INTARSIA WOOD ART
Artistic wood creations, handcrafted and proudly made in Canada.
IBANEZ JEM – THE SOUND OF INNOVATION
The revolutionary signature guitar designed with Steve Vai that transformed the modern electric guitar and became an icon of technical rock.
Quick Facts
Artist:
Steve Vai
Built::
1987
Model:
Ibanez JEM777
Most Famous songs:
• For the Love of God
• The Attitude Song
• Eugene's Trick Bag
• Tender Surrender
• Building the Church
The Story
By the mid-1980s, Steve Vai had developed a reputation as one of the most technically accomplished and imaginative guitarists in the world. When he joined David Lee Roth's band, he needed an instrument capable of matching his increasingly demanding playing style.
Rather than simply choosing an existing guitar, Vai wanted to design one himself.
He began working with Ibanez to create an instrument incorporating the features he wanted, including a floating tremolo system, extended fret access, unusual electronics and a distinctive body design. The result was the JEM777, introduced at the 1987 NAMM Show.
The JEM was unlike anything else on the market. Its most famous feature was the Monkey Grip, a handle cut directly into the body. Combined with the colorful finishes, distinctive fretboard inlays and aggressive styling, it became one of the defining guitars of the 1980s.
More importantly, it wasn't just designed to look different.
It was designed to perform differently.
Why This Guitar Matters
The Ibanez JEM represents a turning point in electric guitar design.
Steve Vai and Ibanez took familiar ideas from the Stratocaster-style guitar and pushed them into new territory. The result was an instrument designed specifically for high-speed playing, extreme vibrato effects and the technical demands of modern rock guitar.
The JEM also helped establish the idea that a professional guitarist could become directly involved in designing a signature instrument rather than simply endorsing an existing model.
Today, the JEM remains one of the longest-running and most recognizable signature guitar designs in the world.
The Craft Behind the Tribute
Every Guitar Legends shadow box begins with careful research. Before selecting a single piece of wood, I study the instrument, its history, the musician who played it, and the performances that made it unforgettable.
For Steve Vai's JEM, the challenge was capturing an instrument whose identity comes from its unusual details. The distinctive body shape, Monkey Grip, colorful finish, elaborate fretboard and aggressive hardware all had to be reproduced at a much smaller scale.
The result is a tribute to a guitar that looks almost as unconventional as the music Steve Vai creates with it.
Each component is individually handcrafted, assembled and finished to create a one-of-a-kind tribute celebrating both musical history and the innovative instrument behind it.
Design Philosophy
The JEM was never intended to blend into a crowd.
Its unusual shape, bright finishes and signature features were deliberately designed to make it visually distinctive.
My goal was therefore not to soften those characteristics, but to embrace them.
The intarsia interpretation preserves the bold personality of the JEM while allowing the natural beauty and texture of the wood to become part of the design.
Design Choices
Songs That Define Steve Vai
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The Attitude Song - An early showcase for Vai's extraordinary technique and one of the recordings that helped establish his reputation as a guitar virtuoso.
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For the Love of God - One of Vai's most celebrated compositions, combining extraordinary technical control with melody, emotion and atmosphere.
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Eugene's Trick Bag - Vai's dazzling instrumental performance from Crossroads, demonstrating the extraordinary speed and precision that became part of his signature style.
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Tender Surrender - A highly expressive instrumental that shows Vai's ability to move beyond technical fireworks and use the guitar to communicate emotion.
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Building the Church - A powerful example of Vai's later work, combining complex rhythms, unusual sounds and virtuosic guitar playing.
Specifications
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25" by 11"
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Baltic birch backing
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Poplar frame
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Solid hardwood guitar
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Laser engraved artwork
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Hand assembled
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Ready to hang
Every Guitar Legends piece reflects the personality of the instrument and its player.
For the JEM, the focus is on the features that immediately identify it as a Steve Vai instrument—the Monkey Grip, distinctive fretboard design, multiple pickups and highly recognizable body shape.
The presentation reinforces the connection between Vai's extraordinary playing technique and the instrument specifically created to accommodate it.
JEM Through the Years
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1985 – Steve Vai begins developing ideas for a new guitar while playing with David Lee Roth.
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1986 – Vai and Ibanez begin working closely together to develop the instrument that would become the JEM.
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1987 – The Ibanez JEM777 is officially introduced, with the original models appearing in Loch Ness Green, Desert Sun Yellow and Shocking Pink.
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1988 – New JEM models appear, including the famous Floral Pattern version.
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1990 – The Ibanez Universe extends Vai's design into seven-string territory.
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1993 – The JEM7VWH is introduced, featuring the white finish and Evolution pickups that became strongly associated with Vai.
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Today – The JEM continues to be produced and remains one of the most influential signature guitar designs ever created.
The Monkey Grip wasn't simply a piece of flashy 1980s styling.
Steve Vai specifically wanted a handle so he could grab the guitar and swing it around on stage. When designing the JEM, he also wanted to include at least one feature that no other guitar company would be likely to copy. The Monkey Grip became one of the guitar's defining characteristics.
And it wasn't the only unusual feature. The JEM also introduced the Lion's Claw tremolo cavity and elaborate fretboard designs, turning the guitar into something that was as much a piece of industrial design as a musical instrument.
Note From The Artisan
I don't build replicas—I build stories. Every wood species, engraving, photograph, and historical detail is chosen to preserve the legacy of an instrument that helped shape modern music.
The Steve Vai JEM is a perfect example of what happens when a musician refuses to accept the limitations of a conventional instrument.
It was designed around one guitarist's imagination—and ended up influencing an entire generation of guitar players.
My hope is that this tribute captures some of that same spirit of innovation, individuality and pure love of the guitar.