Ibanez Premium JEM77P BFP Steve Vai Signature Electric Guitar – Blue Floral Pattern

Once again the folks at American Musical delivered my guitar unbelievably fast! At the same time I ordered a ORS guitar stand which arrived at the same time; amazing!Steve Vai writes that this is his favorite guitar and I can see why. It is rapidly becoming my favorite as well! It looks fantastic and with a minor adjustment is quite easy to play. That is, the factory setup is okay but a bit on the high side. The good news is that the guitar comes with its own set of tools. So, making adjustments is a breeze! By turning each of the adjustment screws about 1 1/2 turns clockwise, the action is quite exceptional (recommended values are in the accompanying manual).I would highly recommend both the guitar and American Musical!PS: I am a professional but am not being ... MoreOnce again the folks at American Musical delivered my guitar unbelievably fast! At the same time I ordered a ORS guitar stand which arrived at the same time; amazing!Steve Vai writes that this is his favorite guitar and I can see why. It is rapidly becoming my favorite as well! It looks fantastic and with a minor adjustment is quite easy to play. That is, the factory setup is okay but a bit on the high side. The good news is that the guitar comes with its own set of tools. So, making adjustments is a breeze! By turning each of the adjustment screws about 1 1/2 turns clockwise, the action is quite exceptional (recommended values are in the accompanying manual).I would highly recommend both the guitar and American Musical!PS: I am a professional but am not being paid for this review…

Incredible guitar. Sure, not as superbly finished as the Prestige models, but has all the good stuff.The neck is flatter and a bit wider. Every component of it is sorta customisable, (for example, some people lock the tremolo for improved tuning stability). The design is lovely too. Just note that the soldering behind the jack input is weak, I left my cable on while the guitar was resting on a stand, and after time the wire broke. Got it easily fixed. Issue with mine was that the input jack was not fully fastened, which I later corrected with a wrench.Overall, I love this guitar, it really encourages you to be creative.

In the 90's, I owned the black floral Jem. Everything about it was amazing. The sound, the feel, the way my fingers would literally bounce from note to note. It was the best guitar I ever owned. Like most musicians, I had to sell it to pay bills at some point. I saw this guitar and thought it would be a reasonable replacement. It was not. The tension feels tight. The pickups sound very "stock." The jumbo frets don't feel very jumbo. I have an Ibanez that I bought for $199.99 back in February that plays way better. I feel like the cost of this thing is based purely on the finish, the grip, and the artist it represents.

I love this GUITAR, because it is the same color as my favorite car, I've ever owned. More importantly, is the sound that came along with this beauty. The feel of the Guitar action is stupendous. I say this, because my fingering of the notes, or chords changes are effortlessly completed. The tone of the Ibanez JEM77P is shocking even in the most less expensive amplifier. To be specific, quality sound in a cheap practice amp. Prior to getting my HEADRUSH Pedal Board and Cabinet, I was playing through a $25 10 Watts Practice Amplifier. The sound, I must say again gave me more faith in buying this and more of the JEM7 Guitars, mainly because of the quality sound from playing through a practice amp. Crisp, distinct sound. When playing through my new HEADRUSH Pedal Board ... MoreI love this GUITAR, because it is the same color as my favorite car, I've ever owned. More importantly, is the sound that came along with this beauty. The feel of the Guitar action is stupendous. I say this, because my fingering of the notes, or chords changes are effortlessly completed. The tone of the Ibanez JEM77P is shocking even in the most less expensive amplifier. To be specific, quality sound in a cheap practice amp. Prior to getting my HEADRUSH Pedal Board and Cabinet, I was playing through a $25 10 Watts Practice Amplifier. The sound, I must say again gave me more faith in buying this and more of the JEM7 Guitars, mainly because of the quality sound from playing through a practice amp. Crisp, distinct sound. When playing through my new HEADRUSH Pedal Board and Cabinet from AMS I was floored by the superb sound. I have played JEM77P through my buddies amplifier that is 150 Watts. The sound was breath taking, compared to his guitars non-favorable sound with same settings. WOW!

Gem of a Jem

Sound:the pickups will handle everything from progressive shred to merle Haggard tele tones ..i was actually surprised by the number of sounds i can get from it...the humbuckers are quite a bit hotter than the middle single coil ...you'll need to make note of that when switching around to leave yourself some volume control to make up the difference...one tip for the whammy bar it doesnt have a tension bushing in the lock ring so to prevent the bar from swinging around ..which i dont prefer... just put a couple of wraps of teflon plumbers tape on the tremelo lock ring post threads ... the more tape wraps the more stiff the bar will move and stay locked in place ..Features:great neck on this guitar a little heavier than i expected...fit and finish are spot ... MoreSound:the pickups will handle everything from progressive shred to merle Haggard tele tones ..i was actually surprised by the number of sounds i can get from it...the humbuckers are quite a bit hotter than the middle single coil ...you'll need to make note of that when switching around to leave yourself some volume control to make up the difference...one tip for the whammy bar it doesnt have a tension bushing in the lock ring so to prevent the bar from swinging around ..which i dont prefer... just put a couple of wraps of teflon plumbers tape on the tremelo lock ring post threads ... the more tape wraps the more stiff the bar will move and stay locked in place ..Features:great neck on this guitar a little heavier than i expected...fit and finish are spot onEase of Use:extremely playable... no problems at allQuality:the quality is consistent with the ibanez premium brand specifications.. haven't had to do any major setups on it since i had it.. the finish seems to be more durable than past ibanez guitars i9 have owned and i dont always baby my gear ...Value:i think so i dont look at it and go "why did i do that?" lol... i think the price is fair for what you getManufacturer Support:i have several ibanez guitars.. also other brands ...only contacted them a few times ..always helpfulThe Wow Factor:im a vai fan so theres that i suppose... but i got a lot more satisfaction out of it than just that point...Overall:have always wanted a JEM series guitar and couldn't afford the upper end ones...i dont have any bad things to say about this guitar.. ..extremely versatile sound wise ..will do any style you want to throw at it... .. servicable tremelo.. although i wish it had the zero return mechanism in it.. but its fine... great looking finish and i love the fact it has a maple board... been using this for shows because it will do enough things i can leave a couple of other guitars at home... im perfectly happy with it ..no regrets

