Ibanez S470
The Disappearing Guitar
Why is it a disappearing axe? It’s so thin, light and comfortable to play while standing on stage that you’ll forget you’re wearing a guitar. If your Les Paul has carved a permanent crease in your shoulder then give this slender beauty a try.
Move the humbuckers away from the strings (1/8 in.) and raise the single coil close to the strings (1/16 in.) to obtain a balance in volume between the pickups and you will be happy. All the tones are usable; warm V1 (neck) and V2 (bridge) humbuckers are maybe just a tad too metallic sounding. The “in between” pickup positions are nice and quacky (tapped coil humbucker). The S1 single coil in the middle is surprisingly meaty, due in part to the large magnet pole pieces. Photo is the fancy model; S470 FM.
The double locking trem system does an excellent job, we’ve had no tuning problems. The bridge setup allows for a wide range of adjustment, however the sliding bridge saddles and set screws make small intonation adjustments a clumsy procedure. Each string is secured to the bridge using a vise-like clamp (first remove the ball end from the new string). Intonation can be zeroed in whether you use 11′s with high action or 8′s with low action, but be careful with the fine tuners and bridge lock screws (soft steel). Despite it’s few weak points, it is a joy to play. The Wizard neck is honestly special once you grow accustomed to it.
