Up for sale, a 1987 Ibanez JEM777-SK in excellent, 100% original condition, finished in Shocking Pink. This first-year iteration of Vai’s signature JEM was produced in Japan at the Fujigen factory, and distinctive features including a “monkey grip,” a Floyd Rose-licensed Edge tremolo with the rare bridge guard only seen on the earliest examples, 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 8lbs 3oz, professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 9-42 strings, slinky action and spot-on intonation.

Neck Specs:

-Wood: Maple
-Shape: JEM profile (slender D), measuring .750” 1st fret, .825” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Maple, 24-fret, fluorescent Disappearing Triangle inlay, scalloping at last four frets
-Frets: Jumbo, virtually no wear
-Scale Length: 25 1/2”
-Nut: 1 11/16” (43mm), locking
-Tuners: Gotoh SG38, Cosmo Black
-Serial: 87-prefix on neck plate

Body Specs:

-Wood: Basswood
-Pickups: DiMarzio PAF Pro x2, DiMarzio JEM single coil x1
-Harness: Full-size Japanese pots date to July of '87
-Controls: Volume, Tone, Five-way pickup selector switch
-Hardware: Edge tremolo w/ bridge cover/hand rest
-Plastics: Hot pink pickup covers, green switch tip, yellow Strat-style knobs, three-ply black pickguard

The clear coat of the Shocking Pink has darkened slightly over the decades, and there are two tan lines from previously removed stickers, one on the back of the headstock, and one below the tremolo on top. There is finish checking at the edges of the neck pocket, particularly on the bass side (purely cosmetic), a small area of light buckle wear just north of the tremolo cavity, and just a few additional small marks on the body as a whole. The original brown protective adhesive paper is still intact on the rear control cavity cover, indicative of the limited use this guitar has seen. On the neck, there is a tiny (and common), shallow split in the maple adjacent to the treble-side mounting bolt for the locking nut which has been professionally addressed. The neck profile retains its barely-there satin finish.

The original Ibanez-branded gigbag is included.