Maybe not the guitar for me - but I can certainly see the appeal. I just wish it had a Flamed Neck... 🔴Shop My Reverb: reverb.com/shop/troglys?_aid=growsumo&gs_partner=Trogly 💰Book Steve on Cameo: www.cameo.com/join/ttqar8m7 🎸New Guitar Day Program: troglysguitarshow.com/ngd/ ❓Private Help Sessions: troglysguitarshow.com/help-appraisals/
A couple years ago I was lucky enough to get an RG Prestige. Pretty much the same guitar, but for less than half the price. No cut outs, or fancy inlay, but the same wizard neck design and body shape. Mine has a bird's eye maple fingerboard, and an ash body with an orange metallic burst finish. Two DiMarzio HB's and the same trem as these. It's quite special in it's playability. Perfect for playing Satriani, Vai, Gilbert, and EVH style tunes. The weird thing about the RG's is that they all feel the same. Doesn't matter if it's a $299.00 Indonesian or a $4,000.00 Custom. I've even played Steve Vai's EVO, and the mirrored Bad Horsie. Yes, his actual guitars, and they play and feel like any other RG I've picked up. They're great guitars, but there's no need to spend a ton of money on one if you want something just to beat on. They can take some serious abuse too. There's a reason a lot of great players choose them.
Back in the late '70s I owned a couple of Ibanez's top of the line instruments (Artist and Iceman), they were fine instruments and at the time considered better quality than what was offered by Gibson or Fender. The Pia looks to be much the same, solid build quality and well designed. For myself I'm just a more traditional player, however I can still appreciate the high performance features this guitar offers. Great review, thank you Austin.
I really get your point about it not feeling as an high-end instrument to someone coming from the Gibson background, Austin. Unlike those more traditional brands where the price point correlates with the quality and looks of the woods or the finish, Superstrats are functional in nature, you're mostly buying the performance specs.
Explaining the 5-way pickup selector options made me think of my 98 Big Apple Strat. I'd love to see a video about it (you can borrow mine), but it was in and out of production before RUclips existed. Still, awesome episode as usual. Next time!
I love that the worst criticism is "this is too much performance to me" and "the pickup cavity is too clean". BTW, about the cable: you loop the cable through the strap and then into the jack.
agreed.. I have the Sun Dew Gold version i bought i dunno a cuppla months before this review. It's a stellar guitar. I was lucky i was in the right place at the right time and had the cashola. Whilst i had it for sale due to health issues in 2022 - this guitar is not for sale. Is it my fave guitar ? No. My Solar guitars just rank above the Pia only coz the Pia neck whilst awesome ? I get fatigue when doing bar chords on this guitar after about 20 minutes. Austins/Troglys statement about tuning stability with the Edge trem ? Meh. I'm not a "dive bomber" Van Halen guitarist, but can and love playing Van Halen tracks....this guitar with 9-42's (factory spec) and i use Ernie Ball Slinky's 9-42s the pink packets ones ??? Dive bomb all you want' within reason. The Edge II or III trem on this ? Stays in tune. For me it's a luxury i was able to buy. I have 3 Solar guitars with FR 1000s that are imo better value if you're looking at a playing guitar. Also with no tuning issues. However, whilst i has my Pia for sale in 2022 to help with paying for health issues ? That baby is off the market thankfully. For similar, and more affordable ? Look at Nita Strauss' Jiva10. I've played that, can't afford it yet, and Ibanez smartly released the Jiva Jr. Now that's affordable. While i'm here ? The Ibanez AZES40 with it's toggle switch, for me ? right here, right now, is THE best value guitar for the money. Yes i play it a lot along with my Solars, Squiers, and PRS SE Tremonti.
The lighter bar is actually Carbon Fiber and PIA is actually the name of Steve's wife who was the first Bass player for the Band Vixen to record anything but she only played with them for three years
If only they realized that Gibson figured out where to put the output jack 70 years ago it would be perfect. Seriously, guys, you save me 12 inches of cable but I can't lean a guitar against my amp, or the plug interferes with my stand , or rests on the plug when it's on my workbench, or is so far recessed that I cant grab the plug body to remove it. Guitar manufacturers, please stop getting cute with the output jacks.
Ibanez is a severely underrated guitar maker. I’m a huge fan, especially of their JetKing models, I’ve had an RG (which is the mass production version of the Steve Vai guitars), a version of the Iceman, four JetKings, an Artcore hollow body electric, two Performance model acoustics, and my first guitar ever was their GiO student model axe. Despite being a ‘Fender guy’ now, I’ve never been disappointed with Ibanez, and still play a JetKing pretty regularly. Also, my kids, nieces, and nephew all have my old Ibanez guitars as their own to learn on. Props to Trogly for featuring an Ibanez! They’re more awesome than most people realize.
the jems are so massively important that its the biggest thing that has his name, his carrer in music is massive but the jem and rg guitars go so far and wide through the musical landscape. if i had to put my name and my face associated to an high end guitar of an extremely popular model, i would put a whole fucking lot of attention into it too, its great that Vai gives a shit about his fans
Played a jem for years. It was my first high end guitar. That thing was absolutely amazing. While I dont like floyd rose style bridges, I never had any problems, guitar stayed in tune amazing(even when I did abuse that whammy) and the neck played beautifully. Sold it a few months back to get a Les Paul Standard 50s(love the fat neck) but ill always have a sweet spot for Vai and his signature guitars. He is, after all, the reason I got serious about guitar playing
YES. Gibson has been trash for a while now. Ibanez destroys in terms of playability ( if you know how to tune a floating trem system smh) and quality control.
@@JamieLamb Agree. I had no issues with my Dean or my Sahana custom, but the Gibson I bought last year was a nightmare. Haven't played anythings but Kahlers but I want to master the FLoyd someday.
MIJ Ibanez are just built awesome. I have one from 88 and one from 91 and they both are built amazingly. That FujiGen factory sure knows how to put together an instrument.
