Absolutely gorgeous guitar. And cheers to this review, this guy's playing is perfect for this guitar First time i watched a full review without skipping parts 👌
Because it's always been about selling guitars, nothing else. Both the look of the guitar and the artist were fading compared with the past and looking dated. The boomer collectors are getting bored and prostate cancer. But there's no new single artist who has the ability to sell guitars at the high end in the volumes that Steve Vai did. So this is an attempt to grab a modern audience with a revamped Steve Vai signature. In the lower tiers Tim Henson is selling them a lot of guitars, and other artists have some volume, but Jem was huge relative to its price level. They're not selling Tom Quayle or Martin Miller sig guitars in the same volumes - so they're not a replacement. Vai was about 27 when Jem went into production - well take a look around for a 27 year old who you think has the audience and ability to sell volumes of guitars at a £3k price. No one right? That's why they've created the Pia - it's flogging a dead horse, jumping the shark. The same reason they're giving him a 3 headed guitar. Most likely, in the future, they'll have to find some other way of flogging really expensive guitars other than signature models because the artists aren't as big. They're mostly youtube channels. For now they're trying to squeeze the end of the Jem toothpaste tube to extract as much as they can. But that meant changes - specifically things like Stainless steel frets that Vai really had no interest in (I mean he had hundreds of guitars and a tech, so if he gets fret wear he just swaps the neck. But most modern purchases don't smash their guitar to pieces gigging it and then just tell the tech to sort it - they want a nice piece of crafted wood that they'll will treat with care that'll last them decades. The pia's main selling point is just how beautiful it is - and you really have to go into a store and see one because most modern guitar finishes don't look particularly special in pictures or videos but are amazing in the flesh.
Great review and awesome playing from Nick. Yep I hold the guitar the exact same way (which for me is in the playing position) so can’t buy a guitar that has the jack on the side, I’m in the 0.1% too lol!
HI great video and great guitar I ask you, do you think it's a versatile guitar with which to play multiple styles (rock, pop, blues..) or is it made just for Steve's world? Can it finally replace Strato and Les Paul or not? Thanks and congratulations again!!!
Well, I don't see any reason why one cannot play blues with that guitar - or any kind of music. I play occasionally Jazz with it (although my Pia is white). And you forgot to mention, that those frets are stainless steel - so they never wear out.
I took delivery of my Blue Powder Pia a couple of weeks ago. I managed to get a crazy deal on one 'mildly used' or would never have bought one at MRRP. Yes, it's a lovely guitar but don't believe all the marketing hype - it's an almost identical playing experience to a modern (i.e. post-2005) Fujigen Jem/RG. The pickups are not hugely different from the Jem's "Evolution" set and a matter of personal taste. I was surprised how 'bright' the guitar sounds. The Stainless Frets are the major improvement for me (It's a shame Nick never mentioned them!) - glassy smooth for easy bending and will hopefully last the life of the guitar. The rest is mainly cosmetic - which you'll either like or not... Nick's a great player and clearly an enthusiastic Vai fan but as a Reviewer he should (at least) know the names of the parts on the guitar (i.e. String Retainer Bar and Locking Nut/Pads isn't something exclusive to the Pia). Not mentioning key features of the instrument (i.e Stainless Frets) is not especially helpful either. Otherwise, a nice demo of the guitars capabilities
I wish these came with locking tuners just to make restrining easier. Feel like that should be a no brainer now a days, especially considering the price, and Ibanez being aware they exist lol. Also 6:50 I couldn't disagree more, I really dislike rosewood against a pure black guitar
Vai and his tech have discussed why they don't come with a Sustainac. Vai said it's a quality and supply issue. He doesn't feel every Sustainac comes out consistently the same, he said in an interview. But hopes and feels they are getting closer to resolving the issue. And offering a sustainer version in the future.
