Got pics?
Why yes, yes I do! As always, pics first, talk later!
It is so tricky to photograph this guitar. I tried to take pictures in different lighting to showcase the finish.
Cameras are also inherently shit at accurately capturing reds, so it tends to look a bit more brown in pictures than it really is.
Bonus puppy!
Why a JP12-7?
I have been missing a 7-string with a trem forever. I initially wanted to get a Tom Anderson Angel 7, and was just waiting for the right time to put a deposit down. I eventually decided against it given that it costs the same as a new Oni but without the unique look, the flexibility of options, or the frequent interactions with the builder. So, having just sold my RGA121-NT (wasn't playing it much and it deserved a good home) and receiving a bunch of refunds for a cancelled trip... I decided it was time to look at new guitars.
I have always wanted a JP after loving every single one I've ever tried, but for one reason or another I never got one. Then this baby came up for sale locally and, considering how beautiful it is, that it is a relatively rare guitar, that it is a JP with stainless steel frets, (which I deeply appreciate and which meant I wouldn't have to worry about any previous owner's fretwear) but more importantly that I was gonna get to try it before buying it, and that I wasn't gonna have to pay shipping/imports and duties... it was kind of obvious I had to get it. On top of that, the guy that sold it to me was pretty rad and we got to nerd out on gear for a bit, a thing I don't normally get to do in person. He gave it to me with all of the case candy, including the original COA, stickers, fretboard and string wipes, and even a full extra set (7 of them) of piezo saddles from before 2013. (Not sure what the difference between pre and post-2013 saddles is or honestly why he had them... but I wasn't going to say no to that.)
How does it play/sound?
After a full setup (I have no idea how people play with 0.5 mm action and like 0.001" of neck relief...
) the thing plays like butter and is in excellent condition. The frets are perfectly dressed and can be set up with super low action. It has the tiniest and faintest bit of buckle rash and a few pick scratches on the front, but other than that the finish is excellently well kept for a 12 year old guitar.
The guitar is drop-dead gorgeous. The finish is one of the classiest I have seen on any guitar. From afar it looks pretty much black, or a dark maroon. But if you get closer than 10 feet you begin to notice the glimmer. When in direct sunlight the deep red sparkles really come to life! Depending on the lighting it varies from dark maroon, to a deep wine red, even a bright red.
It sounds great, and I love the fact that it has a piezo. Never owned a guitar with a piezo before so I'm excited to see what I will come up with using it. The Crunchlab/Liquifire set is pretty great too. Very versatile guitar.
The neck feels great, though if you don't like painted necks you probably won't like this one either. It doesn't get super slick, but it's certainly different from a matte or oiled/waxed neck. I prefer the flatter, more D-shaped Ibanez necks, but the thin C-shape on this is pretty nice and comfy as well!
What am I unhappy about?
It does have three flaws that bother me a little but I am able to live with them. One aesthetic and two functional:
Aesthetic flaw: it has one shield inlay (21st) fret that is ever so slightly crooked and a couple others that may be crooked but I can't quite tell.
Functional flaws:
1) Either the neck shifted at some point or it's always been like this, but the high E string is really close to the edge of the fretboard and the D string does not line up correctly with the inlays. Although if one inlay is crooked... nothing guarantees me the others are correctly centered unless I take out my caliper and start measuring. But I don't care that much at this point. I've been able to manage it without much of a problem so far, just gotta remember it's there. I also really don't feel like messing with neck pockets, so if it ever turns into a problem I may just consider replacing the guitar.
2) This guitar is a total chonk! 8.7 lbs, which was pretty unexpected as all JPs I had tried in the past tended to be signifcantly lighter. My heaviest was my Carvin DC727 (swamp ash, koa, and ebony) at a hair shy of 8 lbs. It is not uncomfortable by any means, but something I immediately noticed!
All in all, I am stoked with it!
Why yes, yes I do! As always, pics first, talk later!
It is so tricky to photograph this guitar. I tried to take pictures in different lighting to showcase the finish.
Cameras are also inherently shit at accurately capturing reds, so it tends to look a bit more brown in pictures than it really is.
Bonus puppy!
Why a JP12-7?
I have been missing a 7-string with a trem forever. I initially wanted to get a Tom Anderson Angel 7, and was just waiting for the right time to put a deposit down. I eventually decided against it given that it costs the same as a new Oni but without the unique look, the flexibility of options, or the frequent interactions with the builder. So, having just sold my RGA121-NT (wasn't playing it much and it deserved a good home) and receiving a bunch of refunds for a cancelled trip... I decided it was time to look at new guitars.
I have always wanted a JP after loving every single one I've ever tried, but for one reason or another I never got one. Then this baby came up for sale locally and, considering how beautiful it is, that it is a relatively rare guitar, that it is a JP with stainless steel frets, (which I deeply appreciate and which meant I wouldn't have to worry about any previous owner's fretwear) but more importantly that I was gonna get to try it before buying it, and that I wasn't gonna have to pay shipping/imports and duties... it was kind of obvious I had to get it. On top of that, the guy that sold it to me was pretty rad and we got to nerd out on gear for a bit, a thing I don't normally get to do in person. He gave it to me with all of the case candy, including the original COA, stickers, fretboard and string wipes, and even a full extra set (7 of them) of piezo saddles from before 2013. (Not sure what the difference between pre and post-2013 saddles is or honestly why he had them... but I wasn't going to say no to that.)
How does it play/sound?
After a full setup (I have no idea how people play with 0.5 mm action and like 0.001" of neck relief...
) the thing plays like butter and is in excellent condition. The frets are perfectly dressed and can be set up with super low action. It has the tiniest and faintest bit of buckle rash and a few pick scratches on the front, but other than that the finish is excellently well kept for a 12 year old guitar.The guitar is drop-dead gorgeous. The finish is one of the classiest I have seen on any guitar. From afar it looks pretty much black, or a dark maroon. But if you get closer than 10 feet you begin to notice the glimmer. When in direct sunlight the deep red sparkles really come to life! Depending on the lighting it varies from dark maroon, to a deep wine red, even a bright red.
It sounds great, and I love the fact that it has a piezo. Never owned a guitar with a piezo before so I'm excited to see what I will come up with using it. The Crunchlab/Liquifire set is pretty great too. Very versatile guitar.
The neck feels great, though if you don't like painted necks you probably won't like this one either. It doesn't get super slick, but it's certainly different from a matte or oiled/waxed neck. I prefer the flatter, more D-shaped Ibanez necks, but the thin C-shape on this is pretty nice and comfy as well!
What am I unhappy about?
It does have three flaws that bother me a little but I am able to live with them. One aesthetic and two functional:
Aesthetic flaw: it has one shield inlay (21st) fret that is ever so slightly crooked and a couple others that may be crooked but I can't quite tell.
Functional flaws:
1) Either the neck shifted at some point or it's always been like this, but the high E string is really close to the edge of the fretboard and the D string does not line up correctly with the inlays. Although if one inlay is crooked... nothing guarantees me the others are correctly centered
unless I take out my caliper and start measuring. But I don't care that much at this point. I've been able to manage it without much of a problem so far, just gotta remember it's there. I also really don't feel like messing with neck pockets, so if it ever turns into a problem I may just consider replacing the guitar.2) This guitar is a total chonk! 8.7 lbs, which was pretty unexpected as all JPs I had tried in the past tended to be signifcantly lighter. My heaviest was my Carvin DC727 (swamp ash, koa, and ebony) at a hair shy of 8 lbs. It is not uncomfortable by any means, but something I immediately noticed!
All in all, I am stoked with it!