Unlike a $3,500 Gibson which looks and does the same, here you see what you get for your money. The craftsmanship, attention to detail, scalloped frets, plus more. Ibanez does make you feel like your money is going somewhere.
With gibson you get an old style and design that includes the "feature" of a sudden and instant "headstock ejection" at the slightest mistake, 5 inch drop or during shipping. Gibson says its traditional. I say, poor headstock design, fans who freak out at any change and saving money. I had a les paul decapitate itself during shipping. In its factory case! Fender changes, innovates and improves.
@@reddragons13 Gibson makes so much profit from customers who like traditional. If you don't like designs from half a century ago better buy some other brand.
@@C0urne i do buy other brands. I also buy gibson when they do something I like. Take the axcess. I bought one of them. It was innovative and sounded great. You said it yourself they make a lot of money selling traditional guitars and have no reason to improve their products. As I have seen many times while being a session player. Extremely few people can tell the sound of a real gibson from clones and copys. You price something just high enough and it becomes exclusive and you get a perceived quality thats not really there. Gibson makes good guitars but are they really that much better over all. I think that much like other guitars. There are unicorns among them all but for what they truly are. They are overwhelmingly overpriced. Still good guitars. But play what you like and love what you play!!!!
I think comparing a Gibson LP and a JEM is pretty dumb to be honest. They're tools and they are designed for completely different purposes. If an LP is one of those paint rollers and a JEM is a tiny brush for getting into a small space and getting the fine details right. Which one is better? The one being used for what it does best since they'll both make a mess of the others job. Think about it. Besides the fact they they are both made of wood and have 6 strings, almost every detail in how they achieve that is completely different.
19:57 Thanks for giving us something a bit different. It seems like most gear demos are like "let's see how it sounds" (plugs into tons of gain, chorus, and delay and wanks off silly single note stuff or weak sauce blues licks) Clean chords tell me how a guitar sounds although effects and distortion wouldn't be out of place here. You actually gave me an idea of how this guitar will sound for me.
You may, or may not already know, but re: tuning with floyd rose style bridges... always tune strings in this order: G,D,A,B,e,E. Or 3,4,5,2,1,6. Repeat cycle 3-5 times, depending on how out of tune guitar was before you started. It will get closer each time you do it. It's all about balance. This is what has worked for me over the years. Cheers.
The absolute best thing about stainless steel frets isn't really how long you can go between refrets or fret jobs, but how long you can go between polishings. I made a tele with stainless frets, got it set up earlier this year and have been playing it non stop but the frets are still a mirror finish. Nickel tends to go all fuzzy and you can feel it in bends, but stainless just stays good.
Vai didn't seem convinced. He mentions in one video the frets wearing out his strings faster. Although I guess Vai has shed loads of guitars and if his frets wear he just grabs another or has someone replace the neck or do a refret. I'm guessing fret wear isn't anywhere near the top of his list of things he cares about. Presumably from Ibanez pov they're more or less putting stainless steel on all their models whatever the price point. It's probably more hassle for them to not use it.
There may have been a bit of polishing residue but I'm pretty impressed with the finish inside those scallops. It's not easy to get paint to lay down right in those tight spaces.
I bought an Ibanez RG made in Japan, at a yard sale last year. The guy was still hauling goodies out of his shed, walking out with a guitar in one hand and an amp in the other. I said "I'll take it!". I could see it was an RG. Figured at BEST luck point it would be Korean, (had plenty of em, they are great as well). Imagine the joy of realizing it was a Fugi gen axe. The sun shines on a dog's ass eventually... Thanks for reviewing Ibanez, I know it's not the same "class" as Gibson, but they have been good dependable guitars for me. I hear people dog Ibanez and I am truly confused, all of my experience with them have been great. For the money, a good bet.
@@thaedleinad Shit dude, Brace yourself,...$150. With the solid state Vox combo amp. I gave the amp to a friend of mine that needed one one. It was sweet, had Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups.thibgs work out sometimes, I have had both ends. Sold a young guy a Washburn about 10 years back, I sold it as an import. Short enough money. Then I see him posting it on Craigslist as a USA. Either I fucked up doing my homework or he's a grimey one. Lol. I had no reason to think it was USA but that's why it's good to learn this stuff. I have just seen a Burny Les Paul super grade 1980's posted in my hometown for 1400$. I have had to look into this, see if it's a good buy, Burny's are the shit, that's not the issue. So I see them online between 500$ and 1200$. Have to figure out the in and outs of pricing, why the huge discrepancy in price? The one I'm looking at is just standard, no special "custom" aspects or anything.
Top end Japanese Ibanez makes Gibson look like a Walmart home DIY guitar in every single way except for the nostalgia factor. So many of our guitar heroes played Gibson, creating huge 'nostalgia desire' to own a Gibson.
they should do a version without the inlays, and were the cuts don't go all the way tru... just half way from the back. I always thought holding it from an invisible ( from the front) handle carve would look cool
I'm genuinely impressed that you bought and reviewed the Pia. Definitely not your 'comfort zone' but I appreciated you doing the 'tear down' and the playing demo. I feel that I have a better idea of how it actually sounds now. I'm a bit of a Jem-a-holic and have been wanting to know what the neck feels like. If it really does have 'shoulders' ("D" Shape) then IMO that is a departure from the Jem profile. I think my MIJ Jems are more of a gentle "C" Shape - and I really like that profile. My eGen18 is definitely a "D" Profile and although it's OK, the Jem neck is nicer in a back-to-back comparison. Sun Dew Gold for me please!
You know Ibanez knows what they're doing when even a Gibson enthusiast is impressed by how good they look and feel. And he hasn't even tried a j Custom RG yet. Besides the pristine playability, the tops, necks and fretboards are some real lookers. Scoring one for 2000 bucks as new old stock was probably one of my best purchases, as no other brand could have given me that level of performance and looks for that kind of money.
