1987 Ibanez JEM777-LNG Steve Via-Signed Vintage Guitar Loch Ness Green, 100% Original w/ Case

Up for sale, a 1987 Ibanez JEM777-LNG in excellent, 100% original condition, signed by Steve Vai himself. This first-year iteration of Vai’s signature JEM was produced in Japan at the Fujigen factory, finished in Loch Ness Green. Only 777 Loch Ness Green JEMs were produced from 1987-88, and each guitar was hand-numbered and signed by Steve Vai. This particular guitar is #454, sporting a distinctive set of features including a “monkey grip,” a Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo with the rare bridge guard, an HSH trio of DiMarzio pickups, and a 24-fret maple neck with scalloping on the last four frets.The pickup complement features a pair of DiMarzio PAF Pro humbuckers paired with a DiMarzio JEM middle position single coil. Designed to interact well with high gain amps while delivering plenty of presence and rich harmonic content, the PAF Pro pickups retain the dynamic, detailed qualities of the PAF design. Low notes have both snap and chunk with a midrange spike that provides a subtle cocked-wah response. This JEM weighs 7lbs 8oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, slinky action and spot-on intonation.The maple neck has a JEM carve, a particularly slender and speedy D shape with just enough roundness in the shoulders, measuring .730” deep at the 1st fret and .830” at the 12th. The maple fretboard features Disappearing Triangle inlay and flawless jumbo fretwire. The fretboard is scalloped from fret 21-24. The scale length is 25 1/2“, and the locking nut measures 1 11/16“ in width, holding tune exceptionally well against the most dynamic of dive bombs. The matching Loch Ness Green headstock features Cosmo Black tuners which turn smoothly and hold accurate pitch, with a light dusting of surface patina on the tuner buttons.On the body, all of the electronics work as they should, with a five-way pickup selector switch and Master Volume and Tone knobs governing the Dimarzio HSH pickup array. All of the original plastics are present, including the yellow Strat-style knobs, pink switch tip and pickup covers, and the three-ply black pickguard, which has some light scuffing on the treble side of the pick path. On the back of the body, the input jack cavity cover retains the factory protective film, and on the trem cavity cover Steve Vai’s signature and handwritten #454 serial are both exceedingly clean. The Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo is one of the rare, early models retaining its bridge cover/hand rest, which prevents the player from accidentally engaging the tremolo while palm muting. The cover was quickly removed from subsequent JEMs due to a patent dispute with Kahler.The clear coat on top of the rare Loch Ness Green has darkened slightly over the years, save for an amorphous area around the monkey grip. Cosmetic wear on the finish is limited to a small cluster of dings on the bass-side lower bout on top, some broad finish checking on the lower bout body edge, and just a handful of small nicks and faint finish scratches on the body as a whole, primarily concentrated on the back. The smooth satin finish on the neck profile is pristine.A molded hardshell case is included.