NGD RG470MSP

[FuseG4]

Got an rg! An Ibanez RG470MSP in turquoise sparkle
I always stayed away from more modern guitars cuz I dunno I just used to feel lost on guitars with flatter radii and bigger frets and hot pickups cuz I'll admit I'm a sloppy player but as I try to work on that more and more I notice I'm fighting my jazzmaster, it's not big on output or sustain and the behind the bridge harmonics can get in the way. Bridge needs to be set up often, and it's a very noisy guitar.
so I wanted something for an easy playing, quiet (hum cancelling) versatile guitar that would be good for more modern sounds and playing too, stay in tune with some lead playing over a few songs (or better).

Neck feels great, frets aren't huge but feel bigger than fender frets I'm used to. Thin fast maple with satin finish that is not like super satiny, but very enjoyable. No pointy fret ends.

I'll get back to you guys when I've stretched the strings and see how she comes back from dive bombing. This is my first locking trem and I get this is a cheaper one and so maybe expect issues.

Pickups are ibanez quantum. Seem pretty balanced but maybe a little chewy in the neck pickup. Fat mids and good clarity from the bridge pickup. Bright middle position, clucky. Sounds good in the 2/4 positions. Id say they can handle a little of everything! Very pleased.

Love the look. I've had a surf green fender strat a while ago, was one of my dream guitars but sold it to pay bills. So when looking for a super strat kinda thing I saw this finish and thought about it for a month before I was like ok I guess I gotta get this.
I plan to learn more 80s hard rock and metal, cuz lately that's what's been inspiring me and this sounds and looks and feels way better than a squier jazzmaster for that!!

 

[ICTGoober]

 

[JB_From_Hell]

RGs have been around long enough to be a classic guitar. That’s a sweet one.

 

[TVFV]

That thing is sweet! Congrats!

 

[JamesPaul]

I still need the secret decoder ring to translate those RG model numbers, but that one looks like it is shredding just sitting on the stand!!! I really like that finish too!

 

[FuseG4]

If only I knew how to shred! Time to go find some lessons heh heh but she sure feels easy to play in any position on the neck
the trem springs are loud gonna need to find some pickup foam I'm sure I've got some somewhere.
For a little bit there was a little sitar action on the g string (open or fretted) and adjusting the fine tuner seemed to help? I think it's gone now. Fine tuner might have just a little play in it maybe?

But yeah pleased to say that after diving the trem till the bar hits the strings does not jack the tuning but took a good while of bombs, unlock, tune, lock, repeat. Have not taken anything apart or lubed anything yet so I feel like that's not bad at all.

the little collar that tightens the trem arm action is not the most reliable thing ever, it loosens with a few times of flicking the bar away and summoning it again.

Body binding little sloppy, I can imagine with worldwide demand for guitars being what it is, someone's going to show up to work tired af at the guitar factory. Or maybe they were new. Can't tell from a distance but I could imagine some people out there being turned off by it. But it's not an expensive guitar, I like that it even has binding at all.

You gotta have some MOTO binding on a sparkle finish right

Trem cavity cover was screwed in way hard from factory and took a fleck of paint with it on removing!

 

[Ashurbanipal]

Holy sparkle, Batman! The lower and mid tier RGs come in all sorts of cool finishes these days (and maple fretboards!), far cry from about 20 years ago.

The TRS II trem is ok, though the metal is softer compared to high quality Floyds; I had a MIK RG long ago which I played for 10 years and the trem worked fine (especially after some Chapstick), though it liked pull-ups less, because of the fat knives/pinched studs issue. I don't know if they have altered the design since (it's been a while!). Anyway, if it works, it works.

 

[UnderTheFlame83]

That's a great looking RG in that finish. I played that model before. Congrats on the purchase!

The Low TRS II was the worst trem EVER by Ibanez. This guitar doesn't have it and neither does any modern Ibanez guitar. Ibanez stopped making them mid 2000s for good reason.

 

[TVFV]

Those Quantum pickups actually sound pretty decent. The pickups on lower end guitars have really improved significantly over the years.

 

[Mincer]

Congrats on a Shredasaurus! I really dig the color. It is a pretty bold choice, and I like that.

