Hi there. I'm new to this forum but hope to be a constructive and helpful member. I've recently replaced my old and battered Ibanez Radius with an Ibanez S470 (black) but I'm a little disappointed with the sound I'm getting from it, to my ears it's very dull and lifeless, the distortion I get is very raw and "high gain" and I'm looking for something "smoother" and more emotive. My amp is a Roland 20X Cube and I use no additional effects or processing. My question is how can I improve the "quality" of my sound and achieve a more dynamic and expressive tone ? I bought the guitar online so never really had the chance to test it, from what I've read and heard on the web it's a good guitar so I'm thinking that the problem lies with the amp I'm using. I've considered swapping the stock pickups but don't know what would be my best options I've read that seating Seymour Duncans into an Ibanez can be problematic so do I opt for Di Marzio ? I've also happy to consider a new amp, but again I don't know what to aim for - another digital modeller or perhaps a simpler valve amp with additional processing done via a separate unit ? I attempt to play songs from bands like Marillion, Rush, Whitesnake, Satriani ... that sort of thing and that will give you the kind of sound I'm aiming for .. not too "metal" or "high gain". Any advice will be gratefully received. Thanks for reading.