In Luv with Ibanez: Jem77FP; RG8570ZPA (J-Custom)

ZarK · 2010-02-17T21:55:11+00:00

Some pics of my main guitars: 1991 Ibanez JEM77FP and two new 2010 Ibanez J-Customs.

In Luv with Ibanez: Jem77FP; RG8570ZPA (J-Custom)

andrewjbryson

Sup J

Welcome to the forum man.

You joined quicker than I thought you would. Usually guys check the site out and get lazy to register.

Your going to enjoy it here.

BMU

J-Customs....floral JEM....
/uncontrollable drooling ensues.

Damn dude. Those are some mighty fine guitars.

Which year JEM is that? I had a 1990 UV, from the trem it looked like one of the very first batch made, the black & green one.

How does one go about ordering an Ibanez Custom from South Africa?

andrewjbryson

BMU, you getting some ideas there ? ?

BMU

andrewjbryson wrote: BMU, you getting some ideas there ? ?

Tell me honestly, am I *that* predictable LOL!!!! I've been toying with the idea...

andrewjbryson

I was going to ask him that very question... But decided against it, in case I end up selling my Car.

Corne

BMU wrote: How does one go about ordering an Ibanez Custom from South Africa?

Please do tell. I would love to get my RG1527M.
It wasn't sold locally.

ZarK

andrewjbryson wrote: Sup J

Welcome to the forum man.

You joined quicker than I thought you would. Usually guys check the site out and get lazy to register.

Your going to enjoy it here.

Thanx! It was mostly your doing! ? I tend to either do something 100% or do nothing at all... Not very good with the grey area in between... ? I hope to learn a lot and wish to reciprocate by sharing what I have learned over the years.

ZarK

BMU wrote: J-Customs....floral JEM....
/uncontrollable drooling ensues.

Damn dude. Those are some mighty fine guitars.

Which year JEM is that? I had a 1990 UV, from the trem it looked like one of the very first batch made, the black & green one.

How does one go about ordering an Ibanez Custom from South Africa?

You are correct. The Jem is a 1991 model. She has Frank Gambale’s signature on the back of the headstock.

With regards to ordering J-Customs. They are only available in limited numbers in Japan. Ibanez has implemented a strict policy as of 25 Jan 2010 that no J-Customs may be sold to anyone outside of Japan. (It was policy in the past, but not as strictly governed as now.) I was going to order them from Ishibashi music in Tokyo, but due to this strict policy, they actually closed their whole international orders department and had to lay off many employees. I really struggled to get them after that and had to use all my contacts in Japan to get them. It wasn’t easy and they where quite pricey… Worth every Yen though!

The darker coloured one is unplayed and up for sale if you or anyone is interested. I am looking to sell her and try to aquire another one with different pups –probably EMG’s for my metal fetish. Both of my JC’s have Dimarzio’s. If I don’t sell her, I’ll have no problem keeping her, but for now I haven’t even tuned her up, otherwise I know I won’t be able to let her go. My two JC’s are the only two of their kind in the country. Both are 2010 models.

So, if you want to purchase a J-Custom, your best bet would probably be to consider mine, unless you’re going to visit Japan soon or have contacts in Japan you are willing to trust. All Ibanez dealers are prohibited to import or export them… …which absolutely sucks!!! >☹

Clint-Green

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but seriously...there should be an 18+ section for pics of guitars such as these; this is hardcore guitar pron ?

Malkav

ZarK wrote: With regards to ordering J-Customs. They are only available in limited numbers in Japan. Ibanez has implemented a strict policy as of 25 Jan 2010 that no J-Customs may be sold to anyone outside of Japan. (It was policy in the past, but not as strictly governed as now.) I was going to order them from Ishibashi music in Tokyo, but due to this strict policy, they actually closed their whole international orders department and had to lay off many employees. I really struggled to get them after that and had to use all my contacts in Japan to get them. It wasn’t easy and they where quite pricey… Worth every Yen though!

Interestingly enough, Ibanez have now changed this policy, as of this year, I've seen quite a few posts on J-Customs that are being offered to the American Market ?

ZarK

Clint Green wrote: Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but seriously...there should be an 18+ section for pics of guitars such as these; this is hardcore guitar pron ?

No need to be sorry! ? Thank you! :-[ ?

I still love all these guitars although this specific RG j-custom has become my favourite without a doubt. Mainly because of the absolutely sublime natural tone(s) she oozes... (Probably due to the selected tone woods used in them and their perfect construction and -fit. (not to mention finish) Unlike all my previous RG's, j-custom RG's are quite heavy in weight and has a much darker (fuller?) inherent natural tone. (Somewhere between that of a Jem and a Les Paul...)

Here's some new pics that capture the colour more accurately. Very similar to your stunning customized RG, don't you agree? 8)

ZarK

Chad Adam Browne wrote: Interestingly enough, Ibanez have now changed this policy, as of this year, I've seen quite a few posts on J-Customs that are being offered to the American Market ?

