OUTCOME: So pretty crazy how similar they sound. Obviously the 'feel' of the guitar, quality/durability of hardware and the aesthetic looks is also a major reason for price. But $ for tone here??? I love all three, they each have a different role for me, 7V: main guitar, 77WDP: main Drop D guitar, Jem Jr: living room guitar. BUT in my opinion, strictly speaking tone here - there is a bigger difference tweaking your amp's treble from 5 to 6 than replacing an entire pickup. The fretboard wood, how much does it affect the sound? - lets be realistic, only the tiniest bit. How long do you spend on your amplifier deciding if your gain is 6.6 or 6.9 - probably not too long - but that is probably the same difference as buying a new $300 pickup to swap in. Anyway food for thought.
@@efe5150 All 3 feel and play quite similar especially if you compare so say a les paul. But for me The JEM7VWH feels the best but I have had it a long time. The Jem Jr is closest to the Jem7VWH in terms of fretboard and size/feel but it isn't as nice around the headstock / nut end. The 77WDP Woody has the largest difference because the fretboard is a little more narrow so it's a little easier to play and feels smaller in the hands.
Exactly! The type of picks you use have more influence on tone than the type of wood a guitar is made of. Heck, the way you hold a pick probably has more influence than the pickups themselves :)
Thanks for this video and your thoughts. Now I can feel more proud of my JEM JR. I was a bit upset that I had the second-rate JEM, but at my level it didn’t make sense to spend over a grand on a guitar. Now you’ve made me feel much better! Glad to know that the JEM JR is not a second-class guitar.
I have a RG 570 91’ that is my favorite so the $499 JEM jr. is ALL I need. I’m not playing to filled stadiums or arenas like all the other keyboard ninjas so Just myself in 8’x8’ room with evh 5150!#SimpleMan#🎸#Ibanez❤️
I own a white JEMJR (Rosewood edition) and 2 MIJ Jem's. Ibanez did a great job with Quantum Pickups on the JEMJR, they sound like Evolutions. JEMJR is a good guitar for a very low price and good manufacturing quality, but the problem with the JEMJR is not the wood, nor the pickups but one hardware: the terrible 'Standard DL' tremolo. Unfortunately, this is a poor quality product which has weaknesses. Even if you use it with precaution (I mean: don't play like Steve Vai in Crossroads every day), after a while the metal starts to bend near the mounting studs and it becomes hard to tune. If you really want a JEM, you can find good second hands for very low prices like first generations of JEM555 (AANJ with LO TRS II or Edge Pro II), or the 'seafoam green' 70V (with Evolution pickups and Edge Tremolo), the blue JEM7V with evo pickups and Lo-Pro or Edge Pro. Of course, you must test them before and check the general state of the guitar, but sometimes, "new" doesn't mean "better".
@@hotdoge5182 Absolutely. This is the way to go. My original Jr was upgraded with a Brass Block and that fixed the sustain but not the premature wear issues. I recently bought a Jr with a Gotoh 1996T Trem upgrade and it's spot on. Go for the Trem upgrade!
@@ThePedroDB hi sorry thank you for your response, went to a few guitar shops a while ago and tried the Jem out but didn't get along with it, felt too much like my £90 squire so instead I went for a 7 string Jackson, it's a brilliant guitar tbf but I discovered I just get along better with ebony fretboards, ngl yh was kind of dissapointed by the jem jr but it looks beautiful tbf!
Great review! EVO is a winner in clarity, I think. But the experience of playing these babies next to each other and feel the difference in materials and built quality is the real deal and can’t be captured on video. ✌🏻
Owning all three sets, I can tell you that there is actually quite a big difference. Not in the sense that one is vastly better that the others but the response when you play each set is quite noticeable. I, personally, have fallen in love recently with the dark matter 2 pickups, I just feel I can control them more easily than the others, especially the evos. Those fuckers are amazing but at the slightest sloppiness they just pull your pants down...
Surprising how similar they sound. What you can't convey in a video is the fit & finish and therefore the user experience, which I find to be noticeably different among the three ranges. I own Prestiges and Premiums, and the difference is obvious. I've played one Jem Jr. and also felt a difference. All that said, all of them are still good, even the low end model. You get a lot of guitar for $500 or so.
@@BFHPET Mainly Craftmanship, wood selection, and hardware quality But the JEM JR is definitely a top for a 500€ guitar, you wont find any guitar for that price that are such quality, Ibanez really did an amazing job at making a great and affordable guitar
@@claire6650 could you please tell well im kinda saving up so i still dont know which one i want to get but i wanna know all these versions so i cant figure it out
I love the way you make this video. The contents are essential. And your playing is adorable. I rareley seen people playing jem in a context of song and melody. Thanks for this inspiring video. I don't event care bout the sound comparison. I do care about your approach. Thanks again.
Ibanez did a great job with the JR theres not much in it , the 77 has a more treble, tight end the woody has that slightly darker tone to be expected.. but I really like the balanced sound of the JR and for the price its the winner
Spent a whole afternoon trying out Ibanez guitars a few months back, including all these. The Paul Waggoner signature model was the best to my ears. I don't even know who he is but his guitar is brilliant. Reminded me of when I picked up the J Mascis Squier Jazzmaster. Didn't know who he was, but his guitar is brilliant.
Dude you got to be the first person ever that knows how to do a good cross comparison... I have to say in round one I thought the Jem Jr sounded better than the premium, though clearly the best highs and low-end was the Jem7, as to be expected. Reminding me again that the person playing is the single biggest factor and next is amp and settings, then the guitar wood and pickups.
