What should I look for when buying a Universe UV777

[neurosis]

Hi all,

I have been seeing more of these popping up for sale and was considering picking one up. It seems the prices fluctuate quite a bit so I would like to know if that's for a specific reason like a change in specs or quality over time or just a result of market adjustments.

This is one of those guitars that has always been on my radar but I never really researched like I've done with other Ibbies so I am not very knowledgeable. I have seen some with and some without the Team J Craft stamp and some seemed to have a slightly different shine to the binding. I also saw one with a green Ibanez logo on the headstock and think that must either been a fake or a neck swap.

So how can I best determine what I am getting is original? I don't mind pickup swaps or other minor mods but I would like the body and neck to be 100% original at the very least.

Also, some of these are quite old. Do you think there is a good chance of getting one that doesn't immediately require fretwork?

Any tips you can give me to make an informed purchase will be welcome.

Thanks!

 

[MaxOfMetal]

These changed quite a bit across thier nearly fifteenth year run. Two different neck constructions, three different profiles, two trems over three distinct periods, etc.

Find a guitar. Get the serial. Compare to the catalogs around that year.

These were (are) quirky, so if you're super picky do some basic research on the Ibanez Wiki and narrow down what you're looking for exactly.

 

[macky]

Look for the stuff below. Bought and sold 3 of these before I found a keeper.
Fujisen serial # from 2001 or older - "they don't make 'em like they used to" has never been more true for a guitar!
Minimal yellowing in the body binding
Lock nut bolts from back of neck - major stress point - if the bolts are overtightened there you'll see cracking
buy the 3pc neck, not the 5pc or J-Craft logo stuff
mirror pickguard scratches easy - finding one that looks decent is an indicator the rest of the guitar may have been decently taken care of
look for cracks near the any-access neck joint
the pyramid inlays can chip and had variable QC even in their "good" years

ALL UV77s have shit, uneven fretwork and dead-sounding pickups. Plan on a refret+PLEK and new pickups. Once done it'll be one of your favorite guitars.

 

[neurosis]

These changed quite a bit across thier nearly fifteenth year run. Two different neck constructions, three different profiles, two trems over three distinct periods, etc.

Find a guitar. Get the serial. Compare to the catalogs around that year.

These were (are) quirky, so if you're super picky do some basic research on the Ibanez Wiki and narrow down what you're looking for exactly.

I think the terms are a bit easier to identify from photos. What signs am I looking for to distinguish the neck profiles?

I had a link that I think I got from here that had a collection of catalogs on it but I don't remember the serials being listed in it. is this a different document that's available for dealers maybe?

I love the Wiki. Will definitely return to that. Not sure why I didn't think of it.

 

[neurosis]

Look for the stuff below. Bought and sold 3 of these before I found a keeper.
Fujisen serial # from 2001 or older - "they don't make 'em like they used to" has never been more true for a guitar!
Minimal yellowing in the body binding
Lock nut bolts from back of neck - major stress point - if the bolts are overtightened there you'll see cracking
buy the 3pc neck, not the 5pc or J-Craft logo stuff
mirror pickguard scratches easy - finding one that looks decent is an indicator the rest of the guitar may have been decently taken care of
look for cracks near the any-access neck joint
the pyramid inlays can chip and had variable QC even in their "good" years

ALL UV77s have shit, uneven fretwork and dead-sounding pickups. Plan on a refret+PLEK and new pickups. Once done it'll be one of your favorite guitars.

Which one is the keeper?

Cracks and such are easier to spot in photos IMO than say uneven frets, a warp or a neck swap. I'll try to video with he seller if possible.

What is better about the 3 piece compared to the 5 and why should I stay away from the Team J Craft stuff? I used to have a 1527 with he team J Craft stamp that I adored. I wish I never let that go. Then again I have had a surprise when I got my 550 from the Genesis collection and realized the guitar was comparatively better than some prestiges sold at the time. I almost have a blind trust in Fujigen products but that was definitely a situation that still has me wondering WTF.

Good to hear thoughts on the pickups. I am not a fan of upgrading those in my guitars but I have found that some Ibbies really are night and day after you swap.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I think the terms are a bit easier to identify from photos. What signs am I looking for to distinguish the neck profiles?

I had a link that I think I got from here that had a collection of catalogs on it but I don't remember the serials being listed in it. is this a different document that's available for dealers maybe?

I love the Wiki. Will definitely return to that. Not sure why I didn't think of it.

Serial number will give you the manufacturing date which will narrow down what catalog(s) to reference.

First two numbers after the "F" is the year.

So for instance a serial number of "F9923652" would tell you that the guitar was built in 1999.

