[Did Ibanez mess] up the S-series

[Zero 7]

Originally Posted by Steve V.

Where did all the hardtail Ss go?

Absolutely.

[Steve V.]

Originally Posted by Zero 7

Absolutely.

You can pretty much trace any guitar's decline from the exact moment they completely do away with hard tail models.

[Lonkero]

Originally Posted by elcid

Get used to it man. Unless you are going to bash Gibson, Fender or say that a Squier is as good as an American Strat, you need to let people know you are just stating an opinion.

Good joke man hehe
Yeah from now on every member here should start his/hers sentence with IN MY OPINION

[Brando Clean]

"wished Ibanez would put a ZR on the the RG series"

My sentiments exactly. I think the bridge is a good idea. I played one and it was super smooth. Unfortunatley I prefer the RG body style to the S.

[Powerslave214]

I like the wavey inlays better than sharkfins, but I still prefer plain ol' dot inlays.
I just got an '88 Saber with an original Edge. The neck on it is absolutely perfect. I do like the AANJ better than the square heel, but it's a sweet machine.

[pigwalkarg]

The only problem I have with my S were the horrid, horrid designed by EMG pickups. If you're buying a 800 dollar guitar you'd imagine they'd at least have usable pickups on it. Can't complain about anything else.

[Paper_Shredder]

A used '03 S470 w/ZR was my first floyd style double locking trem. I had no problems learning how to set it up and keep it in tune. I got wild with it and it never failed me. I did have to replace the arm holder initially, and I never tracked down an anoying vibration that I suspect was in the trem somewhere. The guitar got sold mainly for low frets and not because I didn't like the ZR. I would def be into one of the new Japanese 24 fret ZR S series.

[Roryrockslinda]

The ZR trem is very nice, I use it myself.
It's a nice medium between hardtail and trem, it's easy to use and doesn't mess you about (like a hardtail) but you can give it some wang!
However without the backstop it does have the flutter, but stil pales in comparison to the trems sich as the Edge.

I would like to see some Ss with the Edge style trem on it (unfortunately it wouldn't be the lo-pro edge anymore) as well as some other hardtail models.
But I wouldn't say they're messed up, the ZR trem is really nice.

[Zero 7]

Originally Posted by pigwalkarg

The only problem I have with my S were the horrid, horrid designed by EMG pickups. If you're buying a 800 dollar guitar you'd imagine they'd at least have usable pickups on it. Can't complain about anything else.

You're not buying an 800 dollar guitar. You're paying $800 for a $500 guitar .

[pigwalkarg]

What does Ibanez have out there in that price range new that's not Basswood, has a decent trem and isn't MII?

[wiorys]

I've got s2170 ebony swirl.
ZR is very nice, but not so smooth if you use whammy in both directions at once(because you can feel zero point)
Anyway (IMHO) there are more advantages than cons

Dimarzio/Ibz neck pickup(marked as F/IHWVN1BKLR) sounds VERY good.
I've tried Air Norton here but it was lifeless and a bit too muddy. Going back to stock pickup
Middle pickup - very noisy, quiet. Connected with single coil from neck pickup = strato, awesome.
Bridge pickup - nice for cleans, not so good for distortion. I'm looking for something else.

22 frets = bigger distance between pickups = nice, deep, sweet neck tone(IMHO)
I've compared it(s2170) with S540('93 one) and:
I have measured body wood near neck joint: s2170: 3,5cm , s540: 4cm
S540 is also little heavier in terms of weight

S540 has got very "slim" neck, if you like necks like this it could be better
Both guitars sounded very similar

SO I think everything is fine.

[GuitarBizarre]

I have a 2002 RG550EX with the super wizard neck, and I have an S2170FW with the Wizard II.

In my eyes, both guitars have redeeming and non-redeeming features and are pretty much equal. The Edge is more hassle than the ZR but lighter feeling, THe ZR is much easier to live with than the Edge but needs periodic maintenence. The super wizard is easier to play but the Wizard II gives much better sustain.

Swings and roundabouts. For everything I can think of on the S, the RG has something opposite or equal.

[cioran]

Originally Posted by wiorys

ZR is very nice, but not so smooth if you use whammy in both directions at once(because you can feel zero point)

May I ask if this is a commonly held opinion?
I've tried an S-series for feel, and the ZR trem simply didn't have an immediate response when used for vibrato - it didn't do anything until some force was applied with a grip at the edge of the bar for sufficient leverage, and then the vibrato felt very unnatural.

I need the tone vibrato to respond immediately, even if the movement is minuscule.
Is this 'dead zone' a given with the zero point system, or will removing the stop-bar have it acting like any floating trem?

(If the question sounds dumb, try doing a search on the ZR, or worse, talk to a store guy whose abilities you don't fully trust...)

Any help is much appreciated.

[GuitarBizarre]

Originally Posted by cioran

May I ask if this is a commonly held opinion?
I've tried an S-series for feel, and the ZR trem simply didn't have an immediate response when used for vibrato - it didn't do anything until some force was applied with a grip at the edge of the bar for sufficient leverage, and then the vibrato felt very unnatural.

I need the tone vibrato to respond immediately, even if the movement is minuscule.
Is this 'dead zone' a given with the zero point system, or will removing the stop-bar have it acting like any floating trem?

(If the question sounds dumb, try doing a search on the ZR, or worse, talk to a store guy whose abilities you don't fully trust...)

Any help is much appreciated.

If you take out the bar, it feels like any other floating tremolo, although that DOES rather defeat the point of the ZR tremolo in the first place.

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Now playing: Soundgarden - Nothing to Say
via FoxyTunes

[cioran]

Originally Posted by GuitarBizarre

If you take out the bar, it feels like any other floating tremolo, although that DOES rather defeat the point of the ZR tremolo in the first place.

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Now playing: Soundgarden - Nothing to Say
via FoxyTunes

There is that. I've been viewing it as a seven-string trem with a Tremol-no (this was an S-7320) and with the added bonus of the easier spring adjustment for retuning across the board.

If you would bear with me: how much am I losing in terms of stability and/or other perks?
I'm suddenly even more doubtful about what I thought I knew about this unit...