I've got the new Ibanez JEM Jr. which looked just like the real deal. Let's hear whether it can also match the tone. Both guitars are not modified. I tried to cover Steve Vai's Sister and For the Love of God
Will sound identical with the same pickups. All electric guitars do. The woods make zero difference to the plugged in sound. The woods are Just sales shit to keep the surfs spending and the rich living tax free in their mansion-houses
Hearing the difference is only one thing. How they feel, how they can be adjusted, how they perform at loud volumes and over time, how they stay in tune etc - there are many more things that are just as important.
100% I do like listening to guitar demos but I mostly want hear someone say how something feels compared to something else. At least if I’m considering buying something.
@@ShihTzuPosting They don't feel the same because the Jr has a Wizard 3 neck profile with Jumbo frets and the 7V has the Jem neck with 6105 frets. However, unless you back-to-backed them, you may not care. Swapping guitars just takes a few minutes acclimatisation and you're good. Alternatively, you can do what I did. Take a Power Sander to the back of the neck. Slim the depth at 1st fret to 17.5mm and 12th fret to 18.5mm. Reprofile to a gentle "C". Scallop frets 21-24. Re-finish with 3 or 4 coats of Tru-Oil and buff with "0000" Steel Wool. Voila! Virtually identical to the 7V. Impossible to tell in a blindfold test
@professorstein True but given the huge price difference, that's something that can easily be rectified by a little set-up/fettling and (if necessary) replacement of a few components. I own both and there's not that much between them.
Tyreek Murillo about the sustain and etc, theyre just a few easily solvable things, they are two absolutely different guitars un terms of Woods and etc, that actually sound really close, un going to spend 500 un my jr and itll end Up being a Monster sounding axe with nothing to do with the 7v, but still great and trully good looking, i trully recomend that guitar
to be honest I kind of don't hear a difference and they look the same but I watch this video because my son wants Jemjr. I think I will get it for him he's 12.
Tampatec get your kid a fender strat and let him learn the blues if not get your young man a ESP ltd kh202 tbh idk how much the jem jr is but if you're willing to put in the money he'd love this one the esp ltd kh602
I actually built a copy and put good pickups/gear in it and its friggin amazing. A jem is probably the perfect first guitar other than price. I can get strat tones, lp tones.. pretty much anythign i want out of it. It's a "one guitar that does it all" guitar
My first guitar was a fake strat it was ok quality but if your just starting out with guitar playing dont get such an expensive one after all your son is only 12 and probably isnt committed to the craft of guitar playing once your sure hes good with a shit guitar and is committed to playing then you can get him a nice guitar
Laguna Zancruz For Ibanez RGs basswood body X alder body made difference. If you change the pafs for evolutions on elders jem you almost can’t note the difference. Because the 80’s jem had basswood with maple scale. And the 90’s comes with alder body and dark fingerboard.
Yep friend of mine bought one we changed the tremolo to an original floyd and placed dimarzio evolution pickups in and it sounded like my jem which cost 2500 usd.
Jervis Tetch Yousician who cares about the body. I’m talking about the hardware that you can hear. I would make the body out of carbon fiber if I could afford it but it really doesn’t make a lot of difference to me.
Wasnt watching the video, just listening to the sound. No difference whatsoever that justifies the price difference. I'd be seriously happy with a JEM Jr!
thanks, i been playing for 30 years and had to sell all my stuff last year to take care of my step son. now i'm back on my feet but cant afford my dream guitar, a ibanez PIA. i cant afford a jem either, but i think even at 40 years old maybe i can enjoy this jem jr. for the 500 dollars.
I upgraded from my LTD Viper-10 to the Junior. And I personally was blown away. I didn't really know what they meant by a "fast playing neck" but I do now lol. But I've had an amazing experience with my JemJr.
Hi, I owned a Jem 7v, fell out of love with it, sold it and then a few years later I missed it. I bought the Jem JR on a whim and wow - it is crazy... yes there is difference but not over a thousand notes difference. With a tweak on your DAW or effects rig, you can get 99% of the tone. Honestly. PS.. normally I find you get a lot more when you pay a lot more but today's not that day.
sure?? it's a warmer mahogany body vs a brighter alder body... A lot of people talk about the big difference between the ebony and rosewood fretboard on 7VWH Jems (I don't agree with that.. bet them all to tell the difference only by hearing), but here the difference is bigger, not only the pups
To my ears, the 7vwh sounds brighter on clean and sustains better with distortion. The lack of brightness would likely be the difference in body wood ( mahogany vs alder). The Jem Jr. with Evolution pickups would probably sound like a beast!
appart from the clean part, where the 7v has a bit more sparkle than the jr , I hear very little difference. At this level of processing on the sound I believe that the amp and effects are a lot more defining for the sound than the pickups or the guitar used.
You may not hear perceptible differences in sound (our computer speakers tend to prevent us from hearing the details) but there is a huge difference in the way the guitar feels. The way the palm feels on the bridge, how that bridge works and reacts (actually you can see clear visual differences between the Jem´s bridge and the Juniors). And unplug the two guitars and you'll also hear differences in resonance and sustain. In other words, the Junior is a beautiful guitar and does sound "similar" to a Jem, but it clearly feels like a cheaper guitar [sorry for my crappy english]
thank you for choosing my favorite steve vai song to demonstrate these two guitars, perfect choice for a video. this was a helpful and very practical comparison. i enjoyed the sounds on both guitars, but i would go with the 7vwh due to its warmer, fuller tone and better build quality and components. but the jem jr is an exceptional instrument for the money. i would totally but this for my child if he wanted to play guitar. the japanese 7vwh is my favorite guitar ever!
@@jem555bkk your welcome, and you had the best choice of song of any comparison video ive ever seen on youtube, hats of to you, you did it properly with the melodic song. i would love to see you do steves "liberty song " video comparison one day. my wife is japanese, thats also why i love japanese guitars. they have excellent build quality! correction-i made a presumptious mistake in my first message when i said that the 7vwh is my favorite guitar ever. its is not, its the 1988 ibanez jem floral pattern, which in my humble opinion is the greatest guitar ever made and the 7vwh is my second favorite. there is a video you need to see by a guy named max cirillo on youtube talking about the 1988 ibanez jem and "why it might be the best guitar ever made" check it out and youll see why its my favorite guitar of all time. type it in youtube with the same heading i wrote and youll find it quick.
I fitted a fatter 34mm Brass Block to the Standard DL Trem of my Jr - a £20 upgrade. Then I tested the sustain time of the Jr against my MIJ and Premium Jems (both with Edge Trem). The Jr now sustains 30% longer than either of the others. No need to spend lots of money for better sustain...
@@stryk9rockr you'll need way more than that to make it play like a 7v. i have the JR, the neck looks and feels cheap, the trem sucks, the pickups suck, it needed a full fret level and setup straight from the factory as well. okay first guitar, but i wouldn't buy another
Both sound great! All I could say is that the Jr just sounds a little less "full" in the tonal range? Visually the thing that struck me the MOST is the beautifully polished Ebony board on the 7v.......... Both appeared to play very nicely but then that is obviously a very subjective thing. Given the price difference, I would say the Jr is a GREAT buy!!!
The Jem 7 is rounder, defined, warmer tone. Well considering difference of the pick up used on the two guitars, for sure it should be a factor too. Also the bridge. Another is the body used. I thought the Japanese JEM used an American Alder which sound rounder and has good resonance. On the Jem Jr which used Mahogany that is also a factor. If I get a Jem Jr I would definitely change the pickups, not bad and can be greatly improve.
I own the JEM7V WH for 10 years, it's just brillant and flawless. I played the Jr in a guitar shop and thought this was quality wise extremely disappointing, felt really cheap. You can't have top features at Macca's price point. You get what you pay for.
They sound massively different. I guess the Jr could be improved a lot by fitting in a set of Evolution pickups and a Lo Pro Edge or even better an original floyd rose pro, and it would sound 99% like the JEM7v but cheaper. Does the neck feel too differently?
The cheaper whammy bar system in the JR has much less sustain. From my own experience, I am also under the impression that the JR is quite low on flageolet response. This may be connected to the low sustain. Well, no wonder for an amazingly affordable guitar that costs just 100 bucks more than a naked Floyd Rose trem - _without_ the guitar. Also, great playing! Thanks for the vid.
Damn, Junior put up one hell of a fight. And with different pickups I bet it would be so hard to tell the difference. But for I'm sure if you're the type to play 1000 hours, the subtle details/differences are worth the extra grand for the real JEM; more sustain, and tone overall sounds a tad more grandiose and spacier (and as someone mentioned earlier; a little warmer). For someone just starting the JEM Junior is a dream, but for someone whose played, you pay these huge sums for these seemingly minute differences, because you these smaller differences are the things you absolutely fall in love with over time.
There was definitely a difference. The 7v does have a slightly warmer tone and more sustain. Also, for me, the overdriven tones sounded a bit "cleaner" if you can understand what I mean. The Jemjr is a $400-$500 guitar while tje jem7v is a $2700-$2800 guitar(sorry if the prices aren't exact, I was transferring them from euros to dollars so they are fairly close at least) My opinion is that the jem7v is a guitar for semi-pro and pro players. Basically for players who have gigs quite often as the sound difference isn't equal to the price difference. If buying a guitar you can enjoy playing at home and further improve your guitar skills, I heartfully recommend the jemjr as it is a great guitar for a great price. I hope this helps some people who are thinking what to buy and if you disagree with any of my claims, please feel free to respond to the comment as I'd love to see other people's opinions.
The biggest upgrade the jem jr needs is a higher quality floyd rose and a nice brass tone block. That is what fixes the sustain problem. The quantum pickups are surprisingly good. Still deciding if I want to swap them.
I gotta assume that both guitars have a very great sound and it gets complicated to distinguish them sometimes. However, as a Jem 7V owner, I need to say that a guitar is a bit more than just sounding good... When you're a stage musician, it has a lot to do with reliability, toughness and stability on the tremolo bridge in this case. I have already owned a RG350 DX, that is basically a Jem Jr without the monkey grip and lion's claw, and it wasn't as trustworthy as my Jem... Well, for those intending to buy a guitar for recordings and home playing, the footage is self-explanatory about buying a USD 3500.00 guitar. Good work on the video :)
obviously the jem jr is A tremendous guitar for the money. If Steve Vai was stranded on a dearest island with it ,or if it was the first jem he ever was presented with, he would love it.I say, buy it and put the Di Marzio pickups in it ,and you have pretty close to getting same guitar. I would play one in a heartbeat,if I could get a left handed model.
Knowing Ibanez, there is probably a significant difference in build quality and feel between the two. Unlike some manufacturers, Ibanez can usually justify their price difference.
Throw a thick tone block from FUtone and some EVO pickups would come pretty close....the pickups and the weak trem in the Jr is whats killing its sustain..
I have a horrible case of tinnitus and I can rarely tell the difference between guitars, but I definitely can between these two. Which is a good thing considering the cost difference.
I really enjoyed your playing. I can tell you're a true student of Vai, with your pinch harmonics and that sliding up or down the fretboard into your note. To my ears, your technique makes the song sound very consistent from one guitar to the next. If you played this on a $99 Squier, it would probably sound just as good. The only difference I hear--as others have noted-- is the JEM Jr.'s lack of sustain. I suspect the lower-mass tremolo block may be the culprit. Having said that, for the money the Jr. is tough to beat!!!
Put a brass block on that bridge and your set! I put a brass block on my Floyd Rose Special on my Jackson Dinky and it is night and day. Thanks for the video. I have decided to buy one! :)
The 777 is bright the Jr is warm. However they both sound good. I think the 777 is more responsive and better sustain though. However i dont mock the jr it sounds good.
There is very little sound difference between an Epiphone and Gibson LP. However, one feels premium and the other feels less so. Pride of ownership also comes into it.
Great video! I recently also did a review of the Jem Jr on my channel. I hear the difference but it's minimal at best. The Jr is a great value in my opinion. If both guitars had the same pickup would we hear a difference? Probably not. If you by the Jr and swap out the pickups you have a great guitar and you can buy lots more gear with the change! Cheers!
Just upgrade the pups, pots, trem and maybe do some scalloping if you want lol and you will have what will be very close to a jem but saving quite a bit of money.
I bought a Jem Jr WH last week. Put in a Fatter 34mm Brass Block on the Trem and gave it a set-up. It's a beast! Sustains 25% longer now than either my Jem70V or Jem77FP2 (which have identical sustain thanks to same trem & body wood). The Jr's Quantum pups are absolutely fine. Trem stability is spot on (so far..). Flawless paintwork & build quality. A great guitar for those wanting Vai style on a budget and a modder's delight. There's a full 'Evo' cosmetic makeover coming up for mine...
Thanks for the great videos. JR seems to be very good and even sounds very similar, but you definitely lose in sustain (and it does sound a bit cheaper). But if you change pickups and tremolo block, you get very close for the money. Did you use same string set on both guitars?
The JEM7v has a distinctly better tone in all ranges. It has more beef in the tone. The JEMJr seemed to be mostly highs without any really nice low end. I mean I'm not going to complain about how it sounds for the price that it is. Not to mention a simple pick up change out later is not an issue whatsoever.
The issue, which is really stupid. I was a 80's rocker and still am jamming (all kinds of music) all these videos are recorded through computer. I love it and dig but it is so nice playing through a half stack and some pedals, smoking a little and jamming. Peace 🕊️.
I think jem 7v is the best and it sustain more than the jem jr. I have jem 7v but it manufacture in korea so its fake than original manufacturer in Japan.
There are no fake Korean guitars my friend. Just because it says USA doesn't necessarily mean it's noticeably better, other than the overpriced tag. 😉👍
The weird thing is I am a die hard Steve Vai fan. Had an old UV7BK and I can say Steve's guitars were meant to sound nasal and I feel the top end is bordering on muffled. If I get my hands on a 7V or a 555 I would always look into modding them with non-Vai signature pickups. Have no experience with his recent ones though
Honestly, I'm a novice. But I couldn't hear the difference. I wasn't watching for the change. I think I'm going to get a used JR from a friend, with a changed out upgraded floyd rose tremelo. For about $300 shipped. I am going to do a little work like changing the pick guard to one that isn't drawn on. Lol. Artistic flare vs plain Jane. I go for plane Jane or pearl white.
i like only playing my own style; that way I'm not copying anybody and i can focus on being all original and nobody can say i ripped this, or that guy off....
i've own 555 (very early version when it just came out), 7VWH and 7SFG. The sound profile is almost similar however, Jr has thinner sound and less sustain, 7VWH sound fuller and more projection, 7SFG is in-between. The difference in the tones is due to the wood of the body, so the wood use for the guitar overall is equally important. But overall the EVO pickup maintains similar sound profile. I love EVO pups.. my other guitars are using EVOs too. And surprisingly, one of my Yamaha RGX420 DZ2 sounds quite good with EVO pups, has clarity and sound really crispy and clean. Whatever it is, EVO ftw! 🤣
The difference is with the 7v you'll sound more like steve vai and the jr you'll be sounding less than him. But that's okay with me, cause you are born original don't die as a copy. Jr will make room for your playing type and will let you discover your tone. With 7v it will always be too much like steve vai.
the jem jr is a great guitar for the price and the tiny difference in sound is due to difference in pickups and upgraded hardware wish is easy interchangable
The difference on the clean is evident, but to be honest the jr is not that bad when it's distorted. Obviously the 7v has much more sustain, but i think it's because of the high end pickups. Not saying it's the same guitar, but hey, at least they tried.
Well if you ever played a Japanese Jem you know they are worth what they cost. For what it costs the Jr fit and finish is better than what you usualy get. Never tried a premium Jem yet.
