This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage instrument you’re interested in selling, please contact us. 
 
This guitar is offered as COLLECTION ONLY from our Ashton-under-Lyne store. Specialist courier delivery is available from £55. Please inquire.
 
Here for sale we have an Ibanez JEM90HAM Electric Guitar in Blue-Green Metallic Texture finish and hand signed by Steve Vai himself. This guitar was released in 1998 to commemorate the 90th anniversary of Ibanez's parent company Hoshino Gakki. Two other signature guitars were released at the same time for Joe Satriani & Paul Gilbert, being the JS90-HAM & PGM90-HAM respectively. The guitars were all made in Japan in limited runs, with the JEM90-HAM believed to have contained just 759 to 831 units, making this a rare guitar at the time and likely even rarer today 27 years after its release. 
 
Ibanez & Vai's JEM guitars were first introduced at the NAMM show in June 1987. Vai had moved away from the Charvel & Jackson guitars of his earlier career in favour of a larger company who would build a signature model to his exact specifications. Several other manufacturers had attempted to build instruments for him without meeting his high standards, so when Ibanez hit the nail on the head the JEM was born, going on to be one of the only genuinely modern guitar designs which has been truly successful. The incredibly popular Ibanez RG series was based on Vai's JEM specifications, with some of the more premium features such as the monkey grip, bear claw tremolo cavity & day-glo finishes being reserved for the JEM series. In fact, Vai has been known to use RG series guitars on stage alongside his JEM guitars. Several commemorative and limited edition collectors JEM models have been released in the subsequent years, with this JEM90-HAM being one of the rarest non-custom shop models ever produced. 
 
Naturally, a bolt-on construction is employed and comprises an American Basswood body, 3pc Maple/Bubinga neck and 24 fret Ebony fingerboard, with special inlays at the 12th & 24th frets denoting the limited edition and credentials of the guitar. Chrome hardware is fitted including an Ibanez Lo-Pro Edge double-locking tremolo system & Gotoh SG38 tuning machines. A trio of DiMarzio Evolution pickups are installed in an HSH configuration and wired to a 5-way blade switch, master volume & master tone controls. This model features a striking exclusive finish of Blue-Green Textured Metallic, available only on this specific model. This is paired with a mirrored pickguard which compliments the metallic finish and Chrome hardware beautifully. 
 
The 3pc Maple/Bubinga neck plays fantastically well, as you would expect from Steve Vai and Ibanez. The ‘Super Wizard’ profile could be described as a shallow 'D' shape which provides a nicely flattened area to the centre. This ensures lightning fast playability and easy reach in all registers. The Ebony fingerboard is luxurious under the fingers, and with its 17" radius delivers a flat and consistent playing surface right the way up the register, well suited to the fast articulate playing Vai is known for. The large SBB216-195 frets enhance the feel of string bending and vibrato techniques whilst also reducing the pressure required to fret a note. The Lo-Pro Edge double-locking tremolo system paired with a deepened body cavity can handle all of your dive-bombing and guitar acrobatics with astonishing ease whilst retaining excellent tuning stability and adjustability. 
 
The two DiMarzio Evolution humbuckers have a high output, producing a thick, powerful & modern tone. The neck position delivers crystal clear clean sounds, with more aggressive mids and increased sustain as you crank the gain. This is perfect for high-speed solos and long sustained melodic interludes. The bridge pickup produces a tight bottom end and a searing high frequency cut, ideal for heavy tones and modern techniques. The DiMarzio Evolution single-coil in the middle position sits great with a nice balance of bright trebles and full warm bass, and lends itself well to rhythm tones. The 5-way switching allows for a wide range of sounds including split single-coils in the in-between positions alongside the full humbucking pickups. A seriously unique piece that has been exquisitely preserved over the years and is sure to be an appreciating investment for years to come. 
 
This guitar is a commission sale. If you have a high-end or vintage instrument you’re interested in selling, please contact us. 
 
This guitar is offered as COLLECTION ONLY from our Ashton-under-Lyne store. Specialist courier delivery is available from £55. Please inquire.
 
Please be aware that for international buyers import fees are not included in our postage and packaging cost, this only covers the cost of the guitar being sent to you. Import fees will be charged by Customs upon the guitar's arrival in the recipient country. Due to Brexit, this also applies to EU buyers. We advise checking the total import cost with Customs as this is not information we are able to accurately provide.