Details & History
{Lots of history with this guitar, whatever the
outcome, still a fantastic guitar that we are proud to have one our pages!
Ed!}
BLUE FLOUR PATTERN JEM in 1995???
To whom it may concern:
My name is Bruce Lawrence and I managed a music store in
Austin, Texas from August 1994 through December 1998. The store's name
was Austin City Music and it's parent company was Owen Music, Inc. The
store had been an Authorized Ibanez dealer since the early 1980's and a
good deal of the guitar inventory was dedicated to Ibanez, especially in
the early 90's. After receiving a degree from the University of Texas at
Austin in Economics in 1998 I left the retail music business and when I
did Austin City Music closed its doors.
Recently a former customer, David Moore, has asked me to
research an Ibanez guitar he purchased from me while I managed Austin City
Music. Dave had been a regular customer at Austin City Music long before
I was hired there in 1993 and I still keep in contact with him today. I
am happy to offer all information I have about this particular Ibanez
guitar and I am currently contacting old Ibanez representatives to uncover
any additional information still available.
Anyone having questions about this Ibanez guitar can
contact me by phone at (512) 636-0774 or by email at:
bruce@amergold.com or mrbrucelawrence@hotmail.com
What Happened
In January 1995, just after the NAMM trade show in Los
Angeles, our store received the shipment of 1995 Ibanez catalogues and
price list. One of the first people to ask for one was Dave Moore, one of
our regular and favorite customers. He quickly went into shock and
immediately pointed out to the sales staff the the 'Blue Flour Pattern'
JEM guitar was not in the catalogue. A quick check of the price list also
showed that the JEM777BFP was not listed. This was a tragedy as Dave had
been wanting that guitar for years. He even had an old Ibanez catalogue
at work with that guitar's picture cut out and placed on his desk. He
really wanted it.
As Dave's friend and as store manager my first response
was to call Hoshino, Ibanez's parent company in Pennsylvania, and find out
what was up. My inside representative, Shana, informed me that the guitar
had been discontinued and that no more were in stock (remember this was
just days after the NAMM trade show and four weeks into 1995, the was no
product to be had anywhere). Shana put me on hold for a while and then
came back on line with the news:
There were two Blue Flour Pattern JEM777s on the high
seas on their way from Japan. They hadn't even made it to the U.S. yet.
Shana told me that she could reserve one for me but that Steve Vai had
requested the other one. I jumped a the chance to secure a 'BFP' JEM for
Dave and special ordered the guitar on the company's open account, without
prior approval from the store's owner I might add.
It took over a month for the guitar to get to the docks
in California, pass through customs, and travel overland to
Hoshino U.S.A.'s headquarters in Pennsylvania. They received the guitar
on March 7th, 1995 and performed the usual checkup/setup on the guitar
before it was shipped to the dealer (me). A few weeks later the guitar
arrived at my store. UPS dropped it off around 12 noon and I immediately
called Dave at his work. I opened the box and cracked open the Ibanez JEM
hard shell case they had shipped it in and made sure they had sent the
right guitar. I refused; however, to play it and much to the
disappointment of the sales staff I wouldn't even pull it out of the
case. I kept it in the case behind the sales counter because I wanted no
chance of anything happening. I knew that Dave was fanatical about
keeping his guitars clean. I'd set up some of his other Ibanez guitars in
the past and they didn't have a scratch on them. It took Dave about an
hour to get off for lunch and pick it up. He was obviously pleased and
very proud, heck the whole store was jealous and we were no strangers to
high-end Ibanez guitars. This one was one-of-a-kind.
The Serial Number Is Odd
When Dave picked up his Blue Flour Pattern JEM no one
paid much attention to the serial number. It was just another 6-digit
number and as routine it was simply compared to the invoice to make sure
it was right. No more thought was given to it until recently. When
starting the research into this guitar, delivered in 1995 even though in
was discontinued in 1994, it was discovered that its serial number pointed
to a 1991 production date. This, of course, made no sense to me because I
ordered it in 1995, it was received by Ibanez U.S.A. in 1995 and delivered
to my store in 1995. Why then would a guitar received and delivered in
1995 have a 1991 serial number?
