Ibanez S470

1998 Model. 22 fret. Jewel Blue. 1 volume knob, 1 tone knob, 5 way pickup selector. H-S-H pickup configuration with Ibanez's AH series pickups. REALLY thin body, big frets (not jumbo, but big. Standard tuners, locks at base of head. Floyd Rose Trem, floating bridge.

This guitar just has a great tone. The bridge pickup sends a great signal and sounds great with a Metal Zone pedal. The neck pickup gives distortion TONS of bass, or gives you some great clean tone. The single coil in the middle is good for clean tone as well, but sounds best when used in combination with the neck pickup. My only complaint: The tone knob is useless. You have full dull or full bright, but that's just how all Ibanez tone knobs are.

The guitar is set up very well strait from the factory. The action is good, but I lowered it a bit more. You can't lower it too much or you start getting fret buzz. I havn't found a flaw yet execpt that the pickup selector will shake the strings if you pound on it too hard.

Construction wise, I don't think anything could hurt this thing. Cosmetically, I'm not as impressed. I've only had it for a month and the paint is already being scratched off by the plug hole. If you don't bang into much stuff when you're playing, you shouldn't have a problem. I'd use it without a backup, but I tend not to do much jumping around when I'm playing. The 8 is because I'm not convinced that this finish is going to last too long.

I think the warranty is for a year. I havn't had any contact with them yet.

This is my first electric, but I've known people that have had them for a while and this one seems to be pretty good, but definatly not the best ever.

Don't know what year but the guitar was fresh out of the box from Guitar Center. Pickups (H/S/H) are same as used on the Joe Satriani model. Color: black with really cool looking blackish chrome hardware. 22 frets, Lo-trs tremolo, wizard neck, 5-way PU selector switch, and a single tone and volume knob.

Play modern blues, 80's shred, classic rock riffs, and a little bit of everything else. The stock tones are great. The bridge PU could be a bit more intense for screaming stuff but I think you'd loose something else at the other end. A little bit of outboard overdrive (TS9) and everythings OK. I play live thru a Line 6 Flextone and DI for recording using a Digitech 2120 Artist and can get just about any sound I can imagine, except...... I have a Les Paul Classic Premium Plus with re-issue PAF and PAF + PU's. There's something magical about this axe cracked up to scream out Gary Moore type leads. But the Ibanez is much more versatile.

The action out of the box was great. I lowered the bridge a bit to facilitate smoother tapping and thats been it. You couldn't play a more comfortable guitar whether standing, sitting, or propped up in bed. This thing is butter.

I've owned the axe for about a month and have no complaints. I don't gig anymore so I can't comment there but I have been pretty brutal playing wise and the guitar keeps up just fine. Time will tell more here.

I've been playing for 25 years and have owned many Ibanez guitars thru the years. I was using the Les Paul and a Texas Special Strat but decided to re-visit some of that "great" 80's Satriani / Vai style of playing. For this you can NOT beat an Ibanez. During my visit to buy this axe, I messed with comprably priced, Jacksons and ESP's but the Ibanez blew em away. Best under $600 axe I could've bought.

Year: 1998 - Manufactured in Korea - 22 frets, Mahogany body, rosewood fingerboard. Solid small-strat style carved body. Pickup config: H/S/H AH1 humbuckers and an AH1 single coil. Hardware is black chrome Ibanez Floyd Rose (I'll get to this later!). Tuners are Ibanez. Great neck, plays like my old Charvel. A lot of features that for the most part are good, except for the Ibanez Floyd Rose bridge - made from junk soft metal. I gave it a 7 here because of it's features.

The pickups where okay, they were the AH2 humbuckers, and the AH1 single coil in the middle. A bit weak compared to the holdsworth model Duncans I dropped in it. I'll speak for the AH pickups it came with. My rig is: an ADA MP1 preamp, into a Yamaha SPX-90 signal processor, into a Quadraverb +, then into a Mesa Boogie 50/50 poweramp with 4x12 30w celestions. Awesome rig, it makes any guitar sound great. Good clean sounds, almost strat like. Great chunk tones too.

The guitar wasn't setup very well. I had to have the frets dressed, and now it plays like my old Charvel did. Great neck, thin and a bit wide. The tuners kinda suck. The Ibanez Floyd Rose is a total piece of crap! The metal is soo soft! After 2 weeks the pivit points on the bridge were all chewed up! And forget about using DR strings on this because the metal in the clamp (nut) is lowsey too. It doesn't clamp! The strings slip right thru. I stripped 2 screws thinking it was me. Pissed me off! My main gripe is this Ibanez Floyd Rose. Granted, I'm brutal on the thing - I have a Holdsworth/VH/Steve_Morse/Vinnie_Moore style (in this order too), and I can play, and a guitar without a bar is like a day without sunshine for me. But this bridge sucks! It will not "return to zero" if you pull up or dive down. you have to tune it to either way, and finish your bar work in that direction to keep it in tune. Low rating here cause it wasn't setup properly, and the bridge/nut metal sucks.

