IBANEZ JEM 505 GUITAR
The Ibanez JEM505 is a JEM series electric guitar model and signature model of American guitarist Steve Vai, introduced in 2010. Like the JEM555, it is an affordable JEM model, but from a different point of view. Unlike the JEM555, the JEM505 is produced in Japan and has "Japanese made" features like a Prestige neck and an Edge tremolo, but it does not feature US made DiMarzio pickups like the JEM555 does.
JEM 505 has never really been given much credit , although it does deserves it . Probably due to the 505 number. This jem is a stripped back, Made in japan, Prestige level instrument. With hardware and build quality the same as any of it 7, 77 and 777 variants. The Jem505 is stripped of the superficial decor like the inlays and dimarzio pick ups and scalloped frets. essentially leaving the player a more affordable, high quality "blank sheet" to upgrade as his creative urges see fit.
Complete list of JEM505 variants:
Other standard Jem features include a Jem profile 5-piece neck, a maple fretboard (a rarity on Ibanezes for the last few decades), a basswood body (like the majority of Jems excluding the Jem7VWH and a few others), All-Access Neck Joint (AANJ), monkey grip, lion’s claw, and top quality pots and switches. Only three things really separate it from most of its brothers: the simple dot position markers; the absence of scalloped 21st to 24th frets; and the choice of Ibanez pickups instead of the DiMarzios found on all the other models. The Ibanez pickups are a V8 humbucker in the bridge, an S1 single coil in the middle and a V7 humbucker in the neck position.
By the way, the case candy includes the very handy Prestige Multi Tool, which includes allen wrenches, screwdrivers, a truss rod adjustment tool and even a ruler for setting your string height down to the millimetre.
The 505 plays just like a Jem should. It’s fast – damn fast – but it’s a guitar that rewards careful phrasing too. If you just noodle mindlessly, the Jem will show you up as an impostor, but if you’re a really studied, diligent shredder it’ll present you in your absolute best light. The fret finishing is not quite carried out at the same standard that you’ll find at the top of the range, but they’re not sharp or rough – just not overly finessed.
The Ibanez pickups have tight bass, a musical midrange and a very definite treble kick (accompanied by a carefully voiced treble roll-off that keeps things from sounding too fizzy up there). Some players will love them, especially those whose tastes are more aggressive, while others may want to swap them out for more Vai-like pickups such as his signature Evolution or Breed models (or the PAF Pros of the original Jem release). Give the stock pickups a chance though – they formed the heart and soul of Ibanez’s venerable RG550 and RG570 guitars and are certainly capable of pulling a great tone. They clean up nicely and they’re awesome for shredding lead work or rock rhythm. The neck unit has a great vocal quality which really sings with upper harmonics around the 10th-17th frets, while the bridge pickup screams with bold, clear tone. It responds especially well to palm-muting and legato techniques. Its attack is somewhat similar to the DiMarzio Evolution, but the tone is different. As for the single coil sounds, the quack is there in abundance on positions 2 and 4, and the lone single coil in the middle sounds thin and cutting, in the best possible way, which makes this a very versatile axe.
Whammy lovers such as myself will love the Edge bridge. It feels very sturdy and is great for really zeroing in on specific pitches. You can get a huge amount of up-pull thanks to the lion’s claw rout behind the bridge, and if you whack the bar sharply with the edge of your hand you can nail the famed ‘flutter’ effect, in part thanks to the fine weight balance of the Edge itself, and partially due to a killer factory setup.
The Jem505 is just what many Jem lovers have been begging for – a Japanese-made, Edge-equipped, maple-fretboard Jem that won’t cause tensions in the home when you go to do the budget. Having owned Jems and their sister instruments the 7-string Universe myself I can confidently say that the 505 plays like a Jem – hell, it even smells like a Jem – and it’s a heck of a lot of guitar for the price.
JEM 505 has never really been given much credit , although it does deserves it . Probably due to the 505 number. This jem is a stripped back, Made in japan, Prestige level instrument. With hardware and build quality the same as any of it 7, 77 and 777 variants. The Jem505 is stripped of the superficial decor like the inlays and dimarzio pick ups and scalloped frets. essentially leaving the player a more affordable, high quality "blank sheet" to upgrade as his creative urges see fit.