One explanation has been that the factory, in Japan
where the JEMs were made, could have been out of sequenced neck plates and
used whatever was laying around. On the surface this seemed too
unprofessional and a bit of a long shot. When I thought about it,
however, I remembered something about Ibanez's production in 1995 that
made this seem very possible:
In 1995 Ibanez moved a great deal of their production
from the Japanese plant to the Samick factory in South Korea. This is not
something that Ibanez publicized much and I'm sure they'd like it swept
under the rug but if you look on any RG series Ibanez from 1994 or before
you'll see it was manufactured in Japan - and it'll play like a dream.
From 1995 through about 1997 the RG series was produced in Korea and they
will say so on the back of the head stock. It was at the same time that
Ibanez discontinued several models; the 7 series RG's were shelved and I
believe the 7-string Universes were not in production. Only a few JEMs
and the custom series were still in production from Japan and one JEM
look-a-like, the 555 I believe, was actually produced in Korea, and priced
accordingly.
The reasons for this are simple; money. The Korean
guitars were cheaper to make so it gave Ibanez a more competitive retail
price and allowed them a greater profit margin. Quality was only an
afterthought in corporate meetings I am sure. Since Dave Moore's Blue
Flour Pattern was probably constructed in December 1994 / January 1995 it
could have been the victim of the production shift. The Japanese factory
was losing a large part of its production requirements so they probably
were not ordering any more parts. It is reasonable to assume that a
shortage of parts could have been a problem at that time and the factory
was probably scrambling to fill its outstanding orders. It was also the
change to a new year and 1995-numbered neck plates may not have been
available yet. It is impossible to know how this Blue Flour Pattern
arrived in Austin, Texas NEW in 1995 with a 1991 serial number but there
are a number of reasons that an out of sequence serial number could have
been used.
The Evidence
At this time I have only a small amount of evidence to
prove the validity of this Ibanez. Up till now I've never needed any as I
was there when it all happened. The biggest piece of evidence currently
is the "Receiving Label" from the box the JEM777BFP arrived in. Once
Hoshino (U.S.A.) got the guitar they put a Receiving Label on the outside
of the box to identify the instrument. It is very helpful for dealers
because they don't have to open the box to know what is inside and they
can scan it into inventory using the bar code on the label. This label
was on the box when it arrived at my store on I cut it off the box and
gave it to Dave who still has it. The label clearly shows what the model
number is and also shows the date that Hoshino (U.S.A.) received it: March
7th, 1995. The label does not show the serial number however and I don't
know if the bar code has that information in it or not, that would be the
smoking gun.
What would be even better would be the shipping invoice
or packing slip that came with the guitar. Both Ibanez and Austin City
Music should have records of this guitar being ordered, shipped, and paid
for. All of these documents should have a date and the guitar's model and
serial number. Unfortunately Austin City Music and it's parent Owen
Music, Inc. have been out of business for almost three years and no one
knows how to contact the former owners. Ibanez, who probably has these
records, wouldn't disclose them to anyone except the company that ordered
the guitar, for security and privacy reasons. Ibanez is also unable to
look up guitars using serial numbers and even if they could they probably
wouldn't want to waste the time.
What I Know
As the former manager of Austin City Music and a
personal friend of Dave Moore I can honestly say this JEM777 Blue Flour
Pattern was ordered, delivered, and paid for all in 1995. Today the
guitar is in incredible shape. It never spent anytime on a show room
floor and never hung from a wall hanger at a store. The guitar has been
played very little and only for enjoyment, it has never seen the road.
There are no finish scratches, no nicks or dings, and almost no fret wear
can be seen. Most importantly with the hardware, the black chrome finish
hasn't faded from the machine heads, the bridge, or the neck plate.
I believe, with all my experience with Ibanez guitars
and guitars in general, that Dave Moore owns the FINEST KNOWN example of a
Blue Flour Pattern JEM guitar anywhere! No exceptions. Anyone who knows
what guitars can look like when they come from the factory will be
surprised at how clean this guitar is. It is truly a gem (no pun
intended). Eventually, somehow, it will be verified that this Blue Flour
Pattern was the last of its kind and delivered by the factory for US
distribution in 1995. For those of us who love fine Ibanez guitars this
is a true piece of history and we are fortunate to have it survive in such
perfect condition.
Bruce Lawrence
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