View other reviews for this product:
MGR/Kevin, guitarist for the upcoming band Jester « Ibanez S470 »
Published on 08/11/04 at 15:00I bought this guitar for $440 dollars at the Guitar Center in Manchester, CT.
My S470 is in a deep violet flat finish, which is nice because the finish doesn't smudge or leave fingerprints. The Wizard II neck is thin and fast, and because the neck is not glossed over, it makes it easier to slide up and down it. The inlays are cool and the 12th fret inlay is abalone, which I am a fan of. The guitar has the S-zero tremolo system, which is actually better than standard Floyd-rose tremolos, because of the sleeker design and incredible ability to stay in tune. The tuning pegs are sealed and are fine, and the knobs are normal, not too bad or good. The body is super-lightweight and the deep contours make this guitar extremely comfortable to play for long sets. There are no problems with the locking nut, and it is almost impossible to break a string if the guitar is set up correctly. The stock pickups are hot and sound great as soon as you get this guitar, although I was looking for an even hotter sound so I installed an EMG-81 in the bridge position. This guitar can trully handle all styles of music. The stock bridge pickup can dish out heavy chunks of metal power chords, or can bring out the subtleties in your playing for blues and solos. The middle pickup sounds great for clean, jazzy music, and the neck pickup sounds standard, like any 2 humbucker guitar.
The only things that bug me about this guitar are that the tone knob became somewhat loose about 5 months after purchase, but can be fixed by removing the control plate and tightening the knob. The finish is not glossed over as many Fender and Gibson models are, and therefore it is easier to get scratches that go through to the wood. The bridge needs to be adjusted every time you change to different string guages if you want perfect intonation. The neck pickup was a little weak in the sustain department, and it was hard to let notes ring for a long time. Also, the bridge on my model was a little loose in it's housing and moved about 2 millimeters from side to side, but that could be fixed by a standard set up at a local guitar shop.
Overall, you really can't ask for more from the price of this model. This guitar was built extremely well for it's price, and to be honest, is the best quality guitar I've ever seen for $440.
I've had this guitar for 2 years, and I play it every day in my band. It has not failed me yet, and can handle ANY type of music, I mean ANY type. I don't care if you're SRV the second or Mr. I-have-to-tune-this-guitar-down-like-12-steps-man, this guitar can handle it. It's a perfect second or third guitar, and you will NOT be dissapointed with your purchase.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
My S470 is in a deep violet flat finish, which is nice because the finish doesn't smudge or leave fingerprints. The Wizard II neck is thin and fast, and because the neck is not glossed over, it makes it easier to slide up and down it. The inlays are cool and the 12th fret inlay is abalone, which I am a fan of. The guitar has the S-zero tremolo system, which is actually better than standard Floyd-rose tremolos, because of the sleeker design and incredible ability to stay in tune. The tuning pegs are sealed and are fine, and the knobs are normal, not too bad or good. The body is super-lightweight and the deep contours make this guitar extremely comfortable to play for long sets. There are no problems with the locking nut, and it is almost impossible to break a string if the guitar is set up correctly. The stock pickups are hot and sound great as soon as you get this guitar, although I was looking for an even hotter sound so I installed an EMG-81 in the bridge position. This guitar can trully handle all styles of music. The stock bridge pickup can dish out heavy chunks of metal power chords, or can bring out the subtleties in your playing for blues and solos. The middle pickup sounds great for clean, jazzy music, and the neck pickup sounds standard, like any 2 humbucker guitar.
The only things that bug me about this guitar are that the tone knob became somewhat loose about 5 months after purchase, but can be fixed by removing the control plate and tightening the knob. The finish is not glossed over as many Fender and Gibson models are, and therefore it is easier to get scratches that go through to the wood. The bridge needs to be adjusted every time you change to different string guages if you want perfect intonation. The neck pickup was a little weak in the sustain department, and it was hard to let notes ring for a long time. Also, the bridge on my model was a little loose in it's housing and moved about 2 millimeters from side to side, but that could be fixed by a standard set up at a local guitar shop.
Overall, you really can't ask for more from the price of this model. This guitar was built extremely well for it's price, and to be honest, is the best quality guitar I've ever seen for $440.
I've had this guitar for 2 years, and I play it every day in my band. It has not failed me yet, and can handle ANY type of music, I mean ANY type. I don't care if you're SRV the second or Mr. I-have-to-tune-this-guitar-down-like-12-steps-man, this guitar can handle it. It's a perfect second or third guitar, and you will NOT be dissapointed with your purchase.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com