# NGD: Ibanez UV70P



## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

I haven't seen anyone get one of these yet, but here's mine! 
I can cross this guitar off my bucket list now, yeah it's not the original, but that's okay with me. It plays pretty great by the way! Though I do plan on swapping the bridge with a low-pro. Sorry for the crappy pictures by the way.


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## CptMcKay (Apr 13, 2013)

Looks really, really good!


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## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

I'm honestly not an Ibanez guy. Though something about this guitar just caught my eye and I had to have it. It sounds absolutely killer through my Engl!


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## Nitsuj (Apr 13, 2013)

how would you describe the neck profile?


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## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

Nitsuj said:


> how would you describe the neck profile?



This is the first Ibanez guitar I've owned, and every actually sat down and played. Compared to a Music-Man JP7 it's a little thinner, but also wider. Tomorrow I'm going to be playing my buddies 1527's so I'll get back to you on the neck.


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## Sunyata (Apr 13, 2013)

Awesome! Congrats. Was very close to grabbing one of these too. 

The trem was one of my concerns as well. If you can handle the extra work, routing etc, then it would be pretty amazing!


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## Dawn of the Shred (Apr 13, 2013)

Congrats and hngd


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## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

Sunyata said:


> Awesome! Congrats. Was very close to grabbing one of these too.
> 
> The trem was one of my concerns as well. If you can handle the extra work, routing etc, then it would be pretty amazing!



I haven't had any issues with the trem yet, that said I'm not the type to really go crazy with the bar. I'm hoping there won't be any routing necessary. I'm just waiting for my Ibanez rep to get back in touch with me, he's calling over to Japan to see if the bridge will fit then if it does he's getting me one.


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## skeels (Apr 13, 2013)

So this is one of the re-issues?

Love to see a head-to-head comparison!


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## FireInside (Apr 13, 2013)

God, I love those green dots!


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## Shannon (Apr 13, 2013)

awesome!!!


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## Santuzzo (Apr 13, 2013)

Congrats! Awesome guitar!!!

I was considering one of these, but I am curious if these have any advantages over the other Premium 7s (RG 827, RG927) other than the PUs. What I mean by that is: are these of a better quality than the other Premiums?


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## Tranquilliser (Apr 13, 2013)

I had a serious play on one of these, and they're actually amazing both sound wise, build wise AND how they play.

They're really great guitars, especially for the price you pay. 

They might not be as great as an Original Green Dot (which I will probably never play) but they certainly are great in their own right.


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## renzoip (Apr 13, 2013)

Awesome guitar! I'm looking into getting one of these sometime too. Question: Why do you want to change the bridge to a low pro? Any substantial advantages to the lo pro?


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## iloki (Apr 13, 2013)

I want one of these SOOO bad.
I'm jelly, grats


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## aikupu (Apr 13, 2013)

nice


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 13, 2013)

I have been thinking about getting one of these myself. Hmmm...

Very, very nice guitar.


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## JEngelking (Apr 13, 2013)

Looks sweet as hell, HNGD!


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## s2k9k (Apr 13, 2013)

Nice. Makes me miss the ORIGINAL I used to have! Might have to get one of these though.


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## Jzbass25 (Apr 13, 2013)

James C said:


> I haven't had any issues with the trem yet, that said I'm not the type to really go crazy with the bar. I'm hoping there won't be any routing necessary. I'm just waiting for my Ibanez rep to get back in touch with me, he's calling over to Japan to see if the bridge will fit then if it does he's getting me one.



I'm a big ibanez guy and I'm big on the original edge/lo pros. The EZ II I believe is a little bit smaller than the original EZ and you have to do some work to get the EZ route to fit an edge/lopro. Sorry man =/ The edgepro routes don't even fit the older trems sadly, that's why my sad 1527 still has an edge pro but at least it has locking studs. 

source link of EZ 1 (not II) to edge
http://www.jemsite.com/forums/f21/edge-zero-replaced-with-original-edge-121098.html


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## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

renzoip; Just from doing some research, and from friends personal experiences, the lo pro is just a better bridge. 

Jzbass25; Thanks for the info! Now just to decide if I really want to go through all that work. Don't get me wrong, this guitar is amazing in almost every aspect, though I still find myself wandering back to my JP's. It's more of a novelty thing I suppose. 

