I just recently picked up a Jem 7DBK. I love the guitar, and I think it sounds and plays great. I am finding that the thin wizard neck is taking some getting used to though. Has anyone else experienced this "transistional phase" with wizard necks? I used to play mainly Fenders, and the neck on my strat vs the Ibanez is like night and day.
Absolutely! it's a completely different playing experience. I had to learn to relax my left hand technique and lighten up quite a bit when changing from baseball bat and boat necks to the wizard neck shape. It took a while, but I'm a better player for it today. Well worth the effort... but don't push it - if your hand cramps up, stop playing for the rest of that day!
A Wizard type neck certainly will take some getting used too after a standard Fender neck. I was actually considering a new DBK before I bought my s/h VWH. I liked the look and the sound but couldn't ever see myself getting used to that wafer thin Wizard profile. I personally prefer the slightly fatter profile of a Jem neck. but even this took some time to adjust to after my Strat. You may well have to alter certain aspects of your technique like Jimi D says but do stick with it!!
I have always played thin neck guitars....my first couple guitars and my VWH now, are all thin neck guitars. Although I can't relate to your situation exactly -- I can relate to it in the reverse direction....my friends almost always put me on the spot to play something cool and they always hand me a Fender or a Gibson. While I was still able to pull off the same riffs...it didnt feel very comfortable, or enjoyable to me. On the other hand, playing RG's with Wizard necks at the store has always been a treat. I suspect a lot of your playing habits are already geared towards a fatter neck...and as good of a guitar as these Jems are, I wish everyone luck in their transitional phases, because yes, they do exist, and yes, they can be frustrating!
Thanx for the response and encouragement I love the new guitar and will definitely put forth the effort to comfort myself with the wizard neck. Its already feeling pretty effortless, but just some minor modifications I need to iron out like Jimi D mentioned. Hell I might even just end up using the Jem for most stuff and my Fender for standard chord progression tunes around first -second position
I think the wizard is needlessly small. It just hurts tone and any smaller than a JEM neck isn't making anything faster or easier.
I pretty much hate wizard necks and will never own a guitar with one on it. Even if it was a VWH. Thanks Ibanez/Vai for the JEM neck though. It's just right. Like the last bowl of porridge.
Hey, you wanna talk about getting used to a neck from Gibsons and Fenders? LOL....try the UV777BK! Jeeeezzzz...talk about night and day! It didn't take TOO long to get used to it, but let me tell you, once you go thin neck, you never wanna go back! It's well worth the transition period....and I think any high-end model of Ibanez outclasses any Gibson, Fender, PRS, etc etc that is twice it's price....but, to each his/her own....just my opinion!
When I first got my 7VWH, it took a while to get used to. The neck on my DNA is even thinner. I would play my Les Paul and Ovation then pick up the 7VWH. OUCH!!! Those hand cramps were painful, but now I'm used to it. Not to mention that Les Paul never gets played anymore.
Wizard necks absolutely suck IMO. Why would you want one!? The JEM neck is small enough. Flat back and just big enough so you don't lose tone through it. The wizard neck is so wimpy. There is definately some tone lost through it and they warp from climate alterations. They are really annoying.
JEM necks are beautiful. Every JEM should have them.
Screw wizards.
(and what happened to mail notifications of replies?)
I would say that a when you buy a Jem, you give at least 1000$ For the name only. When you think about it, the pickups isnt very expensive, a lo pro is about 300$ worth, and the rest is just a modded rg body and a jem neck. But, they are indeed gr8 guitars.. Im thinking about a DBK, and i have a strat too right now , so we'll see about that wizard thin neck...
You know...this would seem painfully obvious...but every seems want to air their opinions....so here is mine....Opinions Vary....you really can't say, "This neck is too thin, or this one is too thick"....it's totally up to each player....I think everyone knows that and feels that way. I like the wizard necks, I like the Jem necks, I like Les Pauls....but you know what....my personal favorite is the ultra thin neck on my Jem 777VDY....wanna talk about a thin neck....try one of those some day!
Sure like what you want...BUT
The facts are:
#1 You lose tone through thinner necks
#2 Those necks can warp slightly over the seasons and cause action problems.
Wizard necks are noticably faster to play on for me. A properly set up guitar with a wizard is great -- fast and slick. Although a discomfort develops after some playing along the arch between by thumb and index fingers, the playability of the neck cannot be denied. I like the Jem neck better, which I am just as fast on, but much more comfortable playing as well. All in all, the Ibanez necks are all just variations of one another. They are all similar in feel.
I also like the necks on high end USA Jacksons, although I don't know the exact dimensions on those.
I don't think it's been proven that "you lose tone through thinner necks". I for one have never noticed this. I think it's the guitar version of an old wives' tale...
Ask any experienced musician... Tone is lost through thin necks.
I once heard from my dad that someone had a telecaster with a thin neck, replaced it with a thicker neck and the tone was noticably better. The neck is the #1 place where the tone comes from! The strings vibrate through the fingerbaord and neck which vibrates the body.
Hey guys, just thought i'd post my story and opinions...the guitar that i pretty much learned to play on was an OLD Yamaha FG200 acoustic- HUGE neck!!! Great guitar...anyway, at the same time, i was picking up my brother's old Ibanez EX series electric, which has a fairly thin and round neck on it...i found that i prefer the thinner neck of the EX to that of the acoustic's, but i really had no problem switching between the two, as far as hand cramps and everything goes. At the moment, i'm switching between a WIDE classical guitar neck, pleasently { but not overly } skinny USRG10 neck, wide AND thin seven string necks, and that same old chunky neck of the Yamaha that i cut my teeth on about two years ago...and you know what ? I still have no problems at all switching between all of them ! In summary, i suppose that for some people, it's harder than others to switch;but,you must also factor in that i have fairly large, skinny hands....i'm sure that makes a differance. Great topic ! --+Ben+--
I guess what I meant to say more clearly the first time was that I didnt necessarily play poorly on a neck i wasnt used to, but it definately wasnt as comfortable, and DEFINATELY not as enjoyable as playing the jem.
I applaud your versatility as far as getting used to different necks though -- i never really thought about it much, but now that i think of it, it is actually a very useful skill to have.
I just want to make a general comment here...and that is....if you don't like thin necks...then maybe this isn't the web site for you...because thin necks are what Ibanez is all about!!!! Sure a Jem neck is a bit thicker than a Wizard...but still...it's not THAT thick!!! AND...like I mentioned previously....wanna try a really thin neck....check out the JEM neck on a 777VDY!!! (They also put this neck on one other model). Anyhow....Jem's, RG, JS....thin to thin-ish necks is what Ibanez is all about....end of story!!!
It takes a while to adjust to, but also try a lighter touch at the same time. One of the reason I used to be a bit weird with a wizard neck was not relaxing my hand and touch enough, once I did that it just became more natural feeling.
I prefer the Jem neck over the wizard neck. It feels much better for serious guitar playing. For tricks or fast runs the wizard can get the job done better...but that doesn't make it a better neck.
Honestly, I do think JEM necks are a better design all around but how the h*ll
can 2 necks of such a small variation really affect ones playing speed or accuracy? It just doesn't make sense to me. I can play the exact same legato pattern on a strat or JEM. What's the diff? Like 1/6th a cm?
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Ibanez JEM Forum
1.3M posts
69.6K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to Ibanez JEM guitar owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, displays, models, styles, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!