Longwing

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Floral Jem 77 fp research information. For those interested in the Floral Jam and the origin of the fabric. I have been in touch with many of the textile and fabric official sites to find the origin of the fabric, It was thought that this was a William Morris creation put into fabric but this not the case From the various contact through the William Morris Society with out a doubt this is not his work. There reply was; The fabric on the guitars looks interesting; if it Is a William Morris, it is unlike anything I have ever seen by him -it Doesn’t have his signature 'look" of depth of dense pattern...maybe you Could navigate your way to asking someone at the V&A in London, or the British Museum...I regret I don't have their addresses at hand - there are Morris sites on the web, too. So I dug Deeper and contacted “Heidi Brittain” of the Museum of London Her reply was; Thank you for your enquiry. I'm afraid we can't offer any help with identifying the fabric of the guitar, beyond saying that the style of the flowers is almost certainly Chinese, Japanese or Korean. We do not have experts in Far Eastern art and design so can't really help beyond that My last contact was with: Anna Jackson Deputy Keeper Asian Department, Victoria and Albert Museum. Her reply was; Thank you for your unusual textile enquiry which has been passed to me by colleagues in the Furniture, Textiles and Fashion Department. This is certainly a very striking guitar. I checked the Steve Vai 'official website' where I read that the floral print 'matched' the curtains in Steve' bedroom - I'm not sure whether this implies that it was the same fabric or that it simply was similar too, or went well with. I would say that the fabric was Japanese (and I note that the guitar manufacturer was Japanese which would follow). The motif of peonies is very Japanese - these are auspicious flowers in Asia – and the general style and feel of the design also suggests a Japanese origin. The stylised pattern and the bold colours are reminiscent of 1930s design, but I suspect that the fabric dates to the period of the guitar's manufacture If you have any information on where next to go please drop me an email at longwing@shaw.ca longwing

Thanks so much for the info Longwing

Help!! I need to buy a truss rod Wrench for a Jem && fp I don't know the size I should order any Idea? Thanks Longwing.

thanks for your help every one but I have the paint figured out. Getting it from a guy in japan. When iIreceive it I'll let you know how close the color is to the originals. Thanks Blake.

I got my Ibanez knobs from Thailand as well but they are much to pink not the florescent reddish pink as the ones on the Jem 77 fp. Are yours the same as the real ones or are they Ibanez knobs. The dimarzio knobs( the original ones found on the Jem) are also painted. Any Idea what the 15th anniversary floral jem has on it? Thanks Blake.

Hi if anyone can help, The Jem site is down I am unable to get on. I am looking for the hot florescent pink paint to jazz up my Jem 77 fp knobs. I have a set of Ibanez pink knobs but they look very faded compared to the original Dimarizo knobs that came on the guitar originally. I have tried a few rattle can colors but nothing looks real close. Any suggestions on say, hobby paints some have used ETC. I have also checked with Vwall guitars and Brian Calvert. The knobs they sell are not the same color and Dimarzio knobs are not avalible any more. No offence to their product. I guess I'm just real picky about color. Anyway if anyone can help that would be great. You can email me directly at longwing@shaw.ca Thanks. Blake.

Just got a reply from; (Mr.) Allison Pendleton PENDLETON WOODWORKS Mr. Allison is convinced that the artwork on the Jem is not that of William Morris. Mr. Allison is a renowned expert on William Morris art and textures so we are back to square one for those who are interested. I feel that as soon as we know the artist we will be able to have a good representation of the artwork and pattern. Thanks Blake.

Good news!! nickcoumbe wrote on the Jem site; The fabric was I believe an original William Morris pattern. Or so he was told by someone who saw his. The pattern was popular as well. Worth asking about. Any feed back on this will be appreciated. Thanks again Nickcoumbe Blake.

Hey, I'm not an expert on this topic in any way but we could pull this off! I'm not going to give up on it because there is a way to find out. There is a demand for it as well. Everyone here is very interested so collectively let’s work together on this!! So everyone put the feelers out for the following info; First: if anyone knows the origin of the fabric i.e. was it made in the us or Japan etc. Also the origin or art form. Most of this Black Floral pattern stuff has an origin i.e. tropical, colonial, or traditional. Any info could help. Take a photo copy of the Jem fp and show it to any of the granny’s that work in the field of fabric. There will be a floral gooroo out there somewhere. We just need to run into the right person. Second: most fabric has an artist name attached to something of that quality if anyone has that info or even heard of a name. I'm sure Steve himself would know where he or his mom purchased the original stuff. So a friend of a friend etc. might know. Anyone at the Namm show could ask him if possible! Thirdly: Don't stick to just that color. The pattern may have come in another color and if we have that we have the missing links to make it work. Fourthly: Then when all else fails any photos of the drapery material is it's original form. We want this because, in limited amounts it could be duplicated using an air brush and fabric dye's and of course the right artist. Like I said before someone knows something and any info will help. Keep this link alive!!! Thanks Blake.

This has been covered already but I picked up a great tip from Jeremy of LGM guitars, using Crystal clear which is what model railroaders use to make their water, lakes rivers etc.. It sets up hard as a rock and is clear completely. The ownly issue is if your ditch is out at all, the clear will not look uniform, a little distorted etc. Which for some types of inlay are OK but others would be ugly and cheap looking. The stuff is avalible at most hobby shops. Thats what is cool about LGM, always thinking outside the box. I hope that helps. Blake.

Any idea where one may start to try to find the original fabric design. I have seen some very close but not perfect. need some for a repair job. Thanks Blake.

Brent, I understand your frustration about this topic. Email me directly at longwing@shaw.ca I may be able to put you on to precut pyramids in your color. Thanks Blake.

I was wondering anyone had the jem vine like the one in the down loads with better resolution. It gets real fussy after you magnify it a few times making it really hard to trace. Any suggestions please. Thanks Blake.

Jeremy Thanks for the reply, Alberta great I'll keep in touch with you then. As far as wood I'm open to what you might have. Leave your phone number and I'll call you directly. Thanks again Blake.