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My very own "Ibanez Jem", Build log

26K views 90 replies 23 participants last post by  Pirataz 
#1 · (Edited)
So, here goes nothing. For a few months now, I've been collecting parts for a complete custom build of parts for an Ibanez Jem. Well, maybe not as much a "build" in the true sense of the word, as it's more like an assembly of parts with some painting thrown in.

Parts I went with:
* Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge, Cosmo Black
* Evo pickup set (DP158/159 and ISCV2)
* Pearloid pick guard
* Mint green Volume and Tone (not 100% sure of this yet)
* VLX91- pickup selector/splitter
* Alpha pots
* Gotoh locking tuners, Cosmo Black
* Göldo Back Box, 2 of them

The color I chose, cause I wanted a blue guitar but still a bit close to Mr Vai's axe, is old Fender color Sonic Blue.

Started off with a neck built by Perle Guitars in the US, then went on to order an alder body from him as well as I screwed up trying to "Vai"-ify my old RG321 body.

The wooden parts were quite rough and required some work. For example, there was a crack of about 2 cm next to a knot in the neck which required filling with epoxy, as well as a messy hole for one of the locking-nut screw holes in the back. Fixed this with epoxy as well, not a major deal.
However, I still have not figured out how to fix the sloppy nut slot, and don't really feel like using a half shim for it, so I think I'm just gonna try my best and file the slot flush on both sides.

Here is a picture of the first time I got the body and neck together, and I also tried fitting the Edge Lo-Pro on there with some strings:



Pickups in the pick guard:


And some mock up shots of the thing painted, but nothing attached.







Would you like me to keep posting about this project?

12:th of September Update

Got some parts today, so here's a few more pictures. For these I brought out my DSLR and shot raw so I could color correct. Hopefully you'll get a better picture of the color/finish I'm going for, but you can also see the flaws in the finish.

Bare in mind, I have not yet layed the finishing color coat on the body, and there is no trace of clear coat on it as well, as I'm still waiting for more spray cans so I can get a better finish inside the input hole as well as clean up the trem route.

Here we go:


It's a blue guitar dammit ;)


Better picture of the pickguard, here with what I think will be the final plastic parts (there is a small chance I will use a tele dome knob for tone pot, but I feel it's a bit Evo wannabe)


My scalloping of the neck (filed through the marker on the bass side, 21 st fret)


(Slighty out of focus) close-up of the incredible neck made by Perle Guitars

Because of a post only allowing 10 pics, the images will unfortunately be posted separately throughout the thread. I'll try and Index the posts in this first post when I'm getting close to finish the thread, but at the moment I'm not really having issues with excessive responses in the thread, so finding my build posts should be easy.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
14:th of September Update

Not much happening now, as I'm waiting for all these parts, as well as the rest of the paint, and then I'm going to sand the body a bit (it's very rough after my initial spray job. Here are some pics:


Low lustre Danish oil attack! Oiling the scalloped frets...


Back of the beast, very rough!


Front of the beast in slightly different light than before.


Messy, and far from finished lions claw.

I've got a long way left until completion I feel, as this is my first "from scratch" build. This is also my first finish job, unless you count a LP refin I'm working on parallel to this build.

I've ordered some more parts, among which some schaller security locks and a blue strap along with it. Stringwise I'll be running 9's on this guitar, as my first string up with 10's felt stiffer than the 11's on my Tele...I went out and got some Elixir Light string, so hopefully I won't have to restring very often.
 
#7 ·
Cool, thx for the interest guys.



Yup. Looks like you are building a Jem 70V? Nice work, btw. I may use your thread as a guide for my own custom JS build. I just couldnt find a place where I can source a nice JS body and a matching 22 fret neck yet.
I love any type of guitar build thread. Your paint job came out nice, did you do it yourself? But I do have to admit, this is looking like Sea Foam Green JEM70V.
About the color; I'll try and take better lit pictures, and not use my phone (HTC One) for the rest, but it's definitely NOT Seafoam ;P

Although I like Seafoam, I kinda feel the 70V has it's own thing going, and I'll make mine a one of a kind.
I'm going with a decal from BestDecal with Silver "Ibanez" and a white ribbon-thingy.

I did the paint job myself using spray cans of Nitro, in the picture the finish is very rough with is masked by the bad qualify of the photos.

