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.

i have an orange ibanez S470 which has 22 frets. I was quite impressed with the standard pickups and have personally no reason to change them. It is also equipped with the super smooth ZR trem, which goes very well with the nice sleek body and the wizard 2 neck. the pickups are in a HSH configuration, which i don't really like because i find the middle pickup sometimes gets in the way of my pick. It has 1 volume knob and 1 tone knob. the hard ware is sort of a black chrome and i like it. there were no extras with the guitar.

the sound is awsome and you can get any sound you want you out of it. as i said the stock pickups are good enough me at the moment but i might change them in the near future with some di'marzios. I use a boss ME-50 and a peavy combo which go well together. i mostly play rock, such as yngwie or randy rhoads and the guitar suits that style very well. so a thumbs up for sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the standard set up was fine and the action was just to my taste. the pickups were all alined very neatly. the trem wasn't as smooth as it was ment to be but a bit of oil and some hard use sorted the problem. the paint contains no flaws and everything was in the proper place.

this guitar will most definetly withstand live playing and the hardware is built to last. the strap buttons are solid and would forget about taking a backup guitar to a gig. the paint is thickly slapped on so it will definetly last.

never dealt with ibanez

this guitar was a fab buy and would certainly buy it again. if anybody stole it i would go and buy another one straight away. my favourite feature is either the wizard neck or the new ZR trem. i also own an old black and red marlin guitar (which is supposed to be quite rare). i am also thinking about buying a jackson RR5 in the black and white pinstripes finish. but i would never think to replace my trusty S470.

I own the ibanez s470ol which was manufactured in 1994 i believe looking at the catalogue from that year. it's a 22 fretter with the same features as are mentioned here by other reviewers.

When i bought the thing it sounded GREAT i mean so so fat and warm.

the guitar was set up at the factory like a dream for all i know but unfortunately my dealer screwed with it and ruined what could have been a beautiful guitar. unfortunately i was the mug to buy it.

this guitar is so useless to play live because if you ever snap a string it will give you a heart attack. The thing takes HOURS to set up and stay solid. The actual build is fantastic in that the guitar feels really tough, but with regard to tuning and intonation - the thing feels as if its on a knife edge.:)

ever try to find a dealer near you??!

i've been playing years and this thing is a piece of sh++. i loved it the minute i played it but the amount of hours i have spent just tuning it and intonating it and wondering why it's not playing right has driven me to hate the bastard. note to ibanez - dont EVER make intonation this difficult ever again. I would like to extend my hand in a welcoming gesture to the guy who sold me this and then kick him square in the knackers.

2004 Ibanez S470 made in Korea. 22 frets, slim Saber body, H/S/H Powersound pickup config with 5-way switching (tapped in pos. 2 and 4), one volume and one tone. Mahogany body, maple neck, rosewood board with jumbo frets and little wavy inlays, locking nut, and the ZR tremolo with a ball-bearing pivot and return-to-zero system. All hardware is Cosmo black, so they call it. The color is a putrid-yet-sparkly satin color Ibanez calls Deep Voilet flat. It's very ugly and initially threatening to the player's masculinity, but grows on ya after a while. A little.

The first thing I did was remove the zero-point system thingie from the trem. It was easy and took about 30 seconds. I normally play big, fat, heavy mahogany guitars with hard tails. I bought this specifically as a shredder, and the last thing I wanted was the zero-point system killing my stupid 80s guitar tricks. No, I wanted this thing to flutter like a butterfly with a head full of acid and scream like a cat with its tail in a meat grinder.

Stock, there's not much to write home about. The Powersound pickups aren't horrible but they certainly aren't good. I replaced the offending components with a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge, and a Breed neck in the...neck. That gave this little axe the extra juice in the flesh balloon that I was after. I left the center pickup alone. I didn't buy the guitar for single-coil sounds - I have a Strat for that.

It's pretty much exactly what you expect from a thin-necked, trem-equipped guitar. A little thin-sounding, a bit light in the chunk /thunk department, and with pretty lousy natural sustain. But for shredding, its great. Harmonics pop out everywhere (even unplugged), it is articulate for speedy single-note runs, the playability is excellent, and then there's the ZR trem...wow, what a trem. Flutters like mad, dive bombs and other stupid whammy tricks are easy fare, and the smoothness and tuning stability is absolutely unbeatable. There are also no knife edges to wear out.

What can I say, it's a great shredder and that is what I bought it for. For the electric guitar world in general, I'll rate it a 6 (and that's being pretty nice), but for a shredder I'll give it a 10. Let's see, that makes...

Korea does great work these days. By and large, the fit and finish are excellent. The paint is ugly but well applied, the neck pocket is super-tight, the inlays are perfectly clean with no filler, the woods are of great quality, and the hardware is all very good high-quality stuff. The only problem? The trem doesn't sit centered in the route. It makes no difference, as the string alignment over the pickups and neck is fine, but it looks a little cheap. Apparently, the route itself is off center but the trem is properly aligned. It could be worse, but in this day and age I'd expect it to be cleaner.

Everything is solid and of good quality. In spite of the slim body, I'm sure it could take a pretty rigorous beating and regular gigging with no problems. Ibanez has a pretty good reputation here.

I won't rate it since I haven't dealt with them, but I'm willing to bet they are about as reponsive as Catherine Zeta-Jones being picked up by...you. Don't kid yourself, that's not very responsive. They say on guitar hang tag that they consider themselves a small, family-atmosphere company. Mmm-Hmm, and last night I was visited by a matzo ball and a potato pancake with a message from God.

For what it is and what I bought it for (a shredder), I can't help but rate it highly. I would definitely buy another, but only if I could get it for the same price. I think the original price on these was around $450-500 street, which for me personally is too much to pay for a guitar just to mess around with when I want to forget about my balding scalp, protruding belly, and hairy back and revisit the the 80s for a while. I have several truly great USA guitars that will always be my main guitars, and I don't expect this one to equal them, but it is a great shreddder.

S1675FM Prestige. (The only differences between the S1675 and S470 are cosmetic. They have the same neck and hardware.) ZR trem bridge, wizard 2 neck, torquoise trans burst FM finish, mahogany woodgrain headstock with pearloid "Ibanez Prestige" logo, pearloid inlay at 12th fret, bound fingerboard and headstock.

I pretty much only play rock, and occasionally a bit of blues so Im not one whos gonna dis the quality of the pu's. Ive been playing for ten years and even though Ive had usa strats and les pauls, I cant complain about the sounds this guitar offers. Ok it might not sustain like a les paul, but to be honest who gives a shit.It does the job. Has to be mentioned that The only time I use effects is in a sequencer when Im recording. So when Ime playing and jamming I actually forget that Ive got nothing going on to help the sound. Now that says something about the sound right there!

Straight off the rack this guitar replaced my notion that a les pauls neck is the most comfortable around. Not any more mr les paul.This is quite simply the most comfortable neck I have ever played on. Nuff said. Mine's the flame top torquoise trans burst model and the finish is beautiful, no flaws, nothing.

Slim, sexy and solid as a rock. That mahogany body really makes you think the guitar was designed just for you, and of course it helps create a pretty damned good overall tone as well.

Never needed them. Sign of a good factory set-up as far as Im concerned.

I've been playing this guitar in the recording studio and live now for about a year. I have quite simply never had a problem with it. The ZR trem unit hasn't gone out of tune (and I do give it some abuse), the neck is the smoothest I've ever played, the pu's are perfectly adequate for 99 percent of guitar genres, (dont listen to the connosiors, they're just perfectionists and the audience generally aren't, and the guitar looks great. I'me getting another one soon as backup. Couldn't reccomend this axe highly enough. Well worth its cost.

1996 model, S-series body is thinner than current models, HSH pickup arrangement with AH2 bridge, AH1 neck, AS1 middle... Floyd bridge, locking nut, 5 way switch, master volume and tone controls.

My wife says it's purple, but I prefer to think of it as it royal blue...

This is supposed to be a shredder, but if you block the trem and lower the pickups slightly out of their optimal range, it becomes one SWEET sounding guitar with tonal textures you might expect from a jazz guitar. I traded for it intending just to have fun, but stumbled upon the pickup settings by accident and I went off in a totally different tangent with it. I've never gone back...

I don't have any idea how it came from the factory and I adjusted the action after blocking the trem anyway. It sets up well and the frets and fretboard don't cause any buzzes. The paint and woodwork seem first rate. I'll give it a high score for the possibility of how it can be set up.

I only play and record at home, so my guitars aren't put through any duress, but this Ibanez seems well enough made that I'd gig with it if I still gigged at all.

For the 3 months I've had it, it hasn't given me the first problem and it IS an 8 year old guitar with all original parts, so I guess it deserves a high score for reliability.

No experience, but I've heard horror stories of people trying to deal with Hoshino.

I've played for 35 years, just as a hobby. I play mostly country and blues with some Southern rock or oldies thrown in. This Ibanez gets used mostly as a strumming rhythm guitar, background tones for other guitars that play leads. Otherwise, it just gets used for fun because it's so easy to play. I liked it enough to buy another new S Series Ibanez with HSS pickups.

i think it was made in about 94 but im not sure as i got it about 2 years ago of a guy from a band called cephas. it has ah1 an ah2 hums an a as1 single. it has 1 volume an 1 tone an a 5 way switch. everything about it plays and feals great the trem holds tuning for months and the neck feels smooth and fast.

this guitar has managed to support every style of music i have thrown at it. i used to play mainly punk and you were able to get that beautifull raw sound out of it especialy when run through my pro co rat. now i mainly use it for emo an funk styles which it handles perfectly. an the single coil makes a great pickup for reggae and ska sounds. and it also handles blues like a dream if this guitar leads itself to anything its blues.

this axe is ultra thin so it sits nicely against your body and has a beautifull low action for those fast solo's. the paint on the guitar is a couple of mm's thick i kno this due to 1 chip that it had from being dropped on the edge of a stage by its privious owner. the pics have a tendency to unscrew but keep an eye on them and its great.

this guitar has never failed me tho i wouldnt gig without a backup because of the floyde rose trem. and the paint jobs tuff as anything.

this guitar is the best axe i have ever played i dunno what u would of got if i didnt buy this an if it got nicked i would go out an replace it straight away tho as the newer model dosnt have the same pic ups i would proberly put in a couple of breeds an a fast track 1

H-S-H config, Floyd Rose bridge, locking nut, 5 way switching, master volume and tone controls, all the rest mentioned above.

I hate the Floyd Rose bridge and blocked it immediately, so I won't count off just because that's my taste, but with sonic qualities this guitar produces, I'll knock off a point because it deserves dual volume and tone controls.

Incredible variance on 5 switch settings without even touching a tone knob. In general, the humbuckers are articulate and slightly brighter than most in the market. The single coil is a great match, being slightly fatter than the center pickup on my Strats.

This guitar is 5 years old and was very well kept. It was mint when I traded for it. I can't comment on the factory setup for this guitar, but I recently bought another Ibanez new and was very satisfied with the setup I received. Somebody is checking things out before they leave. Paint and neck fitting are first rate. Some people complain about the hardware quality of Ibanez guitars, but I don't see why.

I don't gig, just record at home, but if I did gig, I'd never go without a backup, regardless how dependable I thought a guitar was.

I would certainly perform with this guitar if I did it regularly.

No experience, but I've heard stories that Hoshino is hard to communicate with. I don't think I'd try - just go to second market suppliers for parts and not frustrate myself.

This isn't the style of guitar for everyone, but the tonal capabilities will make lots of people who wouldn't look at a shredder guitar stand up and take notice. With the blocked trem, this is worth a LOT more than the price you'd pay for it.

2003 Ibanez S470 BK. Made in Korea. 22 Frets. Pickups are PSNDs in H - S - H configuration. Body is mohogany with maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. The finish on the BK is glossy black, not the flat finish on the S470s. Bridge is the new ZR trem by ibanez. Neck is the Wizard II. Has the wavy line inlays.

I play everything from blues to metal, and so far it's fitting the bill perfectly. The S series is somewhere in between a traditional strat and a total thrash guitar like the RG series. The pickups are ok for stock pickups. They sound better than i thought they would. I mostly play through a V-Amp, and with the 3 pickups, can get a variety of tones. You can get a really nice chunky, slightly overdriven blues sound ala Clapton on the Bluesbreaker album by using the neck humbucker through a clean amp. For pure clean tones the single coil is good. And of course you can get some really nice metal tones on the bridge humbucker. Overall, this guitar sounds great in general. This is my first mohogany guitar, and I can see why people like it, it sounds great.

This guitar was made in Korea, and they did a damn good job. No sloppy work here.

The Wizard II neck is very nice, very fast.

It has the new Floyd Rose-style ZR trem from ibanez, and it rocks! I've never been a big fan of the FR, but this one is nice. Stays in tune for a long time, you really got to work to untune it. It's a lot smoother and more sensitive because it doesn't have a knife-edge. Also, you can do double bends and double-stops without knocking one string out of tune.

Time will tell. Been rock solid so far.

Havn't dealt with Ibanez

Overall, for the money, this guitar is a great deal. It's a very versatile guitar and has some unique tones. I've been playing for about 10 years and have owned a few guitars, my best being a Robin Ranger Custom ($2000 guitar), and the S470 stands up well to it. I really like the thin 'Hog body, it sounds great.

If it were stolen i would go and buy another one pronto. I wish you could get this guitar in a flat black finish instead of glossy. All the other colors are the nice semi-flat finish. If i had the extra money to spend I might spring for the S470DX QM next time for the really nice finish.