Awesome to see the Pia. As a long time JEM player I wanted to interject with some of your lack of experience with the trem stuff but you did a fine job accurately describing it all in the end. Good stuff!
The whammy bar pushes in until it clicks. Its almost out when you are talking about it after the teardown. Probably the best Floyd Rose-style bridge ever made. The 5 piece neck having very straight grain makes it extremely stable. A typical Gibson fan(like you) is not likely to enjoy playing it(at least at first), but as a former Gibson fan(and I currently have 2 Les Pauls), no Gibson will ever play as fast and smooth as any of the 40-50 Ibanez guitars I've owned over the past 25 years. The bolts thru the neck(locking nut) is just as on the original Floyd Rose setups and is much more solid and stable in comparison the top screws(you don't want the nut to move at all, and this is basically like a rock unless it gets loose). Enjoy your reviews, but for this kind of guitar, maybe you should collaborate with a player that uses this style(hint hint)
I have had a strat with stainless steel frets for almost 18 years now and they do wear. You can see where I bend notes in the middle of the neck and begin to see pitting in the first position frets. That said, I had a late 90s Mexican strat, with nickel frets, and I wore them down completely in less than two years. My new strat might need a crown and polish in 5 to 10 years, so 30 years of moderate playing isn't too bad; certainly worth the extra money!
I can go grab my Jackson soloist out of the case after 2 weeks and it’s still in tune . The only thing hard about Floyd’s is changing the strings the first time.
Floyds are not as difficult to deal as people make it out to be. It’s a couple minutes longer to restring and tune but I understand it’s not for everyone
The Pia is a awesome guitar! The neck feels so good , the construction is flawless, it plays great & sounds awesome.Owning One you don't get any better guitar and can only get better playing one. ✌️🤘🏴🇦🇺
8:40 I wouldn't have caught that, re: Utopia; or that the petals on the headstock spell 'Pia'. Great review: thank you! I own a Jem and so I doubly enjoyed this one as it confirmed some stuff about my guitar.
Austin....Great expo of a high performance axe out of your comfort zone....how about reviewing some of the EVH guitars we all wish we could own? Love your style....keep it up!
The input jack is set up so you can tuck the chord between the strap and the strap lock. That make's it so your cable never get's pulled out by accident.
Austin I really have to come to love your channel! Even though I really don’t care for Gibsons at all...you make things so interesting! And now that you have reviewed an Ibanez, this is what I’ve been waiting for!!! I’m an Ibanez fanboy at heart lol. Can’t wait to see more!
@@homersreluctantodyssey2508 I was lucky to pick up a 1959 Guild X150 archtop a few years ago. Plays like a dream and never goes out of tune. A Guild archtop would be a great review for The Trog Unit.
The way to solve that guitar cable problem is run the cable through the strap from behind and into the jack. That's why the input jack on the guitar is designed that way. It's to instill the habit for guitar players to run their cables that way as they should with any guitar especially when playing while standing up. Apparently a lot of guitar players....especially a lot of younger or newer folks don't realize how damaging to the cable jack it is little by little. It's different when sitting down. I'm not a luthier or guitar tech but this is something I've learned over the years when I was younger from experienced guitar technicians. Just food for thought.
Nice. Ibanez makes good stuff and has for a long time. The Gem has been in production for 33 years and didnt really need updating, but this is a nice modern take on it. That shows you how good the guitar is if your signature doesnt need to be updated for 30 years and is still close to the top of the pack.
Give me an Ibanez all day long over any other big corporate guitar brand. I have owned many and they’ve all been stellar instruments. The Iron Label is one of the best bang for buck lines you can find.
Pink is nicer than I thought it'd be. The pink pickup covers and pink jeweled knobs do it. Add the pink accents on the neck and that badass headstock. Yeah man... Pink is the way to go with this one, it's lit.
Ibanez is great. I have a 1978 Ibanez CN200. Its beat to hell, but feels and plays like a Gibson of the time (heavy on the shoulder...being the key phrase)
I Love Ibanez RG's, I own three an RGEW521, a LMH1 Premium and an RG2550E Prestige. Amazing guitars. The PIA's look sick but unfortunately I'm not a floyd rose fan and I tend to avoid them. My favorite music store in my city has three of them (Pink, Green, Yellow/Gold) they look even better in person than in pictures.
Love the show, I'm a shredder, blues guy, so i really loved this episode. And your playing has come along really well since the beginning. Between you and Robert Baker i have found a passion for Les Paul style guitars.Keep it up. See you in the next one and Take Care.
Got myself the white stallion and it's currently in a local custom shop getting repainted in silver / black, cant wait to see how it turn out Definitely a beast guitar, i had the pickup changed to something more fitting my style, but i wish i could have kept the cover and swap it to the new one Tho, i was really disappointed about it having a rosewood fretboard, i really prefer ebony
I was kinda hoping you would've gotten Michael Weber to demo and shred on this, that guy's great player. But awesome review and unboxing. Thanks trogly!
The light weight trem bar is for a faster tremolo vibration behavior the way Vai plays ( pulling it up or pushing it down and snap it loose or giving it a slap.)
I have an Ibanez Jet King (the original), no trem, but it’s really good at staying in tune and actually tolerates oddball tuning really well. (I’m in open f5 right now, that’s FFCCCF which on paper sounds crazy, but it’s really interesting with all those drone strings.)
Like yourself, it wouldn’t be the type of guitar for me personally but the standard of workmanship looks to be really high (as it should be for the cost). The inlays look to be really well done and the insides of the cavities are so clean compared to the ones on my Gibsons and Fenders. As an aside, I once met Steve Vai and Joe Satriani after a G3 gig. Satriani was an absolutely lovely guy and was willing to answer any questions I asked. Steve Vai was quite the opposite. I refuse to give him any sort of recognition but don’t like to slag people off so I shall refrain from passing any further comment about him.
You should try an Ibanez j.custom! They are comparable to some of the high end Gibson custom shops. They are close in feel to this but completely different.
