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Great guitar! The neck on the Jem Jr. (25.5 neck) is fast and really nice… not the single body but the Jem Jr. being a bolt-on, you really never feel it because they shaped the area by rounding out the edges. I got the ESP LTD EC-401 Charcoal and returned it to zZounds because the square parts where the neck meets the body got in my way… amongst other issues. I returned it and got the Schecter S-II Platinum Satin Silver SG (24.75 neck w/EMGs). Between the Jem Jr. and the Schecter, I’m all set to play Metallica, Iron Maiden, Dio, Priest, Randy! The weight of Jem Jr. is perfect! Not too heavy and not too light. Definitely lighter than a Strat! Neck has no fret buzz while soloing. The beautiful inlays take getting used to… but you WILL get used to it, lol. The bigger “leaf” inlay are the true markers. The signature handle really comes in handy! Very well balanced… but I had to tune up the tremolo. It was sticking up about 1/2”!!! WTH? Lol. So I lowered it to the body and now, it stays in tune for a long time and low action. Make sure you use a cork under the fine tuners to it don’t jam against the wood! The fine tuners need a little dab (I mean very very little) of oil once in a while but still all good. Only gripe is the way you plug the cord in… from the upside, you plug in downward. Weird. Good for playing gigs. But you cannot find a better guitar for this price point!

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Let me start by saying that I had fairly low expectations for this guitar. I needed a guitar and zZounds had this one on the 18 payment plan with an Orange crush combo amp included, the price was great so I went for it. The reason that I had low expectations for it were that I have had the "cheaper" Ibanez guitars in the past and have been, for the most part, disappointed in them. I found that they sounded hollow and didn't have any power or projection, the pickups were absolutely terrible, and the workmanship was sub par. Allow me to say that on the JEM Jr most of those concerns have been alleviated! This guitar is truly a world apart from the lesser RG series guitars. Is it a "real" JEM? No, but I didn't expect that. The second reason that I didn't expect much is that I have owned a made in Japan Ibanez prestige instrument and I couldn't believe that this would ever stack up to that, I was right but, not completely. The prestige had a much nicer finish, the neck was butter smooth and the tone was insane. That MIJ guitar had so much power and projection, I couldn't believe that a Floyd Rose guitar with a bolt on neck could sound like that but, it did. The JEM Jr does not do that. It does have that slightly tinny sound of the cheaper models and the pickups aren't anything to write home about BUT, the feel is there. The fretboard is slightly wider than the prestige that I had but the JEM has that amazing super thin and flat neck that I love, the body is light and extremely balanced and it is very articulate. I think that a pickup swap would do wonders for this instrument. Overall, I must say that I am pleased with the purchase. it isn't the best thing I have ever played but it is a long way from the worst also. I believe that it's worth the $500 asking price and really, in that range I don't think you could do much better if you're looking for a super fun and easy to play shredder. I would buy it again and I will enjoy the crap out of it while I have it.

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Here's an example of how a company can make a mid/low priced instrument that plays and sounds good right out of the box! The guitar is a great value and it's an instrument that you can play AS IS, and start making money with it right away. The frets are ALL well set and well dressed, no sharp edges at all. Action and floating tremolo also very playable right out of the box. Only problem was non of the included allen wrenches fit the locking nut, which was lose(!) - A trip to the local hardware store solved that problem which I am sure it's a rare occurrence and one due to packaging not manufacturing. The guitar sounds good and the humbuckers have a full yet well defined edge to them. The Center pickup is powerful and twangy as it should be the out-of-phase positions are the traditional, strat-like tone great for many styles. A very good instruments at all levels.

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This jem jr is just what it sounds like a JR . I replaced the pickups to Dimarzio evolution a world of difference . Still a price leader for a jem I'm in to it for around $700 .came out of the box set up made a few adjustments it well worth the money .

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I own a 2008 Jem 7VWH but to be honest, I don't like the gold... I know I could switch the hardware, but I also like keeping signature models original... So when this model came out for 500 bucks without the gold and I wouldn't feel bad customizing it further, it was an easy decision. I was hoping it would sound OK, but was shocked at how good this guitar sounds and looks... Only down side so far is it took me 30 minutes last night to set up and I still have to get the intonation set... Stock right outta the box, so far, this guitar is a winner for me...