Reviewed: 2003 Ibanez model S470, with the deep violet finish, Korean made, I think. It's got a modified strat shape, with the guts accessed through the bottom like a Gibson.
I got a killer deal on this - $325, brand new from Guitar Center, because my local store isn't going to carry the model any longer. Oh well, their loss, my gain. Their mistake. It was their last one, but in absolutely perfect condition. I barely had to adjust the setup at all. Not a scratch on it either. Only thing is, it's not the color I wanted. It's sort of a weird metallic violet/dark blue, depending on the light. Not as bad as it could've been though. The finish is solid, and fingerprint resistant even.
I'd wanted an S470 ever since I saw one over 10 years ago - I thought the thin sleek body was just darn sex-ay. When I saw the new ones with the ZR bridge, especially the ones with the cool "flare orange" finish, I figured it was time to finally get it.
Well, they apparently stopped making the flare orange finish, so I guess maybe it wasn't popular anyway.
This thing has some serious weight - don't let the skinny body full you. You can tell it's mahogany ! The back of the neck sports a satin clear finish, which is the best IMO, and the fingerboard plays unbelievably fast. I had an RG4xx or RG5xx about 10 years ago, I didn't really care for the feel of it all that much.
The fretboard was like a 2 x 4 with speed bumps. This neck is also wide, but it seems to accomodate my hand better for some reason. Maybe because they're not trying to squeeze 24 frets on it. I dunno. It just plays really well, without being too wide or the frets being too big.
This guitar practically plays itself. It is, by far, the "fastest" and easiest playing guitar I have ever owned. Period. I love it ! I got the biggest sh*t eating grin on my face when I got it home and started really playing it. Now I know why all the Major guitar "shredders" and virtuosos play on Wizard and Wizard II necks. This one is a Wizard II.
The new Zero Resistance "tremolo" (I hate that, it's a vibrato, not a tremolo, bridge, -Gee, thanks for creating the eternal confusion on this, Leo !) is sweet. It has a hipshot type "return to zero" mechanism in the back of the guitar where the block is that helps it return to pitch better than a stock Floyd, but even better is that Ibanez has done away with the 2 point fulcrum, which despite usually being case-hardened steel would eventually wear away, with a horizontal hinge type of assembly. It's one of those things that make luthiers slap their foreheads and go, "why didn't I think of that ?".
It might not feel exactly quite as "responsive" as a traditional Floyd Rose to some people, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It feels just fine, I think.
Pickup config is standard humbucker/single coil/humbucker.
If Ibanez offered a choice of HSH or HSS, I'm not really sure which I'd go for - I used to feel that a neck humbucker is just useless mud, but this one sounds really nice for clean, mellow jazz, so I'm not sure which I'd prefer now, honestly.
Some models of this guitar, according to Ibanez, also feature piezo pickups, but I've never seen this anywhere. Ah well, that's what I have my Parker for.
The input jack is very nicely placed on the face of the body at a slight angle, which keeps the cord out of the way yet easily accessible for switching guitars or cables. When you plug in there's a very definite solid "click", and you can tell right there and then that this guitar is very well built.

I play a number of styles, ranging from progressive rock to heavy rock to jazz and fusion, so this guitar suits me very well - for the most part, it is versatile enough that it will very likely be my new main axe, and I could easily use it 75% of the time or more.
I play through a rack setup, a slightly modified Digitech 2112 (with the 2120 chip mod, and some NOS tubes to replace those mushy, lifeless budget Sovteks that it ships with), then through a Mesa 20/20 tube power amp and into my Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinet. The stock sounds on the 2112 pretty much bite, which is a shame because it has the capability to be one badass sounding amp !
The pickups, a HSH type configuration, are not bad at all. They're not fantastic either, but, I manage to pull some very nice harmonics out of the bridge PU. It definitely has some character, in that tt sounds a little more like my Les Paul than my Parker P38, probably due to the mahogany body though. . The neck PU is very good when playing clean and doing some Wes Montgomery/Joe Pass style jazz, and with the right amp settings (your mileage WILL vary), it does a nice impersonation of a semi-hollow. What this guitar can't do, of course, is a good strat impersonation, outside of using the middle single coil pickup. That's very good for those nasal kind of tones, but for a screaming, biting, Hendrix or SRV kind of sound, well, I may look into getting some DiMarzios where I can split the coils. I love DiMarzio Evolutions - thank you Steve Vai !
Lastly, the acoustic tone of this guitar is fantastic, often a good indicator of whether a guitar is going to sound good amplified or not (but not always - Les Paul's sound tinny to me unplugged)
This guitar is the best sounding, acoustically, of any guitar I've heard with the possible exception of my parker, but then, Parkers have an acoustic chamber in them, so that's cheating ! :-)

The guitar required no real setup from me, it played like a dream right off the rack. I tested every string and fret for dead spots before I bought it, and found nothing off. Everything is extremely solid, unbelievably so for the money I paid for it. The S470 will last a lifetime, I have no doubt.
The only problem is with the bottom (heavy) E-string, if you don't finger it carefully, and depress it from directly above, it tends to slide off the fingerboard rather easily, and of course you lose your note. This is a little bit annoying, but not too hard to rectify with a little improvement in playing technique.
I'm not going to comment on pickup height, that's just silly and easily adjustable. Suffice it to say they're fine.

It may be thin, but it's built like a tank. I think it could take anything I throw at it.
The best word to describe it is "solid".
The new ZR bridge has the ability to remain in tune should a E, B, or G string break, so it actually has more dependability than your usual Floyd Rose equipped shredder. I hope not to have to test that out too often though.

No idea.
Unlikely I'd go to Ibanez anyway, I usually work on my own guitars, unless it's something really major.
Warranty is 1 year.

I've been playing for 25 years, I've currently got a Les Paul Studio from '90, a Parker P38, some Yamaha acoustics, and I play through a modified Digitech 2112/Mesa 20/20 and Marshall 4x12 cabinet.
I have an extremely flexible setup, tonewise, and that tends to really showcase a guitar's versatility - or lack thereof.
If I lost this axe or it got stolen, I'd have to get another. Maybe I'd hunt for one with the orange finish, although the pewter looks pretty cool too. I used to have a Japanese made Fender strat, the HRR model with the Floyd, humbucker, etc, it was nice at first but soon refused to stay in tune, the frets wore badly, and though I like strats, I decided it was time to get a guitar that had always intrigued me. I also like the fact that it doesn't have binding around the fingerboard, I hate that.
Two things would make it the perfect guitar: split-coil humbuckers, (easy enough to remedy), and piezo pickups built into the body or bridge somewhere for those acoustic tones. But I'm extremely happy with this guitar.

Bought in 2003, Korean made. 22 jumbo frets, 1 tone, 1 volume, 5 ways selector. H, S ,H config. Ibanez made pickups. Mahogany body, rosewood fret board, stunning. Strat like body style, but much nicer. Floyd-rose stylt bridge 'ZR tremolo'. Locking tuners. Thin neck. No extras came with guitar.

Moving on from a tele squire to this is a big change in sound quality. First off you've got the bridge and neck humbuckers. I would say the bridge pickup is the weaker of the two. Unless you have it completely over-driven it can sound a bit ordinary. Certainly no les paul growl here - im planning on changing it soon. The neck pickup is obviously bassier, but you can get a good clean sound out of it if you want - good for ratm, although I prefer to solo on the bridge pickup, simply because of its extra bite. The single coil is acually not bad. You wont be getting your telecaster twang so much as a clean rich sound. Keep it clean though, -ideal for stairway. Most of the time I play it through a pod xt and into a pair of speakers. Using this you can get most sounds, but you will come up short on your highway to hell solo. All in all very good for the price. There doesn't seem to be a section for playability, the most important the thing here, so ill add it here. Brilliant. The neck is brilliant. Smooth, brilliant to move over. I keep going into shops looking for a second guitar, but there's nothing. Strats are slightly cumbersom by comparison, les pauls, also lacking slighly in finess, although it does make some back up with the feel good factor. Rating this as playability and sound together.

Intonation not quite in, and its a bitch to fix with old floyd sitting there. Pickups arn't at perfect angle now, but i think they were fine when i got it. No flays anywhere on the guitar, beutifully put together. Frets perfect, pickup switch great still, controls still with a good weight behind them - feel like they'll last. Great effort!

I have no reason to doubt it for a live gig. I've had no cutting out or any variation in sound coming out of it. It seems to be built to last. It doesnt seem the lightest guitar so id recomend strap locks - though ive never dropped while playing like a twat. I'd always have a backup with this guitar, and any guitar with a floyd rose, sue to the fact that it takes about 4/5 minutes to change a string - mind you it wont EVER go out of tune. I only use the tuning pegs to tune once a month or so (the rest of the time you use the fine tuners on the bridge). But if strig breakages wern't an issue I'd use it without a backup. Strangly, and largly due the the fact that the strings get clamped in the the bridge, the strings that have broken most are the high E and the D string!?! A bit strange, but since string breakages are rare, i dont really care!

Never used it

I've been playing for 8 years now, im nineteen and this guitar is great. Probably if im thinking with my head id go for a similarly priced Ibanez RG. The floyd is better I think. But the S470 looks better, plays brilliantly, and really rocks. Mine's bright orange so it looks stunning. It is currently my only eletric guitar. I am son to buy a gibson les paul studio, and im going to buy the same bridge pickup as joe satriani so the ibanez. With those to and the pod, theres nothing else you will EVER need. Of course an SG looks interesting, so does that new PRS soapbar...

NA

The most versitile guitar on the planet! The pickups sound fine, but I did replace my neck and bridge pu. I put a Dimarzio PAF PRO in the neck and a Dimarzio Tone Zone in the bridge. GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY!! Hold on to your damn guitar boyz, because with this pickup configuration, it's totally amazing. OH MY GOD, THE TONE!!!!!!!!!! With an all mahagany body, in the neck it's as good as ANY Les Paul, and in the bridge, it's a brutal force of shred-city!!! Of course my Marshall helps!

Flawless

Perfect! This guitar is rock solid!

Everyone know that customer support at Ibanez sucks shit! I have played Ibanez now since the mid 80's, and I have never had any luck with their support. Their guitars rule the world, but their support blows! I have tried to call, left messages, and i have NEVER had a call back. Of course, it was questions about their other guitars, and not about ones I had. If the support was there, Ibanez may just sell more guitars, and they'd be the best out there, IMO of course.

I own this S470, and a slew of RGs. It is a great guitar. If it were stolen, I'd go buy two. One to play and the other to dig the theif a grave with!

Umm.. well.. A lot of people have already said what is to be said about the S470s features, but id like to point out the ZR locking trem and the supersleek body.. Neat.

I play progressive metal and so far ive been all about gibsons. And when i decided to check out a superstrat kind of axe i dodnt want to spend to much money or buy some cheapass crapguitar (Squier and such) so the S470 stood out as a very good compromise. The first thing that came to my attention was the fizziness of the bridge pickup. Now remember that my main axes so far have been gibsons and I got no real experience with anything but Les Pauls and SGs... But like i said. Through my Marshall DSL100 it sounded a bit fizzy. Not bad, but not so meaty as i would like to. The cleansound on the other hand with the middle and or the upper p.up was really suprising! Still not exactly "great" but more than enough omph an nuance for anything live! It is very versatile and for its price id say that it really keeps its promises, but ill still change the p.ups for DiMarzios. Id this was any other guitar but an Ibanez id go for Gibson or Seymoure Duncan P.ups but i feel that the DiMarzios are more "correct"... I know its dumb but.. you know.. um.. no you dont, right? well nevermind.. Ill get DiMarzios.

So far ive never used any other effect but wahwah. But when playing this i feel its ok to just try anything! Im going buckethead-vai-batshit-insane with it. Never had som much fun in my life although its quite a strain on the rest of my band when i never stop widdling about in all the exotic modes i know as fast as i can when i use so much effects that nodbody can hear what im playing anyway... But hey... Verses and chorus are just wasted time between solos!

I though Les Pauls and SGs had good action. And i still do. But ill never think of any gibson as "fast" again... Goddammit i can really blast out notes at a million miles per hour on this muckerfother! The gibsons definetly have a lot more sustain, but i dont really feel like doing gary moore on this anyway.. The factory set up was OK, but i cant help but tweaking my guitars ever so slightly no matter how close to perfect they might be when i get them. Im glad nobody saw me when i tried to work out how everything on the trem worked and so on. I was mostly poking the guitar at ramdon with a screwdriver for fifteen minutes before i took it to a tech and got him to show me what all this tech-nuh-logye works. Ill crap my pants when i try to change the pickups. The guitar is not that hi-tekkurumashi, but my brain is set at lo-tech..

Cant really say anything about the durability or the reliability of the wiring, but its not noisy or loose so far... and if it happens it does not really bother me much. It always feels good when you buy some really cool or really high quality replacement-stuff for your guitar!

Finish?

Cool flat, flaked orange, but not by far as beautiful as my LP honeyburst grade AAA flametop. But cool. just cool. I dont think it will last for ages, but for this price i dont care... I recon ill get an S1620 soon anyway...

Otherwise there is nothing worth mentioning.. Great shit for low cash.

No clue...

But ill have a backup since its a locking trem and if i break a string ill need a backup since its impossible to change and tune a new string during a gig. but i like to show off my collection anyway...

No clue

I own A Marshall DSL100 with a 1960 4x12 cab. A crybaby wah and thats it. My other guitars are LPs and SGs and some acoustics.

If it was lost id definetly get a new one. Maybe a top of the range since i now know that its such great value.

I Love it. You should go get one.

I bought it new, so probably made in 2003, Where I don't know, probably Korea. 22 frets, rosewood fretboard, maple neck (i think) body wood, don't know. Finish is nice, kinda a purpleish/blue color. Has 3 p/u's, HSH config. 5 way switch, which works like this, first position; bridge hb, second position; inside half of hb and middle single coil, 3rd position; single coil, 4th position; inside half of neck hb and single coil, 5th position; neck hb. These pickups are what Ib. calls "Powersound" (Not bad, but not great.)I have read some of the reviews below, and it seems this guitar has come in many different configurations over the years, so if you buy an older one it may not be anything like this one. The tremelo system on this guitar is what they call"Z-something or other" I can find no information at the Ib. site explaining this thing. Altho not to hard to figure out, I guess it is so new they have not updated site yet. It is a locking system on the order of FR type. It works great, keeps the guitar in tune after some serious trem action.

My style is a little bit of everything and a whole lot of nothing. Position 1 is very mid rangey HB sounding (good) Pos 2 is sorta strat sounding (good) Pos 3 is Single coil sounding (good, but not as good as my strat, in that it hasn't that bellish ringing quality) pos 3 nice thin sorta stratie sounding of the same position, Pos 4 bassy necky sounding (good) A lot of variety here, but I bet it would sound better with a pickup upgrade, and give even more variety.

Pickups were a little low, but everything was right for my taste, no flaws, no scratches in finish. I love the neck feel. Everything on this guitar is very good quality, even the pickups, for the price I paid for this guitar

Very solid guitar should last a lifetime. I took it to the job last week. It was wonderful to play live.