Nice tones - and great pickin' too!! I know color doesn't affect the sound, but my favorite looking is the gold finish. My guess is that your cable is supposed to go up and through the rear strap button area.
Tuning stability in a scalloped neck isn't an issue - unless you're a heavy handed oaf. With a scalloped fretboard you can apply a nice vibrato to chords and make things a little more interesting. Of course you get a lot more grip of the strings for doing bends.
I don't have the PIA but I have an RG with DiMarzio's which is really similar. The style of music and the way these guitars make you play is very different to any other guitars I've played. If you don't do any sort of shredding like these guitars were intended it forces you play in a very experimental way that isn't like your average Strat style guitar and forces you to try new things, which is good. I recommend these if you just want something different and unique to play around on.
Ibanez quality is crazy, I have a JCustom and also a Gibson Standard LP, they are almost the same price, but the Ibanez is years ahead in QA and details etc
What's really cool,is I can tell you've been practicing - you were a good guitarist when your RUclips channel first started,but lately, your playing is REALLY awesome! I can you've been practicing,and learning newer styles,too. Good job! Keep up the good work with your videos, and keep on picking ! Two thumbs up !! 👍👍
I would love to see you compare a 90s era Peavey Wolfgang to a modern Fender EVH Wolfgang. You’re the one guy on RUclips who can give an unbiased review and comparison.
I'm not sure why photos of a guitar/bass are bland while the video/in-person looks better? I have a same impression on getting my Rickenbacker 5-String Fireglo.
Great Video! Too bad Mr. Vai couldn't make an appearance. I would imagine that you get enough views to make it worth his while. Huge thank you for showing that guitar off in a very different light. *Pun intended* I have watched tons of videos featuring this guitar back when it was released and I had no clue the glow in the dark features extended beyond the dots.
im thinking the hi pass was inspired by the satch model too ... does it kick in at full on or does it simply remove the treble roll off when you back off on the volume so you dont lose high end ? the cable entry is to reduce the strain and remove the loop when you pass it thru the strap ... by not passing it thru the strap you are re introducing the strain problem and guess what one of the biggest problems of jack strain is ?... yup signal intermittance
@@ducamuk you are correct and i stand corrected they are indeed carbon fibre guitargearfinder.com/spotlight/ibanez-pia/#Carbon_Fiber_Whammy_Bar Steve knows that the people who buy them are all about the specs....players couldn't give a crap about a carbon fibre whammy bar.
I got the gold when it first came out and i absolutely love it i have 2 jems and the pia is just amazing love the pickups on it and the lite wait bar is great
@@christocha8482 Does the pia have the same fret treatment as the j custom ? I’m torn between the pia and a j custom and would like to know which is better
Not my cup of tea but just today, repeat stress disorder type of work (packaging), mind wanders,,, DLR "Yankee Rose" and such. 20 years since i thought of this. those were good times.
Maybe not the guitar for me - but I can certainly see the appeal. I just wish it had a Flamed Neck...
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You're right about the fine tuners sometimes they get stuck and you can't turn them i"m guessing you need to oil them or use Wd40
A couple years ago I was lucky enough to get an RG Prestige. Pretty much the same guitar, but for less than half the price. No cut outs, or fancy inlay, but the same wizard neck design and body shape. Mine has a bird's eye maple fingerboard, and an ash body with an orange metallic burst finish. Two DiMarzio HB's and the same trem as these. It's quite special in it's playability. Perfect for playing Satriani, Vai, Gilbert, and EVH style tunes. The weird thing about the RG's is that they all feel the same. Doesn't matter if it's a $299.00 Indonesian or a $4,000.00 Custom. I've even played Steve Vai's EVO, and the mirrored Bad Horsie. Yes, his actual guitars, and they play and feel like any other RG I've picked up. They're great guitars, but there's no need to spend a ton of money on one if you want something just to beat on. They can take some serious abuse too. There's a reason a lot of great players choose them.
Back in the late '70s I owned a couple of Ibanez's top of the line instruments (Artist and Iceman), they were fine instruments and at the time considered better quality than what was offered by Gibson or Fender. The Pia looks to be much the same, solid build quality and well designed.
For myself I'm just a more traditional player, however I can still appreciate the high performance features this guitar offers.
Great review, thank you Austin.
I really get your point about it not feeling as an high-end instrument to someone coming from the Gibson background, Austin. Unlike those more traditional brands where the price point correlates with the quality and looks of the woods or the finish, Superstrats are functional in nature, you're mostly buying the performance specs.
Explaining the 5-way pickup selector options made me think of my 98 Big Apple Strat. I'd love to see a video about it (you can borrow mine), but it was in and out of production before RUclips existed. Still, awesome episode as usual. Next time!
I love that the worst criticism is "this is too much performance to me" and "the pickup cavity is too clean". BTW, about the cable: you loop the cable through the strap and then into the jack.
A new Martin D-18 is high performance....look out!!!
Yep that's the way I always did it😉with the cord I mean, through the strap😁
agreed.. I have the Sun Dew Gold version i bought i dunno a cuppla months before this review. It's a stellar guitar. I was lucky i was in the right place at the right time and had the cashola.
Whilst i had it for sale due to health issues in 2022 - this guitar is not for sale.
Is it my fave guitar ? No.
My Solar guitars just rank above the Pia only coz the Pia neck whilst awesome ? I get fatigue when doing bar chords on this guitar after about 20 minutes.
Austins/Troglys statement about tuning stability with the Edge trem ?
Meh. I'm not a "dive bomber" Van Halen guitarist, but can and love playing Van Halen tracks....this guitar with 9-42's (factory spec) and i use Ernie Ball Slinky's 9-42s the pink packets ones ??? Dive bomb all you want' within reason.
The Edge II or III trem on this ? Stays in tune.
For me it's a luxury i was able to buy. I have 3 Solar guitars with FR 1000s that are imo better value if you're looking at a playing guitar. Also with no tuning issues.
However, whilst i has my Pia for sale in 2022 to help with paying for health issues ? That baby is off the market thankfully.
For similar, and more affordable ? Look at Nita Strauss' Jiva10. I've played that, can't afford it yet, and Ibanez smartly released the Jiva Jr. Now that's affordable.
While i'm here ? The Ibanez AZES40 with it's toggle switch, for me ? right here, right now, is THE best value guitar for the money. Yes i play it a lot along with my Solars, Squiers, and PRS SE Tremonti.
The lighter bar is actually Carbon Fiber and PIA is actually the name of Steve's wife who was the first Bass player for the Band Vixen to record anything but she only played with them for three years
Finally Trogly bought a guitar that can actually tune, has real pickups, doesnt break and is actually 1:1 dollar quality ratio. I'm proud of you dude
If only they realized that Gibson figured out where to put the output jack 70 years ago it would be perfect. Seriously, guys, you save me 12 inches of cable but I can't lean a guitar against my amp, or the plug interferes with my stand , or rests on the plug when it's on my workbench, or is so far recessed that I cant grab the plug body to remove it. Guitar manufacturers, please stop getting cute with the output jacks.
Real pickups? What are fake pickups?
Ibanez is a severely underrated guitar maker. I’m a huge fan, especially of their JetKing models, I’ve had an RG (which is the mass production version of the Steve Vai guitars), a version of the Iceman, four JetKings, an Artcore hollow body electric, two Performance model acoustics, and my first guitar ever was their GiO student model axe. Despite being a ‘Fender guy’ now, I’ve never been disappointed with Ibanez, and still play a JetKing pretty regularly. Also, my kids, nieces, and nephew all have my old Ibanez guitars as their own to learn on.
Props to Trogly for featuring an Ibanez! They’re more awesome than most people realize.
christofyre - The JetKing model is one of last decent looking Ibanez guitars made!
That dude puts so much attention to his signature guitars
the jems are so massively important that its the biggest thing that has his name, his carrer in music is massive but the jem and rg guitars go so far and wide through the musical landscape. if i had to put my name and my face associated to an high end guitar of an extremely popular model, i would put a whole fucking lot of attention into it too, its great that Vai gives a shit about his fans
So much attention yet I only ever see the Jem Jr in guitar stores by me. Such a shame.
@@michaelm4464 then you live by some really shitty stores
@@michaelm4464 yeah I don’t really see the high end ones very much either, but even the jrs are bad ass .
That dude? Bro, respect. It's your Majesty
Played a jem for years. It was my first high end guitar. That thing was absolutely amazing. While I dont like floyd rose style bridges, I never had any problems, guitar stayed in tune amazing(even when I did abuse that whammy) and the neck played beautifully. Sold it a few months back to get a Les Paul Standard 50s(love the fat neck) but ill always have a sweet spot for Vai and his signature guitars. He is, after all, the reason I got serious about guitar playing
Just got a JEM jr. excited to get it home from the shop, its on a tech workbench rn :)
Those might be the cleanest routes I’ve seen on this show.
Great! Finally a properly-made instrument on this channel instead of those poorly-made Gibsons.
Hahaha!
Mean, but true.
YES. Gibson has been trash for a while now. Ibanez destroys in terms of playability ( if you know how to tune a floating trem system smh) and quality control.
@@JamieLamb Agree. I had no issues with my Dean or my Sahana custom, but the Gibson I bought last year was a nightmare. Haven't played anythings but Kahlers but I want to master the FLoyd someday.
MIJ Ibanez are just built awesome. I have one from 88 and one from 91 and they both are built amazingly. That FujiGen factory sure knows how to put together an instrument.
Huh...I must be blessed. I love the JEM I love VAI and I love my gibsons...maybe just maybe some folks love to complain?
I bought this guitar and now I'm pregnant.
Don't think about that too much. It gets ugly quick. I can't unsee what I saw in my minds eye!
Learned to play Tender Surrender I'm guessing? 🤣🤣
By Vai?
You must of played and sang Zeppelin 😇
Sorry man ☹️
Unlike a $3,500 Gibson which looks and does the same, here you see what you get for your money. The craftsmanship, attention to detail, scalloped frets, plus more. Ibanez does make you feel like your money is going somewhere.
Ibanez is for players and Gibson in for collectors.
With gibson you get an old style and design that includes the "feature" of a sudden and instant "headstock ejection" at the slightest mistake, 5 inch drop or during shipping. Gibson says its traditional. I say, poor headstock design, fans who freak out at any change and saving money. I had a les paul decapitate itself during shipping. In its factory case! Fender changes, innovates and improves.
@@reddragons13 Gibson makes so much profit from customers who like traditional. If you don't like designs from half a century ago better buy some other brand.
@@C0urne i do buy other brands. I also buy gibson when they do something I like. Take the axcess. I bought one of them. It was innovative and sounded great. You said it yourself they make a lot of money selling traditional guitars and have no reason to improve their products. As I have seen many times while being a session player. Extremely few people can tell the sound of a real gibson from clones and copys. You price something just high enough and it becomes exclusive and you get a perceived quality thats not really there. Gibson makes good guitars but are they really that much better over all. I think that much like other guitars. There are unicorns among them all but for what they truly are. They are overwhelmingly overpriced. Still good guitars. But play what you like and love what you play!!!!
I think comparing a Gibson LP and a JEM is pretty dumb to be honest. They're tools and they are designed for completely different purposes. If an LP is one of those paint rollers and a JEM is a tiny brush for getting into a small space and getting the fine details right. Which one is better? The one being used for what it does best since they'll both make a mess of the others job. Think about it. Besides the fact they they are both made of wood and have 6 strings, almost every detail in how they achieve that is completely different.
19:57
Thanks for giving us something a bit different. It seems like most gear demos are like "let's see how it sounds" (plugs into tons of gain, chorus, and delay and wanks off silly single note stuff or weak sauce blues licks) Clean chords tell me how a guitar sounds although effects and distortion wouldn't be out of place here. You actually gave me an idea of how this guitar will sound for me.
cool trogly finally the Ibanez Pia!
Is it like the jem
You may, or may not already know, but re: tuning with floyd rose style bridges... always tune strings in this order: G,D,A,B,e,E. Or 3,4,5,2,1,6. Repeat cycle 3-5 times, depending on how out of tune guitar was before you started. It will get closer each time you do it. It's all about balance. This is what has worked for me over the years. Cheers.
I met Steve Vai in 2002 after a show, truly amazing player and nice guy
The absolute best thing about stainless steel frets isn't really how long you can go between refrets or fret jobs, but how long you can go between polishings. I made a tele with stainless frets, got it set up earlier this year and have been playing it non stop but the frets are still a mirror finish. Nickel tends to go all fuzzy and you can feel it in bends, but stainless just stays good.
Vai didn't seem convinced. He mentions in one video the frets wearing out his strings faster. Although I guess Vai has shed loads of guitars and if his frets wear he just grabs another or has someone replace the neck or do a refret. I'm guessing fret wear isn't anywhere near the top of his list of things he cares about. Presumably from Ibanez pov they're more or less putting stainless steel on all their models whatever the price point. It's probably more hassle for them to not use it.
There may have been a bit of polishing residue but I'm pretty impressed with the finish inside those scallops. It's not easy to get paint to lay down right in those tight spaces.
I bought an Ibanez RG made in Japan, at a yard sale last year. The guy was still hauling goodies out of his shed, walking out with a guitar in one hand and an amp in the other. I said "I'll take it!". I could see it was an RG. Figured at BEST luck point it would be Korean, (had plenty of em, they are great as well). Imagine the joy of realizing it was a Fugi gen axe. The sun shines on a dog's ass eventually... Thanks for reviewing Ibanez, I know it's not the same "class" as Gibson, but they have been good dependable guitars for me. I hear people dog Ibanez and I am truly confused, all of my experience with them have been great. For the money, a good bet.
Fuji gen at a yard sale? Holy shit!
How much you paid?
@@thaedleinad Shit dude, Brace yourself,...$150. With the solid state Vox combo amp. I gave the amp to a friend of mine that needed one one. It was sweet, had Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups.thibgs work out sometimes, I have had both ends. Sold a young guy a Washburn about 10 years back, I sold it as an import. Short enough money. Then I see him posting it on Craigslist as a USA. Either I fucked up doing my homework or he's a grimey one. Lol. I had no reason to think it was USA but that's why it's good to learn this stuff. I have just seen a Burny Les Paul super grade 1980's posted in my hometown for 1400$. I have had to look into this, see if it's a good buy, Burny's are the shit, that's not the issue. So I see them online between 500$ and 1200$.
Have to figure out the in and outs of pricing, why the huge discrepancy in price? The one I'm looking at is just standard, no special "custom" aspects or anything.
What a Great find 🙂
Top end Japanese Ibanez makes Gibson look like a Walmart home DIY guitar in every single way except for the nostalgia factor.
So many of our guitar heroes played Gibson, creating huge 'nostalgia desire' to own a Gibson.
So funny with these, they got so much hate when they were announced but now everyone loves them.
Sweet RG in your pic,is it a 550?
they should do a version without the inlays, and were the cuts don't go all the way tru... just half way from the back. I always thought holding it from an invisible ( from the front) handle carve would look cool
I've always liked them, but yeah, you're right
Welcome to the Guitar Industry
I still hate them, but it's a relief to finally see good guitars rather than just collectible ones on this channel for a change.
I'm genuinely impressed that you bought and reviewed the Pia. Definitely not your 'comfort zone' but I appreciated you doing the 'tear down' and the playing demo. I feel that I have a better idea of how it actually sounds now.
I'm a bit of a Jem-a-holic and have been wanting to know what the neck feels like. If it really does have 'shoulders' ("D" Shape) then IMO that is a departure from the Jem profile. I think my MIJ Jems are more of a gentle "C" Shape - and I really like that profile. My eGen18 is definitely a "D" Profile and although it's OK, the Jem neck is nicer in a back-to-back comparison.
Sun Dew Gold for me please!
It's 2021 you can play a pink guitar and nobody think twice. Love these guitars real beautiful. Steve and Eddie my fav players.
Never clicked a video so fast
You know Ibanez knows what they're doing when even a Gibson enthusiast is impressed by how good they look and feel. And he hasn't even tried a j Custom RG yet. Besides the pristine playability, the tops, necks and fretboards are some real lookers. Scoring one for 2000 bucks as new old stock was probably one of my best purchases, as no other brand could have given me that level of performance and looks for that kind of money.
Wow Trog doing Ibanez!! You should look at 80s MIJ Ibanez. The artist models are spectacular guitars and more your thing. They are collectables too
Get a 70s Bob Weir model.
Awesome to see the Pia. As a long time JEM player I wanted to interject with some of your lack of experience with the trem stuff but you did a fine job accurately describing it all in the end. Good stuff!
The whammy bar pushes in until it clicks. Its almost out when you are talking about it after the teardown. Probably the best Floyd Rose-style bridge ever made. The 5 piece neck having very straight grain makes it extremely stable. A typical Gibson fan(like you) is not likely to enjoy playing it(at least at first), but as a former Gibson fan(and I currently have 2 Les Pauls), no Gibson will ever play as fast and smooth as any of the 40-50 Ibanez guitars I've owned over the past 25 years. The bolts thru the neck(locking nut) is just as on the original Floyd Rose setups and is much more solid and stable in comparison the top screws(you don't want the nut to move at all, and this is basically like a rock unless it gets loose). Enjoy your reviews, but for this kind of guitar, maybe you should collaborate with a player that uses this style(hint hint)
It’s funny how immediately obvious it is that you’re uncomfortable on this kind of guitar.
why is that funny?
@@emptyarms6113 Because he found it humourous.
@@BobPapadopoulos I'm asking to find out the reason, just curious is all.
@@emptyarms6113 Well, more like "interesting," I guess.
21:43
I have had a strat with stainless steel frets for almost 18 years now and they do wear. You can see where I bend notes in the middle of the neck and begin to see pitting in the first position frets.
That said, I had a late 90s Mexican strat, with nickel frets, and I wore them down completely in less than two years.
My new strat might need a crown and polish in 5 to 10 years, so 30 years of moderate playing isn't too bad; certainly worth the extra money!
I can go grab my Jackson soloist out of the case after 2 weeks and it’s still in tune . The only thing hard about Floyd’s is changing the strings the first time.
Floyds are not as difficult to deal as people make it out to be.
It’s a couple minutes longer to restring and tune but I understand it’s not for everyone
Might be my favorite review you have done because of the honest playing. You are a gem in and of yourself (pun intended).
Thanks for this Pía video. Watching from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Pia is a awesome guitar! The neck feels so good , the construction is flawless, it plays great & sounds awesome.Owning One you don't get any better guitar and can only get better playing one. ✌️🤘🏴🇦🇺
8:40 I wouldn't have caught that, re: Utopia; or that the petals on the headstock spell 'Pia'. Great review: thank you! I own a Jem and so I doubly enjoyed this one as it confirmed some stuff about my guitar.
Totally love the Panther Pink.Would definitely rock this guitar!!
Austin....Great expo of a high performance axe out of your comfort zone....how about reviewing some of the EVH guitars we all wish we could own? Love your style....keep it up!
The input jack is set up so you can tuck the chord between the strap and the strap lock. That make's it so your cable never get's pulled out by accident.
Rays of green light escape from the Ibanez case as Trogly lifts the lid. "Yaaasssss!"
Austin I really have to come to love your channel! Even though I really don’t care for Gibsons at all...you make things so interesting! And now that you have reviewed an Ibanez, this is what I’ve been waiting for!!! I’m an Ibanez fanboy at heart lol. Can’t wait to see more!
Love your channel trogly keep up the good videos.
This guitar would look godly in gloss black with the gold hardware and black pickguard 😍
Talking about guitar companies with really rich histories I'm still waiting for you to feature a Guild. And they are an American company too.
guild gets no respect for some odd reason, great guitars. miss my bluesbird
@@homersreluctantodyssey2508 I was lucky to pick up a 1959 Guild X150 archtop a few years ago. Plays like a dream and never goes out of tune.
A Guild archtop would be a great review for The Trog Unit.
Had a 74 Starfire and an 81 X-82 Nova. Great guitars.
I've got an X-170, S-100, and a Blues 90 from the 1990s. They're all great guitars.
Guild made famous by bands like Garbage......the sparkle starfire is my favorite
The way to solve that guitar cable problem is run the cable through the strap from behind and into the jack. That's why the input jack on the guitar is designed that way. It's to instill the habit for guitar players to run their cables that way as they should with any guitar especially when playing while standing up. Apparently a lot of guitar players....especially a lot of younger or newer folks don't realize how damaging to the cable jack it is little by little. It's different when sitting down. I'm not a luthier or guitar tech but this is something I've learned over the years when I was younger from experienced guitar technicians. Just food for thought.
15:32 trem bar is out ! not fully inserted.
I've learned so much keep doin what your doin
Awesome !! Thank you very much Trogly !
Nice. Ibanez makes good stuff and has for a long time. The Gem has been in production for 33 years and didnt really need updating, but this is a nice modern take on it. That shows you how good the guitar is if your signature doesnt need to be updated for 30 years and is still close to the top of the pack.
I WANT THE PIA! It's sooooo beautiful and I love the features. Almost it's build just for me.
My first time watching your channel, and I subbed, I love your review style...
Give me an Ibanez all day long over any other big corporate guitar brand. I have owned many and they’ve all been stellar instruments. The Iron Label is one of the best bang for buck lines you can find.
Man I love this guy I have learned so much from him he’s awesome!!!!’
God I love how those pickups sound
Pink is nicer than I thought it'd be.
The pink pickup covers and pink jeweled knobs do it.
Add the pink accents on the neck and that badass headstock.
Yeah man... Pink is the way to go with this one, it's lit.
Ibanez is great. I have a 1978 Ibanez CN200. Its beat to hell, but feels and plays like a Gibson of the time (heavy on the shoulder...being the key phrase)
Great stuff! I love Ibanez, especially vintage ones 🙂
The inlay design is absolutely beautiful
I Love Ibanez RG's, I own three an RGEW521, a LMH1 Premium and an RG2550E Prestige. Amazing guitars. The PIA's look sick but unfortunately I'm not a floyd rose fan and I tend to avoid them. My favorite music store in my city has three of them (Pink, Green, Yellow/Gold) they look even better in person than in pictures.
Love the show, I'm a shredder, blues guy, so i really loved this episode. And your playing has come along really well since the beginning. Between you and Robert Baker i have found a passion for Les Paul style guitars.Keep it up. See you in the next one and Take Care.
Nice comment dude!
Wow that thing is slick. Beautiful and sounds great. And it's an Ibanez wizard neck so you know it plays fast.
Got myself the white stallion and it's currently in a local custom shop getting repainted in silver / black, cant wait to see how it turn out
Definitely a beast guitar, i had the pickup changed to something more fitting my style, but i wish i could have kept the cover and swap it to the new one
Tho, i was really disappointed about it having a rosewood fretboard, i really prefer ebony
I really wonder why they have stopped using ebony on solid bodies even though the made in china archtops sometimes gets them.
You paid $3.5k to turn around and change it that much? Interesting.
@@tomfitzsimmons6535 i would do the same
I was kinda hoping you would've gotten Michael Weber to demo and shred on this, that guy's great player. But awesome review and unboxing. Thanks trogly!
The light weight trem bar is for a faster tremolo vibration behavior the way Vai plays ( pulling it up or pushing it down and snap it loose or giving it a slap.)
