The Guitar That Got Away: Making a Replica of the Ibanez JEM777SK

When I was a teenager, I had my dream guitar: a Shocking Pink Ibanez JEM777SK. It was my prized possession, and for a few years it went pretty much everywhere with me. I still remember opening the case for the first time and nearly being blinded by how aggressively pink it was.

Eventually I sold it to pay for other things, which turned out to be one of those decisions that lingers longer than it should. It bothered me for years, until I finally decided to do something about it and started looking for another one.

As it turns out, they’re rare now, and finding one in good condition is difficult and well outside my budget. So I went with Plan B: build one myself. It’s basically just a piece of wood, after all.

This guitar has details I wasn't willing to do by hand, like the mosaic pyramid inlays made of clear acrylic pieces with neon green, yellow, and pink layers of paint underneath. So, I started by building a simple CNC machine from phenolic resin plates, V-slot aluminum extrusions, and other standard parts.

After finalizing the machine and running several tests, I was ready to begin the actual work.

I used the same materials as the original Ibanez: a maple neck and a basswood body. I bought the stock, cut it to size, flattened it, glued it up, and started milling. First the acrylic inlays, then the neck, and finally the body.

In hindsight, apart from a few details where CNC really earns its keep, I probably could have built the whole thing faster with a handheld router and a good set of templates.

As usual, I got too busy actually making the thing and forgot to document the process properly, but here are a few photos.

Here’s the end result. It certainly looks the part and plays and feels like the original, at least as I remember it.

And finally, a comparison between the original JEM777SK and the finished replica. Not too bad, considering I had no access to the original and mainly worked on details based on pictures and some measurements kindly provided by friendly people on the internet.