Been playing music since 1959. I am not a guitar player per se, but a musician. I play a little bit of a lot of instruments, as opposed to a lot of one instrument. Played professionally for 25 years then I got too old, so now I just play in Church on sundays, and in my studio. I am more into producing and recording these day. My overall impression of this guitar, comparing it to the ones I own and have played (Strat, Tele, SG, Omen 06, lp copy, G3, double fat strat)
A very nice solid guitar for the price. It has a good variety of sounds altho none really great, they are usefull. It is light on the shoulder, nice to hold and easy to play. With an upgrade in pickups this guitar would be a great one. I would recommend this guitar to anyone wanting a medium priced versital guitar. My personal favorite sound on this guitar is the first position, bridge hb, a great midrangey, honkey, clear, bright hb sound.

year unknown looks like new,bought used at gc.made in japan at ibanez custom shop.nothing like of the rack stuff..although very expensive.has a very very thin laminate of flamed maple on mahogany body,with drk aqua blue/greenburst finnish,custom made inlay at 21 fret[22 fret model]bound rosewood wizzard neck hi med wde fret wire blk chrome lo profile floyd rose,5 way p.u switch,real abalone cats eye inlays,some kind of Q TYPE P.U S .

the set up was good off the get-go but i still tweaked it to my taste.guitar doesnt seem to like heavy strings it seems best with 09-46 set.stock p.u sounded a bit mid heavy and very powerful but not to muddy.still I put in reissue gibson paf plus pickups in sounds amazing!for anything from texas blues to satch to ej to eddie I cant ask for more. havent hhad any problems with the black chrome and as for the plastic covers on the back not being countersunk,it would haave looked nice but if you look carfully,if they were they would not clear the tremblock or switch/pot assemblie.

guitar is flawless ,finnish is great hardware great there is nothing I don"t like about this guitar.,fully shielded internals,best neck Ive had.I have been playing for around 37 years and have had more than 150 guitars ,this is in the top 10 and the best for shred stuff made.

only possible danger point is sharply pitched joint at point where neck joins headstock .treat it like a set neck gibson and it shoud be fine [no gig bags,hardshell only]I have a simular customshop model allmost like this that hopefully i can get before someone else snags it up also only used it through marshalls so cant comment on its tone through other amp brands clean or dirty it sounds great .

have not needed it yet......

SEE ABOVE. UNFORTUNATELY I DON"T THINK IT WILL BE EASY TO REPLACE.I LOVE IT AND WISH I HAD MORE WITH SOME DIFFERENT PU CONFIGERATIONS 3SINGLE COILS 2 HUMBUCKERS ETC ETC... KOREAN MADE ARE NOTHING LIKE IT.ALL THE JAPANESE ONES SEEM PRETTY GOOD.

korea, HSH, black

the bridge was a floyd rose, very not good at all trem system, so i replaced it. I filled the void with zebra wood and implemented a schaller bridge. this bridge is awesome and is hundreds times better then the floyd rose.

the neck is awesome

with the new bridge i got a better sound, but i could have been the fact that it says in tune now. I mainly play on the neck pu. i play doom melodic rock (ie: kyuss, neurosis, isis, yob)
im buying new humbucker for this guitar soon, probably replacing the bridge pickup

there is a buzz on E A D G strings and its pissing me off, im getting a new nut, and a tune up, it will go away.

never had this happen befor everything else is great i love the shape and feel of the guitar, it would be awesome if ibanez did a cream inlay around the entire body.

no problums with reliability or durability

i like this guitar but it defenity needs some work if you want it to be "great", i definitly suggest replacing the bride with a schaller soild bridge you will not be dissapointed.

2003 Made in Japan. 22 Jumbo frets. solid mahgany body. 5 way selector switch. one volume one tone. HSH pickup configuration. maple neck. flat blue metalic "lava" finish. ZR trem bridge. 25 1/2 scale neck with rosewoood fingerboard.

I'm not one for trying to describe what a guitar sounds like(bright, lots of tone, whatever) i just know this axe sounds great playing rock, heavy metal or anything with loud massive distortion, haven't had this guitar very long so i haven't done much but run it through my zoom 9050. i can't give a really extensive review yet on sound quality.

i've never bought a guitar that was set up well at the factory but i like my action low and fast and always readjust from what the factory has it set to. the pickups were set up fine but i lower the middle pickup as low as it can go as it's right in my picking path(personal thing). i did not expect the finish to be what i thought when i ordered this guitar from musician's friend i had played the same model at the music store but with a different finish, and when it first came i wasn't all that impressed with the look of the finish but realized that after handling this thing for awhile that there were no obvious finger prints that you get with a high gloss polished finish and i decided that i really liked that alot. everything seems to be built and put together really well on this axe.

I haven't had this guitar very long so i really can't rate this area yet but it seems pretty solid even though it kinda looks small and light. the finish on the body of this thing seems like you could take a jackhammer to it before it would come off. it's an ibanez they seem to have a pretty good rep for well built guitars, and if it's good enough for the Satch-miester(Joe Satriani)then what else is there?

Haven't delt with Ibanez customer support but i here it's not really great. i got this through musicians friend i think with a 1 year warranty.

Overall i can honestly say this is the best guitar I've ever owned so far and i've played and owned just about ever different kind of guitar you can imagine from the cheap knock off crap to Gibsons & Fenders. I've been playing about 15 years or so mostly rythm and just now finally getting into lead stuff. when i first picked up this axe at the music store and played it i knew this was the axe i've always wanted, it could have few changes to fit my personal taste but this is the one that gave me instant wood and that's only happend with one other guitar i've ever played. i think my favorite feature on this guitar is the Zero Return bridge i never liked the floyd rose or any of the "floating" style tremelo's but this thing absoulutely kicks ass. it's still a pain in the ass to string up and more parts to it but it's finally worth the trouble because when you get this thing set up and the strings broke in and lock it down... you can whammy the crap out of it and it will stay in tune! i know some guys won't like the feel of this trem as it works a little different from the standard floyd rose stuff. the neck is also great on this thing it fits my hand perfect. if i could change something about this guitar i would have this same model except the bridge pickup would be a single coil instead of a humbucker but as far as i know ibanez doesn't offer this guitar with a SSH pickup configuration with the ZR Bridge

2003, 22 Frets, Solid Top, Volume and tone controls, H/S/H Pickup config, Grey Pewter (amazing!), Floyd Rose, Locks, Jumbo Frets.

I play anything from Heavy metal to Pink Floyd solos on this guitar, It preforms amazingly. I use an Ibanez TB100R 100 Watt Amp, and Boss Effects. Anything from a rich full, low-end sound, to crisp sound. It's extremely versitile. I dislike nothing about this guitar!!!

Factory setup was great, everything was adjusted fine when i got it, i just tuned it, and played! EXCELLENT FINISH!!! It's virtually impossible to notice any finger prints of andything on the body, this is one of the best finishes they make. Nothing wrong with the guitar at all.

This guitar plays like a dream live, It has a flat fretboard, superfast, and the finish will last FOREVER!. I would definitly use this without a backup, it's amazing! It kicks Ass!!

I havent had to deal with them for problems with this guitar, but they are great, Easy to talk to, and they know what there talking about.

I've been playing guitar for about 3 years now, I also own an Epiphone Les Paul, a Fender Strat, a Ibanez GRX200 Bass, and Kramer Forum II Bass, Ibanez Artcore Acoustic/electric, and Ovation Acoustic/Electric. I would definitly buy the same exact guitar if it was stolen or anything happened to it. I compared it to the Epiphone Les Paul after i bought it, i lked the Epiphone, but not as much as the Ibanez. (i bought the Epiphone anyways). Next purchase for me will be a Gibson Les Paul (my wallet: Ouch!!!)

Mine's a 2001, the last year they made em' in Black with the "seagull" inlays before they went to Red Rock Flat, The Purple color, and the dark Grey. The 2003's will feature a Black model with a new kind of Trem System( which is good because the Lo-Trs isn't very good ).
It's a 22-fret guit. with a super-thin Mahogany Body, Maple neck, and Rosewood fretboard. The pickups are arranged in a H-S-H configuration with a 5-way switch. It has One Volume and One Tone Control; simple and just the way I like it! The electronics are passive. The body style is a Double Cutaway, similar to a Strat, but WAY more comfortable. In terms of ergonomics, this Guitar is State-of-the Art. The neck-joint is Ibanez's "All Access" model which is probably the best you will ever find for a bolt-on.
The construction is tight throughout. The frets are set and dressed nicely, and the neck-joint is super-tight. The paint job is rich and glossy with no visible "dimples". Even though it is a Korean Ibanez( the Japanese versions are more highly sought by Ibanez fans ), the construction is just as good if not better than any production model guitar on the market today.

As far as I'm concerned, if you want to play heavy rock, you need a Guitar made from Mahogany or Basswood. These two woods produce very warm tones which stand up great under Hi-Gain conditions. This guitar even manages to make the Ibanez pickups sound bearable, and that is no small feat.
Speaking of pickups...let's just say that it is NO secret that Ibanez isn't known for making the best pups. It's not that they are terrible, it's just that they don't really bring out the best qualities of the instruments that they are installed in. But to be fair, what stock pickups in production-model guitars by any other company do?
Bottom line: Acoustically, the S is a very resonant and rich-sounding guitar considering it's slim body. Just upgrade the pickups to models of your particular liking, and you'll make a great guitar even better!

Setups are a breeze on this guitar. You raise or lower the strings by adjusting the Trem using an allen wrench. Pickups are adjusted like any other guitar with pickup rings; no big deal. The tuning keys are solid and adjustable for tightness as well. Ibanez has been accused of crappy wiring, but my pickup selector and volume/tone pots are as quiet as any guitar I've ever heard.
I use heavy strings( 11's ), and I have NO PROBLEM sliding up and down the neck on this baby. The Ibanez Neck is a gift from the Guitar Gods to us mere mortals; not even a Jackson Soloist is faster.
My only gripe in this Department is the Trem. The LO-TRS should never have seen the light of day. It feels stiff and un-natural. Ibanez is known the world-over by guitarists for the EDGE Trem, and they should put one on EVERY locking-nut Guitar they sell, PERIOD.
Luckily, the routing cavity and posts will support the EDGE, and I have already retrofitted one in there! You can find them on Ebay, or order one from an Ibanez Dealer; no problem. With the EDGE TREM, this guitar is an easy "10". But this review is for the stock instrument, so therefore...

It's a thin-bodied Guitar, so avoid doing the "Neck Bend Wrestling"-thing, and you should be O.K. A hardshell case is always a good investment as well if you plan to travel with this Axe.
Also, invest in some Strap-locks. These are a MUST for any guitar that is going to see the stage.
This guitar is tougher than it looks, and I have no qualms about depending on it to get the job done. Just remember; when you use a locking-nut Trem-system, ALWAYS have a backup on standby! That's common knowledge, but who knows; maybe some youngin' is reading this.

Never dealt with em', but my Ibanez Dealer is the tops! I can get any part I might need through them, and they take care of repairs in-house.

I've been around the bend with guitars, searching for what works best for me, and I've found that what works best for me is an Ibanez Guitar with a Wizard neck. My quest is over. I guess I'm lucky that way, and I can just get on with PLAYING. The only thing that has changed is that I've decided that the RG-550 is the right Ibanez for me. It's the only pro-line Ibanez that has a Maple fretboard, and I love the "Vintage Look" of a pickguard.
The S470 is a great value, and with the proper pups and an EDGE trem, you'll be good to go! My S470 currently serves as my Backup Axe.

Judging from the serial #, I would guess mine to be made sometime in 1998. It was one of the last years they made BLACK S470's with the new, "seagull" inlays( The BEST inlays ever used on production-line S-series ). It's got a Mahogany Body, Maple neck, and Rosewood fingerboard w/ 22 frets. Ibanez uses GREAT frets IMHO; they're somewhat thick and rounded, but not too tall, and they make sliding up and down that SMOOOOOTH-backed Maple neck ever-so-easy! :)
The neck profile is a "Wizard 2", and I don't know how it compares to a regular Wizard neck, but it works just fine for me! People listen up; I've owned and played on just about EVERY brand of guitar in existence, and I can tell you for a FACT that no production guitar company makes a better-feeling, faster-playing neck than Ibanez, PERIOD!
The S-470 is configured in an H-S-H setup with a 5-WAY switch, allowing you to blend or select pickups to taste. The tilt-back headstock sports 6 In-line tuners with a Locking-Nut below the 1st Fret. The Bridge is the Ibanez "LO-PRO TRS 2" which is similar to a Floyd Rose.
I bought mine used, but in very good condition off of E-BAY with an Ibanez Hardshell Case.

The S470 is CAPABLE of many good sounds, and a couple of great sounds. Depending upon what kind and brand of pickups you use, this is a great sounding guitar that excels at crunchy rhythm, hot leads, and warm cleans. The mahogany body helps bring the warmth and chunk factor, while the maple neck helps give good string-attack.
I wish Ibanez would take the hint from the many guitarists who write reviews here, and leave the pickup-making to someone ELSE! The stock pickups are rather noisy for humbuckers, and the single coil lacks tonality as well as sufficient output. They aren't horrid per-se;just bland. The neck pickup has this bad habit of turning every distortion sound in my Rocktron into "Cinnamon Girl" by Neil Young.
In short; replace the pups, and you'll have an excellent-sounding guitar. My "10" rating is for the guitar with replacement Pups. It would be more like a "7" with the stock pups.

The action is my favorite part of this guitar; it just feels like an extension of my hands and fingers! This is a common feeling with me in regards to most Ibanez guitars though, and it is due primarily to those righteous Ibanez necks! Nothing feels or plays better as far as I'm concerned. Ibanez should also be commended for their ability to be CONSISTENT from guitar to guitar. Even their lower-priced models are generally set up well, and the frets are nicely dressed.
One place the S470 suffers is the electronicsThey don't use the best wiring and pots, and when you combine that with the aforementioned stock pickups, you should plan on new pups and wiring as a "must-have" upgrade.
The other bad apple on this guitar is the Trem. Ibanez should just put the Edge Pro Trem on EVERY locking-nut Guitar they make! The Lo Pro isn't as bad as SOME Floyd knockoffs I've tried, but the arm-attachment system tends to create unwanted "play" in the action. Those who know what I'm talking about can relate. You go to create a subtle bend in your note or chord, and the arm "moves forward" before catching the trem and moving IT forward; a total pain in the ass! The Ibanez EDGE Trem does NOT do that, and it is EASILY the best locking-nut Trem in production today.
The neck joint is tight, and the cutaways offer easy access to the upper registers. The finish is glossy and applied evenly. With an EDGE trem and better pups/wiring, this guitar would be an easy "10".