Thanks everyone by the way!


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## clopstyle (Apr 13, 2013)

Nice!


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## Decipher (Apr 13, 2013)

Congrads!


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## James C (Apr 13, 2013)

Santuzzo said:


> Congrats! Awesome guitar!!!
> 
> I was considering one of these, but I am curious if these have any advantages over the other Premium 7s (RG 827, RG927) other than the PUs. What I mean by that is: are these of a better quality than the other Premiums?



Like I've mentioned before, I'm not really an Ibanez guy, so I have no knowledge of the other Premium models. Though it does compare to both my Music-Man JP BFRs, so I'd say it's pretty good.


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## littledoc (Apr 13, 2013)

If you're gonna swap out the bridges, why not simply swap in an Edge Zero instead? The Zero has lots of features the older trems don't have  screw-in saddle lock and offset screws for vastly easier intonation setup, the ZPS3 counterspring, and the handy dial in the back for adjusting spring tension instead of having to remove the backplate and mess with a screwdriver.

I don't think there's anything special about the older bridges. They're an antiquated design. That's why Ibanez puts Edge Zeroes on all their J Customs  it's just a better bridge. 

And before you spend the cash (Ibanez parts ain't cheap), have you actually used a lo-pro? Have you compared it to the Edge II with the counterspring removed?


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## poopyalligator (Apr 13, 2013)

Congrats on the new axe! It looks pretty amazing. I have an original green dot and it is my favorite guitar ever. Out of curiosity though. Why would you change out the bridge? Lo Pro edge trems are pretty great, but the one that it comes with isnt a bad bridge at all. For the most part they feel very similar, and function about the same. You say you don't use the whammy bar a lot, so it should stay in tune and function very well. If you want to do that, it would be cool, but I don't know if it would really be necessary.


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## myampslouder (Apr 15, 2013)

Congrats on the new guitar. In all honesty though If you are dead set on a lo pro why not just sell the premium and save a little extra and get an original green dot. By the time you factor in cost of the guitar then the cost of the new lo pro and labor to install it correctly and make it look presentable you could have just bought a real UV7 green dot for pretty much the same price.


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## Steve_U1S (Apr 15, 2013)

I think you should make your peace with that EdgeZero II-7 - the process of changing it over to a LoPro would be extremely invasive.
Most important issue; the stud spacing is different... which means plug and re-drill for inserts, etc. I can't comment on how the routing itself is different for the footprints of the two, but I'm willing to bet that the EZII-7 has a slightly wider but shorter over-all aspect (shorter in the direction that the strings run, I mean).

I think the looks are great, and I really like the idea of getting an AANJ version of this instrument... but the decision to put an EZII-7 on there perplexes me, honestly.
The Premium Jem has an Edge on it.
The Premium JS has an Edge on it.
You might actually see the artists using these (I'm not counting Vai's SFG Jem; it's pretty clearly LACS, just look at the neck construction, and I'm willing to bet it's also 430mm radius, rather than 400, and with the typical Jem fretwire, rather than the smaller Premium wire).

I'm pretty sure we won't see Vai with one of these any time soon, except to play a store-stock one, or perhaps a photo shoot some time...

A LoPro would have made a lot more sense, especially since they went part way there by leaving off the Zero Point System.

I say all of this as a long-time owner of a green dot (new out of the box in early 1991) - 22 years ago... and once I tasted the AANJ models, I really wanted for an updated alternative.


... this is not to bash on the guitar itself; they're very popular BECAUSE they look like a green dot, sport the Universe moniker, and many really like (or at least, don't mind) the EZ series bridges...
But, as a sig model, I would have hoped to see hardware that the artist would actually use actively in the field, rather than just sign off on for this model.

I also hope to test drive one of these soon; I'm curious to do the head-to-head mentioned previously in this thread.

Cheers


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## James C (Apr 15, 2013)

I see a lot of your guy's points, and alright you're all right. The guitar will be staying stock. I do really enjoy how it plays. Like I've mentioned before I've got it close to playing like my JP BFR's, which either means I don't know how to do a set-up at all, or I'm really good at it.  

Thanks again everyone for the input and compliments!


