PIA3761C-BLP Blue Powder Steve Vai Signature.
PIA stands for "Paradise in Art" but it could also be a beautiful homage to Steve's wife, Pia Vai. Or maybe a nice combination of both?
PIA is an evolution of Steve's incredibly successful JEM models, a series that, with small variations, has been unchanged for almost 35 years. At a quick glance, there is a lot of JEM over the PIA model, a JEM with a new monkey grip which is now called Petal Grip. But if you look enough, there is something that separates it from a JEM.
The flower vine has been given a different look and a new name, PIA Blossom.
New neck profile called PIA (thickness is the same as a newer JEM).
Stainless steel jumbo band rods. Band sticks that have a magical, smooth, playing feel and which are incredibly much longer than normal band sticks. A highpass/lowcut filter on push/pull on the volume control. When you back off the volume the low register has a tendency to take over and become too dominant, this filter counters that and is a filter Steve has had on his personal JEMs for a long time.
New pickups from DiMarzio called UtoPIA. This is how DiMarzio and Steve himself describe them.
"Using the Evolution® Bridge as the basic platform, the UtoPIA™ Bridge was designed to focus more on the low-end response of the guitar while adding thickness and body to the top end. The challenge was to still deliver the harmonics for which the Evolution® is known. Upper midrange frequencies were also dialed back to produce a less aggressive attack. The UtoPIA™ Bridge boasts a big, bold low end, and thick top end , bold low end and thick top end. The UtoPIA™ Middle can add some chime to any guitar with a lifeless single coil. Having a healthy amount of treble, the UtoPIA™ Middle can provide the "quack" in the 2nd and 4th position placed between the UtoPIA™ Neck and Bridge humbuckers."
The bridge is Ibanez's classic original EDGE, considered by many to be the world's best swing bridge. The door for the stable springs is attached with magnets and screws.
- 5-pc Maple/Walnut PIA neck.
- Age body.
- Rosewood fretboard w/ PIA Blossom inlay.
- Jumbo stainless steel frets w/Prestige fret edge treatment.
- Luminlay (luminous) side dots.
- Scalloped Fingerboard on 21-24 Frets
- Ibanez original EDGE swing.
- Ultralite Tremolo Arm™
- 10.8mm string spacing.
- D'Addario® EXL120 strings.
- Gotoh® machine heads
- DiMarzio® UtoPIA™ (H) neck pickup. Passive/ceramic magnet
- DiMarzio® UtoPIA™ (S) mid. pickup truck. Passive/Alnico magnet
- DiMarzio® UtoPIA™ (H) bridge pickup. Passive/ceramic magnet
- Push-pull high pass filter on volume control.
- Chrome hardware.
- Hard shell case
- Scale: 648mm/25.5".
- Width at the saddle: 43mm.
- Width at last strap: 58mm.
- Thickness at 1 strap: 18mm.
- Thickness at 12 bands: 20mm.
- Radius: 430mmR.