Let's make a Piezo Jem

[papapegastro]

Hi to everyone!!

Have someone customized a Jem with a Double Edge tremolo?
Since Ibanez don't release a Piezo Jem, I think we can try to built one!!!

I'm thinking to buy an RG1620 and to take it's Double Edge Pro bridge to put it in a Jem7vSBL.
Sure, I will put the Edge Pro in the Rg and I'll resell it....

No damages will occour to the outside of the Jem: I'll buy a new pickguard and mount there a volume pot for the piezo (close to the other two) and a three way switch for mixing the magnetic and the piezo sounds.
About the output, I will take the stereo outputof the RG and mount it on the Jem. The guitar would be used with a mono cable to have only de DiMarzio sound, and with a stereo cable to have both the sounds.

If in tha future I want to sell the Jem, I would sell with all this custom options or just as it was before. I believe that between the Double Edge Pro and the Edge Pro there's no cosmethic difference, nor in sound, so for the buyer there will be no problems.

What do you think about it all?
I'm crazy?
I don't know.... Sure, it would be better to buy only the DE bridge, instead of the RG guitar, but, you know, Ibanez don't sell it as accessory, yet.

Please, leave your comment and if someone already did this customisation, please leave his suggestions.

Thank you, and Bye!!!!

[Timanator]

My thought on this is in total regards to Piezo as a valid replacement/substitute for real acoustic.


I have yet to hear any Piezo sound close to an Acoustic, they sound overly bright like a guitar being picked very near the bridge. Is there any sound clips on this.

[ibanez otaku]

Originally Posted by papapegastro

Hi to everyone!!

Have someone customized a Jem with a Double Edge tremolo?

This joker did it to a Jem I believe.

[Artist]

Would it not be a better idea to buy the 1620, get it refinished, lion routed, and monkey gripped? Double edge trems are ment to be a bitch to remove arent they?

[vaijem777]

In my experience regarding piezos sounding "acoustic"...whenever you're plugging in an acoustic/electric guitar, the sound coming through the PA/amp IS the piezo sound. Under-saddle transducers use the same technology as LR Baggs and Fishman use in their solid-body piezo tremolos. Unless you're micing the guitar, the actual tonal properties of any acoustic guitar all but cease being a factor as soon as it's plugged in. Plugged in and through a PA, the Fishman system on my EB/MM JPM sounds just as "acoustic" as the BBand systems in either of my Lakewoods, or the Parametric system on my Takamine Santa Fe. The biggest difference is that most acoustic preamps have a more in-depth EQ than most solid-body piezo systems feature. For the most part, this can be compensated for by the use of an outboard EQ.

The ONLY way that there will ever be a production JEM with a piezo is if Mr. Vai wishes for such an instrument to exist. It's been discussed before as part of the "Ultra JEM", but that model was deemed far to costly to produce.

Any attempt to retrofit a Double Edge bridge into a non-Double Edge guitar would require some pretty impressive wiring and routing skills, since quite a bit of both would be necessary. It'd be far wiser (and cheaper) to just buy an RG620DX or similar model and perform the necessary modifications.