Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
- Thread starter jmh151
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JaySwear
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Spent the whole time watching the violinist... No, not the one who looked like James May.
Here's Steve getting a lousy tone and sounding like crap...NOT!!!
Spent the whole time watching the violinist... No, not the one who looked like James May.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Is that Dave Weiner on the seven-string?
Is that Dave Weiner on the seven-string?
Ayrton
New member
dr.barlo
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Very cool!
B
About 15 years ago I was in a buddy's shop. His shop did all the work for guitar center. It was a slow day & it was he, one tech and me. The phone rang and it was the Guitar Center in Carle Place(Long Island where Steve grew up). They needed Steve's Jem setup. He had come home to spend some time with is folks and needed some work done on two guitars. Well both of the guys were very busy working on stuff, so I volunteered to go get the guitars and bring them to the shop. the only instruction they got was to set the action as low as possible. I brought both guitars back to the shop and the guys immediately started working on them. One was his famous white Jem with EVO inscribed behind the whammy. the other one was a 7 string. When they were all done my buddy handed me the Jem and asked me to play it and see what I thought. I had my Strat with me & believe me I was looking forward to playing it even though I am more of a blues player. I plugged it into a Tweed bassman and the guitar really sounded like crap by comparison to my Strat. But in defense of this guitar I was playing it straight into a bassman not through an assortment of signal processing like Steve would have used. Once we made a few more adjustments we headed back to guitar center. Steve wasn't there so the manager was going to call him. The Guitar Center was closing so the guitars got locked in the store, but Steve did show up and we did get to meet him, but he couldn't get the guitars because the alarm had already been set and the manager could not reset it or something, so he would have to come back in the morning to get his guitars. He seemed like a really cool guy and really down to earth. he was pleasurable to talk with and was sincere in his questions/answers that we bounced back and fourth. It was a pretty cool day all in all. the thing that I remember most is how crappy that guitar sounded through the bassman... just goes to show you how important effects are to a shredder!
Very cool!
B
Ashurbanipal
Well-known member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
I have the DVD of this gig, awesome band. The girl violinist (Ann-Marie Calhoun) is hawt and an awesome player :cool2:.
He's using the 20th Anniversary acrylic bodied Jem on that.
Here's Steve getting a lousy tone and sounding like crap...NOT!!!
This is actually one of my favorite live videos of "our little Italian virtuoso" as Frank Zappa used to introduce him:
I have the DVD of this gig, awesome band. The girl violinist (Ann-Marie Calhoun) is hawt and an awesome player :cool2:.
He's using the 20th Anniversary acrylic bodied Jem on that.
Bludave
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
I think over the years I have just bocome set in my ways on how I play and how it feelsS in my hands. Steve is an awesome player and I don't think I could ever play like he does. But to be honest.... I would rather listen to Albert King over Steve Vai as good as he is(he is a a masterful player). I really don't feel he plays with a lot of soul. I've been to see him live but after about 20 minutes it all starts to sound the same to me. That is the major drawback to instrumental guitar(at least for me)its hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins. That said I always enjoyed Flexible
I think over the years I have just bocome set in my ways on how I play and how it feelsS in my hands. Steve is an awesome player and I don't think I could ever play like he does. But to be honest.... I would rather listen to Albert King over Steve Vai as good as he is(he is a a masterful player). I really don't feel he plays with a lot of soul. I've been to see him live but after about 20 minutes it all starts to sound the same to me. That is the major drawback to instrumental guitar(at least for me)its hard to tell when one song ends and the next begins. That said I always enjoyed Flexible
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
We both love Albert King, but I'm sure Steve Vai love's Albert too!
There are many guitarists and shredders who's playing gets boring. But when I saw Satriani, Vai and Eric Johnson together it was Satriani's playing that I got tired of quickly.
Vai was dazzling and entertaining - and seemed to be feeling it.
Eric was brilliant at times, a little bit stiff at times, but he had more dynamics (unlike Satriani who seemed to jam with one tone and at "full speed ahead" continuously) and he had a huge array of beautiful tones, technique, styles and tempos...but watching him play all tightened up like that made my back hurt!
Satriani was the guy who got boring right away. I like his melodic stuff and his use of modes. But like his records, everything started to sound the same after awhile. Couldn't wait for his set to end.
Of the three I liked Eric best.
We both love Albert King, but I'm sure Steve Vai love's Albert too!
There are many guitarists and shredders who's playing gets boring. But when I saw Satriani, Vai and Eric Johnson together it was Satriani's playing that I got tired of quickly.
Vai was dazzling and entertaining - and seemed to be feeling it.
Eric was brilliant at times, a little bit stiff at times, but he had more dynamics (unlike Satriani who seemed to jam with one tone and at "full speed ahead" continuously) and he had a huge array of beautiful tones, technique, styles and tempos...but watching him play all tightened up like that made my back hurt!
Satriani was the guy who got boring right away. I like his melodic stuff and his use of modes. But like his records, everything started to sound the same after awhile. Couldn't wait for his set to end.
Of the three I liked Eric best.
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DarkMatter
Unprofessional Toneologist
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Many will hate me for this but I think a lot of blues sounds the same. But so can shredding. It all depends on what tickles our individual fancies.
Many will hate me for this but I think a lot of blues sounds the same. But so can shredding. It all depends on what tickles our individual fancies.
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
A lot of blues does sound the same. So does a lot of metal sound the same. So does a lot of country. So does a lot of folk music. So does a lot of shredding.
You have to like it first, in order to pay enough attention to hear the individual styles of the individual artists in any genre.
You likes what you likes.
