JEM

8-string NYXL for extended-range JEM players.

Primo gauge splits 9/10 dilemma for JEM players who switch techniques.

Maraging steel maxes out JEM DiMarzio Evolution pickups.

NYXL durability for JEM extreme techniques and aggressive bends.

Ernie Ball Super Slinky 9-42 on the Ibanez JEM is the Steve Vai canonical setup — the JEM was designed around Vai's playing requirements and the 9-42 Super Slinky is what he runs across nearly his entire catalog. As Vai told Ernie Ball's String Theory interview series in 2017: "I'm basically a nine through 42 guy." He elaborated on tour adjustments: "Sometimes I go heavier on the low end. It's based on how long I've been on tour because...

after a little while, my fingers get real strong... So I might move to some heavier, lower ends but I usually stay at the nines on the top." Conventional wisdom: every Ibanez shred forum upgrades to 10-46 NYXL or DR Tite-Fit for hot output and bend rigidity. Mismatch logic: 9-42 on the JEM's 25.5-inch scale gives the noticeably easier wide-vibrato + 4-step bend articulation that defined Vai's 'For The Love Of God' / 'Tender Surrender' phrasings — the JEM was scalloped specifically to enable this string-stretch vocabulary.

Best for JEM owners chasing Vai's vocal-bend lyrical playing; skip if you bought the JEM for djent-style chuggy rhythm where heavier gauges hold down-tuned riffs better.