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## Steve_U1S (Apr 16, 2013)

Cheers, and most definitely enjoy - if it's playing well, which clearly it is, then you're golden.

Black and green definitely rules.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 16, 2013)

Steve_U1S said:


> But, as a sig model, I would have hoped to see hardware that the artist would actually use actively in the field, rather than just sign off on for this model.




Vai has pretty much given up on the UVs, other than recording a riff here or there on his albums, he doesn't use them. I've seen him live a few times, I've got all of his dvds and yet I can't recall any footage of Vai using a UV after about 1996 or so, other than a short demo vid for his Ibanez distortion pedal that came out a few years ago. By your logic, you could say that all of the UVs of the last 15 years are so are not valid sigs, as he does not use them.

Even in the promo video for the new 7 string Jem, he holds it, but it's not even plugged in. He doesn't seem that excited about it, which is not surprising as the inevitable complimentary guitar that Ibanez will have given him will have gone into his vault and will probably not come out until he has a charity auction again.

You could criticise all of the cheaper version of the Ibanez sig line, because they use cheaper version of the hardware that the real guitar uses, and therefore are not the same thing as the real sig model.


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## Steve_U1S (Apr 17, 2013)

... You'll find that he's been carrying a pair of them on his most recent (current) outing, as the newest album has some material focused there, and he didn't leave it to Dave to cover for a change.

And this is a first for the UV line, having a Premium - but again, my perplexity comes not from its existence, but from the features when compared, specifically the bridges: the Premium Jem has an Edge, so that's in keeping, and a good move on their part, as one could see Vai using one of these (at least as an out-of-country loaner or some such, as with some previous events). The Premium UV has the EZII-7 - Vai probably does have one of those at home as a specimen/tester/etc. But I'm skeptical of him using it in a 'serious' (ie: performance, and probably even recording) scenario. He could; it would work. I just think it's unlikely.

I suppose what it boils down to for me is that they set the bar high with the Premium Jem by equipping it very much in line with the rest of the Jems, but on the Premium UV they diverged significantly.

The statement was no broader than that.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 17, 2013)

Steve_U1S said:


> ... You'll find that he's been carrying a pair of them on his most recent (current) outing, as the newest album has some material focused there, and he didn't leave it to Dave to cover for a change.



I'd certainly be interested to see that, I've watched a few videos of live performance of some of the songs from his new album and not seen him with a UV yet. It's such a shame, I just wish Vai hadn't cast the UV pretty much to one side, he should have stuck with them as his main guitars.

The most recent video I can recall of Vai on 7 strings was the Ibanez Jemini distortion demo video, which was recorded in 2008, where one of the Vais on screen plays the FTLOG UV.


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## WhoThenNow7 (Apr 17, 2013)

I recently got the premium 927z and I absolutely love it. My point: I had no idea the new universes were part of the premium line.. wow I need to play one right now. HNGD! So jealous.


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## MIL8 (Apr 18, 2013)

Esp Griffyn said:


> I'd certainly be interested to see that, I've watched a few videos of live performance of some of the songs from his new album and not seen him with a UV yet. It's such a shame, I just wish Vai hadn't cast the UV pretty much to one side, he should have stuck with them as his main guitars.
> 
> The most recent video I can recall of Vai on 7 strings was the Ibanez Jemini distortion demo video, which was recorded in 2008, where one of the Vais on screen plays the FTLOG UV.




See this,



And this at 2:55, although all 4 parts are pretty cool to watch.



Do you have a link to the clip of Vai with the 7 string Jem? I'd like to see that.


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## Steve_U1S (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for posting those links - that's the tune in particular I remember him remarking that he needed a 7 to play.

I'm glad he still dabbles - fact is, he brought the line to market, made (and continues to make) great use of them, and we can still get them... win win.
I'm proud owner of my trusty old green dot, and a '00 UV777PBK which is quite delightful to play.
... and I'm especially happy that the line inspired the RG7-620 and RG1527 lines - two 7620s and 3 1527s in the stable - I really prefer the HH set-up with superswitch... the middle single affects my playing, and dropping it out of the way always killed the sound. Using the right HH set and switch wiring scheme (I made my own variation) ... super versatile.