This is mostly true with highly processed sounds, there are some little differences but good or bad... that's all up to the listener. With some minor fret work and a setup I am sure you can get the Jr to play just as well as the others. You could give Vai a Jr and it wouldn't matter, he should actually take one on the road and play it for a few songs, sales would go mental.
Watched again. I'm not sure about the last one though. I think Woody sounds the best on that one. The warmness helps in that kind of situations. Keep the videos up mate. You've got a new subsriber.
Impressive guitars! I'm listening through a Midas M32 mixing console going out to a pair of Focal Twin6 Bes with a flat EQ setup. I think they all sound great but the one really jumping out at me for clean, solos and a really good bridge pickup rhythm tone is the Premium model. The Jem Jr sounds good, but the sound is a bit blended or slightly less defined, keep in mind only slightly. The Jem7V sounds surprisingly thin but very well defined. Probably nothing tweaking the amp can't fix but if the amp settings are the same across all three, that's what I'm clearly hearing. The premium is like a blend of both and has a KILLER rhythm sound and nails it harmonically in solos. For my money I'd grab the Premium. Of course we all have different preferences but that Premium has a certain presence. I'm really liking that one. Not the color scheme though lol.
The dimarzio pickups deffintly sound better here, in terms of bang for buck, I think the Indonesian Premiums have it in the bag here. the JR certainly isn't a bad guitar, but the premium and the Japanese certainly have it in the bag for tone.
i got myself the woody last year, i can definitely hear that warm tone that mine has. the 7V has that nice sheen to its tone, but any of these guitars will get the job done.
Note: The White JEMJr has Quantum pickups, while the Pink/Yellow JEMJRSP has Infinity pickups. The Infinity neck pickup is pretty good - it has a nice warm tone with good articulation. The Infinity bridge pickup, however, lacks just a bit of punch/bite. But I like the overall higher tone range of the Infinity - they cut through the mix and they can be adjusted with EQ. Ibanez Quantums on the other hand, are very difficult to EQ to taste. They are very boomy/midrange-y and round off the pick attack frequency, and insist on staying that way no matter how much you try to shape the tone.
I have six JEMs, including the white & brown ones, and have played the Jem Jr. All the JEMs feel & sound different but the white JEM 7vwh (white) is without a doubt the best sounding, easiest to play guitar I own (out of 20). By contrast, the JEM Jr feels like a cheap toy and you can definitely tell a HUGE difference in playability. Not intentionally, but this video is a bit deceptive; playing different guitars using a compressed, distorted preset with reverb & delay can mask a great deal and doesn’t demonstrate anything other than pickup sounds. The Jr has Evolutions (like the 7V) so it’s going to sound very similar, but the difference in overall quality is night & day. Do yourself a favor and at least try both before buying a Jr - better yet, save up for a 7vwh. It’s my “stuck on a desert island with only one guitar” choice, hands down.
I think this boils down to personal taste really. I like all three but the prestige sounds better to me. But for the price difference in them the JEM JR is on par with the tone of the other 2. Really surprised with tones. Great Video.
I pulled the trigger on a Jem7VP the premium model. for almost $2K is was expecting a lot more. fit and finish were quite a bit off. the action and fretwork were actually pretty good but there was a problem with the neck. there was excess finish and some sticky junk all over it like it was on the wall in a guitar center before being sent to me. there were two pretty serious blemishes on the neck. one was a sawmark or strange curved line like a scratch on the high frets by the high e string about 7 inches long its obviously not supposed to be there but qc overlooked it apparently. if that's not bad enough at the 5th fret there is a huge hole that was filled with epoxy. the hole was the size of a quarter and is obviously a repair of some kind. the edges of the fingerboard were very edgy and sharp and the guitar seemed clunky and awkward. pickups sounded pretty nice but overall the guitar was just okay. I sent it back for a refund.
From 30 years experience i know one thing for sure. You can't just compare guitars by the sound alone, especially the electric guitars, how they feel on your hands and etc. is very important too. But well performance tho. Thanks
Ibanez Junior made in Indonesia, not in Japan as original Ibanez Jem. Recently my student bought this model but asked for return due to manufacture fault. The 1 st string was too close to the edge and always slipped out of fingerboard.
I always felt the jem 77wdp had a very unique tone, richest harmonics of all jems. Maybe due to mahogany and pickups. I own a 7v and a 555 and both are pretty plain guitars. Comfortable, easy to play, but not an OUTSTANDING sound. Or maybe I just got so used to the sound that I don't find it special anymore.
In the description of the video scroll to the bottom - I have a link to a Google drive folder which has all my music available to download - including a folder to all of my backing tracks. Enjoy mate, thank you.
I think for electric guitars, its more of the build quality, pick ups, woods, and craftmanships. They almost sound the same, theres a difference in sound but minimal. What I think we're pying for when the prices are going up like Ive said is more on the playability, quality and craftmanship. That's why I'm not keen on buying expensive tagged instruments, maybe on the mid range / upper mid. I mean their good enough.
As the owner of a 7V, I tried a Jr to see how it compared. I was not impressed; the fret ends were sharp, the trem felt cheap, and the pickups sounded gritty. Did it look like my white Jem? Yes. Did it play like my Jem? No!
