So I got this beauty in June of 2018 and she has been a constant companion since then.
Here are the specs: https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/S5570Q
A random few personal thoughts first. I LOVE the color. I saw the S5570 at NAMM in 2014 and thought it was the first Ibanez that just really grabbed me by the throat and said BUY ME! I like the look of the Lo-Pro more than the Original Edge, I've only had one other Ibanez and it had an Edge. I can't tell difference in functionality but I just prefer a more sleek look. That said, you can see the route is a bit oversized for the Lo-Pro, and I realized the reason for that was because until 2014 the model had a Zero Trem. In their wisdom Ibanez made plenty of room for the intonation tool to not hit the top of the guitar. I also like the thought of the titanium reinforcement from the KTS rods. I don't know if it really does much for sustain or not...but it gives me warm fuzzies to know that such a slim neck has a bit of extra engineering in it. Finally, I know it's dumb but I LOVE the colette knobs! they have the rubber middle and feel so good to use.
So as far as looks go, this guitar was about 4 years old when I got it. It had a few pick scratches but overall was perfect.
Play-ability The guy I bought it from on Reverb said it had sustain issues on the 14th-ish fret. I didn't feel like it was very bad, but I hear there's more drop off around the 14th fret than higher or lower on the neck. I don't want to insinuate it's a dead spot, just a less lively spot. As far as the rest goes, the neck was fast and I love the S body shape and weight. Don't get me wrong, a RG is a good body but I don't feel like it's quite as friendly for long gigs. Mine had a Tremol-No in it. I used it for a while, but I didn't like it enough to keep it. The neck is thin and wide as it has the Super Wizard HP profile. The biggest issue I've had is fret sprout. the S5570 doesn't have neck or body binding so when it reared its ugly head it became obvious. I used the StewMac fret dressing stick to get rid of it. Also on recommendation from Rich at Ibanez Rules I used a razor blade to make the neck feel broken in and WOW...what a difference that made.
Trem use....the Lo-Pro is pretty incredible. I can't believe how well it works. I like the slide in arm, but it has already developed some slop since I bought it. I guess I need to get some new teflon washers from Rich. The feel is great and I'm really impressed by the thought that wen into its design. One thing is that the duralumin block is pretty small. I think eventually I'm going to get a FU-Tone block upgrade. I think this would probably help the 14th fret issue as well as warm up the guitar just a hair. I did try the Floyd Rose brass claw...just to see and it didn't make a difference significant enough I could hear after a string change. It looks nice though!
As far as sound goes....the guitar came with a Hot Grinder Neck and Bridge with a Short Tracer middle. I really was unimpressed with the pickups chosen. Funny enough, Nita Strauss LIKES that setup. I went to a show with her and Angel Vivaldi, where I had both sign the back of my headstock, and she commented about how she liked the factory pickups and asked what I put in it. The Neck pickup was too bright and quacky and the bridge was to mid-humpy. I couldn't get a sound that was consistently good for neck and middle. The short tracer was alright, it was pretty strong over all, but a bit too much glass for me. I put in a Liquifire neck, red velvet in the middle, and a Steve's Special bridge. The Steve's Special in the regular orientation has a very clinical sound. I definitely get some early Dream Theater sound and feel with it even in this guitar. The low end is HUGE and the highs aren't brittle but are out front for sure. Long term I wasn't sure I could deal with it. So eventually I flipped it and have been MUCH happier. It is still somewhat scooped, more like a Custom I'd say but with a warmer top end and thicker bottom end due to more low mids. The Liquifire you've all probably read about. It's designed for Petrucci's 24 fret guitars and is based on an Air Norton so it does really well in the S. Sometimes the presence can be a little TOO much, but normally it's fine. In the middle position the red velvet does well keeping up with the other two. It's definitely a hotter strat single sound as for output, but it still has the normal strat quack etc. The Red Velvet plays nice with the other pickups in the 2 and 4 positions. I think it's supposed to be comparable to the SD Twang-Banger. but with less tele EQ-ing.
Overall, I'm very satisfied and this guitar has turned me into a big fan of the Prestige line. When I consider how much guitar I got for the price it seems a little ridiculous how much some companies charge for less. That all said, I think that with dbl locking trem guitars it's imperative that the store or individual that sells them set them up correctly the first time or the recipient will NEVER be happy with the guitar.
Luke
Here are the specs: https://ibanez.fandom.com/wiki/S5570Q
A random few personal thoughts first. I LOVE the color. I saw the S5570 at NAMM in 2014 and thought it was the first Ibanez that just really grabbed me by the throat and said BUY ME! I like the look of the Lo-Pro more than the Original Edge, I've only had one other Ibanez and it had an Edge. I can't tell difference in functionality but I just prefer a more sleek look. That said, you can see the route is a bit oversized for the Lo-Pro, and I realized the reason for that was because until 2014 the model had a Zero Trem. In their wisdom Ibanez made plenty of room for the intonation tool to not hit the top of the guitar. I also like the thought of the titanium reinforcement from the KTS rods. I don't know if it really does much for sustain or not...but it gives me warm fuzzies to know that such a slim neck has a bit of extra engineering in it. Finally, I know it's dumb but I LOVE the colette knobs! they have the rubber middle and feel so good to use.
So as far as looks go, this guitar was about 4 years old when I got it. It had a few pick scratches but overall was perfect.
Play-ability The guy I bought it from on Reverb said it had sustain issues on the 14th-ish fret. I didn't feel like it was very bad, but I hear there's more drop off around the 14th fret than higher or lower on the neck. I don't want to insinuate it's a dead spot, just a less lively spot. As far as the rest goes, the neck was fast and I love the S body shape and weight. Don't get me wrong, a RG is a good body but I don't feel like it's quite as friendly for long gigs. Mine had a Tremol-No in it. I used it for a while, but I didn't like it enough to keep it. The neck is thin and wide as it has the Super Wizard HP profile. The biggest issue I've had is fret sprout. the S5570 doesn't have neck or body binding so when it reared its ugly head it became obvious. I used the StewMac fret dressing stick to get rid of it. Also on recommendation from Rich at Ibanez Rules I used a razor blade to make the neck feel broken in and WOW...what a difference that made.
Trem use....the Lo-Pro is pretty incredible. I can't believe how well it works. I like the slide in arm, but it has already developed some slop since I bought it. I guess I need to get some new teflon washers from Rich. The feel is great and I'm really impressed by the thought that wen into its design. One thing is that the duralumin block is pretty small. I think eventually I'm going to get a FU-Tone block upgrade. I think this would probably help the 14th fret issue as well as warm up the guitar just a hair. I did try the Floyd Rose brass claw...just to see and it didn't make a difference significant enough I could hear after a string change. It looks nice though!
As far as sound goes....the guitar came with a Hot Grinder Neck and Bridge with a Short Tracer middle. I really was unimpressed with the pickups chosen. Funny enough, Nita Strauss LIKES that setup. I went to a show with her and Angel Vivaldi, where I had both sign the back of my headstock, and she commented about how she liked the factory pickups and asked what I put in it. The Neck pickup was too bright and quacky and the bridge was to mid-humpy. I couldn't get a sound that was consistently good for neck and middle. The short tracer was alright, it was pretty strong over all, but a bit too much glass for me. I put in a Liquifire neck, red velvet in the middle, and a Steve's Special bridge. The Steve's Special in the regular orientation has a very clinical sound. I definitely get some early Dream Theater sound and feel with it even in this guitar. The low end is HUGE and the highs aren't brittle but are out front for sure. Long term I wasn't sure I could deal with it. So eventually I flipped it and have been MUCH happier. It is still somewhat scooped, more like a Custom I'd say but with a warmer top end and thicker bottom end due to more low mids. The Liquifire you've all probably read about. It's designed for Petrucci's 24 fret guitars and is based on an Air Norton so it does really well in the S. Sometimes the presence can be a little TOO much, but normally it's fine. In the middle position the red velvet does well keeping up with the other two. It's definitely a hotter strat single sound as for output, but it still has the normal strat quack etc. The Red Velvet plays nice with the other pickups in the 2 and 4 positions. I think it's supposed to be comparable to the SD Twang-Banger. but with less tele EQ-ing.
Overall, I'm very satisfied and this guitar has turned me into a big fan of the Prestige line. When I consider how much guitar I got for the price it seems a little ridiculous how much some companies charge for less. That all said, I think that with dbl locking trem guitars it's imperative that the store or individual that sells them set them up correctly the first time or the recipient will NEVER be happy with the guitar.
Luke
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