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.
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.