I'm on my 2nd Jr now and the fret ends on both have felt less obvious than some of my MIJ models. Luck of the draw? Maybe. Fortunately it doesn't take much to dress fret ends and polish frets. Once this is done you're 'golden'. I've scalloped frets 21-24, reprofiled the back of the neck and oil finished it. Feels identical to an MIJ now for a fraction of the price
Is there any difference in the tremolo? I mean usally if u buy a budget and they have Floyd rose licensed instead of original Floyd,there is this problem with staying in tune.
I’ve heard they’ve changed the wizard necks, I used to play Ibanez a lot when I was a kid, mostly because they were the only lefty models easily available in most music shops before the internet was a thing. RG470 - 570, I didn’t like the wizard necks at all.. it’s a matter of opinion.. the RG neck was really skinny and the radius was flat. I still have the 570, it still hurts my hands playing it, are the Jem necks skinny and flat like that, or is there more radius and contour?
Thank you. The white vs the yellow and pink versions are similar but not the same. Different pick-ups. All specs here ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/Category:JEM_models
I bet that if you have a guy to listen the differences between this three guitars he will not understand which is the low price and which the high price guitar...Also I think if you change the bridge on the Ibanez Jem Jr it will play as good as a high class rg guitar!!Nice review by the way!!!
I heard that the bridge of the ibanez jam jr not too good. I want to buy this guitar but i dont want to spend extra money to change the bridge. That would be too expensive for me. I have a vintage les paul v100 and i want to switch that to the ibanez jam jr. How bad is the bridge and the tremolo? I would be grateful if you can help me in this question. (Sorry for my bad grammar)
@@martonk8858 Hello my friend!! Don't apologize for the grammar I have bad grammar too🤣🤣(I'm Greek)...My opinion is that Ibanez Jem Jr with no mods or new bridge or pickup is still a really good instrument...And also I think that the bridge is not that bad....But if you make hard use of the tremolo especially for a long period then you should change it....It plays a big role for the sustain, feel, intonation and tuning of the guitar!!!But if you don't use the tremolo that much you could leave that stock bridge which is totally good especially for the price that you pay!!!
@@johnzachariou Thank you so much for the fast answer! The tremolo using would be a new thing for me because my first (and current) and only les paul dosn't have a tremolo. But i want to use the tremolo sometimes but not that crazy like Steve Vai. If im gonna buy the guitar maybe 1 or 2 years later i will change the bridge. Thank you for your answer again! Now i can sleep peacefully :D
David Goodland Thanks for the response! What recording software do you use? Sorry to be so annoying. I’m trying to leave the Stone Age and start recording better quality stuff lol
No perceptable difference when auditioned with headphones. RUclips audio compression might not be helping but... The only time I could hear a change between guitars was the last clean playing on the neck pickup. In a live environment, no one would be able to hear any difference between these guitars. Take the Jr to the gig and keep the 7V for Studio work & photo shoots! ;-)
@juna wood I had a White Jr and the Quantum pups were voiced pretty close to the Dimarzio Evolutions. In fact I preferred the Quantum's on particular settings. The Yellow & Pink Jrs have Infinity pups which have less clarity to my ear
I have the 3 jemjr (pink, yellow and white) not sure it they are different pickups (infinity/quantums) since I do not know how to check it without opening them, and I have the jam 7vwh too. The 3 jemjr sound the same to me, and the more important tone differences between the cheap ones and the 7v are specially noted in the bassier strings, where the jemjr offers a more fuzzed sound, and the 7v have a very clean and focus sound. This is something that occurs in every string, but once you noticed in the 6th for example, you start to notice it in the others too. With distorted sounds is very noticeable, the focus and sweetness and roundness in the 7v are pretty obvious once you know where to "look at". But in general, the jemjr are really very close to the 7v, i use them a lot in my "bedroom" practice. Very happy with them
Premium has a good Trem and pickups, that's where you need to look when buying these super strats. Actually like the look best. The Ibanez fan boys will moan about Premium all day long when they are amazing (I own an RG prestige but have owned premium and it's awesome )
Agreed. I have MIJ & Premium (MII) models. My absolute 'go to' guitar for the last 7 years has been my Premium Jem70V. It's epic. No need to spend the 100%+ on the MIJ variant. They're a tiny bit better but not that much..
What is better the 2018 Jem Jr mahogany/rosewood or the 2019 Meranti/Jatoba version. I have not much experience with Jatoba. I know it is very hard like ebony but unsure how well it sounds and holds the frets compared to rosewood.
Hi Jimmy, they are quite different. In terms of thickness they are similar but in length and actual width of the fretboard the 77WDP feel is small/shorter. The Jr and the 7v feel almost the same (slightly larger than average) but the 77WDP feels more of a standard stratish size.
they don't sound the same, but for the price I'll go with jem jr, their is minimal tone difference between the second and the thrid. The third sounds more balanced it's the best sounding but the resonance on the second is also very good, the second, its really a case of 1-3
Nice Demo! David, can you please share me the backing tracks from your previous recording? After some years I will give a try to play bottoming out with my overhauled chibson! Cheers!
Sounds good mate. In the description to this video "show more" there is a link at the bottom to download my music. In the folder 'David Goodland - Archives (2011-2016)' you will see a sub folder called Backing Tracks. You can find Bottoming Out in there. Would love to hear it. Also I like the flame top on your Chibson Les Paul Slash AFD, looks good.
JEM77WDP would be the best choice (value for money). JEM7V is better for sure but not by much compared to 77WDP JEM JR still have a good sound but not as rich tone then the others
Watching this video leaves me with the same question I always have watching a Jem video- every player that I see playing one seems to go for the Steve Vai sound. Is that a function of the guitar or does holding one make you want to go for a Vai tone? There is one pandemic too many for me to test this theory out at a guitar store.
