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Warning: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in ..../includes/class_bbcode.php on line 2958 JEM Sublime Custom (review)
I think most of
us have some degree of captivation with an era, whether it’s the 50s, 60s, 70s,
or deeper into history with the art and ‘age of enlightenment’ of the
Renaissance (or Ritchie Blackmore’s obsession with the Medieval and Dark Ages).
This sense of belonging or interest likely has much to do with the uniqueness of
a time and its apparent identity or characteristics with art and culture.
I have a certain fondness for British Victorian times, both in terms of
craft and intellectual stimulation, as well as the decorative Baroque era (I
couldn’t get enough Vivaldi and Bach in my teen years). However, I mostly
appreciated those dark rich dens of wood desks and leather armchairs of the
Victorian times and how they co-existed with the naturalist attitude of
collecting and studying specimens of nature as Britain expanded its empire and
expeditions afar, stimulated greatly by Darwin’s voyage to the Galapagos. And it
was around that time that Britain was evolving through the industrial age of
sweat and steel.
Stephen Casper (of Casper Guitar Technologies out of
Florida) created two incredible guitars for me in the not so distant past, and
it was time for a third go-around with an axe that offered more ‘edge’ in
appearance and tone than the first EVH-style guitar he built me originally. I
also wanted to combine certain Victorian elements (nature and modernistic
machinery) into one lavish guitar that also would have a sense of Baroque
ornamentation – it would require rich colors, but with an aura of both
decorative nature and modern sculptured materials.
The basic design concept
was an easy decision. For the past few years I’ve been longing for a Vai JEM;
the overall shape and monkey grip appeared slick and sleek. But rather than buy
stock, I decided to go with this custom project since I wanted to take the JEM
concept to new heights; also, I wanted more of a personal and customized guitar,
including metallic paint, a smaller neck size, custom pickups, and a ‘vine of
life’ inlay that would be stunning and highly decorative. This was to be no
ordinary guitar, but a masterpiece that would hold its own against any JEM or
other guitar on the market in terms of quality of detail and
craftsmanship.
The Details
The
ebony fingerboard – a wood that out-wears rosewood, holds frets better, and
inlays invisibly – showcases beautifully the exquisite detail of the vine of
life inlay, courtesy of Luthier Supply. This inlay is made of select shells from
around the world, with each piece and each inlay component hand-made by a
company in Korea (products sold both in Korea and the Oregon, USA). The founder,
Andy DePaule, has been building guitars since 1969 and created this family-run
business with his sons.
Having searched the Internet
for a vine/tree of life inlay, most were basic and typical of Ibanez origin…
however, the quality and detail of DePaule’s work is second-to-none, and the
cost almost ridiculously low! In fact, more cost is in the luthier having to
scroll cut the design out of the fingerboard and to inlay the work, but as Buddy
Lee DePaule (Andy’s son) stated, “all a person needs is little patience and
anyone can do it.” As well, the selection of fretboard, headstock and pickguard
inlays by the DePaule’s is enormous, and so I encourage the reader to check out
the www.luthiersupply.com website.
Not to be outdone, the
autographed/inscribed headstock (Stephen Casper’s signature in silver paint) is
a beautiful creation itself. The black lacquer paint contrasts beautifully with
the metal truss rod cover, with Vai’s logo hand engraved by www.eddyshandengraving.com. Stephen Casper fabricated the
truss rod cover plate from scratch, from a piece of 16-guage steel, which then
was engraved and chromed accordingly.
The machine heads come from the
Gotoh SG510 series, precision fitting gears with the world’s first 1:21 gear
ratio. But the upper pegs were removed and replaced with the headstocks most
eye-catching feature: solid silver ‘leaf’ tuner pegs developed by guitarists and
metalsmiths Bo Svendson (who trained for seven years working
for Georg Jensen / Royal Copenhagen) and Daniel Doucette of www.Argentariis.com. I
was so impressed with the uniqueness (the leaf pegs were an obvious match with
the vine of life inlay, as though the vine continued up the headstock and
sprouted life) and quality of their work that I commissioned Bo Svendson to
develop two knobs for the volume and tone controls to further emulate the ‘leaf’
concept.
Originally I wanted knobs that appeared paisley
in shape, but Bo quickly saw how this looked like a leaf, and having it look
more leaf-like would complement many aspects of the guitar, including the inlay
and tuner pegs. We couldn’t stop there – Bo added a diamond inlay on the top and
hand-engraved the knobs with a decorative, Victorian style vine inlay, both of
which took customization to a new level. There are various metals that can be used
for both pegs and knobs, but the richness and feel of silver is in a league of
its own. Anyone looking for unique
hardware has to visit the Argentariis website above or www.boshandengraving.com for currently available guitar hardware or to
have pieces custom-made.
