Ibanez Jiva Jr - 5 upgrades ... that didn't all go as planned!

[@robertmenzies3032]

Great video, thank you. I have an Ibanez GIO and I upgraded the Ibanez pickups to DiMarzio, had a decent set up done and also changed the pickup selector to something more robust. Really happy with the results and have turned a cheap guitar into something great to play.

[@fredericadda]

Yes I'm quite happy with the result too! I always wanted an Ibanez S, and the Jiva Jr was in the range of price I wanted to invest. And for the price the specs are pretty good.

[@lbguitar]

well done! i plan to put pandemonium pickups on my incoming jiva jr as well. you probably saved me a hole in the back of my guitar...

[@fredericadda]

Ha ha at least you can buy a decent router if you really persist 😄

[@luizromagnoli]

I really like replacing the tone potentiometer for a on/off switch to split coil the humbuckers. This way you give a function to the tone's route and give new sounds to your guitar. Btw, awesome intro! Angra rules. Greetings from Brazil!

[@fredericadda]

That's a good idea! I thought about putting a kill switch there, but in the end I wanted to keep the guitar look the same. In case I sell it I want to be able to reconnect the tone pot easily.

[@rareskatepunk]

Hey Mr. frédéric, where did you buy that Fret Kisser?, please let me know I’d really appreciate that, I’ve been waiting for this tool since forever, thanks many thanks 🙌🏻

[@fredericadda]

Hey there! I bought it at StewMac. AFAIK they are the only ones to sell it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpbKq6CVfNyor8Usi=PabLZ_N7mhvHvMR2 Also this video by Philip McKnight: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpfVomOqft-hhc0si=Ze53CUQettx0I-G4

[@rareskatepunk]

@@fredericadda Thanks my G 🙏🏻

[@davidc.arenas7032]

Where did you buy the fret kisser from, Frédéric? I was thinking, I need that now!!!

[@fredericadda]

From StewMac!

[@ThePedroDB]

Nice mods. Well done! 👏 I think they were all worth doing but I would have connected up the Tone pot. I don't use the Tone Pot either but after paying for your shiny new CTS pot, it's a shame not to have it available

[@fredericadda]

Yeah in the end I thought the exact same thing and put back the original tone pot (which I still don't use 😄). Since it's a guitar I use for rehearsals / gigs, I don't want to change the tone by mistake, so I'd rather disconnect it from the circuit altogether.

[@LocrianDorian]

​@@fredericadda I totally feel you, I never change the tone knob setting, so ideally I'd like it disconnected on my guitars as well, but I havent bothered. Except for the more vintage style ones which I play rarely and sometimes they can be fun to play with tone rolled off.

[@fredericadda]

@LocrianDorian funnily enough I've been listening to a lot of Eric Johnson stuff lately and therefore re-connected the tone pot 😇

[@v2.030]

Cool guitar

[@fredericadda]

Thanks mate!

[@-Rockstar666-]

Nice work!

[@fredericadda]

Thanks a lot!

[@nicolasch7039]

Great mods mate. Where did you get the pickups from?

[@fredericadda]

Thanks! I found them on Reverb, for $200 the pack (2 Pandemonium + True Velvet)

[@brodym661]

Where did you get that wiring diagram? I’d love to have that as a reference for my own JIVA Jr. upgrade

[@fredericadda]

I wrote it myself 😂 (hence the weird colors). In the channel information you can see my email: write a message to me and I'll send it to you as a PDF.

[@brodym661]

Will do! Thanks so much!

[@ladrian6341]

Nothing to say 🔥

[@fredericadda]

I love Angra!! I discovered them in Paris in 1999 when 2 countries recognized their talent before the rest of the world: France and Japan.

[@deaddoll1361]

Interesting video which highlights for me that if you're going to by the cheaper model and upgrade it, it's better to buy the more expensive model to begin with. I don't work for $5 an hour, I get much more than that, so chiseling out the body for pickups etc manually isn't something I'm going to do. The mounting screw through the body was another good example of this.