@@emcitement Thank you. I’ve always wondered. Considered getting one of these but ended up with another strat. I feel like it ended up being a better choice for me.
Ich besitze die JEM7VP und habe verucht das nachzuspielen was du spielst.. Der Sound ist ganz anders. als bei dir im Video. Welche Amp benutzt du in dem Video. und welche Einstellungen sind da???
I bought a Jem Jr last year and found the bridge to be suitable, but not great with not much mass and cheaper metals. I upgraded with a Gotoh and the tone and sustain were both improved.
That was a good "vs" video, I was surprised as well. I actually have one of Steve's old JEMs (Pogo) It has the Ebony. I wanted to hear from you, what are the playability issues between the three?
You actually have one of Steve's actual JEM's, that awesome mate, congrats. Playability issues. The 7v is great and the most reliable, but I hate the whammy bar is always loose. The Premium 77WDP feels like it needs a slight set up every few months which I never get with the 7V (might be the type of wood). It also has the annoyance of each time I tighten the locking trem at the nut it alters the tuning a little. The Jr could do with a profesional fret dress, also I find the action and feel around the nut isn't as good as the higher range guitars, and that is the most difficult area to adjust with a locking trem. Apart from those, nothing in particular. The Jr's trem gets a smashing online about how crap it is. But honestly, for me yes its not as good as the others, but I use it to extremes and it stays in tune, so it's doing the job I want.
OUTCOME: So pretty crazy how similar they sound. Obviously the 'feel' of the guitar, quality/durability of hardware and the aesthetic looks is also a major reason for price. But $ for tone here??? I love all three, they each have a different role for me, 7V: main guitar, 77WDP: main Drop D guitar, Jem Jr: living room guitar.
BUT in my opinion, strictly speaking tone here - there is a bigger difference tweaking your amp's treble from 5 to 6 than replacing an entire pickup. The fretboard wood, how much does it affect the sound? - lets be realistic, only the tiniest bit. How long do you spend on your amplifier deciding if your gain is 6.6 or 6.9 - probably not too long - but that is probably the same difference as buying a new $300 pickup to swap in. Anyway food for thought.
Awesome video! I’m surprised at how similar they sound. Any comments in regards to any noticeable differences in playability?
@@efe5150 All 3 feel and play quite similar especially if you compare so say a les paul. But for me The JEM7VWH feels the best but I have had it a long time. The Jem Jr is closest to the Jem7VWH in terms of fretboard and size/feel but it isn't as nice around the headstock / nut end. The 77WDP Woody has the largest difference because the fretboard is a little more narrow so it's a little easier to play and feels smaller in the hands.
Great sound from them all and great guitars collection bro! ✌👍🎵🎸
Exactly! The type of picks you use have more influence on tone than the type of wood a guitar is made of. Heck, the way you hold a pick probably has more influence than the pickups themselves :)
Thanks for this video and your thoughts. Now I can feel more proud of my JEM JR. I was a bit upset that I had the second-rate JEM, but at my level it didn’t make sense to spend over a grand on a guitar. Now you’ve made me feel much better! Glad to know that the JEM JR is not a second-class guitar.
..... came for the review, stayed for the music. Real nice.
Woody has a warmee tone. The 7V is simply out of this world. Rich, powerful yet smooth tone.
All great guitars!
I have a RG 570 91’ that is my favorite so the $499 JEM jr. is ALL I need. I’m not playing to filled stadiums or arenas like all the other keyboard ninjas so Just myself in 8’x8’ room with evh 5150!#SimpleMan#🎸#Ibanez❤️
keyboard ninjas!!! Love it. I'm stealing that :)
So lucky to have that 570. I just missed out on a 93 RG470, her changed his mind on selling it. Was gutted.
I own a white JEMJR (Rosewood edition) and 2 MIJ Jem's.
Ibanez did a great job with Quantum Pickups on the JEMJR, they sound like Evolutions.
JEMJR is a good guitar for a very low price and good manufacturing quality, but the problem with the JEMJR is not the wood, nor the pickups but one hardware: the terrible 'Standard DL' tremolo. Unfortunately, this is a poor quality product which has weaknesses. Even if you use it with precaution (I mean: don't play like Steve Vai in Crossroads every day), after a while the metal starts to bend near the mounting studs and it becomes hard to tune.
If you really want a JEM, you can find good second hands for very low prices like first generations of JEM555 (AANJ with LO TRS II or Edge Pro II), or the 'seafoam green' 70V (with Evolution pickups and Edge Tremolo), the blue JEM7V with evo pickups and Lo-Pro or Edge Pro.
Of course, you must test them before and check the general state of the guitar, but sometimes, "new" doesn't mean "better".
So if I just replace the trem on the jr would that fix the problems? Sorry just contemplating on getting a jem jr or not?
@@hotdoge5182 Absolutely. This is the way to go. My original Jr was upgraded with a Brass Block and that fixed the sustain but not the premature wear issues. I recently bought a Jr with a Gotoh 1996T Trem upgrade and it's spot on. Go for the Trem upgrade!
@@ThePedroDB hi sorry thank you for your response, went to a few guitar shops a while ago and tried the Jem out but didn't get along with it, felt too much like my £90 squire so instead I went for a 7 string Jackson, it's a brilliant guitar tbf but I discovered I just get along better with ebony fretboards, ngl yh was kind of dissapointed by the jem jr but it looks beautiful tbf!
there is a saying "the older the spicier".