I love the neck. Again, it reminds me of my old Charvels. That's really why I bought it. After dumping another $300 into it (Fret dessing, Schaller Floyd, Duncan pickups), it's excellent. The only thing that bothers me is that it wasn't made in the USA. gotta give it a low rating here cause of the orignal bridge, but now it's truely awesome.

Ibanez is responsive, but I gotta rate this kinda low here because when I called them about the bridge, they wanted me to send the WHOLE guitar back to them so they could replace the bridge. HELLO? I can send the bridge back and they can send me a new one! But I didn't want the same one anyway so I blew it off.

Ya basically get what ya pay for here folks. The neck is awesome, the body has good rear routing and a very nice black finish. Because of the neck I got the action REAL low and nice with NO buzz. Plays great. BUT, the original bridge/nut sucks. Total ammount spent on this guitar was about $800. With that, I rate it at 8 or 9. But my real rating is based on the original setup and hardware.

I have a 1998, korean-made Ibanez S470. It has a carved strat style mahogany body, and a 22 fret maple/rosewood, WizardII neck with an angled headstock. The electronics consist of 2 Ibanez Axis series passive humbuckers (AH1,AH2), and 1 Ibanez Axis series single coil (AS1). The controls- 1 volume, 1 tone, 5 way switch. The output jack is in the body, kinda like a strat. DEEP DISH. All the hardware is anodized cosmo-black. As for the hardware, it has 6 in line diecast machineheads, Schaller straplok-ready strap buttons, and a Lo-TrsII double-locking tremolo system. Really low action and hardly any buzz.

This guitar is perfect for hardcore, tight distortion. Yet it also does surprisingly well in the middle, single coil position. You may hear a little hum on the single coil, but other than that, it sounds great. I run it through a Rocktron Chameleon multi-effects processor, and then out a Fender Stage 112 SE. That specific combination produces the tightest, heaviest distortion i've ever heard. Excellent tone! Great harmonics!

When I got the guitar, it was set up perfectly. No buzzing, great feel, perfect action. LOW! Everything was in it's best possible shape. NO FLAWS!

This guitar will definately withstand live playing to the fullest extent. Everything on this guitar will last. Do you know why? Because it's an IBANEZ. I would always bring a backup guitar though, but it would most likely be an Ibanez.

In conclusion, I would like to say buy this guitar, it will bring you years of enjoyment if you take care of it. Even if you don't, it'll still last a LONG TIME. The whole line of Ibanez guitars are great. So if you're in the market for a new guitar, check this one out.

It has a mahogany body, maple neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, dot markers, Lo TRS II bridge,locking nuts, 2 humbuckers and a single coil pick ups.(AH1,AS1, AH2). 5 way toggle switch, 1 volume knob 1 tone knob, blackish, almost bronze hardware. Nice size frets, thin neck and thin strat style body, 22 frets. I have an SR300DX Soundgear bass in Jewel Blue, and I got this guitar in Jewel Blue also. I LoVE THE COLOR! The guitar is super thin, and the neck is SUPER THIN, simply the most comfortable guitar I've ever played.

This guitar is great. I play mostly just rock, or nice picking songs. I am a BASS player, not a guitar player, but I am wanting to get better at the guitar. It does sound great compared to a stratocaster...many people like the stratocaster's sound, but it's your opinion. The pickups are nice and clear, sustain is awesome!

The action is the best I've tried. It plays very easily like CRAZY easily! I've tried strats, RG 220, and RG320. (Can't afford a high model, then get an RG 320, they're ok too, just the S470 is way better)Guess I can't say much, but I know a good guitar when I try one. Everything looks high quality. All guitars do feel different even if you are buying the same model, you should test it out yourself.

Everything looks very solid. Good stuff.

Never dealt with customer support, I hope I never have to..and I probably won't with this guitar

No complaints with this guitar. It's solid, smooth, very nice. No complaints. I got this guitar so that I wouldn't have to get a new one when I'm better. I tried msrp 399dollar Strats, and they suck!

It has a mahogany body, maple neck, bound rosewood fingerboard, dot markers, Lo TRS II bridge,locking nuts, 2 humbuckers and a single coil pick ups.(AH1,AS1, AH2). 5 way toggle switch, 1 volume knob 1 tone knob, blackish chrome hardware. Nice size frets, thin neck and thin strat style body, 22 frets.