 

[odibrom]

I bought one of these from 2000, still with the LoPro Edge Bridge and original pickups, but with a super cracked pickguard and terrible wiring job. Cleaned it up, payed for a Stainless Steel refret, taced and had laser cut a new pickguard in mirror plexiglass and redid the wiring with a few extra switches and new pots. Pickups don't sound dead, they are directly dependent on amp settings, FX and CABs, strings quality and pots. I installed 1Mohm pots and those pickups are open and punchy as ever. Overall, a keeper from now on... And I got mine to deliver about 73 different tones (excluding pots variations) from its 5 coils... Altough I've been on an Alnico5 loaded pickup thing, I kept the original pickups so I could have something a bit different. They sound just as good.

These, as most guitars, just need a bit of care and love to sing loud and proudly.

 

[macky]

UV777s always need a lot of work. The older you buy the less you cry. I did a refret with the biggest frets I could get for my '99 model, along with a PLEK and rewired for Fishman Fluence Merrows. I'd consider that the minimum investment for polishing these guitars up to the level of quality you'd expect from a $3K guitar today. Not unreasonable given that some complete garbage samples sell for $2K+ now.

You can certainly slide by with cheaper, but with the appreciation rate on these guitars today I'd budget extra cash on hand to make it worth my while. Market rate has gone up 100% on these since I got my last one in 2020, so its easy to justify the improvements.

For perspective, I do have an unhealthy attraction to these guitars. I grew up seeing them in guitar mags constantly, so I always wanted one. Now I'm down a pretty severe path that others may choose not to bother with. Good luck regardless.

 

[macky]

Which one is the keeper?

Cracks and such are easier to spot in photos IMO than say uneven frets, a warp or a neck swap. I'll try to video with he seller if possible.

What is better about the 3 piece compared to the 5 and why should I stay away from the Team J Craft stuff? I used to have a 1527 with he team J Craft stamp that I adored. I wish I never let that go. Then again I have had a surprise when I got my 550 from the Genesis collection and realized the guitar was comparatively better than some prestiges sold at the time. I almost have a blind trust in Fujigen products but that was definitely a situation that still has me wondering WTF.

Good to hear thoughts on the pickups. I am not a fan of upgrading those in my guitars but I have found that some Ibbies really are night and day after you swap.

You don't have to stress about spotting uneven frets. It's assumed to be standard shit production quality even for the best years of this guitar. Even the $5K 2017 Universe anniversary reissue models have frets that leave a lot to be desired. The love for these things is so unfounded that I've seen random annys sell for more than $7K. Not even decent examples.

Yes, I am dumb AF too, so after not learning my lesson with the '99 UV777 I bought a firesale 2017 UV77PSN. Those frets only suck slightly less (they had 20 years to improve!) and here I am refretting a brand new guitar like a retard. What really super pisses me off is that the trem binds up on the body so I need to spend more money to refit it and make it float freely like it should from stock. Brand new.

Your experience will probably be par for the course though. Odds are you'll have to make a deal with someone who's either under water on the buy or has an equally unhealthy love for these things.

 

[linthat22]

Man, you guys make me feel fortunate for my 93 green dot Universe.

 

[NoodleFace]

I had a UV777 and a few things I learned from that purchase.

The trem was not chrome. I thought it was the light in the pics.. surely no one would replace the chrome edge with a cosmo edge right? Nope, they totally did. Not only that, it seemed to be a much older/grungier unit. In fact, the saddle blocks were all different types/quality, the guy used different bolts to lock the saddles down, and there was a bit of rust on some of the parts. It didn't match the guitar and it was horrible. I should've inspected it closer before buying, but it was all through the internet so I was at the mercy of the pics and honestly at first glance it looked fine - that one is on me, but the seller should've disclosed it.

Frets were ok. I never really complain on a 20 year old guitar (It was a 99 I think), so I got lucky they were in decent shape. I just assume when buying an older guitar that I'll probably need to re-fret it.

Pickups - this one you couldn't see through pictures. They sounded awful. The wiring was completely ass-backwards inside and I had to redo the entire guitar. Again, not sure what happened in there. It was not standard Ibanez wiring, so someone re-wired it and did a shitty job.

If I were to buy a new UV777 I'd make sure I got one with a lo-pro Edge 7 and hope for the best.

 

[neurosis]

... I bought a firesale 2017 UV77PSN. ...and here I am refretting a brand new guitar like a retard. What really super pisses me off is that the trem binds up on the body so I need to spend more money to refit it and make it float freely like it should from stock. Brand new.

I am a patient man. I am keeping an eye out but not in a rush to buy one. I just added it to my list of things I watch for. it is very possible that another guitar or piece of gear takes precedent if the opportunity presents itself.

The refret you have had to make is on the Premium guitar though, right? Not the Japanese. I haven't bought any of their Indonesian made guitars yet but I have a bass and it is excellent to be honest.