Complete list of JEM505 variants:
- JEM505BK - black dot inlay, Black, Basswood body, v7, s1, v8 pick ups (years of production 2010–2011)
- JEM505WH - black dot inlay, White, Basswood body, v7, s1, v8 pick ups (years of production 2010–2011)
Other standard Jem features include a Jem profile 5-piece neck, a maple fretboard (a rarity on Ibanezes for the last few decades), a basswood body (like the majority of Jems excluding the Jem7VWH and a few others), All-Access Neck Joint (AANJ), monkey grip, lion’s claw, and top quality pots and switches. Only three things really separate it from most of its brothers: the simple dot position markers; the absence of scalloped 21st to 24th frets; and the choice of Ibanez pickups instead of the DiMarzios found on all the other models. The Ibanez pickups are a V8 humbucker in the bridge, an S1 single coil in the middle and a V7 humbucker in the neck position.
By the way, the case candy includes the very handy Prestige Multi Tool, which includes allen wrenches, screwdrivers, a truss rod adjustment tool and even a ruler for setting your string height down to the millimetre.
The 505 plays just like a Jem should. It’s fast – damn fast – but it’s a guitar that rewards careful phrasing too. If you just noodle mindlessly, the Jem will show you up as an impostor, but if you’re a really studied, diligent shredder it’ll present you in your absolute best light. The fret finishing is not quite carried out at the same standard that you’ll find at the top of the range, but they’re not sharp or rough – just not overly finessed.
The Ibanez pickups have tight bass, a musical midrange and a very definite treble kick (accompanied by a carefully voiced treble roll-off that keeps things from sounding too fizzy up there). Some players will love them, especially those whose tastes are more aggressive, while others may want to swap them out for more Vai-like pickups such as his signature Evolution or Breed models (or the PAF Pros of the original Jem release). Give the stock pickups a chance though – they formed the heart and soul of Ibanez’s venerable RG550 and RG570 guitars and are certainly capable of pulling a great tone. They clean up nicely and they’re awesome for shredding lead work or rock rhythm. The neck unit has a great vocal quality which really sings with upper harmonics around the 10th-17th frets, while the bridge pickup screams with bold, clear tone. It responds especially well to palm-muting and legato techniques. Its attack is somewhat similar to the DiMarzio Evolution, but the tone is different. As for the single coil sounds, the quack is there in abundance on positions 2 and 4, and the lone single coil in the middle sounds thin and cutting, in the best possible way, which makes this a very versatile axe.
Whammy lovers such as myself will love the Edge bridge. It feels very sturdy and is great for really zeroing in on specific pitches. You can get a huge amount of up-pull thanks to the lion’s claw rout behind the bridge, and if you whack the bar sharply with the edge of your hand you can nail the famed ‘flutter’ effect, in part thanks to the fine weight balance of the Edge itself, and partially due to a killer factory setup.
The Jem505 is just what many Jem lovers have been begging for – a Japanese-made, Edge-equipped, maple-fretboard Jem that won’t cause tensions in the home when you go to do the budget. Having owned Jems and their sister instruments the 7-string Universe myself I can confidently say that the 505 plays like a Jem – hell, it even smells like a Jem – and it’s a heck of a lot of guitar for the price.
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IBANEZ JEM 505 PICTURES
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Ibanez Jem Specifications
Name: JEM505 Years: 2010-2011 Areas: Worldwide Made in: Japan Finishes: BK (Black) / WH (White)
Body
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Neck
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Electronics
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Body material:
Basswood Neck joint: AANJ Bridge: Edge tremolo Hardware color: Cosmo Black Pickguard: BK: Grey Pearloid WH: White Pearloid |
Neck type:
JEM Prestige Neck material: 5-Piece Maple/Walnut Fingerboard: Maple Inlays: Black Dots Frets: 24 / W/6105 |
PU Config:
HSH Neck PU: IBZ V7 (Vintage 7) Mid PU: IBZ S1 (Single 1) Bridge PU: IBZ V8 (Vintage 8) Controls: 1 Volume / 1 Tone / 5-Way lever |
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