John Petrucci vs. Steve Vai (Sig Guitars!)

[tommyindelaware]

also it's important to remember that we are talking about signature model guitars........guitars designed specifically for the artist.......by the artist. i'm sure via's guitar suites HIM perferecltly.....as does john's.

I wanted to stay out of this one, but it looks like I can't...if the Ibanez you speak of is better than the Pet...then it is a guitar made by God himself. I've never played a Steve Vai signature Ibanez, but I do own 3- 7 string guitars, including the Pet. All USA made. One, a custom limited has a list price comparable to the Pet with Duncan SH-8 Invader pups, the other, a hand made custom one off with EMG 707's has a list price at over twice that of the Pet's price, yet neither guitar plays even remotely similar to my Petrucci...in fact they aren't even in the same ballpark. Now I'm not making excuses here but the Pet's only been around for a few years, while the IBZ Vai model has had many years to perfect its playability and tone, etc. Comparing the two should be considered an honor. Also note that either guitar may have had a poor set up. When I first went to buy my Pet, the action was so high I couldn't play it...so I left angry, figuring I wasn't going to dish out money for it...but after I calmed down, I knew what kind of company Ernie Ball was, so I just purchased it, and set it up myself. Again I am not familiar with the bridge on the Vai model, and I am not knocking it...I know what it does, I can here what Steve Vai does with it (if it is the same guitar), what I do know is, that I have never, ever seen a floating trem with individual saddle height adjustments like the JP has...never. So now the radius of the neck can be maintained without having to use shims. I always wanted a professional guitar...and now I have one. A guitar that plays and sounds better than this one...well hell then I don't think I want it, cause I'm having a hell of a time with this one


If you care to listen, I have a compared the three for other doubters out there...and even though the recording and playing is cheesy, and for the fact that I LOVED those two other guitars, I believe the PET not only sounds better, but I can play things with a hell of a lot less effort. In order Wahburn Sonic 7, Wayne Custom/Special and finally EBMM JP7.

(Just ignore the first song and click on PUP Samples)
PUP Samples

 

[Raz]

also it's important to remember that we are talking about signature model guitars........guitars designed specifically for the artist.......by the artist. i'm sure via's guitar suites HIM perferecltly.....as does john's.

Yeah exactly, I wasn't trying to sell this guy on a Pet, I could care less what he thinks, once a person has his mind made up then there's not much left to do

 

[Norrin Radd]

Oh man, you have got to get us some more pics of that bad boy! I'd love to see some more!!

Hey - would love to, if someone could tell me how to put more than one pic at a time on this forum, I'd be happy to oblige! Also - any tips on taking pics in the dark with a digital would help too, you know, for the glow shots!

 

[AxSport4me]

Look guys......this has gotten out of hand! If you read the original thread you`ll see that i wasn`t trying to cause trouble. Looking back,i dont know why i even started this but the other night when i was playing around with these 2 guitars i was shocked that IMHO the Jem guitar sounded better and felt better.Going in i expected it to be the other way around!!!! I never been a real big Ibanez fan in the past but this guitar was great! I`m kinda surprised at some people response here and rather disappointed!I have had nothing but respect for this forum,the people in here and this EBMM company since i`ve been a member the past couple of months. I don`t care to be here anymore and i`m sure nobody cares and thats fine! But outta those 2 guitars that night,i`m sorry but the Ibanez was better! I never meant to cause trouble or cause a contraversy,i thought it would be kinda fun but i guess people here are just too serious! Thanks and take care!

AxSport4me

 

[tommyindelaware]

c'mon dude.......it's all good.........there's no cause to split. hang in there.........i'm sure there is just alot of mis-communucation goimg on.

Look guys......this has gotten out of hand! If you read the original thread you`ll see that i wasn`t trying to cause trouble. Looking back,i dont know why i even started this but the other night when i was playing around with these 2 guitars i was shocked that IMHO the Jem guitar sounded better and felt better.Going in i expected it to be the other way around!!!! I never been a real big Ibanez fan in the past but this guitar was great! I`m kinda surprised at some people response here and rather disappointed!I have had nothing but respect for this forum,the people in here and this EBMM company since i`ve been a member the past couple of months. I don`t care to be here anymore and i`m sure nobody cares and thats fine! But outta those 2 guitars that night,i`m sorry but the Ibanez was better! I never meant to cause trouble or cause a contraversy,i thought it would be kinda fun but i guess people here are just too serious! Thanks and take care!

