The JEM double neck guitar was built in 1988 as a prototype for Steve Vai by Long Island,NY luthier..Joe Despagni…who formed a partnership with Steve Vai to make the Steve Vai “JEM” model guitars…until they had a falling out & then Steve Vai contacted Ibanez to build the Jem guitar models. The “Monkey Grip” handle on the Ibanez Jem guitars began with the Despagni made JEM guitars.
The Double Neck was tried by Vai at Despagni’s shop & he rejected it…because of several problems. The guitar has two 6 string necks..made by Warmoth..1 being converted to a 12 string neck. The necks should have been reversed due to the opposing headstock angles..The current 6 string neck should have been used as the 12 string neck..& vice versa. The nut on the 12 string neck was improperly cut ..The electronics are not high quality & the finish on the guitar has very noticeable over spray.
After Steve Vai tried & rejected the guitar…Joe Despagni sold the guitar to ..Peter Cooperschmidt..owner of ..Studio Works..in Island Park,NY. The guitar was purchased from him by my friend…John Mullaney..in 1991. Mullaney worked for a brief time with Joe Despagni while Vai & Despagni still had their partnership.
Mullaney sold the guitar in 1995 at the 5 Towns Music College guitar show in Dix Hills,NY. The guitar was purchased by the man who sold guitars to the stars…the late..Ed Roman…of.. Ed Roman Guitars.. of Las Vegas,Nevada. Ed Roman purchased the guitar for…$350.
I believe that Ed Roman may have concocted the story that the Hard Rock Cafe is telling about this guitar after Mullaney sold the guitar to Ed Roman & told him that it was a prototype built for Steve Vai. It was never used by Vai on the David Lee Roth..Eat Em & Smile…album & tour…as the Hard Rock Cafe claims. No pictures or videos exist of Steve Vai playing this doubleneck guitar from that time period.. or proof that it was used on David Lee Roth’s album & tour.
John Mullaney & I forgot all about the guitar until about 3 years ago..when Mullaney came across a pic of the guitar on the internet of it being displayed at a Hard Rock Cafe location in the UK..along with the bogus story about it.
Mullaney E-Mailed me the pic of the guitar on display at the Hard Rock Cafe.
Both of us just shook our heads & were flabbergasted at the story being told about the guitar. Here are some pics of the guitar in my living room in 1995…just before we left to go to the guitar show ..where Mullaney sold it to Ed Roman.
I am also aware of another guitar the Hard Rock Cafe claims to have belonged to..Kurt Cobain..of the band.. Nirvana. The guitar in question is a Fender Jaguar. I’m tired of seeing & hearing bogus stories about instruments that are claimed to have been owned by famous musicians. I know the real story of the Vai JEM doubleneck guitar & feel it must be told.
Feature written by John McCarroll
