I finally found a used Ibanez S470 guitar that looked to be in good enough condition and made in Japan. The “S” or Saber series from Ibanez is a solid body made of mahogany with most models having a maple or similar top. This particular model (which by the serial number looks to be around a 2005) has a set-in 22 fret neck. Most Ibanez s-series wood is mahogany. The cap on this Ibanez S470 electric guitar is a quilted maple with tombstone grey finish; very beautiful to the eye. I paid a very reasonable $400 for this guitar as it was in near perfect condition. The body isn’t quite as thick as an LP but it purrs and growls much the same.
The Ibanez S 470 is known for its tone and how well the tremolo system stays in tune. There are a few shred masters today that swear by the Floyd Rose designed double locking system. As with many of Ibanez Guitars top models, this S470 Ibanez has a wizard 2 neck which is popularly known as being among the fastest, if not the fastest on any guitar today. I had heard from a few musician friends of mine how fast these necks were and how they had improved their speed considerably after only a few sessions playing on the S470 maple neck. I have to say, after playing on this neck myself, I have experienced the same increase in skill level that they were talking about.
I do have one complaint, although a minor one, the Ibanez S470 pickups are not to my liking. This is usually an issue with a lot of Ibanez pickups, for me anyways, so I like to swap them out or at least combine them with other pickups. I left the middle single coil because by itself it actually has a very strat-like tone to it that I’m quite happy with. For the neck and bridge pickups I swapped a Super 70 (Ibanez made pickup) into the neck position and a DiMarzio Super Distortion into the bridge. I’m extremely happy with the tone I’ve created now. For any Ibanez S series pickup swap, you really can't go wrong with a combo from Seymour Duncan or DiMarzio.
The mahogany used in the Ibanez S470 is very dense and has a beautiful crunchy, yet still warm tone. I’m not entirely sure whether it’s an North American or European grade but it's not near as heavy as an LP and not quite as thick. The Ibanez S470 is comfortable around the edges and still thick through the mid-section where you need the added punch. It’s the density of the wood that gives it the sweet growl that this particular model is famous for.
If you’re in the market for new/old guitar instruments then check out the Ibanez S470 dxqm. It has the beautiful quilted maple top that is worthy of any guitar showroom. Seriously though, besides the beautiful looks and craftsmanship, the Ibanez S470dxqm has a great tone to it and plenty of room for upgrading should you decide to swap out the stock pickups. The whole lineup of Ibanez S series guitars are really top notch in quality and price.