Dr. Faustus posted:

I work 2nd shift but even for me this is late.

Frankenstyle posted:

See? What did I say before? If you'd just work half as hard on your people skills as you have on your musical skills, you'd have sex and drugs on tap and free money for life. Just take a deep breath and let life wash over you.

Frankenstyle posted:

See? What did I say before? If you'd just work half as hard on your people skills as you have on your musical skills, you'd have sex and drugs on tap and free money for life. Just take a deep breath and let life wash over you.

Meat Recital posted:

Meat Recital posted:

Meat Recital posted:

Meat Recital posted:

Meat Recital posted:

Meat Recital posted:

Dr. Faustus posted:

more

Dr. Faustus posted:

"I drink to make other people more interesting."

This stops working after 40. FYI.

Dr. Faustus posted:

This stops working after 40. FYI.

Dr. Faustus posted:

"I drink to make other people more interesting."

This stops working after 40. FYI.

XENA I LOVE YOU posted:

Third World Reggin posted:

XENA I LOVE YOU posted:

Photex posted:

Why the gently caress do you have a hard on for Ibanez RGs? Please tell me they are all not stock too besides the lovely looks.

Stargate posted:

Wow old timer, you should have better people skills by now.

Dewgy posted:

it'd take way more than a 40 to make you interesting bro

Photex posted:

Thanks for that wiki quality post on the The Rise of Ibanez.

quote:

There's a brilliant photo in the book, Ibanez: The Untold Story, of Kramer Guitars’ Dennis Berardi and colleagues at the Chicago NAMM show in 1987. Berardi appears spellbound as he looks intensely at something just outside of the frame. Meanwhile, one of his colleagues wears an expression of utter pain and bewilderment. The reason for these expressions was that Ibanez and Steve Vai had just unveiled the JEM, Vai's signature instrument, and in that exact moment the entire guitar landscape was reshaped. Ibanez was suddenly sitting atop a pyramid not unlike the one Vai himself was perched on in the “Angel Landing” advertisement subsequently used to promote the JEM.

There were probably many reasons the Kramer execs were so befuddled by the JEM. Certainly, securing Vai as an endorser was a huge coup. But the JEM was more than just a signature guitar for one of the most popular axemen in the world: It also incorporated many unique custom features, ones that weren’t common on large-scale production guitars up to that point, and certainly not in the “perfect storm” of high performance specs the JEM provided.

For starters, the JEM had three DiMarzio pickups (a pair of PAF Pro humbuckers and a JEM single-coil) wired in a then-unique arrangement where by the 2nd and 4th positions split the humbuckers into single-coils in combination with the middle pickup. This arrangement, pioneered by DiMarzio's Steve Blucher, allowed Vai to achieve Stratocaster-style in-between sounds as well as the humbucker raunch of the PAF Pro. There was also a high-pass filter on the volume control to help the guitar retain high end when the volume pot was rolled back.

It also featured a “bear claw” rout behind the Ibanez Edge locking vibrato bridge, inspired by the chiseled trench Vai had gouged into his Charvel “Green Meanie” guitar. This allowed him to achieve a much further range of upward motion than simply floating the tremolo at an angle off the body, and it made it easy to perform wild “flutter” effects.

A guitar with 24 frets was not unheard of before 1987, but this was still relatively uncommon. The last four frets were scalloped, allowing Vai and like-minded shredders to really lay into those high notes, and upper-fret access was enhanced by a crescent-shaped scoop around the neck joint area. The JEM also rocked some rather flashy cosmetic touches: three-color, disappearing-pyramid fretboard inlays (keen eyes would note that the green/pink/yellow pyramids echoed the three JEM colors available at launch); brightly colored pickups, knobs, pickup selector switch and tremolo rout; and of course, the “monkey grip” handle, which allowed Vai to pull off extra-flashy stage moves.

The JEM had a less showy but equally shred-worthy and innovative cousin, the Ibanez RG550. The 550 featured much of the same innovation as the JEM (HSH pickup layout with the same custom switching, 24 frets, crescent-carved neck joint; back-routed Edge cavity) but without some of the higher-cost additions such as the scalloping, the DiMarzio pickups, the six individual bear claw scoops, and the monkey grip.

