Ibanez JEM Forum banner

Recommendation needed for JS or Radius.

1K views 13 replies 3 participants last post by  OCDemon 
#1 ·
Hello All,

I'm looking at getting an Ibanez and I like the JS/Radius look and the neck dimensions on the JS look good to me.

I rarely use a tremolo, on the few guitars I've had them on, but I want to leave my options open.

I'd prefer to purchase used to take advantage of the pricing and have a few questions.

At one point I had a JS1600 but never really used it because I was doing a Beatles and Jangle band and the "look" didn't exactly fit. LOL….I should not have sold it. One thing I do remember was that the Frets were SUPER polished, rounded and the neck was fast.

Do ALL of the JS models have necks/frets like that?

How does the MIJ JS700 compare to other JS models?
I kind of like the JS1000 so is there a better year(s) to pick from as I've read the Trem changed over time?

I've seen a few JS models with "finish" cracks around the neck pocket. This scares me a bit as I can't imagine the finish cracking without the wood moving and am wondering if under that finish crack…the wood is also cracked. Any comments on this?

Thanks in advance for your input.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
The JS1600 is better than the JS700 in terms of quality, I have both. The 700 has a unique sound, but unless you are specifically looking for P90s I wouldn't recommend it. The JS2000 is something i'd recommend. It has the tuning stability of an edge tremolo but it's fixed. I have many JS models and after 1998 the necks are totally consistent. Even the pre98 ones are all good, but vary a bit. From what you described I'd say JS2000 or JS1600 might be the way to go. The floating terms are a big hassle if you aren't specifically looking for that. Also if you want to change tunings, the guitars I mentioned are better. JS6 also but those are more expensive compared to the JS1600
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the reply guys.

There's a JS2000 on reverb that looks interesting but I don't see any pricing comparisons on Reverb or FeeBay. It has stress cracks in the finish on both sides of the neck pocket and the one on the top side, to me, look like a crack rather than just a finish crack.

I don't have enough posts to add a link but it's the only one listed if either of you have the time and inclination.

Thanks
 
#9 ·
I can't say there's a significant difference in sustain between the 2000 and the 1600. They have a slightly different sound because one is basswood 2000 and the other is mahogany 1600 but I would have trouble putting the difference into words. The main difference is the bridge. The 2000 will stay in tune better because of the locking nut but it will be more complicated to change strings. The 1600 is a tool free string chance all you need is the strings and the guitar to change the strings. That's convenient.
 
#10 ·
Thanks OC. I don't break strings all that often but I do like simple and plain.

I remember reading that some owners were stripping the finish off the 1600's so they'd have the mahogany look. I guess the down side of that is not knowing if or where a seam would be.

I could probably go with either guitar as they look pretty similar.

Thanks for the feedback.
 
#11 ·
The 1600 is as close to a traditional guitar as a JS gets. The 2000 is a really innovative compromise between the tuning stability of an Edge Tremolo minus the floating trem part. They are both great guitars. If you see my other thread I just posted, I have 16 JS guitars but these two guitars are in my top 3.
 
#13 ·
The locking stud mod I believe improves the stability of the Edge Pro bridge guitars. If it has an Edge it's fine. I don't know about Lo-Pro but someone on this forum will know. I bought my JS1200 from Rich at IbanezRules and he suggested the mod at the time and all I know is that guitar performs as well as my JS guitars that have Edge tremolos. Maybe someone else knows more about the locking stud mod.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top