What do you think- what is the best backup guitar for JEM (don't say another JEM) ;] When something goes wrong on stage which would be your second one ?? Strat maybe ??
And what about filling tonal hole in the band- I found that JEM mixes good with Gibson LP in rhythm backings. What are your experiences ??

I'd say an RG550 would fit the bill quite perfectly.

I love my American Wolfgang as a backup, if not the main guitar sometimes....

Hey, think about getting an RG550 with the same pickups as your Jem, i'd suggest getting the same pickups if you're wanting to have an exact backup tonally, if your Jem has an alder body (like the Jem7vWH) then it'll sound slightly different to the RG (which is basswood) but it's as close as you'll get short of getting a custom.

In terms of a a second guitar with a different tone i'd suggest looking at something with a fixed bridge so yeah a Les Paul would be cool. I've just got an RGA121 (fixed bridge RG with an arched top) which is fantastic for rhythm and feels much more like a Jem in terms of weight and neck compared to how a Les Paul would.

I have several 550's and I love them, the necks are amazing, as good if not at times better than a jem neck. Fit some DiMarzio's and away you go.

another vote for 550, with evos.

Yup, an RG550 with Evos is the obvious choice.

I'd say something hardtail, so if you broke a string on the Jem, you'd have another guitar to go on to, and then if you broke a string on that, you could at least survive the rest of the song before restringing.

Good idea Tom, a hardtail would be a good idea otherwise I would go for a RG550 .

Regards

André

Depends on if you have an old school JEM. Since those are basswood I'd back it up with a basswood RG. Alder, obviously another alder body guitar. Of course, both of these with the same pickups, layout, and control scheme.

how come the rg550 gets so much luv? what about the higher end RG's like 7xx? I'd suggest an RG750 as a backup to a JEM.

Because they are generally cheaper than the 7xx series and more readily available. Loads of them appear for sale with the aanj too.

+1 on this guitar

550, just get a good set up.

well, the perfect backup for an alder body jem would be a jackson, if not another jem. In terms of affordability, probably an Rg 550. Although in my case, I despise wizard necks, so I may spring for a 350 DX since it has a wizard II and it matches the VWH almost perfectly. The EP2 couldn't be as bad as the lo-trs right?