Review of Ibanez Premium JEM77P Steve Vai Guitar in Blue Floral Pattern

This is a re-issue of the early 90s JEM BFP. It is an Indonesian made model, not Japanese. That accounts for the £600 price difference. The floral pattern is not exactly the same as the 90s version, but it's close. I own a 1989 JEM 777DY, and the quality of this BFP is nearly as good. It does NOT have the top 4 scalloped frets (like all Japanese Jems), has no scarf joint (the join is further up towards the nut), and the bridge is slightly different. However everything else is top drawer. The neck is beautiful, the finish fantastic, the hardware, pickups and pick guards pretty much the same as Japanese jems. Even though it's a lot cheaper than the Japanese white JEM, I think it looks cooler. Recent JEMs have been quite understated, and this is a nice re-issue of one ... MoreThis is a re-issue of the early 90s JEM BFP. It is an Indonesian made model, not Japanese. That accounts for the £600 price difference. The floral pattern is not exactly the same as the 90s version, but it's close. I own a 1989 JEM 777DY, and the quality of this BFP is nearly as good. It does NOT have the top 4 scalloped frets (like all Japanese Jems), has no scarf joint (the join is further up towards the nut), and the bridge is slightly different. However everything else is top drawer. The neck is beautiful, the finish fantastic, the hardware, pickups and pick guards pretty much the same as Japanese jems. Even though it's a lot cheaper than the Japanese white JEM, I think it looks cooler. Recent JEMs have been quite understated, and this is a nice re-issue of one of the more flamboyant JEMs of the past. Buy it with confidence.

Shredder's Dream Come True

Overall:Always wanted this guitar since i was a kid because of the blue floral, tree of life, the handle. I never knew how easier it was to shred on this guitar than any guitar I've played on since my Washburn Dime 332. I enjoy playing again, I am playing easier because of the neck. NOTE: It requires about 5-10 minutes of playing with the tuners to setup the bridge which is easy work with the special tool that comes in the bag (which might be the greatest guitar tool ever!) and then the shred begins!! This is such a joy to look at when I'm not playing it, sometimes I take this out of the gig bag that it comes with just so I can stare at it. The sounds is just... WOW. This is easily my favorite guitar to play by FAR.

Updated review

In my 1st review I stated the pickups were weak. This is far from the truth. I didn't realize the tubes in my amp were starting to fail so the sound of the instrument was not at it's full potential. With that said the pickups are extremely hot and the guitar seems to be louder than all my other guitars. As far as quality...absolutely horrible!!! I had fret buzz on the low E string near the upper part of the neck so I had to take it to my my guy for a proper setup. It didn't take long for the buzz to return and it's not my tech who is at fault. He does all my guitars and knows what he is doing. Of my many guitars this is the only one with a continuing issue. The finish of the guitar is stunning of course and feels comfortable however I eventually noticed large glue ... MoreIn my 1st review I stated the pickups were weak. This is far from the truth. I didn't realize the tubes in my amp were starting to fail so the sound of the instrument was not at it's full potential. With that said the pickups are extremely hot and the guitar seems to be louder than all my other guitars. As far as quality...absolutely horrible!!! I had fret buzz on the low E string near the upper part of the neck so I had to take it to my my guy for a proper setup. It didn't take long for the buzz to return and it's not my tech who is at fault. He does all my guitars and knows what he is doing. Of my many guitars this is the only one with a continuing issue. The finish of the guitar is stunning of course and feels comfortable however I eventually noticed large glue marks in the screws that fasten the pick guard. Don't know how i missed it at 1st because it's extremely noticeable. Tho the sound quality is good the overall construction of the guitar is awful. I see some raving reviews about this guitar so maybe i was unlucky to get a lemon. I had the guitar past return so i traded it in and took a hit. I didn't know the guitar was made in Polynesia so maybe that has something to do with it. I have a JS24p made there and have not a single issue. This was my 1st Jem so if I ever decide to get another I will just foot the tons of extra $$$ for one made in Japan. I don't know why Musicians Friend has me listed as a certified reviewer when all products I have reviewed I actually purchased from them...??????