I have an Ibanez Jet King (the original), no trem, but it’s really good at staying in tune and actually tolerates oddball tuning really well. (I’m in open f5 right now, that’s FFCCCF which on paper sounds crazy, but it’s really interesting with all those drone strings.)
What an awesome channel i've stumbled upon! I'm considering a Pia or Suhr Modern as my 2nd guitar, such a tough choice!
Great video and demo...
Like yourself, it wouldn’t be the type of guitar for me personally but the standard of workmanship looks to be really high (as it should be for the cost). The inlays look to be really well done and the insides of the cavities are so clean compared to the ones on my Gibsons and Fenders. As an aside, I once met Steve Vai and Joe Satriani after a G3 gig. Satriani was an absolutely lovely guy and was willing to answer any questions I asked. Steve Vai was quite the opposite. I refuse to give him any sort of recognition but don’t like to slag people off so I shall refrain from passing any further comment about him.
1- doesn't matter how you tuning...guitar shows perfect freet position... unbelievable good
You should try an Ibanez j.custom! They are comparable to some of the high end Gibson custom shops. They are close in feel to this but completely different.
Merry Christmas TROG!
Nice tones - and great pickin' too!! I know color doesn't affect the sound, but my favorite looking is the gold finish. My guess is that your cable is supposed to go up and through the rear strap button area.
Tuning stability in a scalloped neck isn't an issue - unless you're a heavy handed oaf.
With a scalloped fretboard you can apply a nice vibrato to chords and make things a little more interesting. Of course you get a lot more grip of the strings for doing bends.
I don't have the PIA but I have an RG with DiMarzio's which is really similar. The style of music and the way these guitars make you play is very different to any other guitars I've played. If you don't do any sort of shredding like these guitars were intended it forces you play in a very experimental way that isn't like your average Strat style guitar and forces you to try new things, which is good. I recommend these if you just want something different and unique to play around on.
You have to run the jack by the guitar strap nut. Then you will pacify the movement in the last portion of your jack cable.
Ibanez are fantastic guitars. Did not know until I got my first one. BG 10 custom.
Ibanez quality is crazy, I have a JCustom and also a Gibson Standard LP, they are almost the same price, but the Ibanez is years ahead in QA and details etc
The pia is just perfect, cant wait till im okd enough to work to save up for one
What's really cool,is I can tell you've been practicing - you were a good guitarist when your RUclips channel first started,but lately, your playing is REALLY awesome! I can you've been practicing,and learning newer styles,too.
Good job! Keep up the good work with your videos, and keep on picking ! Two thumbs up !! 👍👍
2:58. Pick guard looks like it already has a huge scratch on it. Could be just the lighting tho
That guitar is killer looking. I think I'd like the gold one, but I'd have to see them in person. The green is pretty darn cool too.
Those pickups.... I think I'm in love
The green Pia and the old J. Yuenger ICJ100WZ Iceman are maybe the only 2 Ibanez I want to get my hands on. That Pia in green is simply amazing.
I would love to see you compare a 90s era Peavey Wolfgang to a modern Fender EVH Wolfgang. You’re the one guy on RUclips who can give an unbiased review and comparison.
love that golden dan green.. lovely colour
Love the green. That things is so much nicer looking on the vid than in the pics. Very nice.
I'm not sure why photos of a guitar/bass are bland while the video/in-person looks better? I have a same impression on getting my Rickenbacker 5-String Fireglo.
@@IndieTimberStudio More details are visible when seeing in person, and the craftsmanship is great, in details.
Jack access is baller AF. Steve is a genius.
Great Video! Too bad Mr. Vai couldn't make an appearance. I would imagine that you get enough views to make it worth his while. Huge thank you for showing that guitar off in a very different light. *Pun intended* I have watched tons of videos featuring this guitar back when it was released and I had no clue the glow in the dark features extended beyond the dots.
Mmmmm ! My favourite flavour of guitar,I have a jem,but I'd kill for a pia!!!
They both look incredible
The guitar is super lightweight and the sustain is awesome.
Has he ever done a Parker Fly?
Welcome back Troglodytes to your daily dose of guitar information: The Trogly's Guitar Show!
What is this kind of flower 🌸?
@Aquatic Mullet Pain In Ass
im thinking the hi pass was inspired by the satch model too ... does it kick in at full on or does it simply remove the treble roll off when you back off on the volume so you dont lose high end ?
the cable entry is to reduce the strain and remove the loop when you pass it thru the strap ... by not passing it thru the strap you are re introducing the strain problem and guess what one of the biggest problems of jack strain is ?... yup signal intermittance
I see trogly i click
3:13 That's what she said. This a beautiful piece of work. Very nice.
I think the light whammy barr is carbon fiber.
nah...they are cast aluminum and if you treat it like a pig it'll break...good thing is they are really cheap to replace.
I think Steve Vai said that they were made out of carbon fiber.
@@ducamuk you are correct and i stand corrected they are indeed carbon fibre guitargearfinder.com/spotlight/ibanez-pia/#Carbon_Fiber_Whammy_Bar
Steve knows that the people who buy them are all about the specs....players couldn't give a crap about a carbon fibre whammy bar.
I got the gold when it first came out and i absolutely love it i have 2 jems and the pia is just amazing love the pickups on it and the lite wait bar is great
Is the pia better?
The pia is a lot better than the jem all round
@@christocha8482 Does the pia have the same fret treatment as the j custom ? I’m torn between the pia and a j custom and would like to know which is better
Never clicked on a trogly video so quickly before
This seems very similar to a J Custom. I can get as crazy as I want with the trem on my ibanez Lo-Pro floating system. Great review
Your getting better at guitar. Your distortion test was awsome .notes with feeling. You've used your game bud
Not my cup of tea but just today, repeat stress disorder type of work (packaging), mind wanders,,,
DLR "Yankee Rose" and such. 20 years since i thought of this. those were good times.
Damn good times😜
21:27 i was hoping for some bad horsie right there. You tricked me trogly!