Ibanez Review: SA160

History:

Purchase: i have recently treated myself to the impecible charm of my Ibanez SA160. i payed around 300 english pounds in my local and outstanding musical instrument shop (rowlands of swansea). and what can i say? i have been playing from about 11 years old and am now 22 and i have owned an Ibanez RG 450 with the easy access cut away and customised low pro edge tremolo system for about 9 years and out of knowhere this cute little SA160 pee's all over it. ok it dosent have 24 frets for all you high pitched melody makers, but by god does it have a sweet tone! the neck is as thin if not thinner than my wizard neck, but, it does lack in cool looking inlays! you know what though? stuff the inlays this thing looks cooler than a snowmans cold bits! so i bought the sexy M.F!

What I Like About This Ibanez SA160: The tremolo gives a hell of a new feel compared to the low pro, you feel more in control of your wammy madness. tuning the instrument is a doddle and it looks the biz! the pickups are outstanding, im more of a neck humbucker person myself for more of a blues tone, but that is really a matter of personal taste.with 5 way selector you can pick and choose your sound as for once it really makes a difference. also the volume and tone controls could almost pass for digital as the touch sensitivity is incredible, through my line 6 amp i have managed to master the cool tone as from joe satriani's flying in a blue dream. every function a guitar has is perfectly constructed on this instrument!

What I Do NOT Like About The Ibanez SA160: i think the only thing i like about this instrument would be the lack of a locking nut, but again thats just me because this beuty of a guitar has a trem so brilliantly crafted it dosent need a locking nut. ive had it about a week now and ive made minor tuning adjustments about two times! and thats after some destructive tremolo abuse. note: the abuse for experimental reasons only!

Ibanez SA160 Quality Rating: what can i say? the craftmanship that was engineered into this guitar bust have been painstaking. the design, style, sound quality etc is all there to suit anyone, even my fiancee thinks its great and she hates it when i play! so far it seems indistructable! its been dropped twice and i still cant find the scratches. note: this was also for experimental purposes. the sound is great on all settings, the feel is very comfortable, if you have an acoustic simulator (boss) it actually sounds like an acoustic, honestly! i cannot stress how much an acoustic guitar is not needed.

Review Summary: Buy one! it will be the best move you make! it sounds, looks, feels and of course IS great. an absolute Bargain at 300 pounds or about 350 USdollars. craftmanship is top notch, chrome looks tasty and customising whether it be new pickups or machine heads or even strings, this is a very user friendly guitar. Thankyou ever so much for reading this, as i had a lot to say! none of it is lies because i own one! seriously check this animal out.

Rating of this Ibanez product: 5

This Ibanez SA160 Electric Guitars Review Submitted By: Dean Lazenby

Review Date: 2004-01-27