Great review! EVO is a winner in clarity, I think. But the experience of playing these babies next to each other and feel the difference in materials and built quality is the real deal and can’t be captured on video. ✌🏻
In my opinion all three Jem guitars sounding fantastic
To my ears, there is no difference at all between them so jem jr is the best option for a money
JEM 77WDP sounded the best to me, seemed to have a fuller tone, nice work on the vid 👍
Owning all three sets, I can tell you that there is actually quite a big difference. Not in the sense that one is vastly better that the others but the response when you play each set is quite noticeable. I, personally, have fallen in love recently with the dark matter 2 pickups, I just feel I can control them more easily than the others, especially the evos. Those fuckers are amazing but at the slightest sloppiness they just pull your pants down...
Surprising how similar they sound. What you can't convey in a video is the fit & finish and therefore the user experience, which I find to be noticeably different among the three ranges. I own Prestiges and Premiums, and the difference is obvious. I've played one Jem Jr. and also felt a difference. All that said, all of them are still good, even the low end model. You get a lot of guitar for $500 or so.
what are the diffrence between these models execpt the price and the look
@@BFHPET Mainly Craftmanship, wood selection, and hardware quality
But the JEM JR is definitely a top for a 500€ guitar, you wont find any guitar for that price that are such quality, Ibanez really did an amazing job at making a great and affordable guitar
@@claire6650 how many version of the jem is there because i se there is a vp7 and a jem7 and a JEM 7VWH and pia and more i cant figure out what i want
@@BFHPET There are so many different versions, it's crazy
What's your budget and what are you looking for mainly?
@@claire6650 could you please tell well im kinda saving up so i still dont know which one i want to get but i wanna know all these versions so i cant figure it out
I love the way you make this video. The contents are essential. And your playing is adorable. I rareley seen people playing jem in a context of song and melody. Thanks for this inspiring video. I don't event care bout the sound comparison. I do care about your approach. Thanks again.
Sound is not all. The playability is very important. The tuners too. AFAIK the junior is a very good deal. Great review ! Thank you.
Bravo, this was sooooo needed!
Great video well done and the Jr sounded great maybe not as great as the premium but it sounded very very good . Id buy a Jr in a heart beat .
Ask someone to play this video for you. But try watching it without looking at the screen. ;)
wow those evo pickups are really good sounding...
My thoughts exactly!!! 👌🤘
Ibanez did a great job with the JR theres not much in it , the 77 has a more treble, tight end
the woody has that slightly darker tone to be expected.. but I really like the balanced sound of the JR and for the price its the winner
They all sound the same to me I can only assume that the real difference is probably in neck feel and in weight of the guitar
Spent a whole afternoon trying out Ibanez guitars a few months back, including all these. The Paul Waggoner signature model was the best to my ears. I don't even know who he is but his guitar is brilliant. Reminded me of when I picked up the J Mascis Squier Jazzmaster. Didn't know who he was, but his guitar is brilliant.
Dude you got to be the first person ever that knows how to do a good cross comparison... I have to say in round one I thought the Jem Jr sounded better than the premium, though clearly the best highs and low-end was the Jem7, as to be expected. Reminding me again that the person playing is the single biggest factor and next is amp and settings, then the guitar wood and pickups.
Wish you would do similar video with all the Fender Strats...
So in other words Jem jr sounds just as good as the other models.
AJ Porter nope
This is mostly true with highly processed sounds, there are some little differences but good or bad... that's all up to the listener. With some minor fret work and a setup I am sure you can get the Jr to play just as well as the others. You could give Vai a Jr and it wouldn't matter, he should actually take one on the road and play it for a few songs, sales would go mental.
lol no
YES exactly
Can you tell me the name of the solo he did at 2:04 ?
Rather save the money on cheap guitar and get a good amp.
Are they all originals? The lead work around 2:00 was insane - gave me goosebumps!
Watched again. I'm not sure about the last one though. I think Woody sounds the best on that one. The warmness helps in that kind of situations.
Keep the videos up mate. You've got a new subsriber.
Impressive guitars! I'm listening through a Midas M32 mixing console going out to a pair of Focal Twin6 Bes with a flat EQ setup. I think they all sound great but the one really jumping out at me for clean, solos and a really good bridge pickup rhythm tone is the Premium model. The Jem Jr sounds good, but the sound is a bit blended or slightly less defined, keep in mind only slightly. The Jem7V sounds surprisingly thin but very well defined. Probably nothing tweaking the amp can't fix but if the amp settings are the same across all three, that's what I'm clearly hearing. The premium is like a blend of both and has a KILLER rhythm sound and nails it harmonically in solos. For my money I'd grab the Premium. Of course we all have different preferences but that Premium has a certain presence. I'm really liking that one. Not the color scheme though lol.
Seems like the WDP sounded a little different to me but I mean barely lol. All sounded very similar to me. Thanks for the vid!
great comparison!
The dimarzio pickups deffintly sound better here, in terms of bang for buck, I think the Indonesian Premiums have it in the bag here.
the JR certainly isn't a bad guitar, but the premium and the Japanese certainly have it in the bag for tone.
i got myself the woody last year, i can definitely hear that warm tone that mine has. the 7V has that nice sheen to its tone, but any of these guitars will get the job done.
