Ibanez SA-160 Review

History:

Purchase: Bought at a local music shop for the equivalent of around 260 pounds. Sorry, I dont know what that is un USD!

Pros: I wanted to try out one of Ibanez' new offshoots of the original S line, which use mahogany bodies, so i tried this one out. What instantly got me hooked on this instrument is how unbeleivably comfortable it is to play. It is extremely light and fits on a guitarist like nothing else ive ever seen. Ibanez RG necks are famous for being narrow and easy to play, but it honestly feels as though the SA necks are thinner! I havnt bothered looking up the measurements though. Ive been too busy playing. The instrument is versitile in terms of sound: you get an unbeleivably clear sounding, rich tone from this instrument. It sounds good with any type and amount of distortion I've tried. And playing acoustic is just a treat. Im a metalhead, my style of playing is typically fast and technical. My sound is like minor-scale metal with a strong hint of blues-influenced classic rock and a bit of neo-classical. With this instrument I got the winning combination of a lovely, rich, smooth (yet versitile) sound, an ULTRA-thin neck, and comfort in playing. Everything I can think of - wiring, pickups, finish - is all absolutely flawless.



Cons: What don't I like? Well... nothing I can think of. If i was to really be a hard b*stard I might say the look of the instrument - the body (headstock is cool as hell!) - might not look suited for what music I play - which ranges practically all types of metal. But this is not a big problem at all as I was looking for a great sound and feel rather than aggressive or flashy looks. Its not a problem at all.

SA-160 Quality: mahogany body, bolt-on neck: maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, pearl-dot inlay. 22 medium frets, SAT30 bridge (great piece, this one!). Chrome hardware. In the words of a friend: cool. Pickup configuration: S-S-H. You might be biased (racist!) and say that all metal or rock guitars should have 2 humbuckers... well... I was going to say something clever but I suggest you just try this piece out with as many different sounds as you can. You'll understand.

Ibanez Summary: Well... to sum up: Brilliant instrument. thats all i can say. 5 points here. About its odd versitility: as I mentioned, I play metal. You'll also catch me playing blues style things or whatever else... and this guitar is perfect for all of them. I would not be suprised to see this instrument used by pros in all fields of music. I got the great combination of a crystal-clear yet rich tone, and the thinnest neck I've ever seen. Did I mention it plays as well as an SV??? Now theres something to think about. Heres some advice: Try one of these out some time. You'll see what I mean. Until then, rock on. Cheers

Rating of this product: 5

This Ibanez Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: IRNMDN

Date: 2004-01-03

Usefulness Rating: 4.85246 out of 5. 61 reader(s) voted.