Stranger in an Ibanez Land and Need Help!

Hi there,

I have the cheapest Ibanez RG available but I love it! Now, I decided to upgrade because of the muddy pickups and all. However, I can not decide whether I should get a RG1570 or a S470. RG1570 sounds awesome, but when I put my hands on S470, it was love at first sight. Man, it is so light and comfortable ... hey, let's be honest: It's sexy!

It doesn't sound as good and I can not hear the mahagony difference. If I change the pickups to (H-S-H) Evolution Neck - Seymour Duncan Screamin’ Demon - Evolution Bridge, would it be great or what?

I love the pissed, growling sound of the Les Paul (hate the guitar, though) and the clean melancholic sound of the RGs. Do you think I can get these out of this axe?

Thanks for the comments! :confused:

I've never had the pleasure of playing an S-470, but I know somebody who has one, and he says it's better tone-wise than his RG. You'll get a bit more beef out of the S, I think, without it being as fat as a Les Paul's tone. So I suppose it's a bit like a jack-of-all-trades and master of none, tonally speaking.

get the one that feels better, in this case being the S470, and swap the pups to something that sounds better. maybe even the same p/u's as the RG1570 if you like the way that one sounds.

I'd get the one that feels better in your hands and that you can play better, and screw around with the sound using your amp/pickups, althought tone freaks won't like that idea.

I currently own two Ibanez models, a Jem and a Prestige and I used a cheap ass EX model before that. My advice as a bona fide Ibanez user is to go with whichever axe feels the nicest and then change the pickups and get a guitar tech to do the set up for you. Ibanez stock pups are horrible, even in a Prestige. If you really like the feel of your current axe then think about getting it fitted with Dimarzio Breeds or Evolutions and you simply can't go wrong. Personally, I wouldnt go mixing and matching different brands of pickups. If you go for Evo's, then go for the straight set. Reason being, a lot of research would have been done by Dimarzio to get the exact combination for the best sound. Only thing you need to look into before you decide to change the pups on your existing axe as opposed to buying a newer one is whether the frets are worn and whether there are any intonation problems that can't be fixed through truss rod adjustment.
Evolutions are great pickups, very clear and powerful BUT I find Breeds create a sound that not many other guitarists use - both are traditional Vai pups but my vote goes with the Breeds.

[QUOTE=Akira]
I played pretty much the entire 2005 range of Ibanez guitars last year, and they all felt crap, to be blunt. I have a 2000~ RG470 which plays better than all the new Ibanez models, even the ones with the 1K + tags. (Mind you, I didn't play any of the signature model guitars).
QUOTE]

I agree 100%. The new Ibanez models are too heavy (in weight), have sticky necks and horrible muddy pickups. However.... if you are thinking about the 1K+ price range you have to check out the Jem's - IMHO they are among the best axes out there.

what you have to consider is the feel. you like the s series, so where is the problem? change the pickups and you're set to go...

besides, you already have an RG, so you have got the whole, bass-wood, 24fret sound covered...so why not try a 22 fret mahogany guitar? it will atleast give you some variety.

I'd go with the s series (not only is it sexy, but I cant stand 24fret guitars).

what's wrong with 24 fret guitars? thought they were pretty much standard anyways.

Originally Posted by: suicidalmoosewhat's wrong with 24 fret guitars? thought they were pretty much standard anyways.

nah, 22 is much more common. don't really know what difference it makes, but I couldn't imagine needing to play any higher than 22 so I don't have any 24's.

i guess the 22 fretter might be better for guys like me that pick kinda high on the guitar anyways, i often find myself picking on the fretboard :P but i think that's just bad habit. I guess most guitar in the ESP LTD range are 24 fretters, and a lot of metal guitars are 24ers 2 cause it gives people the impression that they betta for soloin - that's probly why i didn't see any 22ers amongst the range i was choosing from.

oh, one thing I forgot about, the radius of the fretboard is usually different between the two. a lower radius, which has a curve in the fretboard, is better for playing towards the headstock, like open chords and stuff, and a higher radius, which is flatter, is better for soloing. usually a 22 will have a lower radius, and a 24 will have a higher one. though, now on some guitars they have it so that it starts out with a lower radius towards the headstock, and flattens out as it get higher up the neck.

yeah, thats why I prefer 22frets...not only is the neck usually stiffer...but I find 22 frets give me a sweeter tone, becuase the neck pickup is situated underneath the second octave, so it is a tonally rich picking ground. I'm not sure if that actually is the reason, but it makes sense, as surely the second octave would be a node on the wave pattern of the string?