I'll share with you the mockup I did in PS that should just about sum my build up apart from minor details:

Image attached ->
 

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#11 · (Edited)
Thank you so much Mike, and Yes Billy's Yamaha is very pretty :)

Nice one Pirataz! Yup, it does not look like sea foam now. Keep us posted on the built. Complete noob scalloping? Did you scallop the neck yourself? It looks great.
Very kind of you, but I filed through to the fret marker unfortunately :/

Anyway, more pics and a question:





How can I get the thickness down of the trussrod cover? It's very thick, I think 4-ply if you count the pearl on top. I got this from Perle as well, but with the correct angle of the strings under the retainer bar, they touch the cover.

You can also see the strange inward angle of the nut slot in these pictures, which I have to fix later... *sigh*
 
#10 ·
Nice one Pirataz! Yup, it does not look like sea foam now. Keep us posted on the built. Complete noob scalloping? Did you scallop the neck yourself? It looks great.

Sebastian, its hard to find a beater JS over here. I guess owners here hold on to their JSs. :-(
 
#13 · (Edited)
You're so right, I realised this as well. Ebay-seller "swivelelectronics" confirmed they use a thinner material for truss rod covers as compared to their pickguards, but I managed to find a UK seller who stocked genuine 7V/Jem replacement parts and got a real this Ibanez truss rod cover.
I also got a cheap pearl trem cavity cover.

--- Moved to first post for better overview ---
 
#17 ·
Thx, and nah, I just make 'em for myself :)

I do like the silver claw cavity in your mock up, that sets it apart from JEM70V right there. I always liked the trim color in the cavity vs solid with the body.
It was kind of unintentional, don't think I'll do a silver/white claw.

Get some plastic wood filler from DAP.
You can work it in with your fingers into the claw.
It dries in 5 minutes.

If you see flaws before you paint, you'll see them after you paint.
A good prep job should look perfect before you paint.

Keep at it!
Fun Stuff!
Thanks, I think I will use some filler. It's the result of a cavity that was very very rough to begin with, and led me to try and smooth it out with a dremel. I succeeded quite well, but on a very close inspection it looks kind of ****ty.

No pics for ya today, waiting for parts and bravery to deal with sanding the body and trem claw.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Hi there, sorry about the lack of activity, been feeling a bit under the weather, and almost no more parts have been delivered yet...

A small update of what I've been doing during the down time:


No more fugly bumps in the finish!


Almost there with the claw, a real relief I didn't have to go down any deeper than this. You can almost put a coat of clear over this and call it a relic job ;)


Made a input jack cavity plate out of an old pick guard, and also bought a trem cavity plate. Fits like hand in glove... *sigh*


Fixed a broken machine head screw by drilling through the headstock and filling it with epoxy. Leveled and re-oiled the back of the headstock, will be practically invisible once the tuner goes back on.


View from top of headstock, will be painted blue once the paint arrives. You can also see I've put epoxy in the whole nut slot...I was not happy with the seating of it, so I will be making a new one.


Took down the shine of the danish oil in the newly scalloped frets with steel wool.


Fitted the Schaller security locks on the new shoulder strap. Love these, have them on all my straps/guitars.

Have a great weekend fellow guitarists and enthusiasts, if you have any questions just let me know.
 
#19 ·
Just for fun, I summed up what this build has cost me so far (including ordered parts and shipping), and I got this:

This build: 13,328 SEK (about 1,452 EUR or 1,863 USD)
A new JEM7V-WH: 2,590 EUR or 3,323 USD
A new JEM70VSFG: 1,190 EUR or 1,527 USD

I'm actually quite happy with these numbers, even though the economical benefit of a build like this were not my main priority.
Basically no parts have been available from shops here in Sweden, but I believe they would have been more expensive compared to Ebay anyway.

First part I bought was the neck from Perle website in early May, and when I bought it I thought I would be able to modify an old RG-body for it (RG321 in Mahogany), but I failed miserably with this mod (don't even ask for pics...)

Anyway, I expect more stuff to arrive this week, and I'll keep this thread alive with pics. and thoughts etc.
 
#20 ·
Build is ticking on in a slow pace thanks to my inexperience with finishing (how can it be so hard to get it right...?)

Anyway, here's the headstock.


The nitro paint seem to have "eaten" the edges of the decal for some reason. I'll leave it as is, can't be bothered to fix that...

Also, since I had no clue what a Jem should play like (I've never played one), I've got myself the 655 in Fire Storm Orange. This guitar is incredible, but I don't like that the bridge moves when playing fingerstyle or when you play a bit harder, so I think I'll add some Goldö back boxes to this one as well.


