Ibanez S470

Ibanez S470, 2007 model Korea
22 jumbo frets wizard II neck
1 volume, 1 tone, 5-way selector switch.
H/S/H- Passive Pickups.
Bridge: Ibanez INF2
Middle: Ibanez INFS1
Neck: Ibanez INF1
Ibanez ZR tremolo system.
Cosmo black Hardware. Replaced control knobs for Nobease Lime Green knobs (I couldn't resist!)

Thin S-Series body in black, lightweight, very comfortable, well balanced and amazing tuning stability from the ZR bridge. Neck is very thin great for soloing and playing licks and riffs higher up on the neck.Very good for metal but caters for many different styles, very versatile. Awesome =D
ZR bridge is amazing while you may not be able to pull up as high on the bar as on a Floyd rose style tremolo, this trem stays in tune better, CAN produce a flutter effect (if you set it up correctly and in accordance to you String gauge and tuning) it flutters like a dream, plus big string bends don't make the other strings go out of tune. Don't get me wrong im not bashing the floyd rose system (i love it, a well set up Floyd Rose is great!) however i find the ZR system is better for me and my playing styles.

Suites my musical style very well, i play mainly heavy metal, my band play heavy/progressive metal (none of this hardcore/death crap lol)and it suits that just fine.
my main grip is that the pickups can be rather muddy on the low end (i am planning on replacing them with a set of Seymour Duncans in the future) which can be a pain during fast passages or licks, however the muddiness does not bother so much that i am in any hurry to replace my pickups.
Very full sound considering that the guitar is this thin! it sounds great, the bridge pickup is good for chunky rhythm playing and sounds goo for leads too, Middle pickup is bright and twangy i really like using this for any clean parts will definitely keep a hold of this pickup for use in another guitar! neck is good as well, although a bit too bassy for my tastes but handles lead parts well although i find i too bassy for fast runs and it sounds muddy, but once again its not so bad that an immediate replacement was needed.
I have had this guitar for about 10 months now. I had a s520ex before until it got stolen! so when replacing it my eye caught the s470 which features the same pickups + it had a middle single coil! and it was 60 pounds cheaper than my s520ex more or less the same spec too ( s520ex has white binding round the neck which is also a wizard II) so, yeah i like this one better far more versatile.

The guitar was set-up surprisingly well, i had to adjust the intonation slightly but other than that it was great! Action was nice and low, no buzzing and trem was set up well too. Pickups were usual, i don't hold any grudges towards pickup height etc as its down to the players preference on how they want it set up (i lowered the neck pup slightly)
Guitar was bought new was in great condition.

This guitar with withstand live playing i have used it live on quite a few occasions (my band hasn't had that many gigs) but i like to play hard and it has withstood quite a beating from me!
"Does the hardware seem like it will last?" HOPEFULLY!! lol, i joke yeah from what i have seen it looks very solid i rarely have to use the machine heads to tune as this beaut just stays in tune so well, yeah it feels solid, EXCEPT for one of the strap buttons (the top one)it does come loose every so often, but that is the only flaw i have noticed so far(once again no biggy i have a screwdriver set lol).
As i have said i have played gigs with this before and i havent had to change guitar midway through set, but that being said i do always take a back-up just in case, you never know when you may break a string and no double locking tremolo is 100% perfect (although this one is close haha)

never had to deal with customer service and hopefully never will.

I have been playing for 5/6 years, i own 3 other guitars (ibanez ic350, ic400 and a modified squire bullet) i am currently using a line 6 spider 3 amp plan to upgrade to a valve amp in the future (digital amps are great in my opinion but just don't cut it like a valve amp)
Like i said earlier in my review my other S-series was stolen so if it was nicked again i would definitely buy another one, this is my main gigging guitar and I love it, I cannot say enough good things about this guitar. The only thing i will change on it (other than the control knobs) is the pickups but as i said I'm in no great rush at the moment.
I am trying to use my Iceman guitars more live (purely because i feel i neglect them a bit too much compare to my S) but this is my go to guitar, it is great for the style of music i play.

If you are looking for a Superstrat style guitar be sure to try out an Ibanez S series guitar they are great light fast and great for a wide variety of music.

S470DX, after-market Seymour Duncan pickups fitted; Jeff Beck at the bridge and Pearly Gates in the neck position. ZR trem system, Wizard II
neck, 22 frets.

I play a variety of styles, jazz fusion, avant-garde, ambient, and this guitar is capable of great versatility in the sense of tone.
The guitar isn't noisy at all, the sound is very full and rich in my
opinion. I absolutely love this model, I first played a Sabre series
back in the 1980s, and found it fast and easy to play with a great tone. The main reason I went for this model is the ZR trem system. It is without doubt the best tremolo unit I have ever played, and I have tried most of the available competition over the years. It stays in tune better than any other trem when set up correctly, any use of left hand vibrato feels exactly as it would on a fixed bridge guitar; you really notice the difference when you play a standard Floyd Rose bridge system after the ZR trem. It is absolutely awesome, and will
take any amount of strenuous bar techniques you can think of without
showing any signs of fatigue. The trem arm holder can become loose after about four years, and in my case had weakened causing it to snap! I replaced this part though, and the trem unit is as good as it was when I bought it. The tone with the pickup configuration I have is
wonderful - I have always thought that the Jeff Beck Seymour Duncan had far more of the right character than most other pickups I have tried, it is so fat without being over the top, I would be suprised if anyone didn't love the way their playing sounds through it.

I don't think I have ever had an Ibanez that was well set up from the factory here in the U.K, and I have owned a few in the past. This shouldn't put you off though, they are not hard to set up and once they are, they play like a dream in most cases. There were no flaws to the guitar at all, I will have to mention the paint work though, as my right hand technique uses the little finger resting on the body of the guitar, and this has caused the paint to rub off right down to the wood, and none of my other guitars have this problem! Also, beneath the volume pot, there is a cresent shaped gap where the paint has again thinned right down to the wood from doing volume swells. The paint work quality is my only criticism.

I am going to gig this guitar in October, and have no concerns about reliability whatsoever. Strap buttons are solid, 5-way switch is still
working perfectly, and I would use it without backup and not worry
too much (always good to cover all eventualities though!).

The Ibanez website is very good for finding part numbers, but if you are in the U.K the only way you will get hold of replacement components is through a company called Headstock Distribution. Additionally, Headstock will not deal with individuals; you have to find a willing
Ibanez dealer to do the business for you. I ordered some new parts for the ZR trem system, and they came within a week and were not expensive.
Fitting them was difficult though!

I have been playing for 31 years. I have a studio setup, and use Guitar Rig 3, and a Behringer V-Amp Pro, I have plenty of other equipment, but I won't bore you by listing it, you can visit www.xurbatronics.co.uk if you want to know more.

If this guitar was stolen I would have to replace it, I am very attached to it because of the way it feels and plays, along with the
sheer versatility of the instrument.

I think that all guitars have a different character, and different idiosyncracies which make them what they are, so I do try not to compare too much, because diversity is a good thing in life and in music too. I will say that this guitar has the strongest character out of all the guitars I have owned, nothing else feels like this one,
whereas many full-floating trem system double humbucker guitars are
inherently comparable. If you want something unique, this is the one.

I can live with there 22 frets instead of 24, and to encompass another 2 frets would probably have negative ramifications to the S470. I do wonder why Ibanez didn't use the push in bar system they
have on their Lo-Pro trems - the bar screws into a thread which is
located on a hard plastic nut at the bottom of the trem arm holder.
Possibly there was a reason for the choice of screw-thread bar, but
I always preferred the push in system with the two plastic bushes, a
very snug fit, and much easier to change the bushes when
they wear and there is play between the trem arm and the block.
Changing the plastic nut on the ZR is not nearly as simple because of
the postage stamp sized area you have to work in - you can't even fit a box spanner in there! I still have to give this guitar a 9 overall though, it is so good.

I've had this 1992 Japanese built s470 for a number of years now. Mine is the Vampire Kiss translucent red finish, which is nice to look at, esp for a red. It features their ultrathin saber body (mahogany: thin at the sides and thick under the strings and pickups for tone). It has an H-S-H w/5-way setup and 22 frets on a silly thin and fast neck. Mine is a rare stoptail bridge, as opposed to the usual double locking tremelo. It's a pretty basic guitar, but it does everything very well.

I play a wide variety of music, from full on shred to more hippy type stuff. I also use a lot of jazz and blues. This thing is the perfect multitool. Well, it is now. The stock pickup splitting made sense, but didn't yield very good tones. I rewired the switch to make the middle setting an HH configuration, and setting 4 is now a coilsplit for the neck humbucker. With that mod, I can literally get any tone at the flip of a switch. It really sounds that good. Oh, I replaced the bridge pickup with a Dimarzio Tonezone, but the stock one was fine. I really like the stock neck pickup on this. I think it's an INF2. I replaced it with a Seymor Duncan, but kinda regret it.

