STEVE VAI’S FIRST collaboration with Ibanez, the JEM, debuted in 1987. In the more than three decades since, the revolutionary instrument (and let’s be frank — with its monkey grip handle, “lion’s claw” tremolo cavity, fiveway HSH pickup options, deep cutaway and eye-popping fluorescent finishes, among other features, it was indeed groundbreaking) has become firmly established as one of the most popular, celebrated and instantly recognizable designs in modern guitar do.
The JEM has undergone updates and modifications since that first iteration, from changes in pickups and fretboard inlays to wild new finishes (floral patterns, a limited-edition swirl with Vai’s blood mixed in) and even a 20th-anniversary acrylic-body with-LED-lights model. All the while, Vai acknowledges, “Ibanez has been extraordinarily supportive of all of my ‘imaginative meanderings’ over the years.”
As if to prove his point, Vai recently unveiled — exclusively to Guitar World — his latest JEM-related imaginative meandering with Ibanez — and it’s a big one. So big, in fact, that this creation is not even a JEM at all. Rather, Vai has spent the last few years developing and designing a brand-new guitar with the company: the Ibanez PIA.
For the design, Vai says, “I wanted something simple, and something that for me also had personal meaning.” Those ideals are reflected in the guitar’s moniker — the PIA. “It stands for Paradise in Art,” Vai says. There’s a second personal meaning as well. “It’s also my wife’s name,” he adds.
Spec-wise, the new guitar resembles a JEM in some very foundational ways. Its measurements — 25.5-inch scale, 43mm neck width at the nut and 58mm at the top fret, 430mm fretboard radius — are, to be sure, certainly JEM-like.
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 2020 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
KIM THAYIL
The mighty Soundgarden guitarist looks back on his most iconic riffs and solos, as well as the gear and tunings that guided him deep into the creative superunknown
ANDY BELL
The U.K. shoegaze pioneer discusses the recording of Ride's classic Nineties albums and his 10 years as a member of Oasis
MARC FORD
The respected SoCal guitarist explains why he chose the Black Crowes over Guns N' Roses - and how the Crowes' internal friction helped make them a compelling alternative to grunge
BRIAN VANDER ARK
Determined as he moves out of the shadow of his past, the guitarist recounts the origins of the Verve Pipe and the recording of a definitive Nineties anthem, \"The Freshmen\"
VERNON REID
From Vivid to Time's Up to Stain: How Vernon Reid's expressionist shredding juiced Living Colour through the grunge era
ART ALEXAKIS
The tenacious Everclear frontman/guitarist discusses the music, moments and \"dangerous\" amps that changed his life and maybe ours - in the Nineties and beyond
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
The retro designs, digital innovations and misfit toys that defined guitar gear and technology in the Nineties
IT'S ALL A BLUR...
The rise and fall of Britpop, the Nineties' other massive, guitar-based movement
NEVERMIND NEVERMIND!
10 overlooked rock albums from the Nineties that are worth a second listen
A GRUNGY GUITAR GUIDE TO THE '90S
Guitar World