Selene! - 2001 Ibanez JEM555-WH Steve Vai Signature – Made in Korea

2001 Ibanez JEM555-WH Steve Vai Signature Electric Guitar – White – Made in Korea

Meet Selene, a 2001 Korean-made Ibanez JEM555-WH from the legendary Steve Vai signature JEM family.

Serial number C01014192, Selene combines the unmistakable JEM silhouette and Monkey Grip with a basswood body, fast maple JEM neck, rosewood fingerboard, 24 jumbo frets, double-locking Lo-TRS II tremolo and a complete set of genuine DiMarzio Evolution pickups.

The JEM555 was created as a more accessible route into the JEM family, but these early Korean examples retained a surprising amount of the DNA that made Steve Vai's flagship guitars famous.

Selene passed through The Stray Chord before being successfully rehomed for £400.

About Selene

Introduced during the 1990s, the Ibanez JEM555 brought Steve Vai's extraordinary JEM design to a substantially more accessible price point.

Rather than being manufactured alongside the premium JEM models in Japan, the JEM555 was produced in South Korea, with Korean production continuing until 2008.

Selene dates from 2001, placing her firmly within that Korean period.

Her white basswood body incorporates perhaps the most immediately recognisable JEM feature of all: the famous Monkey Grip cut directly through the upper body.

A pearloid white pickguard complements the white finish, while contrasting Cosmo Black hardware gives the guitar the unmistakable high-performance appearance associated with turn-of-the-century Ibanez instruments. The white JEM555 used the pearloid pickguard by this point in production.

JEM neck & fingerboard

Selene's bolt-on maple JEM neck uses Ibanez's sculpted All Access Neck Joint, reducing the traditional bulk of a bolt-on heel and providing easier access to the highest frets.

For 2001, the JEM555 used a one-piece maple neck paired with a rosewood fingerboard and 24 jumbo frets.

Unlike the full vine found across the entire fingerboard of some higher-end JEM models, the JEM555 carries the decorative Tree of Life vine across the lower portion of the fingerboard before transitioning to dot markers further up the neck.

It's one of the easiest visual clues for distinguishing a 555 from some of its considerably more expensive Japanese relatives.

And, naturally, no Steve Vai signature would be complete without the STEVE VAI inlay at the 24th fret.

Genuine DiMarzio Evolution pickups

This is where the JEM555 becomes considerably more interesting.

Despite being conceived as the affordable member of the JEM family, Ibanez equipped it with a genuine DiMarzio Evolution HSH pickup set.

Selene therefore carries:

• DiMarzio Evolution neck humbucker
• DiMarzio Evolution middle single coil
• DiMarzio Evolution bridge humbucker
• Five-way pickup selector
• Master volume
• Master tone

These were not generic pickups dressed to look the part. Period Ibanez documentation specifically lists the DiMarzio Evolution H/S/H configuration for the 2001 JEM555.

The result gives Selene enormous tonal flexibility, moving from cutting, articulate lead sounds and aggressive bridge tones through to considerably cleaner and more delicate combinations via Ibanez's five-way switching.

Lo-TRS II double-locking tremolo

As a 2001 JEM555, Selene predates the later Edge Pro II and Edge III versions.

She therefore uses the Ibanez Lo-TRS II double-locking tremolo, which was fitted to the JEM555 from 1994 through 2002. The Edge Pro II replaced it for 2003.

Combined with the locking nut and deep tremolo routing, the system provides the enormous pitch range expected from a Steve Vai signature instrument, allowing both dramatic dives and upward pitch movement.

Selene's specifications

The period specifications above are corroborated by Ibanez's 2001 catalogue and model references.

Selene's adoption

🤍 REHOMED 🤍

Some Strays are interesting because of what happened to them.

Others are interesting simply because of what they are.

Selene is a genuine 2001 Korean-built Ibanez JEM555-WH, carrying one of the most recognisable silhouettes in electric-guitar history and a genuine set of DiMarzio Evolution pickups beneath that white pearloid pickguard.

After passing through The Stray Chord, Selene found her next home for £400 and is no longer available for adoption.

Her page remains permanently in The Stray Chord Rehomed Archive, preserving an example of the early Korean JEM555 and providing a reference for players researching the Ibanez JEM555-WH, Korean JEM guitars and Steve Vai signature models.

Rescue • Restore • Rehome