[xzacx]

Hey everyone -

First post here. Full disclosure, I'm a Jackson guy, and not super knowledgeable about Ibanez. But I did had a Jem555 back in the day, and I've always wanted a Swirl Universe. I didn't think 555 was the greatest guitar, but I did love the pickups. Anyway, the other day I had a chance to play an FP2, and was super impressed with it, and it got me looking around. Long story short, I came across an original FP(which I like the look of a lot better than the FP2) for under $2k. It's got some dings and missing the original case, but isn't in bad shape - the pickups don't look too faded.

Couple questions - does that price seem fair? Anything I need to be careful with on these? The seller says he thinks it's an '88, and it has an Edge trem, so that appears to be consistent (although I don't really care what year it's from.) I'd be buying it as a player, so the wear doesn't bother me a ton, but would it be worth restoring? This is something I'd plan on keeping long term, so I'm not worried about resale value, but just wondering if something that's been restored would hurt the value over keeping it as original as possible.

Thanks in advance for any info anyone can offer!

 

[jim777]

Just play it make sure you like it, that's the bottom line. I've had a few from the 80's and some were far better than others. They are my favorite Jems from a looks perspective though

 

[Hoseki]

I wouldn't worry about doing anything to it, unless you really want to. My JEM-FP got all the pink hardware removed and it looks absolutely great with a green Tone Zone and Humbucker from Hell. Black knobs and pickup selector too. They really are the best looking JEM's ever done, depending on your preferences.

 

[jim777]

I have to agree with Hoseki, the few I've seen where the pink pickups and knobs were replaced with green ones looked much better to me. If I had one that's what i would to to it, but the 7V-wh is just a better sounding guitar over all to me, and most of the time they're much cheaper as well.

 

[Hoseki]

I have to agree with Hoseki, the few I've seen where the pink pickups and knobs were replaced with green ones looked much better to me. If I had one that's what i would to to it, but the 7V-wh is just a better sounding guitar over all to me, and most of the time they're much cheaper as well.

Better sounding because of the alder body? I've always wondered about that, but I must say, my FP with a Fathead plate on the headstock and direct mounted humbuckers (took off the pickguard) sounds a lot fatter than my RG's.

 

[jim777]

Probably, yes, I think the alder body makes a difference. Whether it appeals to you is personal preference obviously, but I like it.