Re: They removed all the MIJ jem to force people into PIA
I don't like the PIA, to me it's like a caricature of the JEM. The hard outline has been softened , the grip has been feminized, the vine has been altered so that it's lost its uniformity and now looks unbalanced. In fact the PIA has actually made me look towards other guitars and other brands.
BUT...
I see why some folks might like the scoop on the back of the lower horn, I think it's not orientated correctly to work, I get that a lot of people need stainless steel frets. I love the new colours, they're brilliant.
The main brilliance comes from what Rich said though, arguably the best Ibanez dealer in the world sells one of Ibanez's flagship guitar a year, because it's 25 years old and whilst there have been subtle changes (fretboard width, fretboard material and three different bridges) realistically, it's hardly changed at all in that time.
The Japanese JEM needed a refresh. I just don't think it needed THIS refresh, but time (and sales) will tell us if this was a clever move or not.