I know people are scared of a lack of tone because these things are so thin and light, but it has the best tone of all my guitars, which include a couple of high end vintage Musicians and a hand built electric with a chambered body. This is the only guitar I own that I'm comfortable giving a 10 in this category. It's also the loudest by far when played unplugged.

My only complaint is that the thinness of the neck can cause wrist fatigue after hours of play. I had a jewel blue 1989 stoptail s470, and it had a slightly thicker version of the same neck, which i liked better.

I bought the guitar used, and it was in crappy shape like most used instruments. I cleaned it up well, installed some new pickups, threw on a fresh set of strings and set it up, and it was a dream. My departed jewel blue one came from an Ebay auction ready to play, but needed the 10s swapped out with 9s and a little lowering of the action. When set up right, the action is simply nothing on this neck! It's butter! Everyone freaks out when they first play it because the action is so low and fast.

These are basic guitars, but are well made. The finish is quite thick and durable, and you have to be asking for it if you chip it (I know). The neck is quartersawn maple, and is surprisingly solid despite being so thin.


I can find no flaws that came from the factory.

This thing is a tank. There have been incidents, and it always surprises me how tough it is. The only reason I gave it a 9 is because my Musicians are considerably heftier and are virtually indestructible. I've gigged with it and lately it's been my go-to guitar for any tone at any time. It's always in tune and the intonation and neck stays true, even when I've left it in its case for months.

I have gigged without a backup, although I always try to keep a backup handy for string breakage.

Dunno. I almost always get used gear.

I've been playing for about twenty years. I own mostly vintage gear. I'm really attached to this guitar. It's one of my three main guitars, and never gets put away. I constantly kick myself for parting with my blue one. These are the only two stoptail versions I've ever seen anywhere. It's a shame, cause this is the last guitar that should have a Floyd Rose. It's a much classier and more versatile instrument than a "whammy bar" would impart. If I find another anywhere for a reasonable price, I will definitely snatch it up. It's rarity, as well as it's bastardization by pushing the tremelo on us, gets it the 9 rating!

I can probably get a wider variety of tones out of my Musicians, but they have active electronics and multiple switches and controls. Finding a good tone on those takes minutes. With the little s470, I can dial in any useful tone, from tele to les paul, with the 5-way switch, and it'll end up ultimately sounding better than my Musicians.

My S470 is satin silver. Everyone here is familiar with the pickup configuration, etc.

This guitar suits all the styles I play. I play instrumental rock, hard rock, classical guitar, pseudo-jazz, and my own combination of styles.

I play it through a Digitech RP80 and a Zoom 505 directly into my soundcard and through my computer speakers. (I can hear all the purists grumbling now!)

This guitar isn't noisy whatsoever. There is a very nice sonic variety happening with this instrument. With some other guitars I don't even use my neck pickup because they can tend to be muddy, but I was pleasantly surprised with the S470's pickups. I like using the middle pickup or a combination of the top coil of the bridge with the middle for soloing. The neck pickup is also warm but nice and clear.

I like everything about this guitar and it's sound.

I bought this guitar used, so I can't comment on factory setup. The action is nice, low but not too low, no buzzing, no dead spots.

The satin silver finish is great, at first I thought that look wasn't really for me, but it's grown on me. Unfortunately there is a chip in the paint on the side where you can actually see the wood, due to a previous owner dropping it and the spot being sanded.

The frets, wood, and hardware are all great.

Yes, there's no reason you can't play live with this guitar. It stays in tune, and the hardware is solid.

This guitar has VERY solid-looking strap buttons, but I wouldn't use them live anyway. I never play live without straplocks, so I plan to install them on this guitar.

I wouldn't use it live without a backup obviously due to the locking trem. I never play without at least one backup.

N/A I purchased mine used.

I've been playing for about 16 years. I also own an Ibanez EX series, and Alvarez electric, and a Fender Squire Affinity series Tele.

I have no regrets whatsoever with buying this guitar, I got an amazing deal on it. I paid $200 AND got the original case with it.

I love everything about this guitar. The Wizard II neck is amazing, I finally see what everyone's been talking about, in all the reviews I've read about it. I also love the look of the guitar, and it's the most comfortable guitar I've ever played.