But I always thank Mr. Vai for the Jems, UVs, and the various RGs which were born of those lines... (I also have... 3 Jems as well - LNG, FP, and VWH EP version).

And on the day that a specimen becomes available for me to get to, I'll do that side-by-side with my '91 green dot... I look forward to that.


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## Esp Griffyn (Apr 18, 2013)

MIL8 said:


> Do you have a link to the clip of Vai with the 7 string Jem? I'd like to see that.



Thanks for the links. Here is the video of him with the 7 string Jem:



As mentioned though, he doesn't play it, it's not even plugged in.  I suppose now, we should expect even more uneducated 6 stringers to mistake a UV as a "7 string Jem", now that the term "7 string Jem" actually stands for a real guitar and not just a UV being incorrectly named.


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## Shawn (Apr 18, 2013)

Congrats!


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## MIL8 (Apr 18, 2013)

Thanks for the link to the video. 

Vai always seems to play guitars that have something special about them that he likes. I'm sure if he came across one of the 7 string Jems that had something he liked, he would start playing it. Otherwise he will probably stick with the guitars he has played for so many years. Someone like him who can probably get just about as many new guitars from Ibanez as he wants but chooses to keep playing and repairing the same guitars doesn't do it arbitrarily. He seems very particular and the instruments that he uses seem to satisfy that. I'd love to see him play a 7 string Jem, and I hope that he does, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I have a 91 UVPWH, and there certainly is something special about it, so I can understand why he sticks with those older guitars.


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## Steve_U1S (Apr 19, 2013)

MIL8 - exactly true, and well said.

My elder models do have a certain resonance to them that's hard to define, but there's magic in there for sure.

... not to knock my newer specimens; along the lines of what was just said, I also tend to bond with certain instruments that I try out - there's a certain 'something' about them which catches my interest in a very different way from 'average.'
That has included older and newer specimens; they all have something special that connected with me when I test-drove them.
The most recent incident was over a Suhr Guthrie Govan signature Antique Modern - for some reason, I couldn't put it down.
... and did everything I had to to bring that specimen home before it was sold off... luckily, too; a couple of weeks later, GG had jumped to the Charvel prototypes, and the GG Suhr sigs were discontinued, and a couple of the options became extinct as well (Tremol-No factor install has been removed as an option).


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## TheOrangeChannel (Apr 19, 2013)

Dude that thing looks cool....congrats! I have a Edge Zero II on a 25th pinky, it's pretty stable actually...


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 19, 2013)

Esp Griffyn said:


> Thanks for the links. Here is the video of him with the 7 string Jem:
> 
> 
> 
> As mentioned though, he doesn't play it, it's not even plugged in.  I suppose now, we should expect even more uneducated 6 stringers to mistake a UV as a "7 string Jem", now that the term "7 string Jem" actually stands for a real guitar and not just a UV being incorrectly named.




Hey... I had a 7 string body cut to look like a Jem, called it a 7 string Jem and got my head bitten off on here... It certainly wasn't a Universe... 

Now at least I can call my Frankenbeauty something w/o being hated on.


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## Xaios (Apr 19, 2013)

littledoc said:


> If you're gonna swap out the bridges, why not simply swap in an Edge Zero instead? The Zero has lots of features the older trems don't have  screw-in saddle lock and offset screws for vastly easier intonation setup, the ZPS3 counterspring, and the handy dial in the back for adjusting spring tension instead of having to remove the backplate and mess with a screwdriver.
> 
> I don't think there's anything special about the older bridges. They're an antiquated design. That's why Ibanez puts Edge Zeroes on all their J Customs  it's just a better bridge.



Generally the argument of which bridge is better revolves around the build quality. The Lo Pro and Edge Pro were manufactured by Gotoh, and they're generally agreed to be made from higher quality materials than the newer models that are made in-house by Ibanez, some of which have had some problems involving soft metal, in the same way as some of the old Lo-TRS bridges.

______________


That discussion aside, congrats on the new axe!


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 19, 2013)

Esp Griffyn said:


> I'd certainly be interested to see that, I've watched a few videos of live performance of some of the songs from his new album and not seen him with a UV yet. It's such a shame, I just wish Vai hadn't cast the UV pretty much to one side, he should have stuck with them as his main guitars.
> 
> The most recent video I can recall of Vai on 7 strings was the Ibanez Jemini distortion demo video, which was recorded in 2008, where one of the Vais on screen plays the FTLOG UV.



