Looking for my dream guitar :)

For discussion of Ibanez, other guitars, and general guitar topics.
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Lord of Shadows
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Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:08 pm

Hello everybody!
This is my first post so at first I'd like to greet every Vai's and guitar's lovers. :) I am 18 years old boy from Poland. I play guitar since I was 7 y.o. (first I played the classical guitar for 9 years in Music School and 1 year individual at home). Now for almost one year I play the electric guitar. I realy love to play and now I'd like to create a band. But there is one problem: I have a very poor instrument. :( I have an old guitar "Mayones KZ" (it's a polish electric guitar). So now I need to find a better guitar. I dream about JEM 555. It's sad but I have only 230-250 Euro. :? So here's my question: Does anybody knows something about shop or e-shop that have used JEM 555 (or have heard about somebody that wants to sell this guitar for about 230-250 Euro)?? I would be very grateful for any information. :)
Greetings!
PS. And sorry for my English - I try to made no mistakes, but I'm not very good at it...
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ernzzz
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Joined: Wed Sep 15, 2004 3:04 pm

hi, and welcome to the forum...

i had the same money problem you have, and i still have...

when i was around 18 years old aswell, i just entered on the conservatory and needed a guitar that gived me a lot, for not so much money..

finally i managed to find a guitar that happened to be really nice for the price i payed.. i started having 300€, but could save a little more and get to 500€ for a Maverick Chaos 1..
Image

you can hear how it sounds on my website (http://www.ernz.tk) or here:

http://www.myspace.com/ernzzzo

i know its nothing splendid... but i think it does pretty much the job... it could have better pickups, it could have a better floyd rose... but what matters to me is that the fretboard is very well made, and that it stays on tune... sounding decently, and being a versatile guitar...


the thing is, i will tell you not to buy a JEM 555.. it sure has to be a great guitar, dont get me wrong.. but in my opinion you can have a better second hand ibanez RG model, for the same money... or also you could have a NEW RG of the same level for the same money...

in my opinion if you have to buy what will be you MAIN guitar.. better get it new, cause it will last more, (frets get wasted so fast!) it will give less problems, and it will be YOUR guitar...

also if you spend 500€ instead of 250 or 300€, you will sure have a guitar of the "next level" you know.. this is hard to explain, but there seems to be a big diference generally, in materials and construction quality, between different price ranges... on new guitars of course..

500€ guitars tend to be clearly of a higher level than 300€... and so 700-1000€ guitars tend to be of the next...

so if i was you, i will give a look to new RG's.. or maybe some Maverick D-tox, or any other that you find..

but hey if you get the jem 555, dont forget to let us hear that babe! :wink:

money sucks!! :evil:
Last edited by ernzzz on Fri Nov 03, 2006 10:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Lord of Shadows
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Joined: Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:08 pm

ernzzz - thanks for your response :)
Yes, it's true - money sucks :D
Few days ago I bought an Ibanez RG 270. I payed about 155 Euro. I've heard that this guitar isn't good, but I've extremly needed a better guitar that my old one... :? Now I can start to save money for better equipment (maybe for about 10 years I will have enough money to buy a GOOD guitar - maybe JEM) :P. And then I will found a band and start to play on stages (I hope that around the world...).
By the way: what guitar can you recommend me? ernzzz suggested a Maverick D-tox or new RG. Does anybody has another suggestions?
Warm regards! :)
PS. I know - I am dreamer, but I've always dreamed that I will be a world-wide guitarist (but thats are only dreams) ;) Greetings!
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jam-man
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Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:19 am

Man, I think all of us here share your dream! :wink: Without a dream, you're not a complete person!

As for guitar, my friend has RG270 and he just put some new DiMarzios in it and it sounds pretty good now!

And yes, money sucks...I mean, you have to pay loads of money for beautiful thing like music, while shit like drugs and stuff are pretty much...cheap! :x
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the_1570
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Don't get a JEM555, the bridge is crap.
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Lord of Shadows
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Ehh... It's terrible - I was looking at eBay and I found this guitar: http://cgi.ebay.pl/Ibanez-JEM-7V-Steve- ... dZViewItem.
I've heard that counterfeits have serial number starting with "C". Now there are also guitars with "F". :? I have also found this guitar: http://cgi.ebay.pl/Ibanez-jem-7-plus-gu ... dZViewItem.
Of course it's a another counterfeit :cry: (JEM was never made in China...) - I've sent to eBay message with warning that this is an illegal copy of JEM, but nothing has happened (auction is still on the web). :? And there are plenty of fake guitars on eBay. Can we do sth to stop that :?:
Horrible...
PS. Sorry for my English :oops:
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Lord of Shadows
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Hello!
I have another qustion: How much have costed the cheapest Ibanez JEM, that you have ever seen? I'd like to now how much money I have to save :)
Greetings!
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GregN
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Joined: Mon Mar 20, 2006 8:22 am

Lord of Shadows wrote:Hello!
I have another qustion: How much have costed the cheapest Ibanez JEM, that you have ever seen? I'd like to now how much money I have to save :)
Greetings!
i have seen a Ibanez JEM7DBK for about $670
personally i didnt really like it...thats just me though
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BSBoy
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For 230-250 Euros, the best buy would be an RG550 or similar.....548, 570 etc

Forget the JEM555, the RG550 is a better guitar- most come with the edge trem and alot come with the Lo Pro Edge. The standard pickups aren't anything special, but they're alot better than alot of standard equipment pickups out there to be honest. Just whack some better pickups in it as & when you can afford to.

The RG550 is a superb guitar 8)
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Texter
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Joined: Tue Apr 22, 2003 2:41 pm

Just get a better Mayones I say...I'm serious.
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jam-man
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Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:19 am

So...which guitar do you have now!?
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Lord of Shadows
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Well. Now I have two guitars: Mayones KZ and Ibanez RG 270. I think that I will sell my Ibanez (when I learn how to use a Floyd Rose - KZ has a fixed bridge) and buy a better one. Many people say that RG 550 is better than JEM555 so maybe I'll buy RG 550 (except if I found JEM555 that I could afford to buy - if it would be cheap... ;)).
Best regards!
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Lord of Shadows
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Well, I play on RG-270 for about 3 months and I think that my guitar isn't so bad :) I had some problems with a bridge but now everything is all right!
Best regards!
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Mr. Bluesman
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...never mind....

(Edited)
Last edited by Mr. Bluesman on Tue Jan 09, 2007 9:45 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Vaiagra
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Welcome to the forum Lord of Shadows 8) !

Just a thought..

Swap the pickups for Evolutions.. add a fernandes sustainer (that's where it's at).. if you have any dough left over, maybe get the Keeley Ultra DS-1?..

Try to work within your budget to get the widest variety of sounds so you can explore your potential and add some more depth to your style.

When the time is right, the JEM will be yours :).
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