True. My statement is 2 years old... Apparently Ibanez has recently decided (Pressured) to allow the sale of J-Customs in the States but in very limited numbers... I don't know if that includes the rest of the world... Personally I'd prefer them to be available all over so that more people could experience and purchase these fine instruments for themselves. After living with two of them for more than two years (the honeymoon phase has long passed) they're still without a doubt my benchmark with reference to the combination of quality, fit & finish and tone. They offer exceptional value-for-money imo... ?

Malkav

ZarK wrote: True. My statement is 2 years old... Apparently Ibanez has recently decided (Pressured) to allow the sale of J-Customs in the States but in very limited numbers... I don't know if that includes the rest of the world... Personally I'd prefer them to be available all over so that more people could experience and purchase these fine instruments for themselves. After living with two of them for more than two years (the honeymoon phase has long passed) they're still without a doubt my benchmark with reference to the combination of quality, fit & finish and tone. They offer exceptional value-for-money imo... ?

I recently read a statement from someone who's opinion I trust saying that in their experience the J-Customs they've tried have actually been better than the LACS models they've gotten to try. Just thought that was quite interesting ?

Clint-Green

ZarK wrote:
Clint Green wrote: Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but seriously...there should be an 18+ section for pics of guitars such as these; this is hardcore guitar pron ?
No need to be sorry! ? Thank you! :-[ ?

I still love all these guitars although this specific RG j-custom has become my favourite without a doubt. Mainly because of the absolutely sublime natural tone(s) she oozes... (Probably due to the selected tone woods used in them and their perfect construction and -fit. (not to mention finish) Unlike all my previous RG's, j-custom RG's are quite heavy in weight and has a much darker (fuller?) inherent natural tone. (Somewhere between that of a Jem and a Les Paul...)

Here's some new pics that capture the colour more accurately. Very similar to your stunning customized RG, don't you agree? 8)

Enough to make a grown man cry!!!

My little project was definitely inspired by these though, and actually I ALMOST went for a purple finish as well! ? In all honesty though I've never been a big fan of the vine inlays; if I had my pick it would be one with the offset dots. That is pretty much flawless workmanship right there though, gotta love our friends from Japan...sushi, Nintendo and J-Customs!!

ZarK

I'm not surprised... I know that many in the States regard them to be near (if not) perfect instruments. I've never heard of a bad batch or even a bad individual instrument... They're all consistently great from what I've read and I'm obviously basing my opinion on first-hand experience... Personally I cannot find fault with them in any respect and I'm uber-critical... I'm not even loyal to a certain brand, just stating the obvious with my praise for these instruments when I compare them with any and all other high-end guitars I have (or had) the privilege of owning and/or spending enough time with... I wish every true electric guitar lover could own or spend some quality time with a j-custom. They certainly opened my eyes as someone who had already owned a number of instruments regarded as top-of-the-range in their respective brand lines... I wish more 'big brands' would take note of what level of finish and quality is possible at a certain price point before seemingly just slapping a price on their instruments just because of the brand's name... If you have a respected brand name, I believe you have a responsibility to honour the client base that built the name in the first place by offering the absolute highest quality if you're charging a premium or at least offer a price-point that matches the quality -if perfection is not the aim... (Owning j-customs has to a certain extent spoiled my affection for certain other guitars, unfortunately, because I now know what is possible and I find it hard to accept less -unless the price makes up for the difference in quality and finish...) One brand that's getting it right imo is Fender. The modern US Strat's I've played of late and the one I currently have offer exceptional quality-for-money imo...

ZarK

Clint Green wrote: Enough to make a grown man cry!!!

My little project was definitely inspired by these though, and actually I ALMOST went for a purple finish as well! ? In all honesty though I've never been a big fan of the vine inlays; if I had my pick it would be one with the offset dots. That is pretty much flawless workmanship right there though, gotta love our friends from Japan...sushi, Nintendo and J-Customs!!

☹ Agreed... I've shed a few myself in disbelief...

The vine inlays are veeeery bling... I'd definitely settle for a JC without them and would even be happy if it didn't come with a flamed maple fretboard binding... The older models came out without the vine and binding + had the offset dots... I can see one of those in my future with a Lo-Pro Edge...

Your 'little' project is a majour rebuild in my books and I'm thrilled by the end result! You've taken a GREAT rock guitar and just made it so much better with regards to looks and components + it's one-of-a-kind. I'm very happy for you...

I chose purple because it's a mix of red and blue. When I'm in a certain mood, a red (warm) guitar inspires me to be creative. Similarly in another mood, I'm more inspired by the cool of blue... With purple I'm inspired either way... Maybe strange to look at it that way but that is/was my logic behind the decision... ?