AxSport4me

 

[koogie2k]

Look guys......this has gotten out of hand! If you read the original thread you`ll see that i wasn`t trying to cause trouble. Looking back,i dont know why i even started this but the other night when i was playing around with these 2 guitars i was shocked that IMHO the Jem guitar sounded better and felt better.Going in i expected it to be the other way around!!!! I never been a real big Ibanez fan in the past but this guitar was great! I`m kinda surprised at some people response here and rather disappointed!I have had nothing but respect for this forum,the people in here and this EBMM company since i`ve been a member the past couple of months. I don`t care to be here anymore and i`m sure nobody cares and thats fine! But outta those 2 guitars that night,i`m sorry but the Ibanez was better! I never meant to cause trouble or cause a contraversy,i thought it would be kinda fun but i guess people here are just too serious! Thanks and take care!

AxSport4me

Personally, I would rather you stay around. I gave an answer that was not a fact, just my opinion. The same can be said for you. We all have opinions, and some of them may not agree with others. That is life. I don't think you caused any trouble by posting an opinion. You feel that the Jem was a better axe.....it felt right to you. I have tried them, but for me, the Pet was the one I put my $$$ on. WE can be a serious lot sometimes......but, you have to remember, YOUR opinion may not be shared by others. I hope you stay around because I value the opinions of others here whether I agree with them or not. I still think the guitars (both of them) are great.....I just happen to feel the JP was built for me.
That is why I bought 3 of them. Stick around, chill out and by all means, don't compromise your opinion on subjects if you think others will not like them!

Again, I hope you stay.

 

[tommyindelaware]

+1

i can disagree w/ someone & still value their opinion very much.

 

[AxSport4me]

I wonder how many J-Customs and USA Customs you've played? I've owned both J-Customs and USA Customs and they are not substantively superior to the Jems in terms of quality. Frankly, AxSport4me, if all you want to do is stir up trouble I personally would appreciate it if you took it somewhere else. This is getting tiresome, imho...

I can appreciate differeces of opinions and respect different opinions,that wasn`t the problem.......
I do have a problem with the quote from above! I feel that wasn`t necessary.

 

[Raz]

Well I felt I answered in a way that nobody could have been offended...and like I said, who knows how the guitar may have been set up...I'm sure no one meant to insult you or drive you away...afterall we are like a family here, and sometimes family members say things they don't mean...at least think about it before you decide...

 

[Philip]

As I posted before, the topic is interesting and it's fine that you posted it here. I just felt quite strange when you posted further that EBMM are no match for J-Customs and US Customs. It's only your opinion and it sounded like a statement rather, that's all from me

Be cool, God bless ya all

Philip

 

[AxSport4me]

As I posted before, the topic is interesting and it's fine that you posted it here. I just felt quite strange when you posted further that EBMM are no match for J-Customs and US Customs. It's only your opinion and it sounded like a statement rather, that's all from me

Be cool, God bless ya all

Philip

Only because people were reacting like the Jems were no where near the quality of the Pets so i went with an even higher quality Ibanez guitar to see if anyone was aware of those models to compare!!!

 

[Jimi D]

I can appreciate differeces of opinions and respect different opinions,that wasn`t the problem.......
I do have a problem with the quote from above! I feel that wasn`t necessary.

You have been posting your "opinions" as statements of fact in a decidedly belligerent fashion. To whit:

But the Pet guitars are no match for the Ibanez J-Custom and USA Custom guitars!!!!!

My post is in response to this kind of pointless badgering. Your point is a> generally wrong (in my considerable experience) and b> designed to be confrontational. We don't need that kind of senseless gain-saying here. If you have some studious observations about J-Customs or USA Customs and an opinion derived there from, feel free to post them. Otherwise, I suggest you look at the title I bear beneath my name tag and take my advice to heart...

As an aside, the best of the Ibanez USA Custom guitars - the USA Master and USRG lines - were actually produced by Wildwood Guitars and PBC Instruments, respectively, under contract to Ibanez. IE: Ibanez didn't even build the things themselves, though they certainly had a hand in the design and hardware selection...

 

[bluebullet]

i think these guy's have been pretty polite to you actually. you came here posted your opinion and when people gave there opinions you then said to make the comparison of a music man to a standard production model wasnt fair. well i agree with you on that one, but last time i checked the jems were going for $2000 so how much more do i need to pay to get a ibenhad that is on the same level as ebmm.

 

[Philip]

Only because people were reacting like the Jems were no where near the quality of the Pets so i went with an even higher quality Ibanez guitar to see if anyone was aware of those models to compare!!!

I understand you fully, but they were staiting their opinions, just like you did it and that's cool, everybody gave you pack of great answers. When you wanted to compare EBMM to custom guitars you should post a question not a statement.