Even though the S470 has a very thin body compared to other electrics, it still feels and plays like a solid guitar. The "S" has been in the Ibanez line for almost 20 years now, so obviously they are great, well-built guitars that players love. Just make sure you have a hardshell case for storage and touring, and you should be alright. And of course; ALWAYS have a backup when playing with a double-locking trem system!!!
If you're playing live without some sort of straplock system, then expect your guitar to hit the floor at some point, regardless of WHAT brand it is!

I've never dealt with Ibanez directly, but my dealer can get whatever parts I might need, and perform any services I might require. Ibanez offers a decent 1-year warranty.

As much as I love the S470, I've decided that the RG-550 is the guitar for me. The RG has the EDGE trem, a pickguard( which I LOVE ), and it is the only high-end Ibanez with a MAPLE fretboard( which I also love and prefer ).
If I can retrofit the S470 with an EDGE trem, I will keep it as my backup axe. If not, then I will have TWO RG-550's! MWUHAHAHAHAAAA!
Still, for what the S470 is, it is a very good guitar that plays like buttah'! Replace those pups and wiring, and you're good to go!
It's also one of the BEST-LOOKIN' guitars out there too! :)

Before I go, I'd like to share my TREM-TIP with everyone:
Okay, one thing I absolutely HATE about locking trems is having to trust those allen wrench-tightened slots that are supposed to secure your strings inside the trem! Where does the majority of "string-breakage" take place on a locking-trem guitar? That's RIGHT; down there in those damn slots, because the string popped-out! Well here's the cure:
Next time you change strings, remove the trem from the cavity and,
1) Use the allen wrench to UNSCREW completely those "nuts" that lock the string(s) into place on the inside of the trem. Once they're unscrewed all the way, you can use the tip of a pocket knife to pull out the little square-shaped pieces that clamp down on the string.
2) Once those are out, put the trem back in the cavity and re-attach the springs.
3) You should now have Six( or seven if you play a 7-string ) eyelets on the trem that you can PULL A FRESH STRING THROUGH. On a new string, go to the top of the string and BEND IT UP a little bit. You should now be able to run it through the empty hole you just created by removing those "Allen Wrenched String-Locks". Pull the string all the way through, until the "EYE" of the string locks in place, where the Allen Wrench Screws USED TO BE.

This little trick makes your Trem WAY more stable, and will help reduce string breakage. If anyone has any questions about the procedure, please get in touch with me!

It's the standard S470. H-S-H pickups. Low profile Floyd rose, etc.

First of all, I must say that I haven't had a locking trem guitar in many moons. I had bad experiences with them in the eighties. (My main axe is an Ibanez AS80 semi-hollow body). I am currently playing in a funk/reggae/soul band and i wanted something more versatile sounding. I use it through a danelectro compressor, Boss V wah, Digitech Tone Driver and Hot Rod through a Peavey Transtube 212RFX amp. I am growing to like this guitar through my rig. I suspect a person who likes to plug directly into an amp without effects might not like it so much.

I bought it used and had 0.010s put on it. I actually play better with this guitar due to it's neck and feel.

Lo-TRS II Floyd Rose Trem, 22 frets, H/S/H pickups, 5 way pickup selector, Volume and Tone pots, locking nut, black chrome hardware

I play HEAVY metal!! I have 5 springs on the bridge because I use .13-.65 strings (custom set, some are bass strings). My band tunes on drop A (A E A D F# B) And this guitar delivers!! The pickups are incredible. I used to think that the single coil was quite unresponsive, but I've since learned the whole point of the pickup. It's really only there to enhance some tones when combined with either of the humbuckers. I only use the bridge humbucker, and the setting right next to it which uses half the bridge humbucker and the single coil (BEAUTIFUL for clean effects) The neck pickup has SOOO much bass, it's not even funny. If I was tuned standard, I would surely use it. I play through a Peavey Bandit 112 combo that's pushing a crate 412 cab, and using either of them humbuckers on a clean effect, I SMOKE my bass player. The pickups have an amazing range. A 10 isn't high enough as far as I'm concerned.

staright from the factory (when I played on E and D) it was dead on. I adjusted the action and the truss rod to my liking, though it really wasn't needed. After converting to the heavey gauge string set, I had to rework everything on the guitar, but it still holds the tuning EXTREMELY well. I thought I'd hafta get a baritone guitar, but this guitar does what I need. The finish simply glows. It's beautiful. After playing out with this guitar and beating the $hit out of it, it still looks beautiful and holds up to all my abuse well.

I gig with this guitar, and I play HARD. It still perfroms like it did when I bought it. The Black Chrome hardware kinda pissed me off, because it seems like when you touch it, the black fades, but that's all I can really complain about. The strap buttons were small as hell, but I swapped them out for strap-locks, and they seem to hold pretty well. I tighten them up like every other week, just to keep them snug, but that's about it.

I don't think I'll ever need to use it, this thing is SOLID!!

I've been playing for about 8 years, and this is the best thing I've bought to date. I play out frequently and it's my only electric, so you can see I trust it. (I sold my other guitar when I bought this one because I simply didn't need it anymore). If it were stolen or lost, I'd die, because I don't have the funds to get another one. The ONLY thing I wash it had that it doesn't is active electronics, but with the versatility of the OE pickups, it almost seems unnecessary. I HIGHLY recommend this guitar to anyone and everyone looking to get bang for their buck, because this guitar delivers1500 dollar quality for a third of the cost.

Quite a bit of features. 2 H, 1 SC pickups, mahogany body, floyd rose tremolo.

Sounds better than other Ibanez guitars in same price range, such as RG. But that's not saying much. You can buy many other guitars in this price range that are better sound-wise and in other ways.

Bad, bad, bad. Pickups too low, strings too high, I can't get some frets to stop buzzing no matter what. Horrible bridge.

Bridge is made of weak metal that breaks easily. I have broken off the screw that clamps down on the string just by tightening it, without turning it very hard. It is like it is made of rubber. Very awful choice by Ibanez. Very awful. This has happened twice on this same guitar. I sold the guitar to some poor fool on eBay.

Take forever to send the new part, and charge too much for it. Nothing on their website to help anyone. They charge for catalogs - what a bunch of crap. Never responded to some e-mails.

I've been playing over 6 years. This guitar bites very bad. I'm glad I got most of my money back selling it on eBay, and now have a much better guitar that doesn't break all the time. Stupid Ibanez.

1999 S470, Left handed, manufactured in Korea. 22 fret, H/S/H pickup configuration re-fitted with DiMarzio pick ups. Mahogony body, shiny jet black finish. Floyd Rose type bridge. Gotah tuners. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.

I prefer an EVH, Hendrikx type sound, but this guitar does not deliver in that catagory. The S470 has a very modern, metal type sound to my ear and is be great for todays' heavy overdriven/rectified sounds. I really dislike the middle single coil pickup as it sounds awfully thin. I'm rating the sounds verse my 75 Les Paul, G&L Legacy and G&L ASAT Deluxe and in my opinion it doesn't come close to the "woody", "rich" tones those instruments produce.

Here is where this guitar really excells. My fretwork is excellent and the neck is very fast. The action is perfect and I've had no problems with the Floyd Rose type bridge since I've owned the guitar.
The finish is very nice although the pick scratches are noticable on the shiny black finish. The S470 is a great looking guitar in my opinion.

I play this guitar 3-4 times per week and it is holding up very well.
The strap buttons are solid, but I've only had the guitar less than 2 years so I can't comment on the finish from a durability standpoint.
I would never use without a backup, especially due to the Floyd Rose type bridge and the potential for a string change.

I have not dealt with the company for any reason.

I have been playing for 28 years and own a 75 LP, a fantastic G&L Legacy, and an equally superb G&L ASAT Deluxe. (G&L manufactures absolutely fantastic instruments both in workmanship and sound).
I have also owned a Fender Strat (75) and a Gibson SG (76). My amps consist of a Soldano Astroverb 16 2x12, a Fender Deluxe Reverb, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Marshall DSL 401 which I play though a Marshall 1936 2x12 cab. I believe the S470 to be a great guitar for the newer metal sounds but it is not right for my style, this is my problem and I should have done a better job researching the instrument before I made the purchase. If you're into major overdriven sounds this guitar both looks good and will do a great job in that arena.

the h-s-h configuration with the 5 way switching provide tons of flexibility. i avoid double locking trems at all cost, so i tracked down 2 used older s470's with the stoptail bridge... a mistake ibanez made by dropping this feature.

the tone is pretty good for anything. the mahogany body gives it a sound much fuller than its thin size would imply. the bridge pickup is great. my blue s470 has an inf-1 pickup in the neck position, which gives it a snappier, slightly crisper tone than the original, which sounds a little muddy but cool.

the only real complaint i have in the sound department is the single coil. the humbuckers have such high output that the meager output of the single coil renders it virtually unusable without tweaking the amp volume.

my red s470, which was purchased new the last year it was offered with the stop tail bridge, was perfect from the factory. i may have played with the pickup height, but i do that with every guitar. the important thing was the action... to die for!!! both the translucent blue and vampire kiss red finishes are absolutely beautiful.

although i've heard of the black hardware turning chrome, i've never had this problem. my blue s, which is one of the first years (and has a slightly thicker neck) still has brand new looking hardware. the screws in the strap buttons back out constantly on both guitars. no big E, but worth noting.

for their apparent daintiness, they seem to be really solid guitars, surviving several hard falls from the stand (five cats are worse on a guitar than gigging).

never had a problem

i owned a vampire kiss s470, which i stupidly parted with years ago. since then, it has been a search for another without the stupid tremelo. when i found the jewel blue one on ebay, i was willing to pay any price for it. that's how great these guitars are. i later found another vampire kiss one in a local music shop for $350. i was broke and unemployed... well now i've got an extra $350 in credit card debt! if i ever run into a black or green w/gold hardware with the fixed bridge, i'll be even deeper in debt. best guitar i've ever played!!

I bought a brand new ibanez s470 from a store called washington music center in maryland. 22 fret, solid mahagony body, jewel blue monster.

This guitar is great. it provides a wide range of overtones from blues to death metal. the only complaint is all the damn adjusting you have to do to the damn bridge. i still like it though.

DONT BUY BLACK!!! your fingerprints show quickly and it scratches fast. go with blue. besides that this guitars a winner

great

IBANEZ EMPLOYS THE LAZIEST PEOPLE OUT THERE. tHEYRE NOT VERY HELPFUL.

stop reading and go buy

I have to say that I will review this guitar comparing it to others in the same price range.
I think it was made in 2001, in Korea. 22 frets, volume tone 5-way selector for the H/S/H configuration for the ah1, as1 and ah2 pickups wich I think are roland, ofcourse they are not dimarzio but I think that for the price they are not far away from a good ones. The body is mahogany for which why should I pay 1500 dollars as a minimum to get a les paul or a decent strat? Believe me I have played a les paul in the same configuration that I use now and there is no difference.The neck is basswood with rosewood. The s body style that amazes every individual who sees it. Bridge is ibanez lo trs which did not come in a perfect setup, the springs needed more tension and the action was a little bit high. The neck has jumbo frets and is the wizard II.

It suits my style in perfection, and my style is a mixture of almost everything, starting from jazz and ending on metal, going thru progressive rock. I was using a digitech RP14d, but now I am using a GNX2 that is an awesome unit (read my review). It is not noisy at all. It has a rich full sound with both humbuckers, specially with neck, but ofcourse you have to spend a while tuning your amp/guitar processor, I mean you cannot expect that the factory specifications or the former specifications that you had with other guitar will suit a different guitar. Each guitar has different dynamics and you have to setup all your equipment for that specific guitar. This guitar goes from a lespaul to the crispy sounds from a stratocaster, but again you have to get the righ tune.

The guitar was set up I think in the taste of the manufacturer, but i differ, so I had to make some minor adjustments which I had mentioned.
The pickups are well adjusted. For the rest the guitar was excellent.

It has withstood live playing for now and it will unless I go ape and try to break it against the drums or the audience. The hardware will last forever. I am depending on it, but I will never use it without a backup, and it has nothing to do with the guitar, it has to do with the strings, I can not afford to loose a minute or two while I change a string. When the break comes then I will change the string and go back to the s.

I have been playing for 12 years now, I own also a washburn MG44, a ibanez ex series and a Montana electric acoustic. If it were stolen, I would go again with Ibanez, but I will try to improve getting a better axe. I comared this guitar with a PRS swamp ash in the store and the sound was really close, but the action, the ease to play were for the S 470 without a doubt. I also compared it with some guitars in the same price range, and none had anything to do with it. I wish it had a coil tap, but I can live without it.

Features have already been mentioned. The 5 way pickup switch is a plus, there is only 1 volume and 1 tone knob, simple and easier to deal with. You can't fiddle with your tone as much as you can with a Les Paul or strat. The neck is very thin which is better for smaller hands(which I have).

This guitar has a very crystal clean sound. The humbuckers are good but the single coil seems very lifeless compared to others. The humbucker tone is very bassy and three dimensional. The lead is crispy, great for leads. I give it a nine because I took one off for the bad single coil sound.

This guitar is beautiful, from the sleek shape to the finish. I have the transparent red version and I want to play it every time I see it. The main problem of this guitar is the bridge. It's hard to tune, it goes out of tune everytime you touch it so I blocked it off. Don't plan on buying this guitar, if you actually want to use the bridge.

This seems like a solid guitar but the chrome on the knobs and bridge seem to tarnish quickly, it's annoying but isn't a big concern.

Ibanez doesn't seem to have good customer support. They have a do it yourself section on their page, but other than that you'll have to go to one of their certified repairshops and there's only about 12 of them. I give it a five because they have at least something but only if you happen to live close to one of the repair stores.

I give it an 8 overal because it's playable, attractive and has a good tone. The 2 take off is for the worthless bridge and the poor customer service. I would recommend that you get the S520 since it comes with better pickups, one of the best bridges around and generaly better quality(it's made in Japan).

the S470 comes equipped with two humbuckers, one single coil in the middle, fast playing WizardII neck and a double locking LoTRSII(floydrose style). One tone knob and one volume. Not an overwhelming ammount of features, but is very versatile tone wise without making playing difficult.

