The sea foam green Ibanez Jem70V is a relatively more affordable take on the popular Steve Vai Signature series guitars. Steve Vai and the Jem70V Also known as the “Premium Jem”, this guitar features the same electronics and hardware but within the budget of working musicians. A guitar player as technical and as artistic as Steve Vai needs a powerful and versatile workhorse guitar – and the Jem is designed to deliver just that. The Jem series has been synonymous to his name and continues to be his axe of choice in both performance and recording. Now Ibanez is bringing the Jem into the realm of mere mortals by having it done at the Ibanez premium factory – resulting in a street price of less than $1,400.00. When compared to its more expensive brothers, the Jem70V is very much the same save for the Basswood body instead of the Alder. It has the same 5pc Maple/walnut neck with rosewood finger boards, differing only with its Jem Premium neck type, and its Tree-of-Life inlay – which is a floral pattern vine inlay that matches the finish. Everything else is basically the same – Edge bridge, DiMarzio Evolution DP158 pickup on the

Ibanez unveils two additions to the popular Steve Vai Signature line, the affordable Jem Jr, and the blue floral Jem77P. Ibanez Jem Junior Related Feature:Ibanez RGKP6 with Korg Mini Kaoss Pad 2S Both guitars feature the distinctive monkey grip, and tree of life fretboard inlay as seen on the original JEM guitar. Both models are affordable alternatives to existing Jems, with the Jem Junior being the cheapest. These two Steve Vai Signature Jem guitars are part of the company’s 2015 guitar line up, all of which are expected to make an appearance at their NAMM 2015 booth. Ibanez Jem Junior Also known as Jem JR, this is the poorman’s Jem, priced at merely a fraction of what you will have to pay to get other Jem models. I see this as an attempt to compete with the many cheap “knockoffs” or clones that are being made by other manufacturers. For its price, the Jem Junior carries with it all essential Jem features including a shred-friendly Wizard III maple neck, mahogany body finished in classic white, monkey handle grip and HSH pickup configuration. The guitar’s neck is topped by a rosewood fretboard with the now familiar Tree of Life inlay. Combined

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Paul Gilbert signature, Ibanez releases the limited edition FRM250MF. Related Feature:Ibanez Andy Timmons Model AT10P As expected, this special guitar has high-end specs along that infuse classic guitar styling (think Les Paul) to the modern look of the Fireman. The first thing that will catch your attention is the detailed flame maple top, giving the guitar an elegant appeal that contrasts the guitar’s out-of-this-world shape. The top, neck and headstock is also bound, adding classic design elements to this modern rock instrument. Ibanez and Paul retained the same neck design as the current Fireman model, featuring a FRM 3pc Mahogany/Maple set-in neck. It follows the same specs with a scale length of 24.75″ and nut width of 1.6929″. Your fretting hand will meet the guitar via a bound rosewood fingerboard, featuring Paul Gilbert approved “narrow & tall frets.” From afar, the guitar looks like it has the same triple single-coil set of pickups as the current production model, closer inspection however reveals two cleverly camouflaged humbucker pickups on the bridge and neck position. Paul decided to have two DiMarzio Air Classic humbuckers installed while retaining the DiMarzio Area 67 single coil pickup on

It was 20 years ago when Steve Vai joined forces with Ibanez to produce his ultimate weapon, the 7-string Universe, the first production 7-string solid-body electric guitar. The groundbreaking Universe was quickly recognized as the “Most Innovative Guitar of the Year” by music retailers at the 1990 Music and Sound Awards. Originally designed as a virtuoso shred machine, the guitar would have a new life later in the '90s with its extended low-end range making possible the new breed of rhythmic metal of heavy music players such as Korn and Dino Cazares. Ibanez is proud to recognize Steve Vai's achievement with the release of the new UV77RE Universe 20th Anniversary edition. Like the original, the solid body UV77RE reissue is seven strings of fire, ready-made for maximum shred and some of the meanest riffing on the planet. The multi-color swirl motif arrives once again from the original Universe artist, Darren Johansen. Because of the swirl paint process each Universe guitar is uniquely individual in appearance. As with Ibanez's other Limited Edition Reissues such as the famous Bob Weir model, all UV77RE models are crafted in Japan by the same luthiers who created the originals. 1990 not only brought the Ibanez

Ibanez unveils yet another Steve Vai signature model, the Jem 77WDP CNL, with distinct wooden pickguard. Related Feature:Best Electric Guitar Brands 2016 From the first iteration was released back in 1987, the Jem line continues to be among the most sought after signature guitar series in Ibanez’ line up, and this year Ibanez and Vai went for an interesting new look while retaining the playability and tone expected from a Jem. This new release is part of the Ibanez Premium series, and as such it joins the company’s top tier line of instruments, and gives the Jem line a refreshing new look. What sets the Jem77WDP CNL apart is its earthy appeal, thanks to the rosewood top. This elegant looking top is put on a mahogany body that follows the standard Jem shape, having the same double cutaway shape and grip cavity on the body. But it doesn’t end with just that because this model features a wooden pickguard that complements the top aesthetically, and matches the finish of the headstock. If that’s not enough, even the control knobs are crafted from wood, resulting in a more earthy overall appearance. As usual, Ibanez takes the neck of their guitars seriously,

