1988 Ibanez JEM7-RB Root Beer Steve Vai Signature, 100% Original

Up for sale, a 1988 Ibanez JEM7 Steve Vai signature model in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order. This iteration of Steve Vai’s signature JEM was produced for just two short years from 1988-89 at the Fujigen factory in Japan, featuring a Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo, HSH trio of DiMarzio pickups, 24-fret rosewood slab fingerboard with scalloping on the last four frets, smooth “monkey grip,” and a gloss Root Beer finish.

The HSH trio of DiMarzio pickups comprise a pair of PAF Pro humbuckers in the neck and bridge positions and a JEM single coil in the middle. The PAF Pro is one of DiMarzio’s classic humbucker designs, delivering the open, articulate sound of a PAF with more presence and cut, ensuring no muddiness when played with heavy processing. It has an ideal blend of snap and chunk, with a spike in the midrange that provides a subtle “aw” vowel sound, described by DiMarzio as “like a wah-wah pedal stopped in the middle." These full-sounding pickups pair well with the sparkling cut of the DiMarzio JEM single coil in the middle positions on the switch. This JEM7 weighs 7lbs 12oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 9-42 strings, slinky action, and accurate intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: JEM profile (slender D), measuring .735” 1st fret, .830” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Rosewood slab, 24-fret (scalloping on frets 21-24), 16” radius
-Frets: Jumbo, no wear
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1 11/16”, Top-Lok III
-Tuners: Gotoh SG38
-Serialization: 88-prefix (1988 production)

Body Specs:

-Wood: American basswood
-Pickups: DiMarzio PAF Pro humbucker x2, JEM single coil x1
-Controls: Volume, Tone, Five-way pickup selector
-Hardware: Edge tremolo (Floyd Rose-licensed)
-Plastics: Three-ply black pickguard, Strat-style knobs

The gloss Root Beer finish highlights the grain of the American Basswood body, with tight sutble checking on the back at the upper bout. Cosmetic wear is limited to a couple finish chips on the lower bout perimeter, pick scuffing across the guard, and minor nicks and dings. The satin on the neck profile is smooth and clean.

An Ibanez-branded gigbag is included.