This is my third guitar, and it's the only one that has satisfied me at any price range. I've tried everything from strats to PRS models, to LP's. The best way to describe this guitar is to say that it's humbucker tone has all of the vintage warmth you could ask for without sounding vintage. If you're looking for a guitar to produce Satriani-style leads, this is the guitar. I'm also a session guitarist, and this is my choice for sessions. This guitar pulls off any style. I did however replace the mid pu with a dimarzio Virtual2 middle to give a humless strat(SRV) sound, and I replaced both humbuckers to give more definition in the neck (Dimarzio AirNorton) and the bridge (Dimarzio Air Zone) to give more warmth. This guitar (mated to the right amp) can sound like SRV in the middle, Hendrix(wind cried mary) in the 2postion(Neck/Mid) funk in the 4 position, and Satriani/Eric Johnson in the bridge.

I ordered my guitar through AMS, and it arrived perfect, no fretboard buzzes, and the action was perfect. The only negatives are that the black crome on the hardware discolors to crome when you touch it. No ammount of cleaning will prevent this. This guitar plays fast, and stays in tune perfectly thanks to the Floyd style bridge. I've owned a strat with a Khaler locking trem, and this bridge stays in tune much better than the Khaler. The pickups did need a little adjusting to get the sound I desired, but that's to be expected with any guitar.

Ive had this guitar for almost two years now, and its very dependable. I play this guitar an average of 3 hours a day, and the wear on the guitar is minimal. also, the frets have surprisingly wan very very little in the two years(my strat needed a redressing by this point). The only things that have been problems are: the screw in arm became fused to the socket, and one of the bridge saddles became defective. Both of these seemed in my opinion to be major flukes, and both were easily and inexpensively replaced. I haven't known this to happen on this guitar.

If you can get Ibanez on the phone, they are eager to try to avoid replacing anything under warranty. If you have to replace a part out of warranty(as I did) They charge outrageauosly high prices, and take atleast three weeks to get the parts to you. Not good. I had to replace my defective tremelo arm with an AllParts arm because of this.

Regardless of the lousy service, I've got to rate this guitar highly because of the beautiful tone, versatility and Ferrari-like play of the instrument.

mid 90s i believe, not sure, got it used, mediterranean green finish, axis H-S-H configuration, 5 way toggle, one volume, one tone, ibanez double-locker, 22 frets. korean made i believe, etc etc. look downwards, they're all the same :)

after coming from a no-name strat copy and then an RG270, i was quite impressed with the sound of these pickups. the bridge pickup seemed a little weak, so i raised it a bit closer to the strings for a little more gain. i don't know if the previous owner had lowered it, or if that was the original position. the single coil is fairly weak but has a nice tone. i'm contemplating replacing either/or the bridge or single middle. also the floyd kills a bit of sustain with the bar and bends.
i'm using it with a crate gx-130C and either a korg ax-30g direct into the effects return, or a metal zone into amp input.

my guitar was used, so i really can't comment on factory specs, but the action was nice as was the finish. however the shop i bought it from had 10s on it when it was obviously not setup for them, as it was tight and the bridge was seriously raised. once replaced and setup it played like a dream. also my neck was very loose (almost movable with barely any strength), once again from the previous owner, but some wood putty and some re-tightening fit it up just fine. :)

this guitar has sustained fine live, and feels like a solid piece of equipment (much unlike the rg270). i replaced the strap buttons with straplocks, but they seemed large and nice (i never trust 'em). i wouldnt go without a backup because of the floyd, but who does. ;)

never dealt

I do enjoy the guitar, it feels nice to play and has a nice tone. i love the thinness of the body, i would definitely purchase a new one (probably an s470qs tr) if this was stolen.

Korean made,24 frets, solid top transparent black(laminated)mahogany super-strat body, volume-tone-5way selector, H/S/H stock pickups, Floyd Rose bridge w/ locking nut, thin neck w/ jumbo frets.

Versitile guitar good for many sounds. Solid distortion but clean tone is a little too weak.

Action was perfect. Bridge pickup didnt work and was not properly adjusted.Otherwise perfect condition.

Durable in all aspects especially finish although smoked chrome around pickup trim rubs off easily leaving regular chrome.

Havent tried to repair pickup yet.

Overall good guitar-very comfortable and easy to play producing many sounds.

its a 2k korea made s470bk
22 frets
it now has a 3 way selector and 2 emg 85R 81L (zakk wylde)
and floyd rose

sounds bad ass best pickups you can buy go out and get some.
runing it in to a Triple Rectifier in to a wah, boss oct,boss mt3,boss rv3

action is low.

nice

dont know so i will give them a 10

been playing for 15 years have bunch of fenders if it was stolen i would go get another i did some work on it with the pickups and new Floyd Rose and Action. over all its a good guitar

This is a 2000 Ibanez S470BK made in Korea. It has a Wizard neck, nice and flat. This uses the pain in the ass floyd rose double locking mechanism (not recommended for beginners). Nice flat shiny body. Light as hell. Scratches easy if you look at your git in the light.

This is a very flexible guitar. Whatever you want. Except I found it didn't play very well when your amp is set on clean. I found the sound is too metallic. Also, the thin body kills the sound of the guitar a bit.

When I bought my Ibanez. The bridge was already discolored. I was kinda pissed at the guys at steve's for selling this to me. The plated metal thingies around the pickups tarnish fast. Clean, clean and clean.

Everything is reliable about this guitar, however it is a pain in the ass to modify tuning configurations. Do not buy this guitar if you drop D your guitar every day and like changing tuning configurations often. Not for the everyday newbie either. You have to know how to change the tension of the tremolo and adjust the neck. It's hard stuff.

Yeah, pick this baby up if you have some experience and don't mind the floyd rose.

I bought this guitar new from Guitar Center in 2000. It was my second guitar after a crappy fender squire tele. It has a solid mohagany body with a gloss black finish (pretty, but it gets greasy really fast). It has a wizard II neck, an axis single coil between two axis humbuckers, a TRS II bridge, jumbo frets, locking nut. The bridge was fun at first but quickly got annoying from all the recalibration and crap, so my friend and i blocked off the bridge and it works way better now (except without the bar)

I will play anything from fusion metal/alternative (ala creed), to pure rock (ala zeppelin), to 90's grunge/alternative (bush, nirvana).
I use the S470 >Ibanez chorus/flanger >Ibanez digi delay >Danelectro Trem >Rogue Compressor >Ibanez 25r amp. Its rather noisy on the single coil setting, and has a slight hiss on the bridge (but it is really high up and high output), but no noise on the neck. The bridge is very midrangey and edgey, great for solo's and power chords. The single coil gives a great transparent sound, and the neck gives a VERY full sound that is really moody sounding. The in-between settings really suck though. It has a great variety, but does not truly excel in any one area. It sounds way better than my frind's guitar w/ an active EMG, though

The action was great, low and with minimal buzz. I put some 10's on it and the buzz was all but eliminated. The bridge pickup is noticably higher than the rest, but i like it because it gives it a fatter, edgier sound. The body is nicely contoured, but the finish is kinda thin, it cracked once and i dont even know how. Kindof a bummer. the hardware looked kinda old, but it gives it a nice look, i think. My biggest complaint is that the finish gets gunked up pretty easily because its gloss and not matte or satin. After it gets cleaned up it looks great though. The fretwire is weird, on the nineteenth fret of the high e string, the sound is choked and out of tune, but everywhere else it's fine. I'm sure it was just a fluke.

It would certainly withstand live playing, and since i blocked off the whammy bar, that wont prove to be a problem. I would be dumb to gig without a backup, but im too cheap to get one. :D. Personally, finish is not that big of an issue, as long as it's reasonably nice looking and doesn't chip badly I'm cool. The hardware is great, but because the body is angled, the knobs kinda lean a little bit, just be gentle. The strap buttons are solid as can be, if a little small. But they work great

I haven't dealt with them. I hope I won't ever have to

I know you guys are gonna think I'm a stupid kid, but I'll say so anyway: I've only been playing for about a year. But, I;m enough of a gear fanatic to give you a good opinion and this is a great guitar. IF i lost it or it got stolen, I would probably get a guitar without a floyd rose, but would love to get something equivalent to this. I love the versatility that i can get from it. I tried out lots of american strats, and some other ibanezes and even a couple jacksons. This one took the cake. It sounded as good or better than an american strat and was a whole lot lighter. And unlike the RG, which is crappy basswood, this guitar is true mohagany (very nice). I wish that it wasnt a floyd guitar, but oh well :D

Korean model, made by Cort (All Serial Numbers begining with C are by Cort, by the way). Solid Mahogany (I believe), with Maple Wizard II style neck and Rosewood Fretboard. 22 Jumbo Frets. 5 way pickup switch with H, S, H Ibanez pickups (AH1, AS1, AH2). Floyd Rose style Ibanez Lo-TRS-2 Tremelo bridge, with locking nut. I believe mine was a '93 or '94.

Used it with a Fender Princeton Chorus amp. Didn't go well with DOD Overdrive, or Fuzz pedals. Gets nice and loud, or very pretty if you want it to be. 5 selections with the spliting up of the humbuckers is very great. It can be very full or thin and sparkly, depends on what you want. I felt that the distortion was kinda less full as I'd like it to be sometimes, and almost late 80s sounding through this guitar.

The single coil pickup in the middle is adjustable based on a piece of foam behind it, so when it wears out, you have to put some more in there or it won't move up for ya. Action was beautiful. Switch sorta was iffy, and I'd have to smack it once and a while for all the sound to come through. Knobs and bridge had a worn look to them when I got it, and the fine tuners were all different; some were more effective than others.

It never cut up on me while playing live. The finish was as solid as could be. Pitch black. The guitar looked so "electric" as my friend called it. It's a flashy guitar, but not too flashy, and sounds just that way. It had strap lock buttons on it, but I didn't have straplocks.... so my strap fell off a lot easier. I'd want to have a backup with mine because of the iffy wiring I had, but I usually didn't worry about it.

I never tried to get it repaired, or have dealt with Ibanez.

This was my second guitar, and I bought it because I fell in love with the S series when I learned from somebody who had one. They're sound is great, no matter what variety you buy. The 470 is for real rockers though, because of it's nature. I got sick of the Floyd Rose though, because it's not my style and just got fed up restringing and tuning it. So, I got the S420 and sold this one.

I'm not sure about the year of fabrication, probably 1998, Japanese, but it's a used guitar that belonged to other people.It has 22 frets with a WizardII neck, a solid mohagany body and is Jewel Blue colored. It has one volume knob and one tone knob (both metallic, really strong and nice looking) and a H/S/H pickup setup with a V1 at the neck and a V2 at the bridge with a S2 in the middle. The body style is thinner than the RGs or other models, reaaly different, but very cool. The bridge has a Floyd Rose tremolo with Ibanez Lo-TRS design and locking tuners.

I play mainly prog rock, hard rock and metal, so I wanted a guitar with a different sound from my others (a Yamaha RGX421D and a Jackson Performer). I use a Peavey StudioPro 112 amp with a Boss VF-1 effects processor, besides some other pedals.
The guitar sounds really different from other guitars I've heard, specially considering it's weight: warm tone, great sustain, good clean sound and good distorted sound (even with the stock pickups). I just felt that the sound wasn't that good when I tried arpeggios and other similar technics with heavier distortion (with the same patches that work fine with my other guitars) and the tone was too high for me, so I have to play with the tone knob almost down to zero. Although, it's very good for rythm parts and the neck pickup has a surprisingly high output, that doesn't make the sound fade when you change from the bridge to the neck. The single coil, like any other, is quite noisy... no problem, because I mostly use only the humbuckers.
In conclusion, I wanted a good and different sound from a guitar and I definitively found it in the S470.

I can't evaluate this very much, because I bought it already used. It had recently come from a luthier and was well regulated. I noticed a little oxidation on the bridge and on the metal parts around the humbuckers, not that serious. I opened the back of the body and I have no complains about the electric parts.

I intend to use it on the stage, but only for some songs, because of its different tone(doesn't fit to everything I play). In fact it's not my main guitar, but its could be a nice backup.
The metal parts seem a bit sensitive to oxidation, but that depends more of the owner's care, I know. The volume and tone knobs are very solid, very reliable.
The wooden parts seem solid and I trust they will last a long time.

Never used the Ibanez customer support.

I actually bought the guitar both because I was looking for a different tone and because it was very cheap (a new one would cost me about 1400 reais... what a difference!)
The things I love must are its body style, thin and light, the very playable neck (Wizard II... what to say?) and the tone itself. I don't like the color very much (Jewel Blue... I'd prefer the wood natural color) and the number of frets... 22... wish it had 24...
If it were stolen or lost I would surely save money to buy another one or a Joe Satriani model, which seems the "upgrade" of the S series...

I bought this guitar brand new from Sam Ash in February of 2000. So I have owned it for about 1 year. It has 22 frets, 2 Axis humbuckers and an Axis single coil, Floy Rose Lo trs II tremolo, etc. Mine has a dark green finish, which I have never seen on another s470.

The pickups are good but not great. The guitar is thin, which is one of the main reasons I bought the guitar--for comfort. This does not make the guitar sound thin, as I have heard some people say. Overall this is a very good sounding guitar, although not an incredible sounding guitar.

For some reason, almost every Ibanez guitar I have picked up at a music store is set up horribly. I had to completely readjust everything on my guitar, plus I can't stand using 9's for strings, I use 12's and down-tune a step and a half. The guitar is well-built, except that I now don't like the Floyd Rose floating bridge (see reliability/durability).

I have to give this a low rating--I originally thought a Floyd Rose bridge would be cool. I hadn't owned one before, and thought it would be fun to use a whammy bar and not go out of tune. Well, the guitar still goes out of tune, even with the locking nut. One good dive-bomb can make you have to loosen the locking nut and retune your guitar, then lock it down again. Very stupid. Because of this I thought that perhaps I was not tightening the screws at the bridge that clamp down the strings--and twice now I have broken the screw off and had to order the part from Ibanez through Guitar Center. I don't want a guitar with a Floyd Rose tremolo--I am now anti-whammy bar and am going to sell this guitar.

They didn't respond to an email I sent them, and took over a month to send the first saddle unit that I broke, and I am currently waiting for the second one to come in. They charge $5 if you want a catalog. How dumb is that?

What's good about this guitar--sounds good for the price, comfortable to play.

What sucks--stupid bridge.

