If you’re thinking about getting the Ibanez PIA3761 Steve Vai Signature and you’re not sure if it’s worth it or not, look no further! In today’s in-depth review, I’m going to take a very close look on that high-end model. It’s one of the most expensive guitars made by Ibanez, but is it actually good?
The truth is that Ibanez Pia3761 is one of the best Superstrats available on the market right now. It’s a guitar from the highest shelf – it looks, feels and sounds spectacular. Although it’s expensive, it’s definitely worth it!
Let’s dive deeper with research to find out what exactly makes the PIA3761 model so good and so popular among the passionate guitarists all around the world. Firstly, we’ll have a look at the specifications of that model. Additionally, we’ll investigate the biggest advantages and disadvantages of that guitar.
Hopefully, this guide will help you figure out if this high-end guitar is a good fit for you or not! Let’s start with a quick video.
Specs & Pricing
Ibanez PIA3761 is a high quality electric guitar suitable for the most demanding guitarists out there. For many guitarists, this is the dream guitar – the holy grail for all the shredders and fans of Steve Vai.
What makes it so special? Well, the guitar features an alder body, a 5-piece PIA neck and easy-playing rosewood fretboard which guarantees an enjoyable and comfortable playing experience. There’ also the Edge Locking Tremolo bridge and Gotoh Machine Heads which offer a superb tuning stability.
Steve Vai created this guitar with Ibanez and he decided to equip this guitar with a very special pickup setting – HSH. The guitar features two DiMarzio UtoPIA Ceramic Humbuckers and one DiMarzio UtoPIA Alnico Single-coil pickup in the middle. All of these pickups give you access to a huge variety of different tones.
It is also worth mentioning that PIA3761 model looks absolutely amazing from the outside too. There’s something really special about the combination of white color with golden hardware and the unique blossom pattern on the fretboard. Surely, it will draw a lot of attention whenever you’ll take it with you on stage!
When it comes to pricing, it’s not cheap. Some may say that it’s overpriced, but the truth is that the high price is totally understandable. In the end, it’s a guitar from the highest shelf! The best gear is never cheap.
Who Is It For?
Ibanez PIA3761 is suitable for both amateur and more intermediate guitar players. I don’t think it really matters whether you’re an advanced musician or not – you will definitely appreciate the awesomeness of that model.
However, since this guitar is designed for high performance, it’s most often used by professional and skilled musicians. It’s a perfect choice for rock and metal, but since it’s a very versatile model, it can be used in pretty much all kinds of music genres.
It is also a perfect choice for any fan of Steve Vai. If you love his music and you want to play on the same gear as him, this guitar will be an ideal choice for you!
Overall, I’m positive that the vast majority of guitar players will enjoy and appreciate the high quality of that guitar. There’s just nothing to complain about apart from the price. What a beautiful instrument. Well done, Ibanez!
Here’s an another sound demo.
Ibanez PIA vs JEM
For those who are not aware, Steve Vai has a few different signature models. Guitarists can choose between cheaper JEM models and high-end PIA guitars. As you can imagine, there’s a few things that differentiate them. But which one of them are better?
There’s no good answer for that question. Ibanez PIA guitars sound better, but they’re far more expensive. So if you’re on a really tight budget, you may consider the JEM guitars as a better fit for you.
If you’re still not sure which model should you get for yourself, you can check out the video comparison below – it explains everything very thoroughly.
About UtoPIA Pickups
What’s interesting, even if Ibanez PIA3761 is out of your reach, you can still try to imitate the unique sound of that guitar. The uniqueness of that guitar is heavily impacted by the high quality UtoPIA pickups.
It’s possible to get all of these three pickups individually, so you can try to install them into your own Superstrat.
If you’d like to learn more about the UtoPIA pickups and what makes them sound so good, here’s a great video about it.
Cheaper Alternatives
If you don’t like the sound of Ibanez PIA3761 or you simply can’t afford it right now, that’s not a problem at all! There’s still quite a lot of other really good electric guitars that also deserve a lot of attention. Of course, it all depends on your personal preferences and most importantly, the size of your budget.
Here’s a few more gear recommendations for those who are looking for similar guitars.
Firstly, I highly encourage you to check out the Ibanez Prestige RG5120M. This is a fantastic Superstrat built for fat riffs and fast solos. I’m sure that any shredder will immediately fall in love with that guitar. In comparison with PIA3761, it has only two humbuckers, so it doesn’t have the extra single-coil pickup in the middle. Still, it’s an absolutely killer axe!
If you’re searching for something a bit less expensive, perhaps Ibanez RGA42HP will be a good fit for you. This is an another amazing Superstrat made by this legendary Japanese brand. Again, it’s perfect for shredders and lovers of metal. And in fact, it’s actually way cheaper than Ibanez PIA3761!
Alternatively, if you don’t want to stick with Ibanez, you can also check out my article about 10 Best ESP LTD Guitars For Rock And Metal. There are a lot of fantastic guitars on that list, so there’s a high chance that you’ll find something for yourself in there. Especially if you’re a metalhead!
FAQ
Where is Ibanez PIA3761 manufactured?
Ibanez PIA3761 is made in Japan.
When was this guitar introduced?
The PIA3761 model was originally introduced by Ibanez in 2020.
Where can I learn more about Ibanez guitars?
If you want to learn more about that manufacturer of guitars, you can visit the official website of Ibanez.
Summary
As you can see, Ibanez PIA3761 is an absolutely unique Superstrat. It will be really difficult to find a better guitar for shredding! I’m sure that if you decide to add it to your own collection, it will quickly become one of your favorites.
What do you think of that model? Would you get it for yourself or do you think that it’s overpriced? Leave a comment down below and let me know what you think, I’m really interested to hear your thoughts!
Thanks for checking out today’s review, hopefully it was helpful. If you enjoyed this post and you’re searching for more gear recommendations, you may also like:
