Ibanez SF470

Made in Japan Ibanez S series guitar with:


Mahogany body
22 fret rosewood board, maple neck and a 24.75" scale
Bolt On
Gibraltar FIXED bridge Tun-0-matic-like system
HSH pickup configuration with 5 way switch, 1 vol and 1 tone

I believe the neck profile is a viper. Though I have owned another one that had a very thin wizard-like neck profile.

UTILIZATION

Great accessibility to the upper frets even though it's not an all access neck joint (aanj) perse, it's still quite good.

The neck itself is great, not thick at all in anyway and not too thin, though it's definitely thinner than say a fender neck.

The S shapes have always been the most comfortable for me, not only are they thinner and lighter, they STILL have body contours and whatnot to make the guitar even more comfortable like a second skin!

This is a rare piece as it's a fixed bridge version of the S series, VERY rare and in my opinion one of the better made ones because of the fact. Ibanez trems have always been hit or miss with all the different models they offer, and having a guitar that you love the shape of but not wanting a trem, it's perfect. The shorter gibson scale is also quite interesting, you get that slightly slacked feel now and some people love it or hate it.



SOUNDS

This is getting a low score because like 99% of all ibanez stock pickups, they're not very good. They never really have been. The cleans are usually decent, though they're not shimmering they are very clean and usable, not totally sterile.

However the distortion is almost always high output, fizzy and undefined. While the neck pickup is usually thick but also unclear. When I owned this guitar I changed the pickups a few times around from EMGs, to SD Blackouts, to eventually Tom Andersons, which I felt made this guitar sound HUGE and disgustingly great!!!

However I have to grade this according to it's stock stats, it's only fair. And so the pickups that came with it, are average.



OVERALL OPINION

Overall, this is a great intermediate/advanced guitar for anybody. It's simple to use with the regular stuff all guitar players have seen on thousands of other guitars. The fixed bridge in my opinion is a PLUS for those who don't want to deal with trems but still love the S shaped guitar that's one of the most comfortable guitars ever.

The gibson scale is also very cool! It's a great combination, I think. I've always loved gibson scale guitars and LPs were always slightly uncomfortable. With the SF470 you get the best of both worlds, the gibson scale that everybody uses and loves with the ultimate comfort of the S body WITHOUT the complications of any trem system. And a great price too! They are now hard to find, but if you find one for a good price (average is around 400-500) pick one up and you'll see what I'm talking about!

Just upgrade the pickups to your liking and you'll see yourself with a great guitar that'll last you for years!