I give it a 6 which may be a little generous. I'm going to get a guitar that doesn't have a damn whammy bar (which I found that I never used in any of my songs--worthless).

This is a 2000 model made in Japan with 24 frets and a Mahogany body. It comes equipped with a volume and tone knob and a 5-way pickup selector. The pickup configuration is humbucker/single coil/humbucker and has Axis pickups(made by Dimarzio for ibanez). It has a very slim maple neck and rosewood fingerboard which makes it very comfortable to play. The color i got it in was a Jewel Blue finish(keep it clean because smudges stick out like a sore thumb!) It has an ultra slim body making the guitar weigh literally nothing compared to my Les Paul. It comes with a LO-Pro TRS II Floyd Rose tremolo system and a locking nut which can/will discolor if you dont keep it clean(mine was already partly discolored when i got it from the shop). The tuners are all metal and seem to be of decent quality. The neck is pretty small compared to a Fender or a 7-string neck but for those of you that have Ibanez's or Les Pauls you might feel right at home after a week of playing it. I wasnt given a case or any allen keys for the tremolo when i bought it because i bought the guitar straight off the rack but i have tools that suffice for now.

I bought this guitar for the purpose of having an extra 6-string that i didnt have to worry about and also to have a good guitar for lead guitar. I play mostly Metal/Hard Rock with my band and this guitar sounds great for all types of rock but when i look for a guitar that will handle my heavy downtuned rhythm playing I turn to my EMG-81 equipped Les Paul. For leads the ibanez is fun to play and sounds decent with the stock pickups. I might change the bridge pickup to a Dimarzio FRED humbucker but I need to play around with the guitar more. The sound overall is pretty trebly and lacks the usual warmth of better pickups or guitars. Regardless it sounds good for rhythm and lead and i would feel more comfortable playing this guitar out somewhere than my 1500 dollar Gibson. I am not rich and i like to protect my valuable assets.

The guitar came set up with a comfortable low action and a very well tuned floyd rose. The bridge pickup seems to be to far away from the strings and that could indicate some lack in fullness of the bridge pickup sound. one of the plastic plates on the back of the guitar looks crudely cut and is bent a bit out of shape. The floyd rose and the nut both discolor if not cleaned very easily and the rosewood on the fingerboard isnt that high of a quality. regardless, most of this stuff doesnt affect the sound except for the pickup-to-string height.

This guitar could withstand live playing but i will always keep a second guitar on hand just in case i break a string or whatever. The guitar will last if i take care of it and dont abuse it.

Never dealt with 'em

Overall good guitar for the price but ibanez needs to rethink some of the features. If it broke at any point and i had money i would buy it again. If it could have any extras it would have to be REAL dimarzio or seymour duncan pickups. That would greatly add to the appeal of the guitar.

Standard 200 model features. Double humbuckers and siungle, double tremolo, lock nut bridge.....

It sound GREAT, and its versatile. I love this guitar, it almost even makes me sound good!

I never found a single problem, except one mildy loose screw when i first got it, and that was no problem at all, 5 seconds of work.

This is a dependable guitar, id bring a backup with me, cause I'm paranoid, but this guitar is very durable and i RARELY have problems with it, and if i do its usually my fault. The lightness made me nervous but it holds up great.

I never had to use it, the guitar held up fine, one small problem that was my fault i got fixed at the local shop for like eight dollars.

I like girls.

THIS IS A '99 MODEL S470 IT WAS MADE IN KOREA IT HAS TWO HUMBUCKERS AND A SINGLE COIL(THEY ALL SOUND GOOD. IT HAS A FLOYD ROSE BRIDGE(CONFUSSING BUT I LIKE IT SO FAR. IT HAS LOCK-NUT SYSTEM THAT WORKS GREAT AND MINE CAME WITH A CUSTOM FIT CASE.

THIS GUITAR SOUNDS GREAT! THE VOLUME CONTROL ISN'T THE BEST IT HAS ABOUT THREE SETTINGS; OFF, MEDIUM, LOUD(AND THE LOUD ISN'T THAT LOUD). PLUGGED INTO MY AMP IT SOUNDS GREAT.

AS LONG AS YOU HAVE ABOUT 30MIN. TO CHANGE STRINGS, YOU DON'T PUT ON 10 GAUGE OR HIGHER STRINGS AND YOU MESS WITH THE BRIDGE AT ALL(LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN DO NOT MESS WITH THE BRIDGE YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO GET IT PERFECT AFTER THAT!!!!!)IT WORKS GREAT. THE ACTION ON THIS GUITAR IS PROBALY ONE OF THE BEST YOU'LL GET. THE PICK UPS ARE GREAT. THE FRETS ARE NICE AND EASY TO PLAY(NECK IS GREAT). I'VE HAD THIS GUITAR FOR OVER A YEAR AND HAVE FOUND NO FACTORY FLAWS. THE ONLY PROBLEM THAT I THINK IS WRONG IS THAT THE CHROME AROUND THE PICK UPS DISCOLORES EASY AND IF YOU DONT KEEP THE BRIDGE CLEAN IT WILL DISCOLOR TOO.

EXCELLENT!!! I'VE BROKEN STRINGS ABOVE THE LOCK NUT AND THE LOCK NUT HELD IT IN TUNE FOR ABOUT A MONTH. IT HAS A QUICK TUNE ADJUST ON THE BRIDGE I WOULD DEPEND ON THIS GUITAR 110% I THINK YOU COULD TAKE THIS ON TOUR AND NOT BRING A BACK UP. I HAVE DROPPED THIS GUITAR AND IT STAYED IN PERFECT TUNE AND THERE WASN'T A SCATCH OR MARK ON IT.

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I PLAYED LOTS OF GUITARS BEFORE I BOUGHT THIS ONE THIS WAS BY FAR THE BEST DEAL IT IS AN ULTRA LIGHT/THIN GUITAR IT PLAYS EXCELLENT. IF I COULD CHANGE SOMETHING ON IT I WOULD MAKE THE BRIDGE BLACK, THE TUNNING KEYS AND THE PIECES AROUND THE PICK UPS. THIS GUITAR HAS BECOME A PART OF ME I COULD NOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS GUITAR!!!!!!!!

It's a 2000. It's got 22 frets, volume control, tone control, 5 way pickup selector. It's a humbucker in the neck and bridge positions and a single in the middle. Great sound, came with .09's and a locking neck that took a little getting used to. The sound is unparrelled. The guitar didn't have enough information on the locking neck system and I almost stipped the nuts in the first week.

It sounds great, everything from Korn to Steely Dan. It can bring ratty, reverby reggae sounds that I love and two seconds be set to play heavy, bass filled echoing melodies. The cut-away makes higher regester playing a joy.

The set up is perfect. I bought it like it was, straight off the wall. Set up strings, tuning and hardware. It sounds great and hasn't let me down. Anything bad sound from this guitar is my fault.

This guitar is great but I don't trust the locking neck. I tend to get lazy and bend the high e and a and mess the whole tuning. Everything seems to be solid, except the switcher knob comes off.

Never delt with them....

I'm in love with it, it is the dream that I wanted when I first started and I know feel it was worth the wait. I love it and recommend it to every who needs a new guitar.

I guess this beauty is a 98 model, i cant find it anywhere in the 99 catalogues. Made in Japan. It has 22 frets with a WizardII neck. I love the solid mohagany body. it has no finish which is really my style, just plain awesome woodgrain. One volume nob and one tone nob. it has a H/S/H pickup setup with a V1 at the neck and a V2 at the bridge with a S2 in the middle, all DiMarzio pickups. thinline body style, developed by the man, Joe Satriani. Floyd rose tremolo with ibanez Lo-TRS design and locking tuners. Came with tweed hardshell case. what a steal it was.

Suits me perfecto. Hard rock, Classic rock. its kinda like an effects processor in itself because of all the different sounds you can get out of it. I usually use a peavey 112 bandit that sounds great but it isnt mine. And i use a Zoom GFX 7070 for effects. Sounds great all around. Not as low of a sound as i would like but comes with great crunch. Great mid sound and highs though.

Plays awesome like it is. but needs to be re-setup. hasnt had a tune up by a pro in a year or 2 i am sure. Little bit of corrosion on the hardware and a little rust. everything still works fine though. wish it came with allen wrenches that fit it because i think everything on it is metric, stupid japs.

Great live. will last forever if taken care of properly because it has so many extra features like the floyd rose. No finish. dont care about scratches as long as i make them. Great big strap buttons. will never fall off. very dependable. would use with back up just in case it catches on fire from a weird pyro show.

bought used.

been playing it for a few months, never really tried to keep up its play and appearance but it doesnt need any. Greatest guitar i have ever played. Just plays awesome, and it doesnt look like a strat, very light. Very unique sound and versatality. wish it came with some allen wrenches that fit it.

I think it was made in 99, it's their current S470 model. 22 fret rosewood fretboard wizard II neck. two Axis humbuckers (made by Dimarzio and used in the Joe Satriani models also) at the neck and bridge, S-1 single coil in the middle. passive electronics. This guitar is a SOLID mahogony body. I especially like the design of bolting the neck straight to the body. I have hated other Ibanez guitars which were thin, basswood and toneless, but this guitar has that coveted magahony/humbucker sound. It has the Ibanez LO-TRS locking trem. The neck is smooth and playable like an Ibanez, but a little thicker than the wizard I making it more solid and toneful, but still very sleek

I play in a prog-metal band (www.ProfaneOath.com) and it excells due to the large palette of sounds. Great cruch on the bridge humbucker, pristine clean on the 4 position (halfway between bridge and middle) and the single coil (middle) The neck humbucker has a great singing Les Paul lead sound -not quite the sustain of a set neck, but still great sounding. The middle single coil is somewhat noise (which is to be expected for single coil) but I have a good gate in my Digitech 2120 artist preamp. great versatile guitar

well, I don't know how it was set up, I had it re-setup for DGCFAD tuning (down 1 step) and it is great, still very good action. The neck joint is very solid and the guitar has a very solid feel. The Volume pot is very noisy while being adjusted but stops screeching once adjusted...somewhat of a bummer, but I mess with the tone knob more and it doesn't do this

Use it live every show, seems very durable. I sweat on the finish alot but it always polishes up to new looking. Strap buttons are great design cause they are bigger and less likely to drop. We have one backup ( a jackson ps2) for both guitarists, I haven't needed it.

Never dealt with Ibanez.

great versatile guitar, not the thin, toneless hair band guitars that some expect from Ibanez. Wish it had 24 frets, but really

I think it was made in 99, it's their current S470 model. 22 fret rosewood fretboard wizard II neck. two Axis humbuckers (made by Dimarzio and used in the Joe Satriani models also) at the neck and bridge, S-1 single coil in the middle. passive electronics. This guitar is a SOLID mahogony body. I especially like the design of bolting the neck straight to the body. I have hated other Ibanez guitars which were thin, basswood and toneless, but this guitar has that coveted magahony/humbucker sound. It has the Ibanez LO-TRS locking trem. The neck is smooth and playable like an Ibanez, but a little thicker than the wizard I making it more solid and toneful, but still very sleek

I play in a prog-metal band (www.ProfaneOath.com) and it excells due to the large palette of sounds. Great cruch on the bridge humbucker, pristine clean on the 4 position (halfway between bridge and middle) and the single coil (middle) The neck humbucker has a great singing Les Paul lead sound -not quite the sustain of a set neck, but still great sounding. The middle single coil is somewhat noise (which is to be expected for single coil) but I have a good gate in my Digitech 2120 artist preamp. great versatile guitar

well, I don't know how it was set up, I had it re-setup for DGCFAD tuning (down 1 step) and it is great, still very good action. The neck joint is very solid and the guitar has a very solid feel. The Volume pot is very noisy while being adjusted but stops screeching once adjusted...somewhat of a bummer, but I mess with the tone knob more and it doesn't do this

Use it live every show, seems very durable. I sweat on the finish alot but it always polishes up to new looking. Strap buttons are great design cause they are bigger and less likely to drop. We have one backup ( a jackson ps2) for both guitarists, I haven't needed it.

Never dealt with Ibanez.

This guitar is a 1999 S470 with a Jewel Blue finish. It has AX1 and AX2 humbuckers with a single coil in the middle(HSH). It is made in Korea with 22 frets. It has 1 tone, 1 volume, and a 5 way selection. Check out how they do that stuff at their page. It also has a Floyd Rose which i hate because it is a drag to tune and you have to be careful with it.

The 2 Hums sound BEAUTIFUL. Neck is awesome for blues and the Bridge is awesome for Metal. It is the 2 extremes. I have a Marshall VS65 that sounds beautiful with it. Everything sounds perfect when in tune.

It was set up perfectly in the factory then it got screwed once i put on the 1st set of strings.

It lasted a good 2 months before the setup went down. There is one scratch, but that is from a belt.

N/A

It was a good guitar for a while, get a different one unless youve been playing with Floyd Rose before because i cant maintain this one.

This is a Korean made guitar. Solid mahagony body, maple neck (supposed to be one piece, but the head looks like a different piece of wood spliced on) rosewood fingerboard, 22 jumbo frets, 5 way switch, nice metal tuners, floyd rose tremolo, h-s-h configuration. Guitar is rear routed, which means no ugly pick guard. All of the hardware is metal, which is great. The outlet is in the best spot possible, beneath the volume knobs.

The neck is wide, but shallow. In another words, it's wide enough that you're not bumping the other strings very much when you bend a note. But it is not thick like a baseball bat. From the side, the neck is very narrow, from the front it is very wide. Awesome Wizard II neck.


No case included, no strap, no extras. That's why it gets an 8.

This guitar can fit any style, even with the factory pick ups. The guitar on the top humbucker setting has warm and rich low sounds, with out being muddy or bassy. At the same time, the mid's jump out nicely and the highs aren't harsh or tinny. Makes for great leads.

The single coil pick up is rather quiet. It does give a nice 50's sound. A little on the twangy side of things, much like a classic fender.

The bridge pick up sounds great. It isn't as warm as the neck pick up, which allows for a little crunch.

With the 5 way pick up, you can produce any sound you want out this thing. That's what you want. Once, Ted Nugent accused Eddie Van Halen of sounding so good because of all of his equipment. So he tried Eddie's rig, and sounded like Ted Nugent playing through Eddie's equipment. What I mean to say is that you have to develop your own style, you can't sound like someone else using their equipment. This guitar will allow you to explore in all sorts of tones and sounds, and you can make things sound good the way you play.

