Sorry, no pics yet and I can't review the pickups yet.
I have had the guitar about a month now, so here are the bullet points on the new 24 fret S5470, slanted towards Jem/RG owners.
1. Body:
The EGEN18 funny looking grip is most likely a blessing, grabbing the S5470 by the horn is not comfortable at all. Jem and RG horn is plenty maneuverable. Monkey Grip is a god send.
Upper cut away is not as large as a Jem/RG but is still quite assessable.
Mahogany is truly fantastic, I noticed that my RG2027's had much better low end presence than my Universes, this was a motivating factor in getting the S5470. The guitar is acoustically louder than my Jem and RG and really has better fundamental tone. It almost sounds like it's chambered it's so loud.
Although Serial number states 2008, the guitar was manufactured in 2007.
I think I got really lucky and got an outstanding piece of Mahogany.
In the tone woods post/faq, the body has all the great characteristics.
I got the SOL and it's purty.
2: Whammy Bar:
I really tried to like the stop bar in it. The idea of breaking a string and staying in tune has its appeal. It basically adds two more springs when you press down, increasing the tension quite a bit. When you whammy up and down, you can feel the stop point (although it's really nice that even with the stop bar you can pull up to your heart's content). You have a feeling that feeling that zero stop point is going to cause noise but it doesn't. If you pull up on it and let it go, you get a little clunk. Out of luck if you want flutter.
I took the stop bar out, basically because I had too many years in on Edge/EdgePro. With the stop bar out, if feels almost identical to an Edge.
I dare say, it is even a little smoother than an Edge.
Intonation adjustment is much easier than an Edge.
Spring adjustment with a wheel is much easier than screwdriver.
Not having to nail polish whammy washers is very nice.
The bar tension being adjustable is great, no play.
This is a top notch bridge that should put up with a lot of abuse and not wear out a knife edge since it is ball bearing. No tuning issues with the stop bar out, stable or more stable than an Edge.
If you rely on flutter with your technique, you can get some, but will be disappointed.
3. Neck:
As far as six string Ibanez's go, I have a Jem 90HAM with Ebony, a '97 RG550 with Maple and now the S5470 with Rosewood. I've never been a big fan of rosewood, even though 90 percent of my guitars have it.
However,
Rosewood board on a Mahogany body really sounds good. Notes up top are full of life and the overall sustain of the S5470 is fantastic, better than my Jem and RG.
The fretwork is impeccable, the best I have gotten out of the box from Ibanez. For that fact, the intonation was correct out of the box, so was the trem angle. Again, I think the early run of these may be the gems.
I like wafer thin necks, the HAM and the 550 are 17mm at the nut/first fret.
I like the nothingness of scarf joint, but the volute doesn't get in your way at all. At, 18mm it's plenty thin and has a great feel. No string tree, if this thing had sperzels on it, string changes would be 5 minutes.
4. Overall:
I'll get pics and pickup reviews soon, but this is a great guitar, $1299 street price with a GREAT case. Allen wrench holder in the head stock is sweet, the
intonation tool and having the offset saddle anchor screw for easy access is great. This guitar is a cherished part of the guitar forest now. If I have to replace the pickups (first thing I did with the RG550 and RG2027's) I will not be bummed.
Extremely comfortable body and neck, great tone and easier to setup than your standard Jem/RG. It is the perfect gig guitar. The stop bar is good insurance but I would suggest taking it out if you are use to an Edge.
Happy Camper I.
--nota