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This is my honest review.The good: The guitar came quicker than expected. I am blown away how good it sounds!I love how good it feels in my hands (frets feel fine)Soo easy to bend and play!Was able to get in tune and didn't break a string.The bad:It came nowhere near ready to play. The strings weren't even close to tuned. The low E string popped out of holder on the trem. Some strings have visible dents on them. So already need to replace strings soon.The trem had to be set and took a bit to stay in tune at first.You can see where not enough coats of paint were added on the body around the tree.There is a black permanent mark on the lions claw.The middle spring in the back popped out while tuning.With all that said, the good out weighs the bad. I'm glad I got it, but damn, that was some work.

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This guitar is beyond a doubt the best guitar I have every played for under $500. This guitar plays and sounds like it should cost way more. It is super fast and so easy to play. The fret work is awesome and the inlays are beautiful. I actually pulled the truss rod cover and pick guard off and painted them both black and the guitar looks even more beautiful IMO. If you are thinking about buying this as an affordable shred machine do not hesitate - pull the trigger.

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This guitar is a well made, solid built guitar, workmanship is very good, was setup pretty good, I feel like this guitar can take a lot of abuse and still hold together well.. Stays in tune pretty well feels kinda heavy compared to a strat..

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Ok, I have had this guitar for a little bit now & can do an honest review... First, for the price, it ain't bad. That being said, it took a bit of tweeking to get the trem, action & neck setup. Plan on making several adjustments over the course of the first week. I did find small clumps of paint in the body route behind the trem. The pickups are very bright & I am probably going to change them. I have to roll the tone back to 3 or 4 to warm them up a bit but even at that setting, they are still really bright. The trem works fine. It stays pretty in tune once the strings are broken in. Setup for it is the same as a Floyd Rose. The guitar is very tonally versatile with the 5 way switch & coil splitting on the buckers. It sounds pretty good but with the tone wide open it sounds pretty harsh. This is something that I am going to have to fix. I'm going to change the capacitor value on the tone control this week & see if that fixes the the over bright harsh tone. If not, I am changing the pickups for a Dimarzio EVO set to keep it authentic. The neck is very nice & playable. No issues there. The fret job is very good & I'm able to get a low action. Inlay is perfect. Tuners are ok for budget hardware. All in all, for the price, I don't mind doing a few upgrades. It's a perfectly serviceable platform. The biggest issue use The harsh tone.

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I LOVE IT !!! Feels like Heaven in my hands. Slight tremolo adjustment out of the box. Perfect balance of weight. Pick ups sound brilliant. Plays effortlessly. Stays in tune. If you want a Jem, this is IT !!!!!!

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There are some great points to this guitar: the tone the mahogany body provides is incredible. The pick ups are stellar for this price point, and the neck is slim and lightning fast. The vine inlay, tremelo cavity and monkey grip make it look amazing.Now... The bad. Setup out of the box was awful... Absolutely unplayable. The tremelo is very cheap, and it would not stay in tune. The lock blocks wore out really fast and strings constantly popped out of the tremelo, which would throw the whole setup off. In short... Great guitar, if you upgrade the tremelo. Otherwise, save your cash for a premium model, because the trem on this one is a real pain in the neck.

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I’ve played around 32 years with a lot of different guitars. The Jem was like this dream guitar and normally not affordable. I took my chances to try the Jem JR. I was pleasantly surprised on how it sounded. Now remember it’s a $500 guitar it’s far from top notch but it is the next best thing. I own a Jackson and there is no comparison in sound. The Jem imo has an overall better sound.

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I received this guitar as a graduation gift, and I was absolutely blown away by how good it sounded. I own a PRS and a Gibson Les Paul, and yet this guitar is now my go to guitar for whenever I want to practice. I wont lie, its not perfect, the action was set a little to high but I fixed that problem and now everything is amazing. If your looking for a guitar, and like Steve Vai, buy this JEM!!

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I had always wanted a Jem, a little pricey for me, thought DiMarzios wouldn't be a big hit either...so I waited. I needed a strat style that I could load Duncans in if needed, a dbl locking bridge, and good wood were the other factors. I was banking on a pickup swap and almost made the wrong decision to go ahead and order them at this same time. Glad I waited. So it arrived, I was thoroughly impressed at the quality, but Ibanez always delivers a first class product from the lowest to the top-dogs. I did need time to set it up as low as I like it (on the frets w/no buzz) but now that it's dialed in, it plays like buttah, it plays as well as the Prestige J-Team that I had a few years back, it's light so it's comfortable, and the big surprise was the stock pickups...these are the best stock pickups IMO that I've had from any manufacturer. The pots & switch are silent, and you get 5 distinct tones from each position and NO Noise. the unique placement of the cable keeps it out of the way also, great feature,...in fact, I can't think of any negatives to mention. It's just been a month or so, and I may try-out a pair of Railhammers down the line, but for now I just plug her up to my HD500X and it's kosher. I highly recommend this guitar, and I doubt you will find a new guitar at this price that's equal to or better, it's just a fine piece of work...and Ibanez still has the best Bang 5 Buck in the world of rock/metal guitars ! I'm dropping a half star on "Overall" because it did need a serious amount of adjusting on the bridge. I rated "Manufacturer Support" a 5 Star, I have no idea if that's correct, but I had to check it to post review. I've never had to contact Ibanez and I've been buying their products for 20 years.

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Well, I knew exactly what I was getting with this guitar, as I purchased a yellow one for myself. Just a couple of months ago. This one is for my daughter. And it had the same issues as the yellow one I purchased. The issue of not being able to return to pitch after a dive or pull up on the bar. Both times fixing this problem, it was the same issue. The springs in the trem were stretched too far and were deformed. Replacing the springs alleviated the problem both times, that and finding the sweet spot.My adventures with Ibanez started with the Jem Jr. SP, which I ordered to see if I would like a thinner profile. I did and then I ordered a Premium Jem, which I liked. And my daughter liked the look of it, so I ordered her a white Jem JR.

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I had always wanted a Jem, a little pricey for me, thought DiMarzios wouldn't be a big hit either...so I waited. I needed a strat style that I could load Duncans in if needed, a dbl locking bridge, and good wood were the other factors. I was banking on a pickup swap and almost made the wrong decision to go ahead and order them at this same time. Glad I waited. So it arrived, I was thoroughly impressed at the quality, but Ibanez always delivers a first class product from the lowest to the top-dogs. I did need time to set it up as low as I like it (on the frets w/no buzz) but now that it's dialed in, it plays like buttah, it plays as well as the Prestige J-Team that I had a few years back, it's light so it's comfortable, and the big surprise was the stock pickups...these are the best stock pickups IMO that I've had from any manufacturer. The pots & switch are silent, and you get 5 distinct tones from each position and NO Noise. the unique placement of the cable keeps it out of the way also, great feature,...in fact, I can't think of any negatives to mention. It's just been a month or so, and I may try-out a pair of Railhammers down the line, but for now I just plug her up to my HD500X and it's kosher. I highly recommend this guitar, and I doubt you will find a new guitar at this price that's equal to or better, it's just a fine piece of work...and Ibanez still has the best Bang 5 Buck in the world of rock/metal guitars ! I'm dropping a half star on "Overall" because it did need a serious amount of adjusting on the bridge. I rated "Manufacturer Support" a 5 Star, I have no idea if that's correct, but I had to check it to post review. I've never had to contact Ibanez and I've been buying their products for 20 years.

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So the guitar luckly arrived in new condition but the box got badly damaged on the outside zZounds needs to talk to fed ex they also need to learn how to pack a guitar in o box it was very lightly done no bubble wrap just a couple of paper wads the guitar was able to move around and could have been damaged mail carriers are notoriously rough on packages so zZounds needs to take this into consideration when packing the guitar it self plays nice was easy to set up and looks beautiful

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