Saw him live in November. It's true, sir. 

He played a UV7PWH, a burnt one and something that looked an awful lot like that 7 string Jem but I may just be injecting that last one into my memory bc of the topic.


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## MIL8 (Apr 19, 2013)

Konfyouzd said:


> Saw him live in November. It's true, sir.
> 
> He played a UV7PWH, a burnt one and something that looked an awful lot like that 7 string Jem but I may just be injecting that last one into my memory bc of the topic.



I've never seen Vai playing a UV7PWH, I would have loved to seen that. Where was it?


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## Audioworks (Apr 20, 2013)

I ordered one of these through my local L&M. It came in, and right off the bat I wasn't too impressed to be honest. Considering I've wanted a green dot forever, I was really heartbroken. First, Ibanez don't supply it with a hardcase unless it's in America. Bullshit. 

It also would not tune. I am no stranger to floating trems. It just wouldn't tune. The action also needed to be lowered by 50% before I could play it the way I wanted. I just left it at the store for them to set it up and they said they would throw in a hard case for free. I'll go back and play it on Monday. I only put down $200 on it and I don't have to take it.

I'll keep you posted if it's worth the price tag, but I suspect it's not....unfortunately. 

I'm glad your experience was a good one! Enjoy your axe, man. She looks stunning for sure.


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## James C (Apr 22, 2013)

Audioworks said:


> I ordered one of these through my local L&M. It came in, and right off the bat I wasn't too impressed to be honest. Considering I've wanted a green dot forever, I was really heartbroken. First, Ibanez don't supply it with a hardcase unless it's in America. Bullshit.
> 
> It also would not tune. I am no stranger to floating trems. It just wouldn't tune. The action also needed to be lowered by 50% before I could play it the way I wanted. I just left it at the store for them to set it up and they said they would throw in a hard case for free. I'll go back and play it on Monday. I only put down $200 on it and I don't have to take it.
> 
> ...



I got mine through L&M too. I don't even bother letting them set-up anything I buy from them, I do it all myself. The day mine landed; it wasn't in tune, it needed a neck adjustment badly, and the intonation wasn't even set. 

After I went through everything and gave it a real set-up; the neck is straight, the intonation is perfect, the action is just as low as my JP7 BFR (which honestly amazes me), and it does stay in tune really well even with the edge-zero II. It's been over a week now, and the neck is still straight and I haven't tuned it once. 

I hope the tech at your L&M is a good one, cause I'd say the guitar is worth it. ... Other than the case bullshit you mentioned earlier, which I definitely agree with. I'm still waiting for L&M to call me when the case I bought with it arrives... The guitar got here before the case did. :/


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## Gram negative (Apr 22, 2013)

I really want one of these.

I have an Ibanez premium RG7, and Ive really had time to get used to the Edge Zero trem on it. I like it alot.

I always wanted a green dot universe, but never had 2k to shell out


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## Counterspell (Apr 22, 2013)

Congrats, Looks great! I have no qualms about them re releasing this guitar, i think it's a fair homage to pay to the original, it deserves to have a legacy live on!


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 22, 2013)

MIL8 said:


> I've never seen Vai playing a UV7PWH, I would have loved to seen that. Where was it?



Howard Theater in DC.


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## MIL8 (Apr 22, 2013)

Konfyouzd said:


> Howard Theater in DC.



Cool, thanks. I did a quick youtube search of that show and only found him playing the burnt one. Do you happen to remember the song?


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 22, 2013)

What's track 2 off the new album? Velorum? (sp?) He might have just been playing Evo and my eyes played tricks on me... 

He also played story of light and I don't remember what he played that on. But I know for a fact that was a 7 and he used the burnt 7 for Weeping China Doll... He made a big deal out of that one when he brought it out.

EDIT: You've got me searching for it now. And I think I might have just been imagining it, but I swear I saw a PWH at some point that night... The only videos I can find of Vai playing Velorum show Weiner on the 7 and vai playing Evo. There was a point during one of the songs where one of his guitars stopped working too but I think that was one of his white Jems and they just brought out that cool LED one he uses for Building the Church.


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