But be cool I don't blame you for anything just some misunderstanding here

take care bro, Philip

 

[OrangeChannel]

You have been posting your "opinions" as statements of fact in a decidedly belligerent fashion. To whit:

My post is in response to this kind of pointless badgering. Your point is a> generally wrong (in my considerable experience) and b> designed to be confrontational. We don't need that kind of senseless gain-saying here. If you have some studious observations about J-Customs or USA Customs and an opinion derived there from, feel free to post them. Otherwise, I suggest you look at the title I bear beneath my name tag and take my advice to heart...

As an aside, the best of the Ibanez USA Custom guitars - the USA Master and USRG lines - were actually produced by Wildwood Guitars and PBC Instruments, respectively, under contract to Ibanez. IE: Ibanez didn't even build the things themselves, though they certainly had a hand in the design and hardware selection...

+1 on the latter part about the production....

Consider even now...J-Customs aren't even built by IBANEZ...Ibanez is more of a design house....they don't have their own production house...they subcontract luthiers and factories to build their instruments...Cort builds a lot of the Korean Ibanez stuff, the fujigen gakki plant builds for other companies as well and doesn't produce just Ibanez guitars...so it's par for the course...

 

[AxSport4me]

You have been posting your "opinions" as statements of fact in a decidedly belligerent fashion. To whit:

My post is in response to this kind of pointless badgering. Your point is a> generally wrong (in my considerable experience) and b> designed to be confrontational. We don't need that kind of senseless gain-saying here. If you have some studious observations about J-Customs or USA Customs and an opinion derived there from, feel free to post them. Otherwise, I suggest you look at the title I bear beneath my name tag and take my advice to heart...

As an aside, the best of the Ibanez USA Custom guitars - the USA Master and USRG lines - were actually produced by Wildwood Guitars and PBC Instruments, respectively, under contract to Ibanez. IE: Ibanez didn't even build the things themselves, though they certainly had a hand in the design and hardware selection...

And still you go on.........I could care less about the title you bare! Kick me off the forum....i don`t care,i wasn`t coming back anyway. It was fun while it lasted and there are some very nice people here,to those,take care and never stop playing.

 

[kbaim]

I gots me a headache.

 

[Raz]

Wow I go to the beach for a nooner and I come back and its 'Go Time'

I still think there are a few people over reacting, but I'm not going to mention any names,...group hug time...I thought for sure posting my cheesy playing would change the course of this discussion, but I see I've only added to the fire

 

[Jimi D]

It's alright Raz, he's not coming back anyway... he promised... several times...

I think he should go over to Jemsite for a while; they have lots of great Ibanez afficionados there - tons of cool info and many really great people... He can tell them his considered opinion on J-Customs and USA Customs, if he ever gets to play one.

 

[mesavox]

I'm just going to sort of overview here....

I have the Ibanez and the MM Petrucci. I don't know how many time's I've been playing the Ibanez, struggling with a part, picked up the MM and nailed it. There is absolutely a difference in build quality. The MM wins with the Ibanez still being high up there. There is an tremendous difference in playability. 10s on the MM feel like 9s on the Ibanez and 9s on the MM feel so easy to play it's not even fair. lol. The MM wins. Sound? Well, the Ibanez wins because I like the Air Norton and Steve's Special better, but accoustically the MM resonates way louder and longer. Tie. J Customs I've played... Not even close to WAY better than the MM. My JPM is easily as nice and well built as any J Custom I've ever seen or played.

I've also played quite a few Jems. Someone mentioned the neck too thin.... The neck on the JEM is thicker than either the Ibanez or the MM JPM models. It's also wider. The JEM feels like a 2 by 4 in comparison but it's still nice. Steve has big hands and is the reason for the bigger than normal Ibanez neck. Although the old Wizard is the same thickness but wider and the new Wizard is till thicker than my Jackson's neck. Except for the Jem, JS, and the JPM, I do not like Ibanez necks! They are too big all the way around. If they are not too thick, they are too wide.

Jem's are also JCustom caliber in their build... especially post AANJ. The Japanese signature model guitars were never built the same way the Japanese regular line was even though both are significantly better than the Korean Ibzs With the family fued between Hoshino and Gakki.... Ibanez quality is suffering greatly today.

I like both guitars. Ibanez has made some really nice, quality guitars no doubt. But, MM has more in common with Mcinturff and Suhr than Ibanez or Gibson. The build quality is better although Ibanez will pop out a few equal quality guitars from time to time but you never know if you're getting it when you order....

As for players....

Both are pretty darn equal. I'm a huge fan of both of them and when someone talks about JP's limitations, one can answer with the sheer amount that Vai uses the Lydian mode. I don't really consider either a weakness as both can pull off anything they'd ever need to and just have radically different writing styles. Tell me JP couldn't learn Vai's songs and vice versa.