Have you ever tried Ibanez S470 guitar?

[symphonicmind]

I'm tending to buy another guitar and I'm considering my friend's guitar in like new condition S470 for 400$. I can't pay anything higher than that . He lives xtremely far from me (it's about half of... earth, seriously ) so I can't test the guitar's tone. If I take that guitar, he would bring it to me when he comes home.
How that guitar sounds? Its reliability? Its sustain?
And what is the best bridge pickup for it? (I play mostly Prog/symphonic Metal).
Thank you for reading this.

 

[Godhasblessedme]

Yep I've tried this one and several other S series. I have an SA36FM, which is a prety average guitar.
The S470s are nice guitars, great for shredding etc.
If you're into prog metal etc, the stock pickups will do fine. It should come with Ibanez V pickups, they're pretty good.

 

[freshblood]

I've got that guitar. I'm not an experienced player but can write something...
It's a decent guitar but still a factory-made one.
It has floyd rose-like bridge, pickups H-S-H which make it quite versitile - you can play nice clean chords (sound good), solos and rock/metal riffs.
I have standard ibanez pickups (default) so the riffs are not as heavy and deep as while using active EMGs pickups but are still ok (w/ good disto), but since you're not into heavy metal you don't have to worry...
The harmonics sound very good, especially artificial harmonics.
As for the sustain i think it's on the average level; the body isn't very thick and my guitar is made in korea...
The guitar keeps tune.
I only have problems with strings tension; the strings are not as soft as I would like them to be, even after visiting the luther. I don't know if it's a common problem with this model or if my luther have problems with himself...
Summary: for that price - more than a decent factory-made guitar but not a killer one, and not for an experienced player.
regards,

 

[symphonicmind]

Thanks for your review and advices.
@Godhasblessedme: My friend's Ibanez S470 is 2004 Model which has already Ibanez PSND Pickups. Newer models have Infinity pickups. What are the differences between those pickups? Are Ibanez V Pickups one of them? And now I have a Dimarzio PAF Pro which is taken from my old guitar, Should I use it for bridge position? I play both solo and rhythm stuffs.
@freshblood: with me, The thin body, light weight and thin neck are advantages of this guitar because I'm quite thin (1,65m of height and ... 52,5 kgs T_T) and have a small hands. So I thought that I have to sacrify a bit expected sustain with this xtremely thin guitar (I like RG's body more than that). And after playing guitar for several years, I found that I can do my best with 009-042 strings. 25,5'' scales neck is a good choice for this strings gauges? With that strings gauge, is the tension good enough (I can't play with high and very high tension >.< )

 

[cobrahead1030]

i used to own one, here's my take

they're pretty solid guitars, and great players...but the body style lends them to be pretty thin sounding, and the stock ibanez pickups are terrible

 

[freshblood]

i also use 09-42 strings - ernie ball super slinky - which are used by many guitar players. the string gauge you should choose by your own preferences.

strings gauge has influence on their tension but the tenstion also can be regulated by the springs in guitar bridge and by adjusting their height.
so using the same strings one can have very high and the other very low tension.
as for proof i can only tell you that my friend is using the same strings in his fender stratocaster and the strings tension is much lower.
also prior visiting the luther my super slinky's tension also was much higher.

here is some article that you may find interesting:
http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/learning/gauges.html

regards

 

[symphonicmind]

Thank you so much! :d

 

[Godhasblessedme]

The various pickups that Ibanez have put in their ranges (I'm talking mid priced to high end, not budget) are usually generic Dimazio type pickups, with little difference in them. Unless of course its a signiture or prestige which come with a genuine Dimazio/SD/EMG.
What it comes with will all depend on when it was made.
I've seen them factory fitted with a generic passive EMG style pickup, the V Dimazio rip offs, and some of the newer style pickups that lend more to the SD look. The windings and magnets are pretty much the same, they just put some new plastic and lettering on them to keep with the trends.
If you have a PAF Pro, fit it and give it a try and compair with whats already in it.