This 24-stainless-steel-fret work-of-art boasts a thin (0.63 inches
thick) ‘wizard’ maple neck that is a beauty to play and particularly if you
dislike those thick baseball necks. The fit into the neck pocket is superb and
pure precision. After the neck was developed, Stephen sealed and sanded the wood, followed by a light coat of lacquer then
wet sanding up to a 1500 grit paper. The final step was a thin coat of lemon
oil. The end result is a silky neck without any sticking, no matter how clammy
one’s palm becomes.
The action is undoubtedly the best I have experienced, as least compared
to any of my stock ‘high-end’ guitars from top manufacturers. This may be
expected when having a guitar hand-made with care, but this guitar plays like
butter – smooth and silky – and that is due to a combination of the ebony
fingerboard, the large amount of shell inlay, and the steel
frets.
The quality
of the body’s paint is far more obvious in person, and it exceeds the standards
of any guitar manufacture. It was painted by an award-winning car restoration
and detailing company, Rest In Peace Low Rider Club (www.RIPCC.com), which company was featured several times in Low Rider magazine. Painted in a stunning metallic French Roast (think of
adding a splash of cream to a cup of rich coffee to give it a coppery
appearance), its sparkle makes it obvious that there is far more depth to its
character. The paint was finished with two heavy coats of polyurethane (each
coat wet sanded then polished) to give the instrument further depth. The
interesting thing about metallic fleck paint is that in different lighting it
emits different shadings or intensities of the color. In good lighting it
resembles a bright shiny penny, but in dim lighting it appears more dark
caramel.
The
mirrored pickguard’s vine inlay was laser-cut and a gold Mylar underlay was
added to give more pizzazz and luster to the overall shading, as well as
compliment the gold etching on the
pickups.
Internal Electronics An Oak Grisby Superswitch was used to provide
the following pickup settings. 1. neck pickup
2. neck + center pickup
3. center pickup
4.
center + bridge pickup
5. bridge pickup The other electronic feature added was a Radio
Frequency Identification Device (RFID) from www.snagg.com; a well hidden (within the wood of the body) micro-chip for
purposes of theft deterrence and asset recovery, in the event that it is stolen.
With this one-of-a-kind hand-made instrument, the RFID was a no-brainer as a
very inexpensive add-on. Bridge System Initially I was thinking of using an Edge tremolo system, since it
is standard fare with many Ibanez guitars. Owning an Ibanez JS2400, I found the
Edge system fairly reliable and stable, until I broke a string and the snapping
reaction caused some grief in getting it back to proper setup. Because of that,
and the luthier’s own ‘stability’ issues when working with the Edge, we decided
to duplicate what was used on my first custom guitar, Schaller’s version of the
Floyd Rose (with locking nut), which Stephen Casper believes is the best
sounding and most stable tremolo available, and particularly after he makes his
upgrade (with a solid brass block under the trem system, which also improves
attacking tone and sustain). I had to concur, since I’m able to use the whammy
on my original Casper guitar far more aggressively than any other I’ve used, and
it stays remarkably in-tune for
longer.
The
body is a single piece of mahogany, a wood typical of Gibson Les Pauls and SGs.
It is a fairly dense, medium-to-heavy wood that produces a somewhat soft tone,
although balanced with good grind and bite. The depth of the sound also is good,
but without particularly tight lows or overly-pronounced highs. In effect,
together with the pickup choices, this guitar was designed with the idea that it
could be implemented in soulful soloing, as well as punchy riffing – all the
while not coming off as a ‘metal’ guitar nor a traditional ‘classic rock’
guitar.
The music I compose and play varies, but there certainly are
influences that range from classic rock, to jazz to metal. This guitar was
developed with the idea of producing new tones not possible in my current guitar
collection, and with materials that differ from my collection, e.g., ebony
fretboard and mahogany body. Concurrently, it made sense to delve into new
pickup territory and break loose of traditional pickup companies. Sublime
Pickups was recommended to me from an Internet forum member, and when I
found out this company was from Hungary, deep into Eastern European Prog Metal,
I became very curious.
Sublime’s Pickups don’t follow the usual ‘PAF’
build pattern… or any traditional pattern for that matter. The designer, Andras Kurtacs, is after
alternative solutions that are distinct and unique in character, with a very
broad tonal range that reacts precisely to a player’s technique (which means you
hear every note clearly, as well as the mistakes!). His hand-wound pickups are
exceptionally heavy and well-crafted, using .04 to .071 mm copper wires coated
1-2 times with lacquer-enamel, and with coils impregnated with acrylate-epoxy
resin or lacquer. Often he makes his own bobbins, as well as many of the other
parts that comprise his products, and chooses only high quality steels and
AINiCo5 and N35 neodymium magnets. Most importantly, his pickups are crafted to
the specs of the guitarist, based on what tone or sound is desired, together
with the materials and shape/structure of the
guitar.
The JEM Sublime
has a ‘mini-monster cal30’ center pickup, a single-bucker that gives a nice
distortion, but also very good bell-like cleans (and a nice twang) that is
useful for legendary and traditional rock tones. It’s very apropos for those
thick, chunky (yet clear) rhythms.
The
bridge pickup is the ‘Deep Ocean Blue,’ a crossbreed between single and
humbucker, bright and vivid with full lows and ringing highs that are a must for
solos and achieving an unmistakable bite. This pickup is so unique in that there
is a ringing overtone heard over and above the original note that makes soloing
utterly distinct. When I compare this to my other guitar’s bridge pickups, it’s
as though the Deep Ocean Blue has a built-in boost pedal.
Andras’
latest work is the ‘Dirty Wound’ in the neck position, which has rich low-mids,
but not dull or muddy. It is a typical neck
humbucker in many regards, but with some of the lows removed to balance the
mahogany body it is cleaner than what I’ve heard in many neck pickups, yet
aggressive and modern sounding.
With my penchant for those signing highs with an aggressive bite,
this ‘hot,’ yet quiet pickup combination fits the bill incredibly well. When
combined with the Pritchard Black Dagger amp, the clarity of the notes is
exceptional (which means lots of practice since you cannot hide behind noise or
muddiness). Below is a link of a sample sound file:
A few additional points about the pickups include the
glow-in-the-dark Sublime logo on the black resin center pickup, as well as the
laser engraved images on the chrome-covered pickups (a beautiful complement to
the mirror pickguard). Andras did an incredible job on giving me what I wanted
as far as tone and appearance; however, what impresses me more is how each
pickup position blends so smoothly from neck to bridge – each pickup coordinated
in character as though they belong to the same ‘family’ and were not haphazardly
matched.
RELIABILITY AND
DURABILITY
This guitar was made for
playing… far more solid in structure (a known commodity with Casper Guitar
Technologies) than what could be expected from the big brands. The hardware and
pickups resonate an equal quality, and the finish is auto-tough in both paint
quality and finish. As sleek and sexy as this guitar may appear, it is a pure
workhorse that could go through anything short of a Townshend massacre. This JEM
also is beyond the quality of stock JEMs. Steve Vai has his JEMs hand-crafted
and detailed, and what you buy in a music store is a lesser copy of the
original. Similarly, the JEM Sublime involves details and quality of
construction that far surpasses what JEM aficionados have come to expect and
accept as ‘great guitars.’
There was a focus on
making this a complete project and playing experience, which meant outfitting
the guitar with a strap that was of the highest caliber and had a sense of a
Victorian Naturalist element. I wanted something that was out of the ordinary
and eye-catching and what I found through www.AlligatorJakes.com (sister site www.OstrichMarket.com) was almost breath-taking! Made to my specs (but with
steel hardware buckle and rivet screws to allow for some adjustment if
necessary), the result was a hornback alligator strap dyed dark sport rust for
that true vintage look (chocolate brown may have matched the guitar better, but
there’s something about that vintage look of the sport rust that I couldn’t
resist). The design is reminiscent of two alligator heads on either end of the
strap with the hornback ridges representing the raised eye
ridges.
This incredible strap is made of three layers. The outer layer is
alligator that came from the northern region of the Everglades. It takes two
alligator backstraps (the horn section) to make one guitar strap because the
back of the neck (the ‘medallion’) of one gator is used for each end section of
the strap. The underside is burnished cowhide, which adds to the ‘finish,’
rigidity and strength. What I did not expect was the soft ¾ inch New Zealand
lamb’s wool padding along the inside to increase comfort while playing even the
heaviest of guitars.
Although photos of the
strap were sent to me prior to shipping, I was not prepared for what I saw and
felt as it came out of the box. The quality of craftsmanship, the
three-dimensional texture, and the depth of color impressed me as much as any
quality guitar (custom or stock) that I have seen – yes, I’m comparing the
eye-popping appearance of this strap to that of a guitar! As well, I’ve
purchased quality stock guitar straps, and had custom straps made in the past,
but Alligator Jakes have taken the meaning of ‘custom guitar strap’ to a
completely different level. Although some may balk at the use of alligator to
make a strap, Alligator Jakes use only those gators that are harvested for meat
and other products, and are not on the endangered list (this is no different
than with cows, for all those leather strap, jacket, boot and purse
connoisseurs).