Gibson unveils new Pete Townshend Deluxe Gold Top ’76, inspired by the Les Paul he smashed on stage in 1976. Related Feature:Gibson Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd This guitar is basically a replica of a broken guitar, well not just any guitar, but a Les Paul Gold Top that Pete Townshend played on at the Boston Garden, when his band The Who performed in the 15,000 capacity venue. This new release is described by the company as a celebration of Pete’s career and the many live shows that he has performed on. I just hope that impressionable students don’t get the wrong message, that breaking guitars is cool. Well it would probably be cool if you have the popularity and resources as The Who had at the time. The press release mentioned that the parts of the broken guitar is currently on display in London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, but they did not say if they actually studied the parts to get the replica right. Gibson decided to make this limited edition replica extra special by actually utilizing the same construction techniques that they had back in the ’70s. This basically means that the instrument will be handcrafted using premium

Gibson Custom’s modern take on the classic Les Paul Custom design, packed with shred-friendly features including a Floyd Rose bridge. Related Feature:Gibson Alex Lifeson Double Neck The Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd is an interesting combination of traditional and progressive designs, stretching Gibson’s Custom team while still remaining rooted to the company’s classic guitar building expertise. The Gibson Axcess line of instruments are known for catering to virtuosos, with big names like Alex Lifeson of Rush, Tommy Shaw of Styx and many more utilizing this instrument in their everyday grind. Now for 2016, Gibson is offering a Les Paul Custom inspired model that comes with a Floyd Rose bridge, and other improvements. While it still looks like a Les Paul, the Les Paul Custom Axcess Floyd is far from just being a traditional instrument, rather Gibson Custom took whatever design changes necessary to ensure comfort, playability and tone. From the guitar’s weight-relieved body to the fast action neck, this is a different animal all together. In keeping with old tradition, the guitar’s body is crafted from mahogany, while the carved top is crafted from maple. But it doesn’t just stop at following established norms because this one has a modern

The updated Firebird V 2016 T is the latest incarnation of one of Gibson’s most distinct looking guitar models. Related Feature:Gibson Firebird V 2015 It carries over many of the features of its predecessor, while introducing minor changes to the hardware, as well as adding features that are common to all Gibson 2016 series guitars. The original Firebird was designed by automotive designer Ray Dietrich back in 1963, and it has continued to be a part of Gibson’s lineup to this day. While it may not be as poplar as the Les Paul, or the SG, there will always be guitarists who prefer them because of their unconventional looks, including artists that have been known to play the instrument like Johnny Winter, Warren Haynes, Eric Clapton and many more. And so, the Firebird gets an updated model for 2016, carrying over many of the features found in the 2015 version while making some changes to improve the playability of the instrument, as well as the overall sound and feel. More importantly, it has the same chrome and tailfins inspired look that made it easily standout. The shape of this guitar looks like a left handed guitar that’s been reversed, and

Gibson pays tribute to another guitar legend with the limited run Paul Kossof 1959 Les Paul Standard. Paul Kossoff is known for his iconic playing with the band Free and as a solo artist. Having been raised to legendary status, it naturally follows that a signature guitar is in order. With the help of Kossoff estate, Gibson Custom got a hold of the original 1959 Les Paul Standard that Kossoff left to his friend. In an effort to capture the genuine look, feel and tone of Kossoff’s guitar, Gibson Custom applied digital scanning, tests and measurements to recreate the guitar in intimate detail. This special Les Paul tribute to Paul will be reproduced as just 100 hand-aged guitars, and a further 250 more will be aged via Gibson’s VOS process. Many claim that the best Les Pauls were created between 1958 and 1960, and the cream of the crop is said to come from 1959 as exemplified by Paul Kossoff’s original guitar. The Paul Kossoff 1959 Les Paul Standard will bring back this golden Les Paul era as close as is humanly possible. Like the Les Paul bursts of the late ’50s, its core is made of two-piece carved maple

The Gibson SG ’61 Reissue, is back in 2012, and this time with new Satin finishes that give it an aged look and feel. The Gibson SG started out as an affordable Gibson Les Paul alternative in 1960. Compared to the original Les Paul, it has a thinner and flat body with a double cut away. This simpler body design reduced the production costs as well as the price which helped make the SG popular and improve its sales. However, even if they were popular, Les Paul did not like the design and requested that his name be removed from the new model. This request was honored by Gibson and renamed the guitar into SG, which means Solid Guitar. Ironically, Les Paul’s wife – Mary Ford, liked the design enough to use a white Gibson SG for her performances. This Gibson Les Paul SG is one of the few that has the Les Paul label. The SG guitar proved that it could stand on its own merit because even without Les Paul’s approval, the SG went on to be popular and has been the guitar of choice for many guitar legends. The new Gibson SG ’61 Reissue Satin aims to