good news, indded! This is true!

I admit...I am a PGM whore

The bridge is the same as the 200, 500, 800, 90HAM and 10TH.

Not sure on the pups? Paul is known to go with Tone Zones, but PAF Pro's would be just fine.

It would also be nice if they wired it like the 10TH with the "0" tone. I love that!

The final price? I don't know..
Availability? Again, I don't know...I'm sure Rich will know more about that soon enough.

Am I getting one?

Christoph_JEM · #8 06-04-2003, 01:39 PM

Hi Eddie!

How did you get the information, I mean Rich said that you know it from Pablo Gilberto himself

Do you know him in person? Or do you have email contact?

Concerning pickups I also don´t understand that even the PGM 301 is said to come with 2 Paf Pros. Paul uses the Tone Zone since many years!?

What do you mean with the "O" tone? I have never heard somthing about this

These bridges (GTC101), are they made by gotoh or by Ibanez?
Recently I played a cheap RG with a fixed bridge and the screws with which you can adjust the action were very long so that my palm was hurting after some minutes. I think this was an Ibanez fixed bridge. The PGM 500 I once had didn´t have such long screws and this bridge is made by gotoh... (please correct me if I am wrong)
But maybe this RG wasn´t setup properly.

Eddie, did you get any further information you´d like to share with us?

SuperJemBoy · #9 06-04-2003, 01:50 PM

will this hardtail PGM be available in the UK?

EKG · #10 06-04-2003, 02:41 PM

I do not know PG personally. On his website, you can e-mail him and on occasion, he replies, not very often.

I would think the 301 would be equipped with TZ's, but we'll see.

The "0" Tone is the middle selection of the 5 way switch on the PGM10TH. When selected, it engages the neck pup with the tone sounding like a TONE knob set at "0" (zero). Really sweet sounding.

The bridges are Gotoh Strat Type fixed bridges.

I am trying to get as much info as I can. It's harder than he11 to get PGM info. I am working on a PGM Spec Sheet for Jemsite, but the info to fill out the charts is so difficult to get

High end PGM's are generally only available in Japan, but who knows? Maybe they'll surprise us this time. OR, if Rich had enough pre-orders, maybe he can import some :-)

Rich · #11 06-04-2003, 02:45 PM

Already trying to work on that

EKG · #12 06-04-2003, 02:55 PM

In the words of Marv Albert...

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYES!

PekkaM · #13 06-05-2003, 04:46 AM

Let's hope they will be available internationally.

Christoph_JEM · #14 06-05-2003, 07:26 AM

I don´t think that they will be available internationaly. The PGM 300 is only available in Japan since years, so why should they now change their policy. And the fact that the PGM 30 now has the edge pro tremolo indicates that the PGM 30 will remain the only model for international sales. Sure, I would acclaim it if the new PGM would be available internationally, but I´m quite sure that especially the price for the European market would be very high. I would say 1800 Euros and more...

BTW, Koichi corrected his statement. With 180000 Yen he meant the list price. Ishibashi´s price will be 144000 Yen

I will start to safe money right now! Maybe stop smoking would be a good idea

Greets.

PekkaM · #15 06-05-2003, 08:34 AM

Maybe I'm missing something here but do those thickheaded executives at Hoshino really think that people buy guitars of this prize only because some musician plays same model?!?

I have two JEM's and hardly listen to Vai at all. I don't listen to any Gilbert but like his guitars all the same.

Quick Photoshopping: