The Jem Jr can be a decent guitar. Especially with a little work/extra finishing at home. However QC at the Factory is variable so many owners report that the paint finish in body cavities etc. and quality of fretwork etc. isn't consistent. If buying in a store, try a few and pick the best one. The Trem is definitely the weak point but can be improved. People love upgrading their Jr's but I don't see much point in spending lots to try and recreate a Jem 7V-WH. IMO it makes more sense to save the extra money in the first instance and buy a used Premium Jem. The Jem70V-SFG is still the best 'bang for the buck' and is fitted with the Dimarzio Evo pups and original Edge Tremolo as standard. The same units Mr. Vai uses... Contrary to your comment the best/most popular replacement Tremolo for the Jem Jr is the Gotoh 1996T. It's made from high quality materials and is a direct replacement. My only minor 'criticism' of the 1996T is that the baseplate is a slightly different shape and so doesn't fit the body cavity quite as perfectly. I bought 'my' Jem Jr mildly used for approx. 40% MRRP and didn't want to spent huge amounts upgrading it. I made two cheap mods to the Trem that I can recommend. Softer Noiseless springs (provide a much more sensitive/delicate trem action) and a 33m Brass Block (improves the sustain of the guitar massively). My son has been abusing the guitar for a couple of years now without the need to sharpen knife edges... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
You should soften the edges of the post and just barely touch the fulcrum points on the trem plate. Remove burrs and give a light oiling that gets wiped off. That should prolong the wear life of the trem plate ...I did this to a Pacifica years ago and it still plays great to this day! By years ago I mean 14 years and it still maintains tune unless you break a string.
You had some good info in this video but maybe in the future, you could give the info in about 1/3 of the time. Other than that, it was pretty helpful. Good luck with your channel.
Isn't that the case with alot of RU-vid videos? People take so long to say so little. I don't get it. In a world where people's attention spans are getting less and less why do people have to pontificate so much?
I agree with what you said. I also have no issue with the tuners as its a locking nut. I replaced the bridge system with a genuine floyd rose, keeping the original pegs on mine . The frets on mine were perfect. No issue with posts but clunky switch. But it works
Got the same guitar and you are correct about the frets.I could feel it easy.Used about 45 min polishing the frets.A great neck i think.I am designing a type trem that act like a fixed bridge but when press the trem arm you can dive or raise the tone similar to floyd rose but with a different arm to trem mechanichs.
I don’t think those are Gotoh on the import models. Gotoh was the OEM manufacture of the more sought after original edge, edge lo pro bridges typically found on the ibanez out of the fujigen factory in Japan, those had interchangeable knife edges that were solid steel and locking trem posts, and were made out of a dense cast metal. After market Gotoh floyd trems like the 1996 are very high quality as well and some of the nicest you can get. They are all hardened solid steel, including the base plate, with a brass block, and also feature locking trem posts. Those Floyd’s on the Indonesian and Korean ibanez Guitars are mostly zinc and pot metal, and are thinner as well. The same with some of the 90’s Jackson’s with the takeuchi trems. Not at all like the gotohs
You might be right. I really liked the original edge trems. Except I remember everyone broke the pop-in trem arms like they were make of pretzels or something. We used to joke they should sell replacements in 5 packs. I have heard the Gotoh 1996 both is and isn't a drop-in replacement. I don't know which to believe. It's about the stud spacing. I will try it one day.
You kinda missed the real flaw in this guitar which I also own! Yes the frets were needing polishing bad. Yes the tone pot is really limited. Yes the paint has thin spots. The biggest flaw is the Indonesian”pot metal” tremolo block is pure total crap! By replacing the existing tremolo block with a 37mm Big Bell Brass block solves the No Sustain problem, which it’s biggest problem! Also adding a total of (5) (Silent) quality vibrato springs for perfect 0-point return is a must! ⭐️Key point⭐️Nut sauce on the fulcrum pivots will highly reduce the wear of the bridge and almost guarantee 0-point return. Last most important! Buy a String Streacha! $12.00 plus shipping. It stretches all six strings equally (without) damage! ⭐️It Will Stay In Tune!!! Even with .008’s -.036 Roto-Sound Greens.
No the only real fix for this thing is to throw it in the garbage those bridges are made out of inferior metal you said it yourself. The metals not hardened not heat treated whatsoever. Plus the post are made of the same garbage metal. The metal has to be heat treated for it to be hardened.
@@maxammo6282 we agree on the Piece ‘o shit bridge. After many hours of searching, this beautiful china doll is just that A FOURFOOTAMORE! Looks great from 4 foot or more! PeAce ☮️ Max ( the string STREATCHA ) is a great product! Try one ☝🏻 $ 13.00 clams plus the Uncle Sam’z part .
i've got the white one left handed and it is amazing. the tremolo works perfectly. dimarzio quantum pickups. the frets were smooth as silk the neck is slick and fast. this guitar can do anything.
No way dude! I have the exact same left handed one as you too. Mine is also great as well. I agree about your points. Mine is just as good. Love mine !!!
Excellent video. My white jr. still stays in really good with moderate trem usage. My plan is to drop a gold Gotah 1996t in it eventually. Love that gold on white look. Thanks for sharing!
Finally someone who talks about the frets and the bridge. I've got the exact same problems on mine, including the paint, but that's not a big deal. I want to replace the bridge with a Schaller but I'm still thinking if the cost is worth it considering the guitar's price.
Well, at least youre not going to spend 4-5K on a real Jem777. I think the Schaller Floyd Rose would be a great addition - I remember them being great on the Jackson Guitars.
A silicon coating on the post edge - Consider also a small buffer - which will solve that completely. I've even replaced the posts with different posts. It's less the knife edge on the tremolo than it is the posts. I've seen guys put rubber on the posts, which mutes the tone somewhat, but completely eliminates the problem. The point it to remove the metal on metal aspect and not affect the tone. Even porcelain would be better than metal.
Most cheap Floyds usually start giving issues after a few years of owning them. I had to put a gotoh 1996t on my Jackson Kelly since the Floyd special kept breaking my strings randomly from the trem. The posts are longer than a original Floyd but I put credit cards underneath the bridge when I switch strings since I can’t turn the posts to unclench/clench the strings. Works like magic
The major flaw: it badly needs green vol+tone pot caps! I think the Gotoh trem will fit and that is the best locking trem out there, so much extras like, brass block, rounded saddles, push-in trem arm.
Apply Vaseline with a Q-tip on the Trem posts and the knife edges wont wear out. Take it from another Jem Jr owner. Replace the nut block screws when they strip out. I got mine for free when I asked the guitar tech nicely at Guitar Center. That saved me after I discovered a Gotoh didn’t fit because the original Ibanez nut mounting screws into the nut wasn’t perfectly centered. I didn’t want to fill and redrill new nut mounting screw holes.
Yeah In order for Ibanez to keep these Indo made Rg's at the same price point as they have been forever it seems, they have to cut costs in different places, which a big cost cut is the horrible DL Trem. but thank goodness Ibanez decided to make that Trem compatible to direct swap w/ Real Floyds/Schallers/Gotoh's. So easy upgrade. All of my Indo made RG's that come w/ the DL gets swapped immediately.. Matter of fact when i order a new guitar, I also order a Trem. And I usually always eventually swap the tuners for locking only cause it makes changes so much easier.
I just bought this same guitar and am looking to upgrade to a floyd rose. Do you have a recommendation on which one to get? I don't want to buy one that's incompatible or the nut size is way off
I have a video on this coming up. The concerns are post width and trem block height. The posts need to be 74 mm wide. The trem block looks to be around 34 mm tall. German Floyds (Schaller made) don't have a 34 mm block available. They have 32 and 37 mm available. I tried the 37 and it did not work. You will see this in the video. I had to do some work to get my Schaller trem to work, but it does work. It works very well. As for the nut, the closest Schaller-made nut is maybe the R8. However, I think Gotoh makes a nut that is closer in size and string spacing. I kept the existing nut in place for now. All this, failures and all, will be in the video.
@@jazzymcgee2273 I used original German made Floyd Rose original. Fits right in, even on the posts already there, but the posts that come w/ the floyd fit perfectly as well.
@DIY Guitarists I've heard that the floyd rose 37 mm blocks do fit but you have to keep that back cover off. Heard it adds sustain using the bigger block? Im looking forward to the vid!
After many more hours with this beast, it’s finally coming together. I think pick-ups would be a good upgrade due to being stereophonic and the 5 way switch is crap like you said. An all parts will fix that cheap enough. What do you expect from Indonesia made instruments@ $550 -$600 usd with case included
I wish they still offered it in Green. I got the Yellow for $424. It was marked as a "Blem". The monkey grip wasn't sanded. No big deal. Pickups are awesome. Great harmonics when used with a BOSS 7 band EQ pedal. The Tremolo does suck. The bar won't stay tight and the thing goes out of tune like crazy. I just ordered a Gotoh GE-1996T so hopefully that'll improve things. I did add Green knobs and a Pink cap on the pickup selector switch. I just need to get some Pink paint for the claw.
I bought this guitar last week ...fir the price its amazing...bought it because I'm a vai fan ....I have no issues...great video ..but do t get why he needs to do this ...buy the expensive version ..job done
A trem setter will fix that tremelo issue. After I put one on mine the tuning stability has been impeccable and I abuse my whammy bar at almost every gig because I do play in an 80's band where I do a lot of 80's shred. My Jem Jr. has been my main guitar now since I got it back in December.
I love my 270, with shark tooth inlays. It has the string thru type trem. I have no issues with tuning. Can't explain it but it actually sounds great as is. And plays awesome. Best $150 I spent on a guitar
It’s a neat guitar, I’ll say that much. I have a friend who I got into guitar this past winter, gave him the pros and cons of all the guitar brands sold in town (Fender, Jackson, Gibson, PRS, Ibanez) and we went to the Ibanez store mainly cause I’ve known the guy there for years and he does for a bit to. And he saw this and wanted it instantly. I did have him try the other stuff there (Gibson’s, used fender strats) and he liked this more for the neck thickness which YES is thin but that’s my complaint with it, the Wizard2/3s are dumb thick (19/21mm) and I’ve got a guitar with (RG465M) but it doesn’t get played because of that. I prefer the Wizards on my 550s/Jems (which the old ones almost the same size at 18/20ish.) But the new 565 I just got with the 17/19, no looking back. The tremolo… it’s not great but it’s not bad. I will say if you wanna do more tremolo work, get a Gotoh 1996T, designed and made by the same people who do the best one (Edge) and it’s just as good if not the same. The pickups are great for the price, they make noise. Oh and the most glaring issue. ITS NOT DESERT SUN YELLOW!! WHY!! It’s freaking cheddar cheese yellow. Which is a good yellow yes but it’s paying homage to the original 777 and it looks off. The other JR got Shocking Pink I mean… I mean looking at this from a “beginner is gonna buy this, it’s cool” I think that’s great. If your looking at this from this point of view. If your wanting a JEM style guitar to mod, I think it’s great. A lot of people are doing JR mods and even making like Floral JRs, Swirl JRs, LNG JRs, etc, idk
I found the spring loaded stops add a significant "notch" to movement. They are certainly more stable, you are right, but they change the smooth action of the trem. Had one in for 20 years maybe before it annoyed me though.
Mine seemed excellent, I bought a "Jr." because it travels with me in a semi truck, and taking a $3K axe on the road seemed risky. I had it set up by a pro. About a year later, the 2nd fret started pulling up under the high E and B strings, causing a sitar sound when fretting anything on the 1st fret, high E or B string. I have previous experience with the lower level Ibanez tremolos, and fully expect the knife-edges to get boogered up over time, a sore spot with me.
I like your user name. I remember back in the 80's, Neal Schon and Sammy Hagar released an album under the name : H.S.A.S. and the 2-word review that I read for it, I think in Musician magazine was "Fred Zeppelin".
@@diyguitarists5069 had no issues with the term except I didn’t fit the gotoh term posts as I didn’t want to drill the guitar. Other than that it was perfect.
I didn't have an issue with the Ibanez trem at all on my Jem Jr., but I did have an issue with the quantum pickups! I think they're trash and not good for much. However your options are limited for switching out pickups because the body route is extremely *shallow making it difficult to install any decent potted humbucking replacement pickup. I suppose you could try increasing the route depth but it could be *risky.
New subscriber!. Thanks for covering working on the knife edges …I’ve never seen a video on that before… you made it look very easy. I’m gonna check to see if you’ve got a video on the Floyd Rose set up and tuning but I saw a video done by Steve Vai‘s tech and love his approach: put the ball end at the tuner side. That totally was a game changer for me in terms of tuning stability.
Just change out the bridge. Most anything will be better than stock. The Schaller has been rock-solid for ages now. The Gotoh 1996 is cheaper though and should work great too.
Maybe you should try to lubricate those knife edges with some kind of solid lubricant like grease oil to decrease the speed of abrasion. Little drops of it will be adequate.
It's not the retail Gotoh, but I think they still supply this junior version. But if I'm wrong, it's no big deal. Get the retail Gotoh and it'll be fine. Avoid the cheap trems from any brand and you'll be better off.
thing i hate about this axe is the trem....they could have easily put an edge(gotoh) bridge on there instead of that shitty trs....might bring the price up fifty bux. The frets are no surprise with regards to being unpolished...easy fix with steel wool and elbow grease. The edge bridge is made by gotoh.... the trem u have is made by Takeuchi. Put the gotoh(edge) bridge in it....same as vai. I have a 1990 rg 550 dx with the original edge bridge and it still stays perfectly in tune after 30 years....and yes, i use the bar a lot.
The Gotoh GE1996T is about the best bang for the buck trem out there. It holds up to the OFR. Gotoh makes the high end Ibanez Edge trems, so they’re good stuff. The TRS is not made by them, but by Takeuchi.
I have a 2016 Jem Jr with hardshell case, I'll let go for 500. It's been professionally set up, etc, but I don't care for floating trems, so it's been blocked with a Hipshot Tremsetter. It's white with pearloid tuning knobs. Not the pickguard They actually look really nice on it. Plays great, I'm just heavy handed and I'm more used to my Wolfgang.
I don't like floating trems at all, but they are part of the fun of the Jem Jr. The hipshot helps for sure but it's not perfect, and I don't really like the "notch" in the smooth travel when it passes the zero point. But that's common for all the trem stabilizers I've tried, and I've tried a bunch.
@@diyguitarists5069 No, it's not perfect, but they do work ok. Jem's are pretty much for shredding and a light touch, palm wise. It is a beautiful guitar though. Thanks 👍.
Damn, I mean for $500 dollares I would expect something better put together. So you really need to spend $1000+ on a guitar to just get something that works right out of the box. Think about this, you can buy a great Graphics card for $500, and it will work, you don't have to over clock it, or disassemble it to fix the fans or the thermal paste. You buy it you install it and you're good to go, guitars should be like that.
When you're talking about messing with the tuning, you're wrong. I set my own FR Trem Systems up so that I can change from D std to Drop C just by turning the low string fine tuner out from in, and just slightly adjusting the other 5 fine tuners without having to undo my locking nut. It CAN be done, if you set it up & tune it when restringing, to do that with. :)
The fine tuners are designed with one whole step of range. I suppose with a D-tuna and using the maximum range of the tuners it might be possible. Might. But I suspect the guitar would at best be in tune only with itself and not to correct pitch. But who knows? We'd all love to see a video of that. It'd be awesome for me to be proven wrong. And it would help a heap of guitar players too.
when I got mine the jack was shorted, the tuning post were all loose, and the frets are sharp on the edges of all the frets! I fixed the jack and tightened up the tuning posts. still haven't smoothed out the edges of the frets. other than that I do like the guitar.
The jack and tuning posts are easy fixes and maybe can be blamed on vibrations when shipping, I suppose. The fret ends are usually weather/clamate related. They don't dry out the wood as well as they used to. But still, the guitar is a good value and pretty fun.
Great video. I have been watching so many guitar reviews on RU-vid. I want to get a nice guitar, and there are a lot of options in this price range. The one question I have that I hope someone has an answer for is : If I buy this guitar and at some point have these trem issues, and I want to buy an expensive Floyd to upgrade it, will it drop in ?
I have this guitar graffiti yellow too... I change the pickup with DIMARZIO EVOLUTION, GOTOH Tunes and Shaller floyd rose.... I want change the electronics please can you write the pieces you used in your guitar? thanks
I don't see the problem with it having burs sure doesn't look as nice but you can't see that part and maybe it doesn't make it feel as good but I don't care if there's a tiny scratch when I do a dive bomb
Great video! I'm looking to purchase this guitar soon, probably the pink version! I am wondering is it just the knife edges that wear down or also where they press against on the posts?
Seems to be both the knife edges on the trem and posts themselves wear out. I replaced both the trem and the posts and don't have problems anymore. Worth the effort.
talking about bridge and crap material it seems to be common with made in Indonesia stuff. The bridge of my SR505 bass broke with no reason just like that. when the tech guys at my local guitar shop had a look at it they literally laughed their a**ses off ... btw most of those sr505 have the same problem apparently. so i was not just unlucky. just cheap parts
I'm using my JEM for 10+ years before changing my bridge and I also have the same problem as you are that is the main reason for me to change the stock bridge
DO NOT discount the actual gotoh trems. They are the best trems on the market and the only trems I will have in my guitar. Get the gotoh ge1996t! What an incredible floyd copy. They outdid Floyd.
Hadn't intended to discount the proper Gotoh trems. In the follow up video, I recommended the Gotoh 1996 as a replacement. However, I'm hearing mixed reviews on how close a direct replacement it really is. Maybe I'll get one at some point and we'll see how it goes.
Agreed. It seems like it might be just pick your favorite trem and it will be better than the stock one. I wish it came with the first generation edge trem from the factory, but Ibanez doesn't care what I think. Ha!
@@diyguitarists5069 yeah Bro i have 4 guitars all Ibanez ,2 jem a good china copy and 2 rg series luckily i found some used original lo pro edge tremolo floyd rose japan second generation steve vai this store selling some parts its all fits in ibanez so untill now for more than 10 years i still use i never had a single one issue when it comes to bridge it always stay in tune ,,
I have the same Guitar... I think that Ibanez control quality is horrible. Mine arrived with extremely High action and i was obliged to remove 0.65 millimeters below the nut. I think ibz Is going bad. As comparison with another cheap Guitar, 2 years ago i bought and Epiphone afd Guitar and Is perfect in everithing. This Ibanez payed double of the Money has the half of the quality. Please note that in the Epiphone afd there Is an adesive with the name of the technician Who performed the QC. This said my 1991 Ibz RG350 (shaller Floyd rose...) remains the best ibz i have.
Ibanez Genesis RG550 is about the best bang for buck out there. Made in Japan, high end Edge trem, for $1000. They are essentially the lowest end Ibanez Prestige which are not low end at all.
@@intergalacticpimp8683 Sorry to be a bore. But since posting this I have decided I don’t have the courage to deal with the tuning of an Edge tremolo. Would you know of something quality from Ibanez with a vintage style tremolo. Thanks!
The problem is its not a REAL Jem! I know, I've got an original and unfortunately, it does make a noticeably big difference to play. The trem,No good,Tree of life.Plastic,I could go on,But I'm sure you know what mean!!! It took me years of going through cheaper guitars 🎸 before I finally got my Jem,and you'll end up getting a jem or Pia one day mate.Great playing though..,...!!!!
Have you ever worked with an Ibanez zero pro 2? I think they might have a couple easy fixes if there are issues but you know your stuff and I’m interested to see if you’ve messed with one
Thank you for making this video! If you set the trem up to be dive-only, the sharpness of the knife edge doesn't matter anymore, correct? If dive-only, I would assume the trem springs will always pull the trem back to zero, but I'd like to know your thoughts.
If you set up for dive only, the quality of the knife edges will have less impact. That is how almost all my guitars are set up because there is no way I want to play live with a floating trem. But, the Jem is really designed for nutty tremolo work and it seems a shame to lock it down. In the follow up video I just replaced the whole tremolo for much improved stability.
I replaced the posts with the ones from the Schaller unit and they fit perfectly. So you can probably just order new posts compatible with Floyd Rose trems from Stewmac. Just get whatever is a direct replacement for FR.
I still find knife edge terms very primitive engineering. I’ve always thought to build a proper front edge bearing them system. I’ve got a pretty good design down just never actually got to do it. Was always machining floyd blocks from brass, bronze, copper, steel and slight variations for trial and error.
ZR trem is great, it was just made with cheap pot metal that rusts. ZR-2 trem was fitted to the prestige models at the time, that one is made properly.
One of my string blocks literally ripped out when i pressed on a whammy and ripped out my low e string with it. Excellent guitar but the tremolo isn't great
The blocks in the bridge saddles should have a small hole for the allen screw to lock it into place. It's possible the parts don't line up right on the cheap stock trem. I believe that is what you mean. See my video where I replace the trem with a Schaller trem and it shows how this works. You might just have to be careful when locking the string in to make sure the allen screw fits into the hole in the block. But the best idea is to replace the trem completely.
I don't think anyone would choose the jatoba over rosewood, but I don't have any real complaints. It looks a bit like pao ferro to me, but it doesn't bother me. Can't speak to tone since I don't have a Jem with anything else. As someone pointed out, if you don't like the looks, you can always stain the neck darker for pretty cheap.
@@diyguitarists5069 i saw people trying to do the "ebonizing" thing. But no one show how to clean the inlays from stain. Given to this Jem its kinda complicated for so much details going on.
What diameter did the volum and tone pot,s?.I dont mean the pot axel diameter but the pot it self.My experience is a bigger diameter give a volum range with "more steps in it"Hard to explain.Also think they last longer if quality brand.
The diameter of the CTS pots I used is 3/8 inch or about 10mm shaft. The body is about 15/16 inch or 24mm. But I think you might be thinking of the difference between audio and linear taper pots. Fender tends to use audio taper and Gibson tends to use linear taper. Google it for proper explanations. The size of the body probably won't affect the range or the "steps" so much.
@@diyguitarists5069 linear vs logaritmiske pots.Agree that could be a factor. Those with big diameter last longer do to trace over a larger area is my experience.thanks for your input.Always more to learn.
You can probably put anything in if you want to modify the guitar. But I'm not aware of a locking vega trem or one with fine tuners. Not recommended as such.
I'm told the Gotoh 1996 is a direct replacement, but I can't verify the posts are spaced the same. I've heard both they are and aren't spaced properly. The Schaller and Floyd Rose are drop-in. The Gotoh is half the price though.
Most any name brand bridge is an improvement. The Gotoh 1996t is popular and only $120/ish. It's hard to beat a real Floyd, but they are $200+. I would bet that even a Floyd 1000 or Floyd special would work fine too and those are always available used for cheap.
My jem jr. was a piece of shit. The frets were all over the place. Had to level them down, the output didn`t even work, had to rewire and fix that, it sounds like crap no matter what pickups i put in it. I would never buy another one.
I wanna about 6 mos in I was having problems. However, this is not my main guitar and it sees light usage, so maybe factor that into the equation. It could happen sooner. But other people say their guitar is fine after owning it for a while, so maybe how you play matters too?
TheJatoba fingerboard is a serious downside to this guitar... I know Ibanez has a specific target market for this and I'm not in it and that market couldn't tell you the difference between Jatoba and Balsa... Add a couple hundred - use Rosewood - and this would interest me. As is? No thanks.