 

[ICTGoober]

I still need the secret decoder ring to translate those RG model numbers,

Over on the Ibanez Collector's World forum someone made a joke that the longer Ibanez model numbers make great passwords.

 

[Artie]

Nice score. Love that sparkle. Enjoy.

 

[FuseG4]

Thanks you guys!
yeah this finish is nuts, my family commented it's a little deeper green than we thought it was gonna be based on catalogue shots but still killer.
And yeah in my research on well should I get used or new of it's a cheap trem, I hear those old mik rg4xx had bad trems
and that this one is an improvement.

Cool truss rod cover.

I gotta say there's some pickups that come to mind when I play this guitar
Can't help but think a 59, ssl-6, and custom 5 would be good (I had ssl-6 ssl-6 and custom 5 on a pacifica once!)
and on the other side always wanted to try 85/SA/81 but I DID spend my max guitar budget on this baby so I will be getting to know the stock pickups intimately

so far the crunch tones are not the best but cleans and high gain pretty freaking good. ​​​​​

 

[FuseG4]

Not the finish for a jazz gig

 

[Artie]

Not the finish for a jazz gig

Unless it's St. Patty's day.

 

[Ashurbanipal]

I guess since the humbuckers have hex poles, you can tweak them up a bit for clarity/output. That Duncan combo would rip in an RG \m/.

There haven't been many sparkly RGs over the years, afaik - oversight!

That's a great looking RG in that finish. I played that model before. Congrats on the purchase!

The Low TRS II was the worst trem EVER by Ibanez. This guitar doesn't have it and neither does any modern Ibanez guitar. Ibanez stopped making them mid 2000s for good reason.

Yes, it's called the 'Standard DL trem' now; looks awfully similar except for the lack of 'Lo-TRS II' brand and taller whale tail with string lock bolts going straight through like OFR. Metallurgically same or different? Can't say, though given that it's on a mid tier guitar we can guess. The 470, as a middle range model in the RG line-up, went through lots of spec changes over the years since it was introduced in 1992.

OP, if you're looking to upgrade at some point - OFR/Lockmeister and GE1996T are direct drop-in. If you want to upgrade the anchors/studs (especially the Gotoh), some modding may be required.

 

[FuseG4]

Wicked! good to know the options thanks so much
all tips and advice appreciated!

Ibanez is doing some great finishes I dig that blue reef grade thing they're doing

ESP have been doing wicked fade finishes too

Other I looked at when looking for something modern were lots of esp ltd and Jackson and it was really a toss up but I had recently played a GRGA Gio in a store (all they had were epiphone and squier and oscar schmidt...) And was like what's the next step up, I'm getting a good feeling from ibanez but this isn't the model I want.

oh also my first guitar was a ibby GRX40, so it's also cool to look back at how feels when I first started learning to play and the feel of this body shape is weirdly familiar lol

 

[ehdwuld]

the model numbers are easy once you get your head around it
RG= the guitar series
4 = the trim level , lets you know what pickups it comes with( they have 2 , 3 , 5 etc with better pickups)
the 70 means its non pick guard and this usually has sparkle finish
the MSP = whatever that color is + sparkle

one guy I knew had a SR570BSP I think
it was an SR bass
had the 500 series pickups
70 was a solid color
BSP = black sparkle finish

I had and RG4EXFM1
which was
RG with the INF pickups EXclusive to Guitar Center Flame maple top Blue(1)

my RG2EX1
RG with Vseries pickups,EX clusive to Guitar Center blue (1)

I love the RGs and my RG4 with the Edge III trem is probably still in tune right now
once the strings settle in
it will be in tune each time you pick it up
if it hangs up when you pull up on it
just get in the habit of muting the strings and dive it a bit
before you start to play again

 

[FuseG4]

Yes getting the strings stretched out took some doing, was surprised. Wonder how many noobs send back guitars or write bad reviews before putting in the effort
but that's a big reason I went locking trem
Jazzmaster bridge moves around too much if you float it in the middle and use light strings and it's like gotta tune so often
I just wanna play and practice ffs haha

 

[ehdwuld]

thats How I got mine
someone had sent it back

I stretched the strings and
its been Five years
its the same set of strings on it now

the high e has been broken at the tuner for two years
still plays in tune