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The Jem Jr is an RG450 in disguise

27K views 61 replies 24 participants last post by  freddychops 
#1 · (Edited)
They have exactly the same specs and hardware. Almost, as if Ibanez was just lazy and simply made a bunch of holes on the body of an RG450, stuck a tree inlay and called it a Jem. Those are the only differences, yet the Jem Jr costs $100 more than the RG450.

IMO buying a Jem Jr is a bad financial decision. You are basically paying $100 more for the inlay, monkey grip and the Lion's claw. Those $100 could've been used towards a better amp.

Lion's claw: Its pointless on the low quality tremolo found in Jem Jr and RG450
Monkey Grip:
A nice bonus, nice to have, but nothing you cannot do without. No effect on tone.
Tree of Life:
It's made of plastic on the Jr. Its nice to look at, but nothing you cannot do without.

Not only that, the Jem Jr is a whiter color than the Jem, why? Because they didn't even bother to change the paint. It has the same paint as the RG450.

The simple fact that you are buying a Jem Jr proves that you don't have much funds, so why waste $100 more on looks and the Jem name, when the RG450 will perform exactly the same?

The tree of life and monkey grip are nice things to have and look at, but they won't make you a better player or give you a better tone. Since, all you can afford is a $500 guitar, you have to PRIORITIZE, and make your money work for you. Squeeze every single dollar out of that budget to get the best tone possible for the least amount of money.
 
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#6 ·
Is it really worth it to modify one, though?

Guitar $500
Original floyd rose $230
Tuners machine $60-80
Pickups $150-200 maybe with pickups upgrade you want to upgrade pots and switch? $30 aprox.
Total guitar + upgrades= around $1050 and this is without the cost of installation.

You want a luthier to do these installs for you and that would cost hundreds of dollars more.

You still need do a fretwork to make that guitar play-ability good and comparable to 1000ish USD, and how about fretboard radius ?

I wonder if this guitar deserve this investment? or get a new RG prestige for $1.200.- with good trem, good pickups, good neck, good case and good everything from the start?

A good tremolo system is expensive: Original Floyd Rose $200-$250 (according to color) Ibanez Edge Original $360.-
 
#7 ·
The claw did nothing on the Ibanez JEMs in regard to trem float or pull up. You can simply compare to the RG550 originals (lacking the claw).

It was 100% cosmetic and based on Vai's crude routing out the ORFs of his Charvel, etc. with a chisel back in the day where the routing was not recessed.
 
#8 ·
The extended string lock screws of the OE contact faster on a 550 than on a JEM, they still do. On a JEM the limiting factor is the fine tuner spring plate or arm holder hitting in the rout.

Putting new tuners on a double locker is throwing money away. Nobody needs a tech to swap trem unless you have no handy skills at all, in which case you probably don't buy guitars solely to modify them. The trem price is List, nobody pays List. And modifications can be done over months or years as a budget allows.
 
#12 ·
It's not an extra whole step, but you do get a small increase in range. YMMV [as do all the older guitars].

You cannot assume proper setup because you cannot determine how much neck angle one has or does not to the other. If you set them up so they have the same pullup range, and that you consider a proper setup, then of course they'll have the same pullup range.
 
#15 ·
So, I literally was in my local GC a few hours ago, and they have a JEM Jr used for $399.99...I was thinking of seeing if they would come down a bit on price.

If I can get it for 350.00 it'll be a good throw around guitar...It definitely didn't have that JEM sound (but I figure I'll swap out the pups), and the neck felt a bit bigger, is that about the only differences?

I mean I know Indonesia and all, but it's essentially an RG dressed up for Halloween, right?
 
#20 · (Edited)
an original edge tremolo costs very close the price of the Jem Jr LOL

Ibanez is smart. They know how many people love Vai and his Jem guitars. Most people cannot afford the white Jem, so they dressed up the RG450, increased the price a little, but not much, so noobs can afford it and they still make a profit. It worked, cause that Jr sells like candy. Just do a search on youtube "Ibanez Jem" and pretty much all results are about the Jem Jr.