Before I researched this guitar, I was initially thinking of getting an RG320FM, but once I looked into the S470 and played it, I had to buy it. The only thing I wish this guitar had is a coil tap like the S470DXQM has. I plan on buying one of those in the future.

- jumbo frets. The S470 has 22.
- easy to use (=fast?) neck. The S470 is 43mm and only 19mm thick! This is was Ibanez is known for of course. A wizard II neck.
- reliable tremolo. This - and the better pickups - is why i choose this above the SAS models (which have medium frets, but do look good).

My model is the standard black. Easy to keep clean, and black never goes out of fashion.

No other special features, but these are the ones that matter.

Coming from a cheap Les Paul clone, this opens up a whole new world. Pick ups give a good range of sound. They are all usable.

Output is strong. For me (again, coming from a cheap learner) the response when the strings are plucked is a revelation. Finally that warm 'twang' my guitar teacher always used to get from his Gibson LP. I always thought i was doing something wrong.

Pickups not noisy at all.

I run this straight into a Hughes & Kettner Tour Reverb. I also have a BOSS ME-50 floor multi-effect unit. This works well with the S470.

My music style is mainly rock / blues / folk. Prefer anything with lots of finger picking. Not so much metal.

Factory set-up is with a very low action. Fret buzz on the low e-string is noticable when played hard. This is of course easy to fix.

Frest are neatly mounted and finished. No sharp edges.

Some roughness on some of the drilled holes on the the back of the guitar (around the head), but acceptable.

I will not be using it for gigging any time soon.

Overal very solid, but of course the neck would be the most vulnerable in case of knocks. The hardware appears solid, especially the tremolo.

Finish is fine.

Nothing yet.

Let me start this review by explaining why i got this guitar. I started out learning to play a few years back, and with a break of a year-and-a-half have this year (2006) started making some more serious progress. From the start i have used a very modest (=cheap) Les Paul copy (Stagg). My slow (or lack of) progress i have always blamed on my lack of skill, and i never blamed the guitar. But a visit to a large music store the other day (it never occured to me to try out some other guitars before 'i got good') opened up my eyes. Difficult barre chords are not so difficult - if you use a guitar with frets taller than a postage stamp. I discovered that tone is not only in the fingers - good pickups also help!

This seems obvious now, but i honestly thought it was my lack of skill and not enough practice & dedication.

So, now i wanted a guitar which improved on all the things my learner guitar was lacking. Also one which was more suited to my small hands (i am guy with girly hands: good for clean fingering, but not so good with wide & fat necks. Any chord where i use the thumb for the bass note was always a stretch. Usually resulting in a muted note).

Conclusion:
Excellent guitar. Easy to play, great sound, a super smooth tremolo. Factoring the reasonable price, this is great value.

You've probably been clued into the features by now on this guitar.I have but one gripe with the Zero Resistance tremelo: the piece that cradles the counter spring bar(for the zero return feature)is made of PLASTIC!!!!!! What were these guys thinking? I'm having a replacement piece machined from stainless steel. This very critical piece can break. I know, I've broken one already.

Sounds great. Everything from strat(positions 2 & 4)to full-on Rock.

I set up the instrument to my liking. Real easy. The intonation was quite a bit off.

Seems okey-dokey to me.

Ibanez was hesitant to send out a replacement part for the trem right away.

I've played for 41 years, both pro and semi-pro(weekend gigs).It's a great guitar, especially for the price. I use it and a hardtail strat for all my gigs.

I think it's a 2005 model made in Korea. It has 22 jumbo frets, tone and volume controls, and a 5-way pickup selector toggle (H/S/H). The pickups are INF1 (neck), INFS1 (middle), and INF2 (bridge). It has v nice looking greenish grey metallic finish. Best of all, it has the Zero-Resistance locking tremelo, which will take any Floyd Rose to the cleaners. It's very smooth (ball bearings, no knife edge), and even better - it has a zero point system. I can bend 5 strings up a full step each and the tremelo won't budge!!! It can also remain in perfect tune after breaking a string, even though this thing will never break strings since there are no sharp edges on the trem. This is all thanks to two additional springs in the tremelo to exert a counterpressure in the same direction as the strings to keep the trem in position even when the strings are applying more or less force than normal. This guitar is loaded.

I play mainly classic rock, metal, and Satriani (whatever category he is). It suits them all well. This guitar is practically an effects processor in itself. The five different pickup combinations along with the tone control can produce a very broad range of sounds, even through a crappy amp (I'm using a Crate GX-15). The bridge pickup produces a little more noise than I'd like, but it isn't out of the ordinary. There is also a bit of noise when switching pickups.

Very good action, perfectly set up, besides tuning. Everything else was fine. There is a wheel on the back to adjust the zero-point spring tension. Leave it where it is, as it is hard to find the proper tuning and tension at the same time again.

Good strap buttons, very thick finish. I've bumped walls a few times, no visible dings yet. Like a rock. If you brought a spare to a gig, it would only be for the (rare) instance that a string broke, in which case it only takes about 2 minutes to replace the string. The trem is to be thanked for that. One complaint - the nickel pickup ring tarnished where my hand had been resting after two days. The tremelo looks like the same material, but it still looks fine.

Never needed it.

I Have the 2003 Model with the "Flare Orange Flat" finish (only year they used that color). The Zero Resistance Trem. Mahogany body. Maple Wizzard ll neck (bolt on). Hum (infinity 1), Single (infinity s 1), Hum (infinity 2), pick up Config. 5 way selector switch. 22 Jumbo Frets. S special inlay. Rosewood fingerboard. 25.5 scale neck is 2mm thicker than the super-thin, super-flat. 1 tone, 1 volume knob.

I play all styles of music from Skynyrd to Megadeath and even Country.This guitar will handle it all!! I use a Line 6 Spider 2 amp with the floorboard control (w/wah and volume pedals) Can get any sound I want. The only problem with the Guitars sound is you may want to change the bridge pick up if you play alot of metal. I swaped mine out with a Seymour Duncan Humbucker. With that upgrade This is the best sounding guitar I've ever played.

As far as action, It was pretty close to what I like. Adjustments are made very easily for string hight, pick-up hight etc.. This guitar plays very fast. If you get it in your hands it just feels right and you can't help but Rock your ass off. Love the Mahogany body with maple neck. You get a les paul type sound with the neck pick-up, a strat style sound in the middle, and a killer solo Chunky bite with the bridge, Pos 2 and 4 is everything in between. The finish is flawless. Very thick coat, will last a lifetime. The guitar is very light (can barely tell It's on your shoulder).

I love this ZR Trem. It out performs the Floyd Rose hands down. Stays in tune And has no sharp edges to cut the strings!! you may need to put a little oil on it from time to time. All the hardware is solid as a rock. This has become my main guitar for gigs and recording. You get alot of those tasty harmonics like Zack Wylde, with little effort.
I take a backup on the road only because IF you break a string it takes about 4 minutes to swap out. But I hardly ever break a string. And when I do the thing somehow stays in tune to finish the song!!!

Ibanez support sucks!! I love their guitars but if you need help fast, forget it!!!

I've been playing for about 20 years. I have a Martin DCX1KE acoustic. A strat, A Ibanez RG series, Les Paul Standard, I use mostly Line 6 Amps, and a Marshall. I use a Zoom Mrs 1044CD Multi-track recorder for writing songs. My favorite thing about this guitar is it is so versitle and has a damn fast neck. If someone stole it I would buy another one just like it that day!!

I am not sure when it was made, but I bought it around 1997. It was made in Korea. 22 frets. Black Gloss. 1 volume, 1 tone, and a 5 way selector. Passive pickups.Two Humbuckers and 1 single coil Not sure about the wood. This guitar is a very thin, style strat guitar. Wizard 2 neck. Floyd rose tremolo.

This guitar sounds great. Especially for being a light guitar. It can cover almost any style. Not real bassy, or bright.

The s470 has one of the fastest necks that I have ever played.You can set the action super low. Even after years of playing, it kept it's new feel. It is very comfortable to play live. One exception is that it is pretty level balanced, so when you switch to lead from rhythm you have to cock the guitar first. Also, the bridge lies really flat, so it is hard to dig in on the top E for fast rhythms.
The micro tuners on the floyd has almost no travel.

Despite being one of the best guitars I have ever played, the trem system is terrible. This guitar never seemed to stay in tune. I abandoned using the whammy on this guitar completely. I could hardly
keep this guitar in tune. I found myself in many embarssing situations when jamming with people constantly waiting for me to tune my guitar. My current band told me not to bring this guitar anymore.That is probably why this guitar had absolutely no resale value. I got $100 for it and the case and bought an epiphone special 2.This overall is a quality guitar, but the tuning issues make it absoultly undependable and would not use it for a gig. If it was a hard back bridge, I would love this guitar.

Never had to use them.

I have been playing for about 17 years. I own a gibson flying v, and an epiphone special 2. I have owned a jcm 900, and a 5150. I am waiting for my Carvin mts to come in.

Mine was purchased in 2005 from American Musical Supply for $299 on a blowout deal. I figured I could deal with the gay looking purple finish for that type of discount. Thin mahogany body, with 22 frets on a Wizard II neck. These Wizard necks are just superb. Flat, wide and fast. Very reminiscent of the neck on my Jackson guitars. It's finished in satin, which is ......MUCH better than the painted necks I have on many of my guitars over the years. It has two "Inifinity" humbuckers and an Infinity single coil with a 5 way switch. The purple satin finish appears to hide sweat and grime pretty well.....I still carefully wipe this guitar down like I do with all of my others after use. Hardware is finished in black pearloid....very cool. The trem is Ibanez's own design. Basically it is a Floyd without the Fulcrum points. It apears that a shaft and bearings have replaced the fulcrum. I had wondered why no one has tried this for several years now. It looks like this MIGHT be a better system (no fulcrum means no fulcrum edge wearing....which hopefully will translate into more stable tuning). So far tuning stability is OK. If I hear the tuning start to go out I just tap the bar a little and the tuning snaps right back in. Ibanez has installed their own version of a Tremsetter on this guitar as well. The jury is still out on this. It helps stabilize the tuning a bit, but it feels very unnatural to me. I may end up yanking it.

The Infinity pickups sounded harsh to my ear, so I swapped them out for a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the Bridge, and an Air Zone in the neck. This made a HUGE improvement in the sound. I typically run my guitars straight into a Peavey Triple XXX, with a Wah pedal before the amp, and a delay pedal in the loop. Without the upgraded pickups I'd give the sound a 7. With the Dimarzio's in it gets a 9. Final score 8. You can really hear the difference with the mahogany body, although the sound thins out again due to the bolt-on neck. Man.....if this was neck through it would probably sound killer. Still.....it is the heaviest sounding bolt on I've heard in a while, thanks to the mahogany body. Palm mutes are good, more mid range than I'm used to hearing with a bolt on....and plenty of highs as expected. Not Les Paul punch by any stretch of the imagination....but damn nice for a mid range bolt-on.

The neck and frets are perfect. Man....I just love these Wizard necks! The body is perfect with the only disappointment being the cavity where the cable plugs in. The finish was all sticky inside that cavity. This bothered me, as it appeared as though it would become a dust magnet. I don't know if all of the S470's suffer from this problem or not. looks like the little Korean bastard who finished this forgot to sand the final finish AND the finish between coats.....maybe this was "overlooked" on pupose because they couldn't get in there easily (it's a very small cavity). Anyway, I applied just a tad bit of mineral spirits to a rag, and gently wiped the cavity. Some purple came of on the rag.........Hmmm........no clear coat! When I was done the cavity was substantially less sticky than before (but still a little sticky). I'm going to give it time to cure, then gently apply some rubbing compund to it to finish it off. I fully planned on sanding the gay looking purple finish off this guitar and refinishing it someday anyway, so this isn't too big of a deal. One more gripe. The trem arm screws into the tremelo like on the old Strat system. No matter how far you screw it in, it feels sloppy.....not tight like a floyd trem. This equates to noise when you are wanking on the bar in a high gain environment. This is the one feature I really dislike about this guitar. The trem arm is NOT pro grade......too bad......the rest of the guitar is.

Seems OK......I have my doubts about this new trem design. We shall see.......

Never dealt with them.....but I may call to yap at them about the cheesy trem arm in hope that they have an upgrade available. I'll update this board with my findings after I contact them.

Been playing about 20 years. I'm in one of the areas popular cover bands. Primarily rock and metal, from Neil Young through Metallica and Blink 182. I have collected and/or owned a LOT of guitars in the pst 20 years. This one measures up pretty good. Bought this one because I couldn't resist the price. IF LOST I'D BUY ANOTHER....BUT ONLY IF I COULD GET IT AT THE SALE PRICE. I love the thin mahogany body on the axe. FEATURE I HATE THE MOST IS THE CHEESY TREM ARM. If it shipped with better pickups it would be a pretty nice axe.