It suits my music style good. I play alot of rock and metal, pantera, metallica, megadeth, VH. I am playing it thru a peavey bravo 112. and a Jim Dunlop crybaby, and a dod tech 4. Its noisy on the single coil pickup. It has nice sounds except for the bridge pickup. The bridge pickup is muddy. So i am replacing all my pickups with EMG's for flaming demon crunch. it plays really smooth, its perfect for EVH finger tapping.

it was set up from the factory like shit. The action was was terrible. the strings kept buzzing up against the frets. The pickups were way low. The bridge was un even too. the tone knob is a little loose. other than that everything was good on it. I had it set up at the Berkley Music Stand. They really know there shit good. They adjusted everything that could be adjusted. It plays sweeeeeet now.

This axe would definitly withstand live playing. It has fell lots of times out of the little crapy strap buttons. And i rip on it all the time and it stays in tune. So its also very durable too. The jewel blue finish is good enough to last. I would use it on a gig without a backup. The only problem is the hardware. I had it for about 4 months and the hardware started to oxidize and rust. Now a year and a few months later it is lookin like crap, the bridge is turning a blueish black color and around the pickups,the black has totaly rubbed off. Now its chrome. And i recommend getting bigger strap buttons or strap locks.

i e-mailed Ibanez and no response 2 weeks later.

i own my S-470 and a dimebag Washburn, fender stratocaster. If it were stolen or lost i would run out and buy another. i love the thin body and neck and big frets. I compared it to some other jacksons and fenders and other ibanezs. compared to this their necks were like tree trunks. For an overall i would give this piece of lumber a 9. It sounds and plays great. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

A 1997 Model. Jewel blue finish. 22 frets, Rosewood fingerboard, solid mahogany body, Ibanez Lo-trs II bridge(like original floyd), Ibanez Axis pickups HSH config. 5 way switch with 2 pots - vol/tone. I give the features an 9 because there really isn't much more I could want to add to this guitar.

Its sound is very different to my Ibanez RG550. It's not a hotrod tone, but more a Fender stratocaster with a floyed and Humbuckers. Its round. The neck pickup is nice, and I think I'll be leaving it in, but the bridge pickup has a PAF tone. Very little overtones, and a scratchy bass, like going into a Marshall JCM900 head direct with a strat. I'll be changing this pickup in favour of a Dimarzio Tone Zone - Tighter, bassier, and much more overtones. BTW, I play through a Marshall Aniversary LM head and Cabinet and I work my sound around that only. No effects. Considering the size and weight of this 'tiny' guitar, it a wonder it has such bass and full tone. I think it must have something to do with the Mahogony wood of the body. As I said before, I also have an Ibanez RG550 and its body is 2x the size in every respect, and it has a totally thin tone. Its got a Basswood body like the Steve Vai Jems. I definitly prefer Mahogany now!! The 9 I'm giving here would be a definite 10 if it were not for the dodgy Bridge pickups craptone.

The action was what I call good. Not ultra low so you can play fast but not 'feel' the notes, but not too high either - so you have to say little prayers just before taking a bendy solo. The only adjustment I made was to the springs one the Lo -trs II trem. Some crazy bastard had the whole thing lop-sided, so I leveled it out.

The S470, even though looking thin, small and fragile, is really a solid guitar. My main axe is my RG550, and I really only got this for a backup, but slowly though surely, the S470 is becoming my axe of choice. The neck is alot thicker than the RG550's waaaaayyyyy thin original wizard neck.

Ive dealt with the boys at Ibanez a few times before. Ok, I had problem with the finish on my RG550 ( candy apple ), so I sent the body into to the Australian distributer of Ibanez to be replaced. It took 6 months !!! I was appauled! It was replaced with a nice new one, but come on! 6 months is crazy. On the other hand, I have e-mailed Ibanez USA a few times to find out information such as the dates my guitars were made etc.. and they gave me a prompt and thorough reply each time. I'm going to give this 10, even though the screwed me around for 6 months. They will help and most certainly they are willing to answer questions.

Shit, Im going to give it 10. The only gripe I had was with the Bridge pickup, but everyone who hears it says its perfect. The Ibanez S series and beautiful guitars that feel fantastic - especially when standing up with a strap on. The are lightweight and sleek. Don't be put off by the size of them. Plug one in and you'll see what Im talking about when I say the Mahogany compensates for the slim construction. Mahogany rocks!

W/ gig bag, Made in Mid 90's, 22 frets, Mahogany w/ maple neck & rosewood fingerboard, 1 vol, 1 tone, 5 way, HSH, Metalic Blueish, S body style (shaped like PRS but not really), Ibanez Floyd Rose (Lo-Trem III or something?). Gave it a 9 because it doesn't have the accoustic bridge a.k.a. Parker Fly (does anybody really use that screechy piezo garbage? Just get a $69 accoustic guitar used, it will sound better).