Also, notice how Steve says in videos that he can't tell the difference between a Sea Foam Green Jem and the white Jem. Of course, he would say that, he is trying to sell them.

Also, notice how in the "making of Woody" video. They make you believe that you will get that "WOODY". You won't get what Steve gets. The one you buy for $1,700.00 is made in Indonesia, has a low gloss finish, plastic inlay, and that Edge Pro II Trem.

I would even dare to say that the Jem7vw is overpriced and you are mostly paying for the looks and name. There is no way that the few differences between the Prestige RG655 and Jem7vw, amount to a $1800 difference in price. It is simply not possible. Unfortunately, the RG655 is plain looking. To a casual observer with no experience about guitars, they'd probably think it was a $300 one.

Plain looking dots, regular boring colors (blue, black), no ornament, nothing to make it stand out at all. Most boring looking guitar ever. It looks like a Gio.
 
#25 ·
omg... it's a conspiracy.

Come to think of it, the 1987 Jem 777 DY and SK are really just 1987 RG 550s in disguise, with some superficial flair added.

And darn... now that you mention it, the Infiniti I drive every day is just a Nissan in disguise, with some superficial flair added.

That's it.... Ibanez and Nissan/Infiniti are on the list.... those dirty scammers.

end sarcasm here.
 
#29 ·
Can I just say, the original post really comes off as pretty elitist. Regardless if the facts are correct, it comes across as being completely dismissive of newer players, or less advantaged players. A huge part of the appeal of Jems is entirely their aesthetics. You can save yourself a hundred dollars and just get an RG450... OK, but an RG450 doesn't look like a Jem. If you are a professional musician (or even an advanced amateur), then you probably aren't looking at low end guitars in the first place. What about the kid just starting to get comfortable with playing? $100 may very well be an acceptable premium to pay so they can get the look that they want. Sure, there are a ton of negatives about a Jem Jr. There are lots of better guitars at a similar price, but if they don't have the look someone is wanting, then why would they buy that other guitar?

Remember, someone in the market for a Jem Jr level guitar, is unlikely to even KNOW the difference in sound, nor are they likely to care. They are happy to have a guitar that looks cool to them, and is basically as good as the 450 that was being recommended. There are people who come to this forum BECAUSE they love these kinds of guitars, and want to learn more. I don't see the point of being so dismissive of both the guitar, AND anyone who wants to buy one. I hate Strats. I don't like the way they feel or sound. That doesn't mean they aren't the dream guitar of someone else. Not everyone who loves a Strat can afford a high dollar one, which is why they have Squires. They aren't anywhere near the level of most full Strats, but it gives people a taste of what they have lusted after. If you have something that approximates your dream guitar, you are more likely to enjoy playing. That gets you to a point where the lower quality isn't enough for you, and eventually you find a way to upgrade to what you really wanted. No players should feel ashamed just because they can't afford a $1000+ guitar.

Maybe the original post wasn't intended to be elitist. It is easy to write posts here directed towards all the people that are high end players and collectors. For those kind of people, sure, the Jr probably seems like a waste of money. For a lot of people though, they work with what they can afford, or what their skill level allows. I'm over 40, married with a son. I work a full time job in the software industry where i have been at the same company for 20+ years. I am not some fantastic player. I play what I can, to relax and give myself enjoyment. The only relatively high end guitar I own is my RG550XX. It wasn't easy for me to spare that amount of money on a guitar. I know I am not the only stable adult who has little disposable income. I would be willing to by a Jem Jr, and have no regrets, even though I KNOW the drawbacks of that guitar. It is close enough to something that I love the look of. It just bothers me that someone might read a post like the original here, and feel like this isn't the place for them. I tend to be pretty quiet around here, but the knowledge here is fantastic. If I hadn't already been around for a while, and I read a post like this, I might not bother to come back, which would be a loss for me.

Anyway, just my opinion, and maybe I am the only one who got the feeling that the original post was pretty condescending to anyone of lower skill or means.
 
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