Note: The White JEMJr has Quantum pickups, while the Pink/Yellow JEMJRSP has Infinity pickups. The Infinity neck pickup is pretty good - it has a nice warm tone with good articulation. The Infinity bridge pickup, however, lacks just a bit of punch/bite. But I like the overall higher tone range of the Infinity - they cut through the mix and they can be adjusted with EQ. Ibanez Quantums on the other hand, are very difficult to EQ to taste. They are very boomy/midrange-y and round off the pick attack frequency, and insist on staying that way no matter how much you try to shape the tone.
The white jem here is a jem 7v with dimarzio evolution pick ups
@@James-hh1lq yes I know. Just info for folks who are looking at various Jem Jr colors
Great review and an amazing sound, thanks brother!
They all sound fantastic but that Dark Matter sounds absolutely beastly on big, open chords
I think you convinced me to save my money and get a Jem Jr!
I get my Jem Jr on Jan 5th 2021. I do have the Rg350 ad Rg370ahmz
@@SixStringNinja how is it?
I have six JEMs, including the white & brown ones, and have played the Jem Jr. All the JEMs feel & sound different but the white JEM 7vwh (white) is without a doubt the best sounding, easiest to play guitar I own (out of 20). By contrast, the JEM Jr feels like a cheap toy and you can definitely tell a HUGE difference in playability. Not intentionally, but this video is a bit deceptive; playing different guitars using a compressed, distorted preset with reverb & delay can mask a great deal and doesn’t demonstrate anything other than pickup sounds. The Jr has Evolutions (like the 7V) so it’s going to sound very similar, but the difference in overall quality is night & day. Do yourself a favor and at least try both before buying a Jr - better yet, save up for a 7vwh. It’s my “stuck on a desert island with only one guitar” choice, hands down.
@@sona3486 I actually got the ibanez rg550 genesis
@@sona3486 the 7vw is not available in India
The Jem Jr looks better. Like, the colors are so beautiful. :)
Really great video comparing the instruments.
Thank you for putting this together.
I think this boils down to personal taste really. I like all three but the prestige sounds better to me. But for the price difference in them the JEM JR is on par with the tone of the other 2. Really surprised with tones. Great Video.
Just bought the Jem Jr. Can't wait for it to arrive. I can't hear a difference AT ALL.
All the guitars sound great. He has a great feel and style
Very melodic
I do like the walnut one the way is resonants ... good job on the comparison
Awesome comparison 🎸🎶🎶🎶🔥
Great track and playing boss 👌
I really like your guitar playing and music! Very melodic guitar playing!!
Thanks mate ;)
@@DavidGoodland What is the name of the song? Is great!
I pulled the trigger on a Jem7VP the premium model. for almost $2K is was expecting a lot more. fit and finish were quite a bit off. the action and fretwork were actually pretty good but there was a problem with the neck. there was excess finish and some sticky junk all over it like it was on the wall in a guitar center before being sent to me. there were two pretty serious blemishes on the neck. one was a sawmark or strange curved line like a scratch on the high frets by the high e string about 7 inches long its obviously not supposed to be there but qc overlooked it apparently. if that's not bad enough at the 5th fret there is a huge hole that was filled with epoxy. the hole was the size of a quarter and is obviously a repair of some kind. the edges of the fingerboard were very edgy and sharp and the guitar seemed clunky and awkward. pickups sounded pretty nice but overall the guitar was just okay. I sent it back for a refund.
Thank you an honest review. Great guitar work dude.
From 30 years experience i know one thing for sure. You can't just compare guitars by the sound alone, especially the electric guitars, how they feel on your hands and etc. is very important too. But well performance tho. Thanks
Now time to make 4 plus. Pia! Hahaha great vids man!
Hey my friend ! Great comparison! I own two outa of three and yes they all can compete. I love both !
Awesome guitars, awesome playing, awesome songs.. Top!!!
Ibanez Junior made in Indonesia, not in Japan as original Ibanez Jem. Recently my student bought this model but asked for return due to manufacture fault. The 1 st string was too close to the edge and always slipped out of fingerboard.
got the woody. it just plays itself - neck is stupendous. lighting fast scales and arpeggios. by far the best guitar i've ever played.
Perfect comparison video! Thank you so much
The most important is to compare only with clear sounds!!!.... It’s the distortion that makes the sound !!!....(And of course the fingers....).
Real Jem sounds like it is more midy. That being said I like the dirty sound of the jr. So I got a white one 🤘
Thank you very much phoria work
This is a vid comparison should be made it, good job!
I always felt the jem 77wdp had a very unique tone, richest harmonics of all jems. Maybe due to mahogany and pickups. I own a 7v and a 555 and both are pretty plain guitars. Comfortable, easy to play, but not an OUTSTANDING sound. Or maybe I just got so used to the sound that I don't find it special anymore.
Very cool want all of them
I really enjoy your work ! Is that possible to you send me the backing tracks of the songs Run and Notepad ? I really like to record a cover ! Thanks
In the description of the video scroll to the bottom - I have a link to a Google drive folder which has all my music available to download - including a folder to all of my backing tracks. Enjoy mate, thank you.
I think for electric guitars, its more of the build quality, pick ups, woods, and craftmanships. They almost sound the same, theres a difference in sound but minimal. What I think we're pying for when the prices are going up like Ive said is more on the playability, quality and craftmanship.
That's why I'm not keen on buying expensive tagged instruments, maybe on the mid range / upper mid.
I mean their good enough.
The prestige does have the best expression and sound IMHO
All sounds great. I like Premium looks and not so bright sound. It is not muffled sound. Just darker compare two others.
