At Winter NAMM 2020, Ibanez presented their new collaboration with guitar great Steve Vai, the gorgeous PIA (Paradise In Art) Steve Vai Signature guitar. 

The new model features a solid alder body and a five-piece maple and walnut neck, with a rosewood fretboard emblazoned with a multi-coloured blossom inlay. A yin and yang shaped 'petal' grip replaces the 'monkey' grip which is featured on Vai’s original JEM guitar. Vai spoke about the guitar to gathered media at the House Of Blues Anaheim, where he played a gig later that night. 

Check out Vai's press conference as shot by Australian Musician below.

Vai: "I wanted to kind of smooth out the body. I love the JEM, but it's got hard edges, so all the edges are beveled a bit. I beveled this back a bit, which has kind of nice certain feel and also beveled this back a bit. I didn't realize it was gonna feel so nice; I would've done it 35 years ago. This is the PIA, and it stands for Paradise In Art, and why did I call it PIA? Because it's a very artistic guitar, it's kind of art, and it feels like paradise to me. And also it's the name of my wife that I'm married to for 40 years. These guitars will probably be around, perhaps, long after us, but I cannot be more pleased with the response so far from the fans, from people who have seen it, and my appreciation for all of you guys for being interested and being here today."

Vai released the following message a few days before the press conference:

“Hey folks, Steve Vai here. Since 1987, the Ibanez JEM has enjoyed surprising success. It was designed around my idiosyncrasies as a player and my desire to have a guitar that checked off all the boxes for me. Little did we realize how many other people would find their note on this instrument.

"And now, after almost 35 years of the JEM, although the Jem is still in production and will perhaps be for many years to come, we felt it was time to introduce a new signature guitar that is somewhat of an evolution of the Jem, The PIA. Ibanez and myself could not be more pleased with the way this fine instrument has turned out.”

Watch the video below, and find out more here.