Best substitute for a Jem7v would be an RG550 with Evo pickups.
Despite the RG550 having a basswood body and the 7v having an alder body, it'll sound basially the same if you replace the pickups for a hell of a lot less £££.
bharat, i had a 7V, loved the feel and tone, but got sick of the gold hardware and its gaudiness (if thats a word). i needed a replacement that played as well and had a similar tone. i have an rg 550 with evos, got it used for $350. i definitely recommend it.
I would also agree that a good substitute for a JEM would be an RG550 with EVOs. Personally, I'm not a big fan of EVOs but if that's the sound you want then go for it.
I like the old RG550 with maple finger board. The stock V series pickups are decent. I would put a Evolution or Tone Zone at the bridge. If you prefer AANJ, and rosewood finger board then go with newer RG570.
All the japanese made RG's are now in the prestige range, but I wonder if they have earnt it. Years ago the decent japanese made wern't all prestige, which made an actual pretige all the more special.
The 2550 replaced the 550 and costs another £200, but is it £200 better?
jj0389 said:
I like the old RG550 with maple finger board. The stock V series pickups are decent. I would put a Evolution or Tone Zone at the bridge. If you prefer AANJ, and rosewood finger board then go with newer RG570.
I'd have to agree that tone-wise, and playability-wise, my older RG570 with EVOs is very close to the Jem. For rhythm playing, the basswood sounds better IMHO. However, it needs a refretting at the moment, and it doesn't look as cool. The Jem also have a few really "nice-to-have" features such as the monkey grip (yes, this is actually useful), the angled input jack, and the scalloped 21-24 frets, however, I really like the jumbo fretts on the RG.
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