A lot of blues does sound the same. So does a lot of metal sound the same. So does a lot of country. So does a lot of folk music. So does a lot of shredding.
You have to like it first, in order to pay enough attention to hear the individual styles of the individual artists in any genre.
You likes what you likes.
RayBarbeeMusic
Active member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Yngwie does.
Yngwie does.
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Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
He doesn't play the way Vai does. The mechanics of their fret-hand approaches are wildly different.
What it comes down to is that those guys have their guitars set up to suit the way they play -- not the way the guitar legend down the hall plays, or the way I play, or the way you play. We'd might as well complain about how someone else's shoes don't fit us properly.
He doesn't play the way Vai does. The mechanics of their fret-hand approaches are wildly different.
What it comes down to is that those guys have their guitars set up to suit the way they play -- not the way the guitar legend down the hall plays, or the way I play, or the way you play. We'd might as well complain about how someone else's shoes don't fit us properly.
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Of the three, I've seen Vai and Satriani. I got fidgety throughout much of Joe's set. Nothing I could really complain about, just didn't involve me the way I thought it would. Steve, on the other hand, I've seen three times. I think there's a lot of variance in the way different people perceive how much "emotion" or "feeling" a guitarist plays with. Vai's one of the most emotionally moving players for me. And he puts on a great show -- very high-energy, involves the audience (sometimes in pretty subtle ways that are really cool), plays with great people, and really makes an event out of it instead of just standing there playing his music.
But yeah, it's all in the ear of the beholder.
Or something.
Of the three, I've seen Vai and Satriani. I got fidgety throughout much of Joe's set. Nothing I could really complain about, just didn't involve me the way I thought it would. Steve, on the other hand, I've seen three times. I think there's a lot of variance in the way different people perceive how much "emotion" or "feeling" a guitarist plays with. Vai's one of the most emotionally moving players for me. And he puts on a great show -- very high-energy, involves the audience (sometimes in pretty subtle ways that are really cool), plays with great people, and really makes an event out of it instead of just standing there playing his music.
But yeah, it's all in the ear of the beholder.
Or something.
verbotenco
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Oh no...not the 'no soul' excuse again. I have heard of this 'Yngwie/ shred guitar/ metal player lack soul' excuses so many times over the years while blues players are the 'shyte' cause even though they have been stuck in 12-bar progression since Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, they play with a lot of soul, a lot of mojo, bla..bla...It is such a lame excuses by people WHO CAN'T PLAY.
WTF are you talking about, Steve Vai sounds the same all the time? How did you come up with that conclusion? So blues players don't sound the same? FYI Steve's style expands from jazz, blues, to classical to metal. And he writes music for movies too. Buy more of his album man, don't get stuck in 'For the Love of God'.
And here's a good advice to you 'soul survivors': PRACTICE!
Oh no...not the 'no soul' excuse again. I have heard of this 'Yngwie/ shred guitar/ metal player lack soul' excuses so many times over the years while blues players are the 'shyte' cause even though they have been stuck in 12-bar progression since Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil, they play with a lot of soul, a lot of mojo, bla..bla...It is such a lame excuses by people WHO CAN'T PLAY.
WTF are you talking about, Steve Vai sounds the same all the time? How did you come up with that conclusion? So blues players don't sound the same? FYI Steve's style expands from jazz, blues, to classical to metal. And he writes music for movies too. Buy more of his album man, don't get stuck in 'For the Love of God'.
And here's a good advice to you 'soul survivors': PRACTICE!
PunkMetalhead42
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
+1. I love a lot of different music -- blues, punk, metal, various sub- and cross-genres, some folk, rock & roll in general -- and a lot of it does sound the same, but that's because everyone has the same roots and influences. I can't think of a single punk artist (post-1976) that wasn't influenced by the Ramones. You can hear it in their playing. Is that a bad thing? No.
Oh, and Steve Vai rocks! My dad has a live DVD/CD of his, and that's one of my earliest memories of hearing metal, even though I didn't what it was at the time.
+1. I love a lot of different music -- blues, punk, metal, various sub- and cross-genres, some folk, rock & roll in general -- and a lot of it does sound the same, but that's because everyone has the same roots and influences. I can't think of a single punk artist (post-1976) that wasn't influenced by the Ramones. You can hear it in their playing. Is that a bad thing? No.
Oh, and Steve Vai rocks! My dad has a live DVD/CD of his, and that's one of my earliest memories of hearing metal, even though I didn't what it was at the time.
verbotenco
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Seriously this is the most dumbass comment I have ever encountered in this forum. Maybe you should start listen to K-POP or Jell-O. LMFAO!!!!!!
Seriously this is the most dumbass comment I have ever encountered in this forum. Maybe you should start listen to K-POP or Jell-O. LMFAO!!!!!!
L
Little Pigbacon
Guest
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Verbo, stop making sense. You're tearing my world apart. :beerchug:
Verbo, stop making sense. You're tearing my world apart. :beerchug:
J E C
New member
Re: Steve Vai's Ibanez Jem
Lew, that is a grate video. I saw Steve play at the Roseland Theater in Portland a couple of months ago. It was amazing to see him play. I was within 15' of him the entire time. Went to a meet and greet at Apple Music before the show. He is a very nice and sincere person. Turns out the very first show he ever did in support of his first solo album was at the Roseland.
Lew, that is a grate video. I saw Steve play at the Roseland Theater in Portland a couple of months ago. It was amazing to see him play. I was within 15' of him the entire time. Went to a meet and greet at Apple Music before the show. He is a very nice and sincere person. Turns out the very first show he ever did in support of his first solo album was at the Roseland.