While some JEMs have been modded over the years, the majority of owners tend to keep them in their original state. It's rare even to find a JEM with a pickup swap, so there isn't really a particular set of common JEM mods to speak about. However the RG550 and its stablemates make great starting points for fans to build their own custom JEM-style guitars. They're relatively inexpensive on the used market, and their modern-day equivalents (such as the RG2550) exhibit exceptional build quality. Anyone with a pin router, a steady hand and a lot of patience can add a monkey grip to their RG550. You can reshape the Edge rout into a bear claw with carving chisels and maybe a bit of wood filler to rectify the odd mistake. DiMarzio makes various Vai signature pickups (the Evolution, the Breed, the Evo 2, and the new Gravity Storm), which would likely get you closer to Vai's tonal mojo.

It's common for RG-to-Jem conversions to feature a variation on the multicolor swirl paint technique pioneered by Darren Johansen of About Time Designs and seen on various JEMs, as well as the 7-string counterpart, the Universe. Two of the most revered swirlers, Herc Fede and Out Of This Swirled, recently announced their respective retirement from the swirling biz, but there are many talented painters out there (Perle Guitars comes to mind) who offer swirls in every color. Rich Harris' Ibanez Rules is a prime location to purchase JEM-friendly parts, from vibrato arm socket holders to new-old-stock (NOS) pickguards and colored DiMarzios.

One particularly interesting JEM-style custom is owned by James McDonald from Western Australia. McDonald's JEM (pictured at right) started as his sketched entry for the “Design A Jem” competition put on by Ibanez and Vai in 2010. When McDonald's intricate black-and-white design didn't win, he decided to have it made with the help of ET Guitars, and then he painted it himself.

Another rare example of an actual modified JEM belongs to Dean Dynna of Canada. His 1991 JEM7PBK has been repainted with a green marbling effect on a black background, providing a slight thematic link to the swirled JEMs but maintaining the original black vibe of that stock model.

But as much fun as it is to upgrade an RG to near-JEM specs, there's still something magical about a true Ibanez JEM. There have been a few changes over the years, such as different body and fretboard woods, different pickups, a few rear-routed models with clear pickguards to showcase fabric finishes, a new neck joint and different fretboard inlays, etc. But a brand new JEM today bares much in common with its 1987 counterpart, and in many ways the JEM is still that same guitar that gave Kramer such a shock in Chicago 25 years ago.

Dr. Faustus posted:

SAID THE GUY WHO WANTED THIS THREAD JUST FOR ME.

Xen Tricks posted:

I own this it looks cooler than any of your guitars gently caress you faustus



Look at this versus your stupid samey ugly colored poo poo do you see any "seafoam green" on this?

Dewgy posted:

you as a poster are entertaining, as a human being you are boring dreck

i'd say i don't know now that isn't obvious, but then again,

i wanted faustus wigging out over a billion things with boring walls of text and terrible comebacks and i got what i came for

also some other high quality ugly guitars

e: that i would probably buy because i have awful taste

Third World Reggin posted:

I made this for you faus

Dewgy posted:

i actually opened this thread hoping to make fun of faustus' lovely guitars and boring hypertechnical playing and holy poo poo this thread has delivered

Dr. Faustus posted:

You only know me as a poster, so you ought not to make judgements.

Dr. Faustus posted:

Where are the strings?


You only know me as a poster, so you ought not to make judgements.

Xen Tricks posted:

I know it's hard to wrap your head around anything that isn't shaped like a million other guitars owned by 15 year olds but you should try for once

Senorita Stinkers posted:

why is this thread 12 pages long

Senorita Stinkers posted:

why is this thread 12 pages long

XENA I LOVE YOU posted:

Third World Reggin posted:

He is being a mean jerk not using the sig I made him.

Third World Reggin posted:

He is being a mean jerk not using the sig I made him.

Senorita Stinkers posted:

why is this thread 12 pages long

Dr. Faustus posted:

WOW!!!

I'm seeing post after post from people (most of whom I have raced and hung out with for a LONG time) accusing me of saying things I simply have not said.

Someone even said I have Aspergers Syndrome! Because I reply to posts directed at me? Because I disagree with opinions posted in reply to mine? Well, I should count myself lucky, at least I haven't been accused of being a troll yet!