 

[neurosis]

If I were to buy a new UV777 I'd make sure I got one with a lo-pro Edge 7 and hope for the best.

It sucks that they gave you a modified guitar and didn't disclose it. I always insist on this and ask if the guitar has been modded. Sometimes a seller will shrug and say something like "not to my knowledge" and if there aren't enough photos for me to determine or other prof to the contrary I am likely walking away from it.

The Lo-Pro is a must in a way. I think that's part of the appeal of these guitars. So it's top on my list of specs to check.

 

[NorCal_Val]

Man, you guys make me feel fortunate for my 93 green dot Universe.

Yeah, no kidding. I’ve had no problems with
my ‘97 silver dot.

 

[odibrom]

... there are a bunch of newer UV777s (MIJ ones) on Reverb, those with the EdgePro trem. Maybe check them out?

 

[PhaseIssues]

I know the UV70P has issues and the general consensus around here seems to be to avoid them. What would a tech need to do and replacement parts purchased to make this a decent guitar?

 

[odibrom]

Unless there are obvious fails in construction, main problems are generally related to setups due to wood shrinking from guitars flying around the world and not being properly dried to begin with. Frets are the most reported problem, so fret leveling/dressing should probably be advised along with a complete guitar setup...

 

[neurosis]

I think I finally found one I like. How do you all feel about this? Looks legit. The neck is sanded though. It’s hard to tell if it’s been damaged or altered because of it in the photos. Seems to be an older mode in pretty good condition. I’m really close to buying this today.

 

[odibrom]

I think I finally found one I like. How do you all feel about this? Looks legit. The neck is sanded though. It’s hard to tell if it’s been damaged or altered because of it in the photos. Seems to be an older mode in pretty good condition. I’m really close to buying this today.

The seller moves a bit too fast on the video, which is annoying and doesn't allow for a focused analysis of the details, so don't press buy until a half speed inspection on that video is done. The seller looks legit though...

That guitar looks to be in pristine condition. 2kis a bit step in my book, but the guitar really looks as new, minus those minor scuffs and neck sanding. Maybe you can talk the price down a bit due to the neck sanding. Shoot 1.8k and see it he bites...?

I've seen a bunch of these guitars recently on Reverb, either with the LoPro Edge or the Edge Pro (as this one), with prices varying from 2k+ to 1.5ks... which is a big gap between the top and bottom... maybe due to the guitars' conditions?

Buying it or not depends on your "needs". For pristine guitars one pays more, obviously.

As I said earlier in this thread, I've made a pro re-fret for stainless steel frets on mine, not because the frets were in poor condition, but because I've been doing that on all my 7s and will continue doing it until all my guitars are nickel frets free. It's just one less problem to think about when re-stringing (polishing and leveling) and makes the guitar feel like new on the fretting hand every fucking time, even with several months old strings... regarding the wiring on mine, well, I'm a junky for crazy shit and mine had its original pickguard shattered, so I've made a few with more holes for switches to fit... by the way, I've a new pickguard to install in it...

Other than that, you can ask for additional pics of the cavities' insides...

 

[neurosis]

The seller moves a bit too fast on the video, which is annoying and doesn't allow for a focused analysis of the details, so don't press buy until a half speed inspection on that video is done. The seller looks legit though...

That guitar looks to be in pristine condition. 2kis a bit step in my book, but the guitar really looks as new, minus those minor scuffs and neck sanding. Maybe you can talk the price down a bit due to the neck sanding. Shoot 1.8k and see it he bites...?

I've seen a bunch of these guitars recently on Reverb, either with the LoPro Edge or the Edge Pro (as this one), with prices varying from 2k+ to 1.5ks... which is a big gap between the top and bottom... maybe due to the guitars' conditions?

Buying it or not depends on your "needs". For pristine guitars one pays more, obviously.

As I said earlier in this thread, I've made a pro re-fret for stainless steel frets on mine, not because the frets were in poor condition, but because I've been doing that on all my 7s and will continue doing it until all my guitars are nickel frets free. It's just one less problem to think about when re-stringing (polishing and leveling) and makes the guitar feel like new on the fretting hand every fucking time, even with several months old strings... regarding the wiring on mine, well, I'm a junky for crazy shit and mine had its original pickguard shattered, so I've made a few with more holes for switches to fit... by the way, I've a new pickguard to install in it...

Other than that, you can ask for additional pics of the cavities' insides...

I can't really see any flaws. In the video when you pause a little wear around the neck pocket is visible. Probably from when the neck was sanded. How difficult would it be to refinish the neck on my own? Just a light waxing or similar to protect the wood.

How much money am I looking at for a refret? I am not touching anything with a binding. I am too impatient and know I will eventually slip and damage it.

I think if I can get it for 1500 shipped it's good.