As the owner of a 7V, I tried a Jr to see how it compared. I was not impressed; the fret ends were sharp, the trem felt cheap, and the pickups sounded gritty.
Did it look like my white Jem? Yes.
Did it play like my Jem? No!
I'm on my 2nd Jr now and the fret ends on both have felt less obvious than some of my MIJ models. Luck of the draw? Maybe. Fortunately it doesn't take much to dress fret ends and polish frets. Once this is done you're 'golden'. I've scalloped frets 21-24, reprofiled the back of the neck and oil finished it. Feels identical to an MIJ now for a fraction of the price
would be lovely if you would have wacked the tremolo to test the tuning stability
Sounds are pretty similar even mostly same. What about playibility, fretwork and tuning?
Tks for the video
Great comparison, I totally agree, very hard to pick from the cheapie from Indonesia to the Premium from japan
Can you paste the link of your backing track?
Is there any difference in the tremolo? I mean usally if u buy a budget and they have Floyd rose licensed instead of original Floyd,there is this problem with staying in tune.
I’ve heard they’ve changed the wizard necks, I used to play Ibanez a lot when I was a kid, mostly because they were the only lefty models easily available in most music shops before the internet was a thing. RG470 - 570, I didn’t like the wizard necks at all.. it’s a matter of opinion.. the RG neck was really skinny and the radius was flat. I still have the 570, it still hurts my hands playing it, are the Jem necks skinny and flat like that, or is there more radius and contour?
Awesome review. Are JEM JR yellow and JEM JR white same?
Thank you. The white vs the yellow and pink versions are similar but not the same. Different pick-ups. All specs here ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/Category:JEM_models
I bet that if you have a guy to listen the differences between this three guitars he will not understand which is the low price and which the high price guitar...Also I think if you change the bridge on the Ibanez Jem Jr it will play as good as a high class rg guitar!!Nice review by the way!!!
I heard that the bridge of the ibanez jam jr not too good. I want to buy this guitar but i dont want to spend extra money to change the bridge. That would be too expensive for me. I have a vintage les paul v100 and i want to switch that to the ibanez jam jr. How bad is the bridge and the tremolo? I would be grateful if you can help me in this question. (Sorry for my bad grammar)
@@martonk8858 Hello my friend!! Don't apologize for the grammar I have bad grammar too🤣🤣(I'm Greek)...My opinion is that Ibanez Jem Jr with no mods or new bridge or pickup is still a really good instrument...And also I think that the bridge is not that bad....But if you make hard use of the tremolo especially for a long period then you should change it....It plays a big role for the sustain, feel, intonation and tuning of the guitar!!!But if you don't use the tremolo that much you could leave that stock bridge which is totally good especially for the price that you pay!!!
@@johnzachariou Thank you so much for the fast answer! The tremolo using would be a new thing for me because my first (and current) and only les paul dosn't have a tremolo. But i want to use the tremolo sometimes but not that crazy like Steve Vai. If im gonna buy the guitar maybe 1 or 2 years later i will change the bridge. Thank you for your answer again! Now i can sleep peacefully :D
@@martonk8858 My pleasure
Hey man! They all sound so good. What’s your recording method, this is great sound!
Thanks mate. Method is the guitar into a Line6 Amplifi TT, then straight into the input jack on my pc.
David Goodland Thanks for the response! What recording software do you use? Sorry to be so annoying. I’m trying to leave the Stone Age and start recording better quality stuff lol
all of them are awesome
No perceptable difference when auditioned with headphones. RUclips audio compression might not be helping but... The only time I could hear a change between guitars was the last clean playing on the neck pickup. In a live environment, no one would be able to hear any difference between these guitars. Take the Jr to the gig and keep the 7V for Studio work & photo shoots! ;-)
ThePedroDB same
because he is using modellin software
@juna wood I had a White Jr and the Quantum pups were voiced pretty close to the Dimarzio Evolutions. In fact I preferred the Quantum's on particular settings. The Yellow & Pink Jrs have Infinity pups which have less clarity to my ear
@@naegleriafowleri2230 Spot on! The 'amp' makes far more difference than the pups
I have the 3 jemjr (pink, yellow and white) not sure it they are different pickups (infinity/quantums) since I do not know how to check it without opening them, and I have the jam 7vwh too. The 3 jemjr sound the same to me, and the more important tone differences between the cheap ones and the 7v are specially noted in the bassier strings, where the jemjr offers a more fuzzed sound, and the 7v have a very clean and focus sound. This is something that occurs in every string, but once you noticed in the 6th for example, you start to notice it in the others too. With distorted sounds is very noticeable, the focus and sweetness and roundness in the 7v are pretty obvious once you know where to "look at". But in general, the jemjr are really very close to the 7v, i use them a lot in my "bedroom" practice. Very happy with them
Premium has a good Trem and pickups, that's where you need to look when buying these super strats. Actually like the look best. The Ibanez fan boys will moan about Premium all day long when they are amazing (I own an RG prestige but have owned premium and it's awesome )
Agreed. I have MIJ & Premium (MII) models. My absolute 'go to' guitar for the last 7 years has been my Premium Jem70V. It's epic. No need to spend the 100%+ on the MIJ variant. They're a tiny bit better but not that much..
What is better the 2018 Jem Jr mahogany/rosewood or the 2019 Meranti/Jatoba version. I have not much experience with Jatoba. I know it is very hard like ebony but unsure how well it sounds and holds the frets compared to rosewood.
same question and quantun pickups vs Infinity
Dude,, you're awesome!!!