The pick-ups have volume discreptancies. They need some work as far as that goes and then it'd be perfect. It is quiet, and as I said before can produce any tone you want.

I play every music style. This is the first electrical guitar that I have played that can handle the tones of classical music!!!! I normally play everything from SRV to Pantera to you name it. But when I want a challenge, I play classical, and this electrical handles it great.

I bought the guitar used, so I don't know about the factory settings. Everything is still in great shape. No flaws noted. The neck is wide enough that you don't run into the other strings while playing, which is great.

The guitar is solid mahagony, maple neck, all metal tuners and nut. I would use this guitar in a in a gig. I would always use a back up in case of a broken string however, other than that I would use this without a back up.

I have been playing for over 10 years. I've played everything from original 60's model fenders to les pauls to pawn shop specials, and anything else you can think of. This is an awesome guitar. I would buy this guitar again.

If you want to try and be your own musician, this is the type of instrument I would suggest. It is versitile.

Not to mention, any other brand of guitar at this level of quality you would have to pay $2000.00 easily.

The only knock that I have heard is that the guitar is not American made. Neither is a Porsche........

Well..i don't know about the year, but i'm pretty sure it was made in japan or some oriental place over sea's. Its got 22 jumbo frets. H-s-H. 1 tone and 1 volume. 5 way switch. locking nut and floyd rose trem......pretty much fully loaded...

well the neck and the single coil sound bad ass for clean chorused play...but can be to bassy for distorted play...the bridge is good for both clean and dist play and sound great if your into the 80's metal midy crunch sound.....so i took out the bridge and put in a powersound ..... power sounds are surpisingly heavyer than shit ....they sound good for stuff like korn or deftones

perfect. only the bridge is so sensitive that tuning from d to e makes the rest of the guitar go way outta tune so...its my d guitar

its like a rock only the front strap lock came loose the first day i got it...but i fixed it...

i'm gonna give it a ten......becouse its got the best tunners i'v ever felt (gotoh) and the fretboard is the smoothest, AND its sounds bad ass...so bla bla bla pretty good guitar......

Not sure what year, but all I know is that it looks slick and feels even better to play. Fantastic finish, great colour (Jewel Blue).
This is my first "fairly expensive" guitar, and I am amazed at the weight of it, the contours of the body and the way it just sits on you - kind of like a good woman.

I have so many tastes - mainly rock/metal/blues - and this guitar was the king for versatility! I had the choice of the Ibanez or a Strat, and this won easily.
Sounds even better using a Marshall, and a BOSS Metal Zone pedal!

Brilliant!

Action was a little too high for me at first, but that was quickly rectified. I havn't found anything else annoying yet......

The only thing that pissed me off was that I was constantly breaking strings - however, that was just down to me (again) 'cause I wasn't stretching them propaly (prick!)

Apart from that it rocks!

Never tried. Nice web site though - www.ibanez.com - takes a while to download though.

I've been playing 4 years, and I have slowly started to build up my hardware. As I said before - this guitar rips going through a Marshall 100 Watt, BOSS Metal Zone, as well as being played clean.

A real head turner.

Japanese made. 22 fret. Volume and Tone pots.I think it is an early 90's model. Sweet Jewel Blue finish. Same specs as any other. Rosewood fretboard, mahogany body, H-S-S pick ups. I bought it from the music store I used to work at. I was considering another Ibanez, a Ferrari Red RG570, but this one just blew me off. I've always been a weight freak. I'd rather sacrifice "tone" for playability and only a Parker(that I also own)is more playable than this guitar. Outstanding sustain in minimized body. Great.

I play metal. Kinda very aggressive palm muted stuff. I need some really full sounding distortion and very clean mid-range sounds.

The factory pick ups were not what I was expecting. I had to change them to a DiMarzio Steve's Special bridge, a HS-2 single(the Sweetest Single coil of them all) and an Air Norton. So now I have some pick ups that don't get lost in the processor's signal path. I love the clear sounds and when it gets down to distortion, this baby rocks!!

So, a pick up change brought this beauty back to life. evrything else was OK.

Factory setting was ok. But, you know, everybody's got a different style, so I changed to a lower action. Pick ups were fine. The routing was well done. Flawless. I love the frets. It's been like 6 years now and, even though I played this baby for 1 year with my old band and I've been playing an hour or so daily, fret wear is minimal. Also, I had to replace the five position switch to a DiMarzio. Also, broguth the wiring to normal. Humbucker, humbucker+single, single. I need it that way and it sounds perfect.

It's been 6 years now. The only complaint is the neck. I had to set it up a couple of times, but it remains a pleasure to play. Also, I live in a warm enviroment, so I take care of it a lot. Strap buttons were changed to a DiMarzio locking strap. No broken strings, even though I play palm mute most of the time. I'd probably shoot for a gig with this one only.Hardware is in perfect condition

I tried to get some info from Ibanez, as for some spare parts, in case I needed them, either USA or Japan. No response at all. I used email and fax.I don't know how can they do these quality instruments and left the customer on his own. High complaint on this one.

I've been playing since 1990. I purchased this one on 1994. I own also two Ibanez Jem(BSB and DBK), a Parker Deluxe, an Ibanez S 7 string(my other baby) and this one. This S470 was my first and I think I'm gonna die with it.I love the playability, tone, comfort and sound.As i said before, I am a weight freak. No other guitar(except for the Parker) may deliver all these features into one compact, sweet sounding guitar. I am also considering to buy those old Desert Yellow models just like Gambale's, just for the sake of it.

My guitar is a 97' model and was made in Japan i believe. 22 fret neck w/ jumbo frets and a rosewood fretboard. The neck is made of maple. nice mahogany body w/ a H-S-H pickup configuration. has an ibanez floyd rose double locking trem, one vol. and one tone control.

I play punk, metal, but i am also starting to learn jazz and blues. It has a great full sound, and its very versatile. i also have a fender strat, but this sounds much better. im really happy with the pickups, except for the single coil, which sounds pretty winpy, so i dont use it much. also id be happier if it had more sustain; i think part of the problem is because of the floyd rose trem, but it still sounds really good

mine was set up very well. the action was awesome, and i found no problems. The finish was done nicely; i love how the guitar looks.

havent had any problems so far; everything seems like it will last. Id definitely take it to a gig w/o a backup. The only complaint is when i opened it up, i noticed that the tremelo was connected to the body through 2 nails drilled into the wood. This kinda scared me cuz if the trem has too much tension, it could split the wood, even though i doubt it. im not sure if all tremelos are built in this way, but if so, they should find a sturdier way

havent dealt with them

ive been playing for 3 years, and i have a fender standard strat and two amps, a 15 watt peavey, and a crate gfx 212. I love everything about this guitar and if it were stolen id take my fender, hunt him down and shove the fender up his @$$.

This model, made in japan, has 22 medium gauge frets. The body is mahogany with a maple neck and rosewood fretboard. It is a 92 model, black, with gold hardware. Tremolo is non-locking standard type with locking Ibanez tuning keys.The body is saber shape; a strat type profile that balances really well.It has a H/S/H pickup configuration with a 5 way pickup selector with a tone and volume control.

This guitar suits my playing style very well. A style that is hopefully, my very own (at least that is what I am told). I can be lumped into the "shredder" category, I guess. I run this guitar through a '65 Fender Bassman (not a shredder machine i know, but it suits me just fine) with various effects as needed. My sound with this VERY lightweight guitar is HUGE! The options are almost limitless with the amount of different tones I can produce with this ax. The tone and volume controls are very complimentary with the H/S/H configuration. The standard tremolo works just fine for me, as I am not into the dive-bombing thing that much (have a Floyd equipped Ibanez for that). This guitar is very special too me as I traded a piece of junk Kramer that would not even hold a tuning,no matter what adjustments i made to it that cost me $75.00, for this $850.00 guitar from a Mr. Know-it-all Music shop rip-off artist who has since gone out of business (we all know him) AND whom I told the guitars worth too!Oh well, i tried telling him.

I didn't buy this instrument new, so I don't know of the factory set-up. I got it home and adjusted the truss rod and tremolo saddles and pickups to my specs and it played just fine after that. this guitar was in mint condition when I purchased it for almost nothing. Any flaws that are indented on it are my fault. The only problem I have with it are the Ibanez locking tuning keys, which are a completely different beast than the Wilkinsons. Any repairs involved removing the strings are welcoming damage to the keys when an inexperienced repair person attempts repairs. Make sure your repairman knows how to re or un-string you guitar if equipped with this type of peg.I almost installed Wilkinson locking keys on this guitar but I thought, "why bother. I do my own repairing".if you cannot repair your own guitar, I suggest swapping out the keys.

I've used this guitar in live situations several times and have never had a problem with it. No broken strings even. The hardware and finish take a lot of abuse and still hold their own in strenous guitar workouts. This guitar is my #1 and a replacement would take some searching.I've taken this instrument without a backup several times and will continue to do so. It is a very versatile instrument in my book, but that is just personal preference.

I've never had to deal with Ibanez before as i do all my own repairs and mods.But this guitar hasn't needed any mods or repairs yet and i have owned it for 5 years now.

I've been playing for 20 years now and this guitar is my #1 as I've said before. Les Paul? nah. Strat? nah. I got em and don't use em! Ibanez is notorious for putting out guitars of the same model with one sounding great and the other sounding like a giant piece of Godzilla crap! Fortunately, I got the great one. I haven't found any guitar that rates a 10 so i give this one a........

This guitar was made in Japan and is a 99. Standerd features like 5 way selector, 1 volume and 1 tone. It has a H/S/H configuration which is good because you can get a lot of different sounds out of it. 22 fret bolt on maple neck w/rosewood fingerboard. I really like the feel of the neck because it is SLICK!!! you can burn on this guitar and the rosewood is really smooth, probably cuz its so fake. Mohogony body and LO-TRS2 trem.

I play everything from jazz to blues to metal and it COULD suit these styles, but is mainly a rock & blues guitar. The humbuckers aren't really great, but they put out enough sound to make shit happen. If you want to make it sound good, get a tube amp and put some DiMarzio Steves Special on the guitar.

This thing was shit when i picked it up. The trem was all out of wack, the nuts had been striped so i couldn't replace the strings. There is one thing I need to point out about locking trems, they are really nice, but if one string breaks, it will throw it out of alignment and then you need to loosen or tighten it when you replace all the strings. other than that, it was all good.

I guess you can rely on it. everything seems somewhat solid (remember that it's japaneze guitar :(

I wouldn't know

I have been playing for 5 years and I don't really like this guitar. I could be so much better and I could get a much better AMERICAN made guitar for a little more cash. I ended up taking it back. But I guess if you want this guitar then get it. If you can, get one like it but made by Jackson (jacksons are better eventhough they are made an japan). All in all I guess it could be a good guitar especially for a beginer.

I just bought a 2000 Ibanez S470QS, and here is what it has to offer: quilted sapere wood top, on a mahogany body | trans black finish | oval mother of pearl fret markers | low TRS Floyd Rose Trem | black chrome hardware | wizard II neck | locking nut | H/S/H pickups (AH1, AS1, AH2) | carved top strat style body | jumbo frets (22) So you can see it has a lot to offer for $599- my only complaint is that the trans black finish is so dark, it is tough to see the beautiful quilted sapere top... oh well, I know it looks good

I would say I play mostly a rock/blues set, but I love the crunch of metal too. The pickups are not that hot (good enough for me, driving a 50W Line6) but they are really quiet, can get real deep and balsy ing the bridge, and bright and bluesy in the neck. The single coil is kind of neglected by me... it sounds pretty weak. Overall I am happy with the range of tones and variety of sounds this guitar puts out, a professional would undoubtedly opt to install active pickups.

I bought the thing from Sam Ash of Edison NJ, and it was not that bad of an experience. I got it set up right off, and it was wonderfull- low action, great intonation, and no complaints about the trem (which I may never be able to tune on my own). No complaints about the pickup heights, or the finish (it is absolutely beautiful). Since I bought it new, and had it set up right away, I really have no poor criticism to deal in this category.

This guitar would definitely withstand live performance. The hardware is great- the tuners are no-namers but the nut locks, and the bridge is as I said a low-TRS Floyd Rose, which is awesome. I would definitely not gig without a backup, just because of the Floyd Rose trem. The strap buttons were a little small, sturdy, but small... so I installed a pair of JD straplocks which are excellent. The finish is flawless, but I really can't comment on how long it might last, I have no idea... but the way I take care of my guitars I would say it will last for many, many years. The neck is a solid four bolt, and the locking nut is steel I guess, good stuff.

You get a one year warranty from Ibanez. I have not contacted, or needed them yet.

I have been playing about three years now, and in addition to this guitar I own a terrific '96 Mexican Strat (my first love) that I bought new. I love having both guitars, from the sharp quack of the single coils on the Fender to the lack-of-hum robust sound of the Ibanez in bridge position... If I had the cash I would buy either again, definitely. I love the finish, the action, the locking trem, the humbuckers, and the body of the Ibanez. I hate the trem handle, the single coil pickup in the middle, the locking nut (for tuning reasons- drop D is out of the question in a short amount of time), and the old strap buttons (too small). I guess I wish it had stronger active pickups for the long run, but I am satisfied now. I was considering a Jackson DR3, or a cheap ESP in addition to this, but I am happy that I got a good deal on the right guitar for me. As for Ibanez, I have heard nothing but good stuff about them and their equipment, and I have found nothing to challenge these rumors so far.

I bought it off some dude on ebay...I'm not sure what year it is...but it looks like a early 90's decked out light-weight Ibanez 470S with a tune-o-matic bridge, beautiful transparent maple top, mahogany body, black chrome hardware, H/S/H with EMG Hum's and an ibanez S2 Single Coil. I'm not sure what model EMG's they are, but they're active, and they're nice, and very bright. Whoever had it before me though, disconnected the single coil, so now i have sort of a kill switch on the guitar. It's pretty cool but I'm going to reconnect it to see what it sounds like. The neck is maple with a rosewood fingerboard. It has Gotoh 6 in-line tuners. Oh yeah, and straplocks.

