Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Washington, D.C.
Posts: 3
S5470 Sustain Issue SOLVED...
...for me at least...
I have a 2010-ish S5470 with the Satin Tung Oil Finish (finish doesn't matter but I saw someone ask), it also has the ball bearing ZR2 vibrato, D'Addarrrio 9's, and I've experienced the dead zone around the 14th fret as shown at 50 seconds in this video... If you have a S5470 with this issue, you know exactly how ANNOYING it is.
Search YouTube for S5470 Sustain Issue, I can't post it here as I haven't posted 5 messages yet.
After years of having this issue arise and then go away, then pop up again, I recently started moving the G string up and down vertically across the saddle, and sure enough the sustain issue went away...so, I believe it is the metal on the saddle possibly being too soft, wearing in, having oil on it, as Ibanez recommends oiling the saddle/string contact point (which I'm no longer doing). I'm not really sure exactly what the issue is with the saddle but if you have a sustain issue, just wiggle your G up and down on the saddle, do this gently as it's possible to snap the string doing this, I snapped my B (or E) doing this and also my D,..but that's after a lot of high and low bombing and the string winding unraveled. I've also snapped a string at the nut on the tuner side by doing a neck adjustment without loosening the locks. Yeah we break strings regularly...it's not the end of the world, but again...
BE GENTLE!
I also noticed that there are rubber spacers on the fine tuners, I considered removing those however my guitar now sustains properly by wiggling the G in the saddle. I think it's the saddle metal or the rubber spacers, or both. BTW, I tried removing the rubber on the intonation tool, that didn't help...also leaving intonation tool out didn't help either so it's not the intonation tool absorbing the 14th fret G string "A" frequencies. The odd thing is, other strings don't have a sustain issue playing that "A". As far as one comment regarding a dead fret, it's not a dead fret. The saddles do slide up and down and I've had an issue with the B and High E sounding a little stale/dead that revitalized a little by moving the saddle up and down so it could be a saddle resting issue as well...but it's definitely something in the saddle. I almost bought a heavy aftermarket saddle block...thankfully I didn't because it doesn't need it.
So...in closing, any other S5470 owners out there who have had this issue happening to them, let me know if sliding the G up and down in the saddle a few times to renew to the metal-to-metal contact helps your sustain issue. I've done near everything I could think of aside from disassembling the ZR2 and cleaning/polishing all metal to metal parts...thankfully I didn't have to.
OFF TOPIC:
Can anyone recommend any 'sweet' humbuckers to replace the stock PU's with? I have plenty of output level so lowering output isn't an issue for me. I just want full range, sweet, articulate...I like to play bluesy, jazzy, classically type music and the stock neck HB is just too muddy for me compared to some older SC EMG's I have on my Casio MG-510. Basically I'm looking for a SC sweetness from a HB...probably chasing after a unicorn that doesn't exist, but I saw an ad for aluminum pickups, kind of pricy to just try out...I'm curious if anyone else had luck with them or any other models, Seymours, EMG, what have you. I'm no PU wizard, I just know what sounds good to my ears. The stock HB's are great for rock/heavy metal, but that's not what I play the most...and so far the 5470 just feels right in my hands...without a doubt the most comfortable and fast playing guitar I've ever had...
I just wish it sounded sweeter...S5470 owners will probably know what I mean.
Thanks for any recommendations/help you can offer...
Peace,
M.