So are you, thanks mate.
Jem7v is a little bit more brighter and tight
Now in US...
Ibanez Jem 7V wh - $1800 new
Ibanez Jem Premium 77wdp -$ 1600 used
Ibanez Jem Jr. - $499 New
Is that the Jem7VP price new ($1800)? Indonesian model? The 7V is no longer in production.
You still have your black Stratocaster
And what type of brand is that
would you let us know about your set up also ... Thank you.
Get the JR, fit a pair of Dimarzio Evolutions, upgrade the original tremolo with a Gotoh GE1996T and you’ll have a top notch JEM for less than $850.
its the the gear its the skills that matter as seen here
Well done, thx
Steve vai said the juniors and top end jem isn’t much difference in playability
Amazing video and playing, is the neck JEM JR same as JEM77WDP Premium ?
Hi Jimmy, they are quite different. In terms of thickness they are similar but in length and actual width of the fretboard the 77WDP feel is small/shorter. The Jr and the 7v feel almost the same (slightly larger than average) but the 77WDP feels more of a standard stratish size.
they don't sound the same, but for the price I'll go with jem jr, their is minimal tone difference between the second and the thrid. The third sounds more balanced it's the best sounding but the resonance on the second is also very good, the second, its really a case of 1-3
Hi David, the video is very good. If it is not too much trouble you could pass the tabs of the routine in the demonstration.
Sorry mate, no tabs. Wish there was
David Goodland Do you have any routine to practice it on the guitar?
Nice Demo! David, can you please share me the backing tracks from your previous recording? After some years I will give a try to play bottoming out with my overhauled chibson! Cheers!
Sounds good mate. In the description to this video "show more" there is a link at the bottom to download my music. In the folder 'David Goodland - Archives (2011-2016)' you will see a sub folder called Backing Tracks. You can find Bottoming Out in there. Would love to hear it. Also I like the flame top on your Chibson Les Paul Slash AFD, looks good.
I absolutely love the first piece. What is that called? Did you create it? Thanks!
Thank you, yes the song is one of mine. Streaming on Spotify and the rest: "David Goodland - New Beginnings"
@@DavidGoodland I'm going to have to find this song! Appreciate it.
@@01247Brandon legend 👍
Evo pickups are nice, I have the WDP but the 7V Wh is different in a good way.
Sup Yngwie, I'd love to see you demo the one Vai gave you.
@@blackie75 I had to sell it on Ebay so I could afford to service the Ferraris - fucking Trevor is a good mechanic but he's expensive.
JEM77WDP would be the best choice (value for money).
JEM7V is better for sure but not by much compared to 77WDP
JEM JR still have a good sound but not as rich tone then the others
The question is, can the average human ear hear the difference? I personally cannot. Thanks for the video. 👍
good video but why dont u use whammy bars dude? i want to hear tuning stabilities
Thanks mate. I think I do whammy bar demos on the unboxing videos for the Jr and the WDP.
@@DavidGoodland You are welcome Yes I watched but I wnt a see like this ruclips.net/video/g4xSzMw5vP8/видео.html
Watching this video leaves me with the same question I always have watching a Jem video- every player that I see playing one seems to go for the Steve Vai sound. Is that a function of the guitar or does holding one make you want to go for a Vai tone? There is one pandemic too many for me to test this theory out at a guitar store.
late reply but no that's just the players imitating his style. guitars won't ever give you someone else's sound, that's on your playing.
@@emcitement Thank you. I’ve always wondered. Considered getting one of these but ended up with another strat. I feel like it ended up being a better choice for me.
I think if you didn't know what guitar it was you may not hear so much Vai. Could be observer bias and not the players.
To me .I spend three .all are so great .super .feels .sound .and enjoy 😉
Ich besitze die JEM7VP und habe verucht das nachzuspielen was du spielst..
Der Sound ist ganz anders. als bei dir im Video.
Welche Amp benutzt du in dem Video. und welche Einstellungen sind da???
Cannot notice any diffecence on my iphone’s speaker
Almost
how is the bridge on the Jem Jr.?I remember the very lousy whammy bar
I bought a Jem Jr last year and found the bridge to be suitable, but not great with not much mass and cheaper metals. I upgraded with a Gotoh and the tone and sustain were both improved.
That was a good "vs" video, I was surprised as well. I actually have one of Steve's old JEMs (Pogo) It has the Ebony. I wanted to hear from you, what are the playability issues between the three?
You actually have one of Steve's actual JEM's, that awesome mate, congrats. Playability issues. The 7v is great and the most reliable, but I hate the whammy bar is always loose. The Premium 77WDP feels like it needs a slight set up every few months which I never get with the 7V (might be the type of wood). It also has the annoyance of each time I tighten the locking trem at the nut it alters the tuning a little. The Jr could do with a profesional fret dress, also I find the action and feel around the nut isn't as good as the higher range guitars, and that is the most difficult area to adjust with a locking trem. Apart from those, nothing in particular. The Jr's trem gets a smashing online about how crap it is. But honestly, for me yes its not as good as the others, but I use it to extremes and it stays in tune, so it's doing the job I want.
@@DavidGoodland this one does that a bit, I have a 2480 and a 1200 JS (prestiges) that came with a special tool (allen) that fixes that
Great they sound the same
Jem Jr. actually sounds better.
I Agree! Dam, I own a 2008 Jem7v!
pickups are the only difference and teh hardware which you can upgrade later