The Ibanez UV71P 7-String Electric Guitar in White is the latest in a long line of Universe models that have been designed and built for guitar maestro Steve Vai.
The Ibanez Universe UV71P features a lightweight American Basswood body that has been carved into the same shape as the brands legendary RG series of guitars. This is accompanied by a fast playing five-piece Maple and Walnut Wizard-7 neck that has been strengthened by the addition of KTS Titanium truss rods. The neck is finished with a 24-fret Rosewood fingerboard that is fitted with unique Disappearing Pyramid inlays.
The body of the Ibanez UV71P comes equipped with a set of Steve Vai Signature DiMarzio Blaze pickups – humbucker models in both the bridge and neck positions and a single coil in the middle. This selection means that the complete range of Vai’s signature tones are never too far away. The pickups are joined by a five-way blade-style pickup selector switch and master volume and tone controls. Completing the hardware fittings is a double locking Edge-Zero II-7 tremolo.
The main features of the Ibanez Universe UV71p 7-String Electric Guitar in White include:
Ibanez UV71P-WH Universe WhiteAfter being rather disappointed with another of their 7-strings (RG752FX Prestige, did not like the tone of the DiMarzio PAF-7's and the price tag was a bit high to add new pickups on top), I am happy to have given Ibanez another chance, as the UV71P Premium is absolutely great.
The finish on this Premium guitar is actually better than the aforementioned Prestige on several points: the fret finish is nicer (no filler on the side of the fretboard), the back of the headstock is nicely varnished, it has the convenient sliding truss rod nut plate. The guitar was set up perfectly when I received it.
The three Blaze pickups are very versatile, the bridge pickup has higher output for a nice crunch while the neck pickup is very smooth. The single coil is a nice addition and the definition of all 3 pickups on the low B string is excellent. The wood of the guitar sounds good and has a rich tone.
The Edge Zero-II 7 tremolo is very stable and has an offset saddle screw for easy intonation (you can insert the Allen key without pulling on the string). Also nice to have access to the spring tension screws without having to remove the plate.
Overall an excellent guitar - this is the quality I expected for the price.