I looked at one of these new back in 1996 and was unimpressed by the sound. The other thing I noticed is that the paint on the guitar was still wet (very new & very bad for tone). I compared it to my Fender Lone Star and thought the Fender blew it out of the water. About two months ago I saw one used in a local shop and decided to try again. This particular one was pure magic. The tone was tight and articulate, yet powerful and throaty. The humbuckers sound wonderful and the single coil sounds more like a strat than my Lone Star. The sustain is literally double that of the Fender (honest to God!!). This is the best guitar I've ever heard.

The action was slightly too low when I got it (used). I raised the action just slightly and then changed over from 9's to 10's because thats what I'm used to. If you have never tried a wizard (Ibanez) neck with a Floyd Rose, you should! String bends are much easier and allow you much more expressiveness.

I'm always careful with my stuff and don't live gig often (who am I kidding: NEVER!), so I'm not the best person to ask. I think it will last me a lifetime. It looks very well built.

Didn't try to contact.

I've been playing for at least 8 years and had at least twice that many guitars. I never thought I would say this (and I waited two months for some of the euphoria to wear off), but I think I'm going to sell my Fender Lone Star. I don't see me playing it ever again. Anybody want a 50th anniversary Fender Lone Star?

Great neck/bridge humbucker pickups (not-so-great middle single-coil pickup), 5-way selector, tone control, very nice hard-shell case. Floyd Rose bridge. 22 frets. Great mahogany for incredible sound! You can pull that wammy bar up and push it down pretty far, too! The wammy bar is the kind you can twirl around like Steve Vai and it doesn't strip the nuts or anything (a problem I had with my strat).

This guitar has the best sound i've heard so far in any guitar, probably even better than the Ibanez JS1000. Only reason I can't give it a 10 is that the middle single-coil pickup is really weak and doesn't sound too great at all. But the neck and bridge pickups couldn't get much better, just about as good as the Dimarzio Evolution pickups (which are my favorite).

My action was a tiny bit too high but it was assembled by the store, and it was a piece of cake to fix.

I'd need a backup guitar, but only because of the Floyd-Rose tremolo makes it REALLY hard to replace a string if one breaks. Everything else about the guitar is 100% reliable.

swap the middle pickup and you've got a perfect guitar. Better than the JS1000 (joe satriani signature ibanez) because of the 5-way selector, and the neck is as good as the js1000. The fine-tuners are a LOT easier to work with than the Ibanez RG model. Also it's one of the best looking guitars I've ever seen. I wouldn't mind if it had 24 frets, though.

Features: Locking nut, bridge 'micro-tuners', lo-trsII spring-set tremolo, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, mahogany body, 5-way positions switch, single-coil in neck and bridge position, humbuck in center, 's' body is thin, beveled, and vaguely strat-shaped. The S470 is a model below the S540, the 470 has dot markers instead of the nasty wedges on the neck of the 540; that is why I opted for the 470. It actually has a bit more involved hardware than I normally care for, although it is good hardware... that is why the 8 in this category.

The tone the mahogany body gives is excellent; I have played it simultaneously through the same rig as someone playing a PRS. When we were on note for note, it sounded like one guitar... impressive considering the price difference in the two. Switched to the neck pickup it is rhythm ready; the bridge pickup is brighter, but more mellow -- good for single note and lead work. I play a lot of arpeggiated chords and note work (imagine a mix of classical guitar style with early Cure chez 'Pornography'), the neck and fretboard are a dream. It is quick and easy to play; very forgiving. I run it through Boss stomp-boxes and an Ibanez TS-9 tube screamer into the clean channel of my amp, using a Yamaha REV100 to add reverb. I have been very satisfied with the sound I get from this guitar with this setup.

The body is well made and routed, but the finish near the recessed jack is so thin you can see the wood in a little crescent edge. I forgave this minor flaw and bought it anyway... The set-up and action was adjusted by a guitar tech when I bought it; it has stayed set since though. Overall it is well constructed.

This guitar seems pretty solid, although I would not want to drop it despite the hardshell case... I am pretty much a traditionalist when it comes to guitar design and am not sure I trust all that fancy hardware yet. ; ) I do routinely gig without having a backup. I am more worried about having to change a string on stage than actually having the guitar itself fail.

I think the warranty is a year. The only contact I have had with the company was to date another Ibanez guitar I have. They got back to me quickly, I hope their repair dept is as helpful.

I would like this 'S' body and electronics without the nut lock. I have an Ibanez TC620 that has a bird's-eye maple and rosewood neck that is to die for. I have even thought about trying to switch that neck to the S470, but that would just be asking for trouble. I do like the 'Talman' neck design better than the 'Wizard' design, but the mahogany 'S' body has dreamy tone.