Silver
Plectrum
If the guitar was to be
adorned with solid silver hardware, it made me think of having a plectrum that
would compliment this look. I never tried a silver plectrum, thinking perhaps
that it may be too hard or metallic sounding. The highest grade plectrums, as
well as the most diverse collection, come from www.Timber-Tones.com. This company is known for its
vast array of exotic wood plectrums, such as maple and ebony, but it recently
released its Treasure Tone collection – in silver, gold and platinum!
With the silver Treasure Tone in hand, I was amazed at what I heard. The note definition
was beyond anything I’ve experienced before, and I have used picks from many
‘custom’ shops. It did not produce that clicky, metallic-sound most people would
expect from a metal plectrum. In the past I have used a pick with a stainless
steel tip (which did give a harsh sound that limited it to harder, heavier music
so that the distortion would cover up any ambient noise), whereas the silver Treasure Tone is in a league of its own.
The weight and thickness of the pick makes it obvious between the
fingers, but it takes only moments to get used to. In fact, the weight of the
plectrum seems to provide balance and guidance in the hand when picking quickly
or skipping strings. The curved indentation of the pick makes for a solid grip,
but it is the tapered honed edge that allows for quick and rapid pick
attack.
The Treasure Tones definitely
are more expensive than traditional picks, because of the precious metal
content, but insofar as the silver plectrum is concerned, it is no more costly
than an inexpensive pedal. And why do we buy pedals? To alter or enhance a
guitar’s tone. Consequently, the investment of a silver Treasure Tone is
akin to buying a pedal, with improved tone and note definition being the
eventual outcome!
The
Case
Take a standard
guitar case and hand it over to an artist, and you have the potential for a
one-of-a-kind creation. Previously, Scott Ouderkirk developed a Hendrix case, to
coincide with a Hendrix Tribute guitar that Stephen Casper built for me
previously, and I knew Scott would do justice to Steve Vai. Not only did he come
up with his own creative interpretation, but Scott investigated Vai’s background
and found out that the virtuoso guitarist enjoyed beekeeping as a hobby. Various
sketches developed with a final design that incorporated Vai’s two passions…
guitar playing and beekeeping… now that is original! I liked the photos Scott
sent me, but the detail in the shading really popped out when I saw the case in
person, which now is on display in my studio (beside the Hendrix
case).
Scott’s custom cases typically
involve a three-step process. First the case is primed white, thus resulting in
a ‘drawing’ area. Scott then sketches (using both charcoal pencil and fingers)
onto the primer, and usually within one sitting to keep his artistic spontaneity
intact. (For color paintings, a guiding sketch is drawn and then the paint is
applied on top with a brush.) The last step is to seal the drawing with several
layers of a clear coating to protect the one-of-a-kind image.
For more information, or to consult with Scott for your unique guitar case,
visit: www.ScottOuderkirk.com.
OVERALL
IMPRESSION Although Casper
Guitar Technologies is able to design and develop guitars that are simple in
concept, this guitar was developed with opulence in mind. The first Casper
guitar developed for my needs is very much bare-bones in many respects, but it
is a brute in construction, meant to be played and to last several lifetimes –
it is so easy to play (incredible neck!), and yet extremely solid in its build.
The JEM Sublime is of the same quality craftsmanship, made to be played –
extremely solid in its construction, yet beautifully elaborate designs and
ornamentation almost make it seem fragile to the senses. The tone is gorgeous,
as the notes ring clear through the custom Sublime pickups. Stock
‘relics’ and other stock ‘boutique’ guitars cost as much, and sometimes more
than the JEM Sublime with its decked-out décor and custom electronics,
but why have something stock when you can have a unique instrument that no other
person on the planet has? Stephen Casper’s decades of expertise and work
demonstrates how he can take a popular concept (e.g., the JEM), and create a
masterpiece that exceeds the quality and playability of what a JEM owner would
come to expect. What further
makes this guitar unique is the number of involved artisans from around the
globe. Many of the guitar elements (apart from the basic JEM shape) came from my
design, of what I envisioned, and then this was realized through the talents of
others. The guitar body and neck was made in Florida, the pickups from Hungary,
the fretboard inlay from Korea, the silver knobs and tuner pegs from British
Columbia (via Sweden). And then there are the accessories: An alligator strap
from Florida, a silver pick from the UK, and a hand-designed case from New York.
This package is one-of-a-kind not only in design, but in the collaborative
efforts of skilled artisans who have a passion for music and quality instrument
creation. Only partially
completed in detail, you can see a video of this guitar in action: http://youtu.be/GUnJIFOpfOU
Thanks... I have several usual guitars, but I wanted to go for something with pizzazz and quality detail. It plays very well, but the pickups are hot/sensitive... I'm getting used to them... you can't make as many mistakes with this guitar, lol.
JEM Sublime Custom (review)
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