I love it. The EMG's put out some great sound. I play alot of different styles, from blues to metal, punk to hardcore....pretty much anything cept country. It suits me perfectly and when i hook up the single coil i'm sure it will be even more versatile. The Humbuckers are clear as hell and they are loud! No noise what-so-ever! I play through a puny little Fender Princeton Chorus. Don't get me wrong, it's a great amp, but it's weak. It sounds beautiful clean or distorted....give it a 10

I got it used, but when i got it, the action was a teensy bit high, but other then that there are just a few small things. There is a slight buzz if i hit the low strings really hard, and there is 1 fret that buzzes but that's no big deal and i can fix that in a minute. Hardware is in perfect shape, no noise from the selector, no rust, straight neck, the body was in great shape other than 2 dings at most the size of the face of a AAA Battery. Really good shape. A+

Seems really solid. Hardware looks good. Great finish. I don't play it with a backup for the sole reason that i can't find another Ibanez S with a fixed bridge and EMG's and stuff. Very dependable.

Never dealt with Ibanez.

I've been playing for about 7 years now i think...I have a '97 Ibanez RG7 series...the seven string with a floyd. I like to change tuning frequently and with the floyd changing tuning takes at least 10 minutes to unlock, unscrew the back,tune, adjust the bridge, retune, adjust the bridge, and then retune, screw the back in, and then re-lock. It's a pain, and with the fixed bridge it takes 10 seconds to switch tuning. I also have a Gibson Les Paul, which is more comparable to the Ibanez as they both have tune-o-matics, etc. The only thing i'd like to do, it maybe put a rolling nut on it, just for fun, and change the single coil pickup, because i heard Ibanez single coils suck. But i don't know that for a fact yet. Overall A++++++.

made in Korea,h/s/h pickup config.floyd rose locking system, medium jumbo frets, teal green, the stock pickups are ok , it uses the axis line of pickups, wizard II neck, I think its a 1996 or 97.

I play grunge, punk shit and it sounds pretty good for that. I use it with a crate gx-140d it sounds pretty kickass. The single coil pickup really sucks it is one of the worst single coils I have ever used. The neck pickup is pretty nice it is really bassy. The bridge pickup is to twangy for my taste. the stock humbuckers are ok but arent high output at all so i am replacing them with duncans. after that i think it will definetly be one of the best sounding guitars i have ever heard.

factory setup was awful! every string buzzed, the pickup selector is very noisy, the pickups were not adjusted, strings were crap locking system was almost touching the body of the guitar. The finish is great though, and it has held up wonderfully, except lines on the finish from the pick. Once you get everthing set right it sounds great.

Deffinatley great for live playing, it is so light you can jump around and go nuts, some people said they didnt like the tuners, but I think they are really nice. Finish is a bit thin and may wear out in the next 5 years. Strap buttons are pretty solid but they have slipped a few times. I wouldnt use it at a gig without a backup.

never did anything with the warranty, and never had any problems

Ive been playing a while and I love this guitar, i have had it a long time now and I will never get rid of it. Once I replace the pickups it will deffinatley sound a thousand times better than my fender 89 American deluxe. If it was stolen I would buy an S-custom same guitar just better features.I gave it an 8 but with new pickups I give it a 10.

souped up model which I bought for 400 bucks (that included a hard case...a better deal cannot be found!) that was 2 humbuckers (the bottom one being a Damazio) and a Floyd Rose tremolo system. The Damazio just makes it oh so crunchy when I need it to be. It's got 5 pickup positions along with both a volume knob and a tone knob.

I like to play everything from funk to hardcore to trippy stuff to just blues/rock. This guitar is way more versatile then my Strat...and way faster too. My fingers seem to be able to move where and when I want them too. I just have to remember to take it off the Damazio humbucker pickup when I want a clean sound...it doesn't sound good for clean tones (the other 4 positions work fine clean).

It really is a thing of beauty. Dark, slim, sleak...just gorgeous. The bridge is set perfectly and, like I stated above, my fingers seem to glide over the bridge with the greatest of ease.

Not 1 problem so far and I have had it for about 4 months. As durable a guitar as I have seen.

I have not had to deal with Ibanez yet.

I have only been playing for about 5 years now, but I feel like this guitar has allowed me to reach a whole new level. It is a little heavier then most guitars I have played but it's not a big deal.
I play it through my 75 watt Fender Champ-110 amp, along with a bunch of pedals (flanger, delay, metal zone, wah, and auto-wah). I have to be careful not to use a lot of effects with the custom Damazio humbucker because it tends to overpower them. Not a big deal.
Retails at 819, I got it for 400 with a case...now THAT'S a great deal!

This was made in Korea at time that is unknown(I bought it used). It had some tarnishing on the pickup rings and some wear discoloration on the two pickup selector screws, but its all replacable. Besides that it was in very good condition and came a the greatest price I've ever seen it for. I bought it in back to cover its solid mahagony body thats fat in the middle and declines going out towards the sides which are flattened. Its looks almost exactly like Satriani's JS signature models except the sides are rounded instead of flattened. The neck is a Wizard II, maple with 22 fret fingerboard and 6 inline tuner Ibanez pateneted headstock. The tuners are pretty good but they proved to be worn out and will soon be changed. Its a Hum/Single/Hum p/u configuration fitted with three Asis p/u's, 1 tone and 1 volume, and a special 5 way selector(same as a strat but coil taps to the inner coils of the hums at position 4 and 2). It has a Ibanez LoTRS II locking tremolo that can bend both ways and also a standard locking nut. These type of trems and nuts make tuning very unpleasant.

I play lots of styles like surf, oldies, and blues, but i really like using it for older punk like Black Flag and some older metal like Sabbath. I play the guitar through a Crate GX212, a DOD dual 15 band EQ, and various effects pedals. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th postions have a nice strat like twang and sound to them. The 1st position sounds like a pretty basic bridge humbucker. It can get down pretty good and also can get a nice raunchy sound with the tone at 0. The neck pickup is pretty clear and smooth but not the best I've heard. I am going to coil tap both hum's pretty soon to get that single coil strat sound.

When it arrived, it was not set up very well or atleast not to my specs. The trem had to be raised to make the action higher and the pickup heights needed to be adjusted as well besides that is was fine. The finish was really great too.

This is a very reliable guitar, but I would have to bring a backup because when it breaks a string then I have to loosten the locking nut and the string clamp screw and then retune it because of the trem. So that means unlocking each nut. But thats what goes along with have a tremolo and locking nut. It is very durable too. The sencond day I had it, it fell out of my car because it was on a little hill and went down the hills rough concrete surface and only served 3 scratches on the back and a small dent near the top horn of the back also.

It didn't come with a warranty because I bought it used but hopefully I will never need to call Ibanez about a problem anyway which I really doubt I will

I've been playing for about 4 years and this is one of my guitars which will be very depressing to part with. It is oh so fresh. If someone stole it then I'd try to find another but with a price as low as I got it for.

The features are all you can ask for in a standard kick ass electric guitar, my fave's being - The mohogany body, the floyd, the h/s/h combination

Sounds awesome, Great deep rich beefy meaty tone.

I love the black finish, looks great on the countour body

Im not sure, so far so good

Ibanez sucks as a company, not customer friendly, they can suck my twinle toes

Im selling it as of 11/26/99 contact me if you want it, its brand new!! noisetrip@mailcity.com

this guitar was made in Korea. (probably in sum sweatshop) it has 22 frets it would be better if it had 24 frets mofo. its a really thin guitar its nice. But changing strings is a PAIN IN THE ASSHOLE BITCH!! like yer mom

it sounds awesome, but the middle coil hummed a little and was weak like yer mom

the shit was alright when i got it like yer mom

this guitar held very long like yer mom

warranty last only fer 1 year like yer greasy mom

the guitar was pretty cheap compared to other companies. Its a really rock hard guitar like yer mom.

See previous submit.

As mentioned in my first submit, I put Seymour Duncan Holdsworth buckers in BOTH positions even tho they're bridge pickups. I also put a Duncan hotrail bucker in the single (middle) position. Sounds great: Crisp, bright clean sounds similar to Vai's clean sound(s). The holdsworth pickups really bring out the true tone of the mahogany body. Totally rippin sounds. BUT, I believe that your rig (amp) is at least 60% of your sound if not more. After 25 years, I finally have a rippin rig.

See previous submit.

See previous submit.

See previous submit.

I had to add this entry in here after receiving and email regarding my previous entry: After replacing the bridge/nut and pickups, and dressing the frets, this guitar is worth every penny I spent. I currently recorded some older stuff that I wrote about 10 years ago (been playing for about 25 years now) and this guitar is just SMOKING HOT. plays incredible, sounds even better. Actually too hot for me (well, almost). I'm trying to go for a smoother Holdsworth tone and feel (I have a very strong legato style) and this guitar just brings me back 10-20 years to my VH days. You cannot help but go balls-to-the-wall when this thing is in your hands. Sheer BLISS. If it had 24 frets, I'd give it a 10.

Made in Korea in 1999. 22 frets, solid body. Two Ibanez Axis humbuckers, AH1 and AH2, and one Ibanez Axis single coil, AS1, organized H/S/H. 5-way pickup selector. One volume, one tone pot. Very thin, beveled mahogany body, maple neck (Wizard II style--ultra thin and wide, with a truss rod), rosewood fingerboard with dot inlays. BIG wide frets. Double-cutaway body, reminiscent of a strat, but extremely thin and beveled. Ibanez Floyd-Rose floating bridge (Lo-TRS Trem II). Standard (high-quality) Ibanez tuners, locks at the nut and bridge. Fine adjustment thumscrews at the bridge (I love them). This guitar is so thin it almost feels waif-like, but it's made of mahogany and has a truss-rod, and actually ends up being one of the sturdiest instruments I've ever played. It's absolutely the most comfortable guitar I've ever played, as well, without question. I would have preferred more than two pots, but this guitar already has the greatest variation in sound I've ever heard in a single guitar, so complaints really aren't warranted here.

I play everything from Eric Clapton to 311. This guitar amazes me with its wide gamut of sounds. I also play a Gibson LP-style for my bluesy moods, but it never could live up to shreddy distortion. My S470 generally can do anything the LP-style can, but handles screeching leads and feedback like a CHAMP. The single-coil can be a bit gritty or scratchy, and tends to hum a bit, but after all-- single coils are supposed to sound like that, and I like it. This guitar is all about character. I generally play through one of the humbuckers and the single coil at the same time. The only gripe I have about the instrument is the tone pot, which is basically pointless. 3/4 of the travel sounds the same, and the bottom 1/4 only serves to make your sound muddy and flat. I honestly don't use it. The selection of pickups alone gives you more tonal flexibility than I could imagine anyone ever using, but it won't hurt to have a good EQ handy if you're really picky. The mahogany body gives the guitar a wonderful resonant quality I have yet to hear in any other instrument. It's honestly got the widest gamut of sounds, and generally is the best sounding guitar I've ever played, but I'll take off a point for the lousy tone pot.

I bought the instrument from Guitar Center. It was set up very well, very very low action with just a perfect feel. If the sound of this instrument isn't enough to make you fall in love with it, the feel will be. It's comfortable sitting or standing, it's got a nice solid weight, and it's sturdy as a rock. The big, wide and extremely thin neck, along with the low-profile frets, make this guitar extremely quick and responsive. The woodworking, routing, and finish were all superb, with the exception that the finish in the recessed output jack is a bit thin-- but since you never see it anyway, it doesn't really matter. The hardware seems sturdy, but does tend to tarnish pretty quickly. This doesn't affect functionality, and only barely affects form. Unfortunately, Ibanez also chose to use cheap plastic covers on the back over the electronics and tremelo spring assemblies-- they're simply screwed in on top of the wood surface, rather than being laid in flush, and they definitely detract from the aesthetics of the otherwise very elegant body. This kind of construction would not be acceptable if it weren't on the back of the instrument. Also, the edges of the plastic tend to grab bits of polishing cloth and debris, and I generally need to take them both off to really clean the instrument. Also, I've tried a variety of strings, but just can't use tens on it. This guitar is designed for low action and agility, and using heavier-gauge strings just destroys the feel I love so much. The frets are so slight that I really can't feel them "through" heavier strings the way I'd like to. Once again, this guitar is all about agility, and this guitar really needs light strings. I can't stand anything but tens on my Gibson, but I can't stand anything but nines on my S.

The pickup selector is a bit too easy to move, and sometimes gets bumped out while I'm playing hard. The electronics are extremely reliable. I'm a little disappointed by the construction of the tremolo spring assembly, because the tensioning mechanism is nothing more than two wood screws screwed into the mahogany. If the body wasn't mahogany, I wouldn't trust the threads to hold under the stress of the springs. The tuning locks and saddles are very sturdy, but apparently too many people have a tendency to overtighten everything. You only need finger-tight pressure to lock the saddles, or the tuning locks-- anything more might cause damage to the instrument. This is the first guitar I've had with locking tuning, and the nut locks are a bit annoying because locking them immediately pushes all your strings sharp 15-20 cents. You basically have to coarse-tune the instrument 20 cents flat, lock the neck, and fine-adjust to get it into tune. However, once tuned, it stays perfectly tuned for as long as you'd ever care to leave a set of strings on it, even in moderately different climates. I'm very impressed by the tuning system. The Floyd-Rose bridge is honestly a pain in the ass when you want to change string types or gauges, but if you're happy with the same type of strings, it's a breeze to change them. The strap buttons are very solid, and are strap-lock ready. I trust them. This guitar is extremely solid, despite it's very thin form factor. I would trust it in just about any situation, but I'm also generally a bit more cautious with my instruments than a lot of guitarists.

Never dealt with them, one year warranty on most everything but careless abuse.

I've been playing two years. I own this S, a Gibson LP-style, and a cheap acoustic. I usually play through a Crate GX-130C 130 watt 2x12" stereo combo amp. I use a Boss ME-30 multieffects pedal for everything exception distortions, and a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone for distortion-- but I mainly play clean. I would definitely buy this guitar again and again and again-- nothing else in the price range even comes close to its combination of performance and feel. I've spent hours in different stores playing tons of guitars, and this one really does come out on top for me. I played about three dozen Fender, Peavey, Hamer, etc. guitars in a serious comparison, then decided to pick up the Ibanez S-- and I forgot all about the others within a matter of minutes. Yes, it's that good. I hate nothing about it, and my favorite feature has got to be the Wizard II neck-- just feels superb. I only have a few very minor gripes about the instrument, and it's almost silly to even complain about those things; it's the best-sounding, best-feeling guitar I've ever -played-, much less owned. It's a wonderful instrument in almost every conceivable way.

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.