You are the only person that needs to determine if this is a wise choice for YOU. If you want to move from a LesPaul to more of a superstrat guitar the JEM is a great place to start. Good luck... glen
That depends. When I had been playing Ibanez for a while I wanted to get a guitar with a stop tail with a shorter scale just to have for variety but if I had to only pick one I would stick with Ibanez, personally. The JEM 7V is an awesome guitar, you probably won't be dissapointed in the guitar itself but if you have only been playing on the shorter scale it will take you a while to get used to the larger 25 1/2.
This is a decision only you can justify. For me-yes it is definately a good idea. But I have very large hands, and I love to play with a ton of accuracty, and speed (things that are tough to combine on short scale guitars). I'd recommend you pick a JEM up at a local retailer and play that thing until the frets wear out before you make sure-because even though I think the JEM is the greatest guitar on the planet, they are nothing like a LesPaul
They're both great guitars for different (well, some of the same) reasons.
Few would argue that there's no better guitar for recording rhythm tracks than a Les Paul.
Few would argue that if you have a Jem hanging on your neck all night (or day), rather than a Les Paul, your back will will be infintely "Les" sore.
Asthetically, it's all personal pref. I owned a 7VWH for a few days and at least two people (non-musicians)said to me "looks like a guitar that Elvis would own". I think it's a great looking guitar (and told those people to F off). The Les Paul finishes depend mostly on the wood, so the better looking ones are more expensive.
I guess my opinion is --- Keep saving and own both!
Obvious differences:
1. Wood->tone, weight
2. Looks->very cool vine inlay, monkey grip and lion's claw trem cavity (Therefore I think chics dig the VWH more than a LP Studio)
3. Feel of the neck (that's strictly a personal decision, but majority here can tell you about how good a Jem neck feels)
4. Trem vs Non-trem
My only advice: If you got tired of the LP Studio and you know for sure you want a VWH, I say make the jump.
If you still like your old guitar, keep it and start saving more towards a VWH. Then you can have the cake and eat it, too
It's hard to compare the L&s P@ul and the Jem, instead compare the LP with a JS6 (it could also be called JS700 or something like that) It's got a hard tail and even comes with soapbars.
If you like short scales the '92 470S could be the guitar for you. It's also Mahog&hardtail. Dont' know when they stopped making that.
Still if you use plenty of distorion the older Jems *do* come with PAFs so...you can approximate the LP sound.
I'd second all of the above.
I think your musical preferences should be considered in the decision also.
And bear in mind that you'll have to add more cash to the profits on your studio to afford a VWH.
That's a tough call man. Get out and play a bunch before you make that jump. The longer scale alone is enough for you to get used to (among other things).
Aside from being substantially more expensive, it's going to sound drasticly different. Take your time and make sure it's a step you want to make.
Weight is a big issue for me. My Custom LP is a tank and for a while I didn't even correlate the massive pain in my back that I was having after practices with the guitar. It's definitely a factor unless you're Dorian Yates. But first and foremost is tone. The LP's tone is as about as thick as a 10-lane highway. I love it, but it's a different creature from the Jem (or any ibanez).
If possible try to keep them both man... variety is the spice of life...
i do things like that and always end up kicking myself in the behind... if ya know what i mean
If possible try to keep them both man... variety is the spice of life...
i do things like that and always end up kicking myself in the behind... if ya know what i mean
I agree with Tag, if you can, keep it, you can use the Les Paul for alternate tunings much more easily than with the Jem. Not to mention there will be definite differences in tonality between the two.
More guitars man, more guitars, I have 17 total right now, and I still want more...at least 3 or 4 anyway...
Bamm
Sorry for being the obvious observer but 2 more frets, one more pickup, a nice trem and bar deal = more sounds you can make; sharp and distinct versus muddy and mellow. If your a shredder you probably should move to the jem, if your a blues man definitely stay with the LP. For any thing else I guess your flipping a coin.
the scale length of the necks on both the Jem and S series are 25.5 (look at the specs on the old Ibanez site)... unless the '92 S470 was different.. but I doubt it.
I'm not a huge fan of Gibson although the guitars are very nice. I find that the majority of my customers are seperated as Fender people and Gibson people. The remaining few are those who like to have a standard of everything. ie: Strat, Tele, J-bass, Paul, etc. The Fender people find themselves very comfortable with Fender, Ibanez, Jackson, Ernie Ball, etc. Gibson people prefer guitars with set-necks, usually, with a more pronounce neck angle. They are often used to the extra weight and sometimes find that Fenders and Ibanez's are too "rinky-dink" feeling. You may be one of the few who can find contentment with a variety of guitars. I also notice that a lot of people get a new itch-a new "flavor of the month" and sell their guitars for something different, only to regret it later on-could be weeks, months, or even years. So, in conclusion, I would say, if financially possible, get a Jem in addition to your Les Paul. Do layaway-that'll also give Ibanez time to ship one to the store new-in-a-box. I think you'll miss the LP if you sell it at all in the future.
Here in Britain a Studio is around £600 a Jem7Wh £1700
if you trade your studio in youmay get around £300 leaving a delta of £1400. That's still a lot of cash
Where as you could buy a JemDBK at £1100 keep the Les and still save £300
Personally i'd keep the studio and buy a RG520 and up grade the pickups on both + the hardware on the Paul and throw in some coil taps.
£600 guitar
£280 PUPS
However Jem7Wh's are VERY nice guitars.
I can say that I'm a Strat guy. All of my guitars are strat based. Even my violin guitar has a bolt on neck although it looks kinda Gibsony but I would still like a Paul at some point cause I would like something different.
Try a Jem and see but a Jem7Wh and a Les Paul are like night and day.
Only you can decide in the end. (that sounds a bit sinister like something out of star wars)
The age doesn't surprise me, its just the fact that these posts are still around. There are other boards I used to frequent that have been around just as long, if not longer, but they also have a running total of 3 or 4 archives of old posts that are segregated from the more current ones. You can read them and search through them, but not via the current forum posts. Ah well, I've learned to find these old posts necro'd with one sentence's response funny.
Well, the one issue I had (but got used to) when switching from my Epi LP to my rg was the volume knob was in the way. If you use full-size picks (not jazz), then the mid pickup may get in the way, too. You might like the Ibanez PGM models better, since the controls are completely out of the way. Also you have the choice between hardtail or tremolo.
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