1988 Ibanez JEM 777DY/SK - Bonvillain Design Studio Prototype

The Altitude Summary

Bonvillain Design Studio has gained recognition for the recent PIA77 BON limited collaboration run by Ibanez, delivering brilliantly colorful, carnivalesque paint schemes that have blown the minds of guitarists around the world.  Behind these one-of-a-kind works of art is David Bonvillain, who has experimented with an array of paint styles, color schemes, and artistic vision on incredibly well-playing guitars. 

We are proud to present this one-of-a-kind prototype sand through-style piece, created utilizing all-original, early JEM parts from 1988 and 1989.  The body of this guitar was a 1989 JEM Desert Yellow (DY) and the neck is from a 1988 JEM Shocking Pink (SK).  The paint is UV reactive - see photo on black to check it out!

"The neck is an 88 SK I recently acquired (I love the maple boards 😁) and it had a few layers of paint over the original dayglo pink. While I was sanding that down I thought it was lookin kinda cool, so I took an 89 777 body I had around and made it into something to kinda match…kinda like a Vernon Reid style JEM."

- David Bonvillain

Aside from being a wildly unique paint job and color scheme, this guitar plays extremely well with low action and a proper setup.  Condition-wise, there are no chips or dings, just natural aging that you'd find on the maple necks of these vintage beauties with little to no fretwear.  Includes the original pink-lined Ibanez hardshell case, whammy bar, and Bonvillain Design Studio Certificate of Authenticity (COA).

From Other JEM Resources

The JEM777 is a notable solid body electric guitar model introduced by Ibanez in mid-1987, marking the launch of the JEM series. This series is known for its signature models created for the renowned American guitarist Steve Vai. The JEM777 made its first appearance at the Summer NAMM show in Chicago in June 1987.

Available in three striking finishes, the JEM777 quickly became a standout in the guitar world. The Loch Ness Green (LNG) version was particularly special, produced only between 1987 and 1988, with a limited run of 777 guitars. Each of these LNG models was hand-numbered and personally signed by Steve Vai, making them highly collectible. The Desert Yellow variant enjoyed a longer production run from 1987 to 1996, while the Shocking Pink version was available from 1987 until 1989.

In the same year, Ibanez introduced the RG550, a more accessible version of the JEM777. The RG550 lacked some of the distinctive features of the JEM777, such as the lion's claw tremolo cavity, monkey grip, and disappearing pyramid inlay, making it less complex and more affordable, yet still offering the high-quality performance Ibanez is known for.