JEM JR is not even a shadow of JEM7V- Much more definition, warmth and sustain! I am sure that overall made quality is not comaraple with JEM7V! Ok, JEM JR sure is not garbage, and not everyone can aford JEM7V- I CAN NOT TOO! But I hate when people are not realistic in these kind of things........ Just from the moment when you pick up one Ibanez prestige guitar like JEM, JS or something like that, you realise that JR or something in this 500 euro class feels like shit.....with not even plug in guitar into the amp.... when you do that, things than become obvious! GOLDEN RULE - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR!
if you want to sound like steve, get the expensive one. i would recommend getting both. one to take on the go and the other for serious performances. either you want to save money or be serious....if you can't afford the expensive one the jr. is close enough to make an awesome performance. the jr has exceptional quality in comparison to all other guitars. don't let the price make you think it is no good. it is the best you can get for the price.
i have tried them both and i prefer the sound of the jem jr. but the whammy bar set up on the jem 7v is much better. if you want to have a sound like steve it is probably best to go with the more expensive one however i don't like steves sound personally. his skill is superior but the rig set up is not something i would personally prefer. i prefer something more like evh sound set up. steves amp and pickups are weak in comparison.
The Jem JR Quantum pickups sound a bit lifeless compared to the Evo's, with much less sustain and high-frequency harmonic content etc... definitely not bad for the price though! I just grabbed one of these Jem JR's off of eBay and will probably put a PAF Pro in the bridge at some point. Thanks for the comparison video!
Yo tengo las 7 v y con las pastillas DiMarzio más un ampli Bugera el xxxl de 120 vatios con una pantalla 4 cosas que aguanta 200 vatios lleva tres canales les algunos sonidos de alucinar
The 7v sounds a bit more articulated. Notes are ringing out a little more. The Jr sounds a little bit muddier, but as an owner of a Jr myself I think it sounds good, and very close for a $500 guitar
I wonder how many people are commenting on this based upon watching rather than just listening to the video? Close your eyes. Even with really good quality headphones, I doubt you can tell which guitar is which. I own both guitars. Even the difference in feel is nominal. Yes, the neck is a little thicker on the Jr and it needs a brass block to fix the sustain issue. Otherwise, there is virtually no difference. Just cosmetics & cork sniffery..
There's definitely much less of a difference when you begin to overdrive them. On the clean channel there's a bigger difference. Time to upgrade my Jem Jr's pickups. THANKS FOR NOTHING! /s
JEM JR would sound just as good as the original if you only change the pickups to DiMarzio EVO. This is what makes difference and it's a 150 dollars upgrade.
The difference is so subtle, if you want the Jem 7v apperance and sound, but can only afford the Jem Jr, just change the pickguard and fit some evolution pickups. The only weakspot on the Jem Jr is the bridge, but this is easy to uprade with a straight swop with a german made one. So why pay thousands for a Jem 7v ?
JR is an excellent value but I appreciate the difference and at that point it's like 2 seconds for a 100m runner. close but. the evo is far beyond in brightness and sustain. to me a lot. the jem 7V has a dream of a nek. I wonder try the Jr's one. but for 500$ no much to say other than it's a veeeeeeeery good trade.
Those notes on the Jr. just seem to die. Like stopped dead in their tracks. Poor sustain. Could be lots of things - strings, pickups, body, trem.....who knows (maybe all of them combined) - but just not as good as the 7v
The Jem jr is a bit more beefier compared to the 7v but it seems the Jem jr you certainly get your bang for your buck especially with an extra 150-200$ to put evo pickups in it wouldn't tell the difference considering the wood to build Jem and Jem jr are exactly the same pieces and types
I closed my eyes and had a hard time telling when the guitars were switched. Playability is more important than tone with this kind of setup, since so much comes from the amp/effects
Furthermore the video can't show the difference with the Jumbo frets (jr) and W/6105 frets w/Prestige fret edge treatment (7v). While you play the difference is huge
Can someone please tell me? Is buying a jem worth it? To spend money on changing the cheap floyd rose bridge,pickups etc cost a lot of money. So please tell me is it worth it? Will the value of the guitar rise with upgrades? I’m tempted but I don’t know what to do. Please help!!!!! And is a guitar better with a tremolo or not. I’m new and confused!!!!