Nice paint job, I have a whole new respect for finish work ;)
 
#21 · (Edited)
Not feeling the love on this forum, so I won't continue posting in the thread :/

Maybe I'll post a finished project pic when I'm done in a month or two...

Bye for now.

EDIT: I changed my mind. I'm not doing this thread for comments really, but I would be nice to have some opinions on the build. However, seeing how inactive this forum is over all, has made me reconsider.
I know how much inspiration this forum has been for me in the past as a non-registered member, which is why I created this thread after all; Giving back a little.
And, checking the view-stats on my thread, I know I'm doing something right. Thx! :)

So, consider this thread reopened again, and I will move a few things around so it's easier to follow the build.
 
#22 ·
Some serious paint runs on the body I'm currently dealing with because of the chilly weather here in Sweden at the moment (when in doubt, always blame the weather).
At the moment I'm trying to level the headstock surface to the decal with clearcoat, and that takes forever with nitro lacquer, and 1 coat a day.

At the same time I'm turning a Les Paul Studio from honeyburst darkback with crappy electronics (pcb-board), into a gold top brown back with oiled neck and completely new electronics and APH-II pups. That is however a project for the MyLP-forum.
 
#24 · (Edited)
Very kind of you Wilch!

And for todays update:


Got one of these to make the finishing a bit easier, and I think it actually helps alot (no more cramping fingers)


Sorry about the lighting, it almost looks baby blue...Anyway, this is after 1 coat with the spray can handle after fixing the runs, and I think it looks great so far


Dry booth/sauna


I'm starting to get the head stock level to the logo, but I'm starting to have doubts about paint bleed into the logo...

That's it for today, waiting for things to dry, next update I think will be after the finishing is done which could take me a while.
 
#31 ·
Thanks! And Yes, there is only one model with them I can think of, and it's the JEM7V SBL

I got a few of those handle attachments for spray cans for xmas last year but haven't had a chance to use them.. do they work? looks great so far, whats with the LP???
Well, spray can finish is still spray can finish, but these make it at least a bit easier on the fingers. When it's cold, and I lay a few coats the normal way (finger on the nozzle), I normally get a bit crampy in my fingers. The handle takes care of this quite well, and in the end, I think the coats get a bit more even. This is of course individual, and I can't guarantee it's gonna do the same for you.
 
#34 ·
Guilty of enjoying the thread but adding no comments :-(

There's some excellent builds going on right now, PLEEEEZE keep it going ;-)
Of course, I've already decided to keep it alive :)

However, at the moment I'm just adding layer upon layer of glossy clear coats on the body, so I won't bore you all with pictures of that.
I may update shortly with a complete neck though.
 
#37 ·
Gotcha. I'm just waiting for the nitro paint to dry/harden, which takes about a month, but the wetsanding is all prepared for.

Im jealous. Beautiful build!
Too kind! If I can do it, so can you though. About 1-2 years ago, I was scared just to adjust the truss rod of my guitars, but you've got to be a little brave(/crazy) and you'll be rewarded in the end.
This will definately not be my last project!
 
#38 · (Edited)
Hello again Jemsite, time for me to update on my progress for those interested in this build.
I apologize for the lack of activity, but I have frankly not done that much interesting since last time, but these are a few highlights:

The body was not routed correctly to fit a standard sized pot, and I was having alignment issues because of this. So I masked it up and drew a few guide lines, and fired up the overhead router.


Pre op


Post op. Had to use the dremel for the bottom bit. Overall, for a complete freehand route it looks OK (and will never ever be seen). Now it fits perfectly!


Bridge cut out will align correctly now, very satisfied with this.


Neck is close to finished, but I still have to fix the nut slot (have not yet figured out how I will go about getting a straight, flush slot). Headstock is wet sanded and just needs a bit of polish.


Was previously going to use a set of black ferrules with square edges, but after seeing the ferrules on my RG655 were rounded, I went for this combination of screw and ferrule.


I also changed my mind on the strap for this build, and got myself a neon yellow clip-lok from DiMarzio.


First upgrade, and I've not even finished painting the damn thing :p The infamous OTA-bar:

And now, for your viewing pleasure, comes two new mock up shots so you can see the progress of the build as a whole. Thanks for following my thread, and feel free to ask anything you want.



 
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