Have you ever seen The Life of Brian? Remember the song "Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life?" That's what I'm doing with this iteration of the XBox and this racing game. I'm not crying about the sky falling, I'm just saying, "Look at this series, at this developer. Have a little faith!" It's still, as they say, "Early days."

For the record, I've never said or implied the following assertions that have been attributed to me:

"Oh, so because old games were great, a new one is free from doubts and criticisms?"

Nope. All I have said is that because the old games were great, the future ones could be as well. This one could be, too. It's too soon to say!

"Saying we can't criticize something because we don't work there is idiotic."

Of course it is! Saying you can attribute causation for the current state of the product based on videos, a few words from a press release or two; and comparisons to what came on the previous generation IS idiotic, because it's based on speculation and is steeped in tons of negativity.
I happen to be of the opinion that it's a little early to take every criticism at face value. If I'm wrong, I'll come right in here and say so. I promised.

"This whole 'Not up to snuff' thing they trotted out is bullshit."

Pure speculation. It's not worth debating without more data. I see no reason to doubt it, but I'm being "the glass half-full" right now. This could change.

"Less tracks, less cars, not a graphical improvement, less features, evidence of money-grabbing DLC and tokens."

This has all been covered ad nauseum, except for "Not a graphical improvement." I can't comment on the graphics or the money until I experience it myself. Until then I will make few judgements. If I think F4 looks better than 5, I'll say so. I play a lot of PC games, and I often do without AA at high-res, especially if the framerate is high. Anisotropic filtering is important, of course, but I haven't seen a screenshot that makes me cringe and curse Turn10 yet, much less a video. I guess I'm just a fanboy (or a troll). That's what you're all thinking, right?

"This isn't your own personal echo chamber."

It isn't???? This is what you're telling ME??
What gave it away? The "DOGPILE ON FAUSTUS?" Or the "WE MUST RESPOND TO HIS EVERY POST WITH THE OBVIOUS EVIL THAT IS BEING PERPETRATED UPON US NON-ADOPTERS BECAUSE HE IS SUCH A STUPID SHITHEAD WHO CAN'T COUNT CARS AND TRACKS AND MONEY" sentiment that is taking over this thread?? Here I was thinking that this was my bully-pulpit, and you all were my rapt disciples. Boy is MY face red!

"This latest version was gutted, often for no good reason and people are understandably upset about it."

What counts as a good reason for you? I'll be as upset about it as anyone else; but I am not attributing anything yet to naked greed and incompetence, as so many of folks here are. I'm actually willing to sit back, wait, and think before I make a judgement.

"It's a completely rushed money grab with ludicrously priced microtransactions."

Go back through this thread and count how many times I have stated in plain English (American English... sorry, Brits and Aussies and Canucks) that this game is suffering terribly from console launch-itis. Early-adopters of new hardware and games get the short end and almost always have. I have not been in the least unrealistic about this. Why are you all still beating me up about this?

"It isn't as simple as them removing some things because it's a rushed launch game; there are plenty of very obvious things they have changed or removed because they want suckers like you to give them more money."

I can see what has been removed, but why should your interpretation of the motivation behind the sad changes be the only possible interpretation? I want the new game and console, so I'm a sucker. Fine. I'm sure you never spend your disposable income on things you don't need and therefore are perfectly justified in calling me a sucker.

"Your guitar analogy is hosed too, a more apt analogy would be asking in musicians lounge why the only new guitar fender sells is now a 5 string, and why they're selling a 6th string upgrade kit for twice the price of the guitar."

So my "guitar analogy" in unworkable, but your "guitar analogy" captures the spirit of this situation perfectly. Well, poo poo. gently caress me, man. I tried.

(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)

Dr. Faustus posted:

You have no way of knowing that. Let's hang out, then you decide.


OUCH! THE BURN! IT BURNS!

Not many 15 year olds running around with 1988 JEMs, or 1992 Ibanez USA Customs, or 1991 RG770DXs, so you're kinda full of poo poo, sorry.

Dr. Faustus posted:

I have sigs turned off since Halloween. Go figure.

Dewgy posted: