Ibanez S series

[Guitar-Bob]

I am really feeling the need for another Ibanez, preferably the S420 (now changed to S520). I need to preface this by saying that I used to play Ibanez guitars back in the late 80's to early 90's, then went back to strats (modified).

I would like to ask if there are any TGPers out there that have any experience with the 2012 or 2013 models, especially the ZR trem models. How do you find the quality, does the ZR trem with the ZPS stay in tune as well as the You Tube vids show?

 

[Eagle1]

Get on old one with the edge on it .

 

[rummy]

I haven't played with the new ones, but man, I sure love those 90s Sabre customs.

 

[Guitar-Bob]

I noticed the 2014 (S520) now has the Edge Zero II trems. The RG Ibanez that I used to have had the original Edge trem on it and you couldn't knock it out of tune.....wish I still had it.

 

[superwho]

I've got an s520ex with the zr, and I personally love it. I liked the edge, and I like this better, but that's just me. If you know how to set it up, it works great. Some people like to add a bigger sustain block, but I've never run into any problems with mine. The online manuals are actually pretty precise on how to set it up, so it's almost fool proof.

 

[Guitar-Bob]

Well, I bought a S520 and Fed Ex delivered it Monday. I got the Blackberry Burst. For a low to mid priced gutar, this thing is extremely beautiful and seems to be built very well. The whole guitar just feels good, very playable and expressive. The color is actually much darker (more burgundy), the camera makes it look cherry redish.
ANYWAY HAPPY NGD to me!!

 

[Silver]

Nice! Let us know what you think of the trem when you've had some time with it, please. For a while I've been considering getting the Worn Black one of those and sanding it down in order to satiate my lust for a natural finish S. The new trems have thrown me a bit.

 

[luv]

^^ I've been eyeing that same model for my metalish needs.

Really want a JS24P, but not sure I want to pay $1300ish to get one.

 

[Guitar-Bob]

OK. This one has the Edge Zero II trem on it. It reminds me of the Edge trems from the late 80's that I had on my RG. I palyed it most of the night on Monday and a little bit last night. I plan on running it through it's paces tonight as I will be gigging it Saturday night. So far it seems to be staying in tune quite well.

 

[james...]

The complaints I've heard about the ZR trim were all about the feel. In terms of quality it's a great trem. There's a lot of misunderstanding about how that trem is designed. Technically speaking it is a better design than the edge, but people like what they know.

 

[Guitar-Bob]

I played the new fiddle for about 3 hours last night and I must say that I am impressed with the quality. The Edge Zero II stays in tune very well. I made some minor tweaks to the set up, but all in all I am very impressed. This guitar is very comfortable to play, the neck is just awesome and the mahogney body really resonates. I will play this one most of the night at Saturdays gig. I can see this one becoming my #1.

 

[sixesandsevens]

Awesome. Happy NGD!

 

[luv]

Guitar-Bob, I'm Curious how the 520 held up at the gig. Any tuning issues with the Edge Zero II?

I'm about to pull the trigger on one of these, but it will just be a 3rd electric for me, so not my main guitar (unless for some reason I really bond with it).

 

[Guitar-Bob]

luv - the guitar was flawless, no tuning issues at all. On a couple of tunes (mostly the endings of the sets) I went nuts on the bar (on purpose) from dive bombs to "flabby" strings on the neck to pulling a harmonic over the pick up way sharp it came back in tune. I have read some complaints about the INF series pickups, but at home and at higher volumes at the gig, they sounded great to me (YMMV). IMHO for the price of this guitar, it would be hard to beat in the price range. Be sure to also spring for the case, as it is a very nice case also. It is molded to fit the S shape and protects the guitar nicely.

 

[23 Fretz]

I rented one of these guitars for a month. It had the ZR trem. I loved it. I never played a more comfortable guitar in my life, super light, stays put on your body. The trem is super smooth and it didn't sound too bad. The sustain could be a little better so I tried a set of 10's on it, it helped that issue a lot.

 

[Fuzzdog]

I've got an S470 with the ZR trem which gets far, far more use than it has any right to for the price - it's almost the perfect working guitar. Put strings on, tune up, stretch them a bit, lock it down, and you'll hardly ever even need to touch the fine tuners until next string change time. The INF pickups get a lot of flak, but are pretty good in a band mix, particularly the neck one - I popped a PAF Pro into the bridge position of mine, but left the neck INF in there, as it was perfectly fine!

Plus, setting the intonation is an absolute breeze compared to most locking trems - they even provide a handy little intonation tool which screws into the side of the trem when not in use. Genius.

I didn't even mean to buy it - someone offered it in part exchange on a US Strat I was selling, and I thought "Meh, I can probably move it on for a few quid, why not?"

 

[Guitar-Bob]

I was expecting to do alot of tweaking to it, but it was really nice right out of the box. I adjsuted the pickups and the height of the Edge Zero II bridge a little and that was it. One other thing that needs mentioning, the neck on this gutar is great, and I mean the playability, just feels smooth (trying not to say it plays like buttah).

 

[jclogston]

I'm looking to get this as well. I had the s420 and it was great except for some sharp fret ends. How is the s520 in regards to this?

 

[Guitar-Bob]

Funny that you mention the S420 as this is the one that i was looking at originally. The S520 that I got is great, had no sharp fret ends. The odd thing is, I'm one of these guys that doesn't buy a guitar unless I play it first, but on a whim I ordered this one and am glad that I did. I can't vouch for all of the S520's, but the one that I received is flawless.

 

[jclogston]

Funny that you mention the S420 as this is the one that i was looking at originally. The S520 that I got is great, had no sharp fret ends. The odd thing is, I'm one of these guys that doesn't buy a guitar unless I play it first, but on a whim I ordered this one and am glad that I did. I can't vouch for all of the S520's, but the one that I received is flawless.

Thanks. I might go ahead and check it out. Love the body shape and the mahogany body...