[@fredericadda]

It's the journey, not the destination 🙃

[@Ringer1982]

That's true, but some people also want the experience of luthiering or upgrading the guitar. On my cheap Harley Benton strat I even replaced the frets to stainless steal once and rounded the edges of the fretboard. Also I replaced the tremolo to a two point bigger block trem where I had to drill big holes to install the brass two points for the tremolo mount screws. I also installed locking tuners for which I had to drill bigger holes. It's an experience. Of course I could buy something line a Fender Player Plus or Charvel for 900 euro and I would have a better guitar, but that would take a part of fun away. To do the work I did I had to buy instruments which aren't cheap, that also adds to the expenses... Now I'm thinking to buy exactly the same Harley Benton strat and to do it again knowing all the things I have learned to make everything spot on this time :)

[@fredericadda]

@Ringer1982 I completely agree with that. I'm sure you learned a lot in the process, and that's a very valuable experience.

[@Ringer1982]

@@fredericadda how would you compare the RG550 and Jem Junior to this guitar? I mean in general what is the difference between them for the heavy music and also which one is ergonomically more comfortable? For me it's very important if the guitar is balanced on the lap while sitting. So that I can play or excercise while been relaxed. For example I hate to play Les Paul sitting, if I'm sitting straight and the angle of the neck is where it's comfortable for me the guitar tends to slip from my lap, because it's back heavy. I still keep the Les Paul because I like the sound and it's comfortable for playing standing, but I play it very rarely because of that.

[@fredericadda]

@@Ringer1982 I didn't compare them recently but the Jem and RG550 are very similar comfort wise. To me it felt like superstrats, a bit like a Dinky. The S series (like this one) is on another level: very thin, very light, very comfortable, with a lot of comfort cuts and rounded heel joint. About the fit and finish, the RG550 is made in Japan. It's around $1000 while the others are closer to $650-700. But the build quality is one step above. And the bridge of the Jem Jr has a bad reputation so you may consider swapping it out. As far as I am concerned this Jiva Jr is not my main guitar, I bought it because I wanted a S guitar and this one looked cool, and I wanted a nice project. If it was to be my main guitar, I would probably have saved a bit more and gone for the RG550. But I'm pretty happy with the result and whenever I gig I take this one because it's light, versatile, and I'm not afraid to ping it.

[@philipbeasley72]

That's an easy fix. Fill it with filler. Maybe a drop of super glue On the very top. Sand it down. And then wet sand it. Find some color a dab or two. Easy peazy

[@fredericadda]

I put a drop of black lacquer on top of the hole and that did the job, but I'm really not experienced with finish.

[@philipbeasley72]

@@fredericadda (yeah a burnt end?) There is a product online that you can use. Glu boost finish. Works on any type of finish, polyester, nitro, lacquer, etc. There are videos. Look into

[@fredericadda]

Thanks for the tip!

[@MrPatounet0007]

La meme video en francais c'est possible ?

[@fredericadda]

Eh non malheureusement ça prend beaucoup de temps à réaliser.

[@billygwalthney369]

Why buy the JR to turn it into the reg jiva basically

[@fredericadda]

Why not? 😄 It was a fun project

[@fredericadda]

More seriously, I got a very good deal for the Jiva Jr, and another pretty good deal for the pickups. So for the price of a Jiva Jr ($400 less than the 10) and a bit of work, I got a Jiva 10 (in blue).

[@xrenox1]

JivaJr 800, pickups 200. Buy a Jiva10 for that!

[@fredericadda]

I got the Jiva Jr for $650 and the pickups for $200. We're still far from the Jiva 10.

[@billygwalthney369]

@@fredericadda you bought it used so it doesn't apply to what I said ...regardless the jr is a cheaper made guitar

[@Theblindbassplayer]

Leav it alone It was find the way it was

[@fredericadda]

Yeah, some upgrades were not mandatory (like the electronics). But polishing the frets and changing the pickups made a huge difference. It plays and sounds better.