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Ibanez SA160 Reviews

5 Found

On 2004-07-12, rodrigo muñoz gave this Ibanez Electric Guitar a 5...(9392)


Purchase: i bought my sa160 at guitar center for exactly 350 bucks...I because that is the money i could spend and i didnt see another guitar for the same price that had the great looks this guitar has....
Pros: what i love about this guitar is the slim body, it makes it so light you bearly feel it while playing, not like my friends guitars that are all heavy and leave your shoulders hurting..i also like the hard rock tone from the humbucker, and it has pretty good clean sounds...it stays in tune even after bending notes like slash, and u dont have to tune it for at least 2 weeks, if you play daily....there is no better guitar for the price of this one...
Cons: only problem ive had with the unit is that the volume knob is kinda messed up...you gotta turn it all the way right and then slightly to the left to get sound, but besides that it is perfect..flawless..rockin
Quality: the construction is pretty tight...the finish is perfect, it has no imperfections, and the wood is remarkably nice...it has a good build and it has resisted a few hits without showin it....the sound is good...you can play hard rock and good clean notes....so its a guitar for the intermediate player that needs a bit of both worlds...of course we're talkin about a 350 dollar guitar

Summary: bottom line, this guitar is a good all around guitar for playin hard rock or blues..even ballads..well built, good quality and nice finish....

On 2004-01-27, Dean Lazenby gave this Ibanez Electric Guitar a 5...(7680)


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!
Pros: 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!
Cons: 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!
Quality: 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.

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.

On 2004-01-26, riethman gave this Ibanez Electric Guitar a 5...(7673)


Purchase: i bought my SA160 at a local music store for 200 dollars. it was used, but i could barely tell it was even touched. very nice condition. sounded great and was a better guitar than what i went in there to order, so i bought it. it was a steal.
Pros: this guitar plays awsome. i love the neck,its perfect size and feels great. ive played 400-500 gibsons epiphone and bc rich guitars ect and i like the neck on my ibanez a lot better. Tuning... never goes out of tune. u can play it every day for 3 weeks, and it will BARELY be out of tune. the pickups sound very nice, i love the sound. 5-way switching. 1 vol. 1 tone. nobs. they actually work and give you different sounds unlike some guitars. mahongany body, rosewood finger board, maple neck. the bidge is good as well. it has a thin body. this makes the guitar very light which i like. if u prefer heavy guitars this may not be the one for you. all of my friends that have played it are surprised how light it is compared to theirs. i take good care of it and i havent had a problems with it so far. it hasnt taken any serious hits, but on the few small ones havent scratched or dented it.
Cons: hhmmm..... nothing! ive had it about a year and i have had zero problems. i love it. awsome buy. nothing is wrong with it.
Quality: very high quality. nice job ibanez! overall constructed very well. bolt on neck. everything about it is awsome. last a lifetime.

Summary: buy this guitar! you can get it new at a guitar shop for about 350-375 i think. i know a guy from another band in my town who plays an SA160 and loves it. he bought his for about 400 i think but his is quilted maple which adds 50 or more to the price. very awsome. i have no problems with it. sounds great, plays great, built very great. as good as 500 dollar guitars. the other guitarist in my band has a 550+ dollar bc rich exclusive and i think mine as good as his. go buy one! email questions to jriethman@yahoo.com

On 2004-01-21, Doc gave this Ibanez Electric Guitar a 5...(7593)


Purchase: I bought this guitar from Nevada-music, Portsmouth, UK. I had intended to buy a HIghway-1 strat, and was just playing a few of the other guitars around the shop. I didnt even know the price, I was handing the stuff to my ife, & she'd pass me another to try. This was set up better & played better than anything under 800 pounds (UK). I was delighted to discover it cost just 250!
Pros: The neck is awesome, plays very easily. I have a buetifully set up Telecaster(Fender USA) that has a lower action (slight), but still doesnt play as well. THe Tele's strings are perhaps closer together, & its harder work. It looks like a metal guitar, but I play all sorts from rock to country, and also pick (I began life as an accoustic player). I was delighted by the range of tones the pickups can give, & switching the selector brings up distinctly differant sounds. PLayed thru my MArshal AVT I can get the whole range from, yes, thrash metal, to bluesey overdrive to crunch to a varierty of cleans. The thing is feather light, yet the sustain thru the AVT is fine. wouldnt like to drop it: the tele would survive much better I think. I love this guitar, and its half the price I was going to pay. Took little setting up at hoom to fine tune it too. Bridge is NOT a floyd rose, so its not a bitch to tune. machine heads are better than the strat ones in the hop, about the same as my USA Tele in smoothness.
Cons: Probably wouldnt stand a real big drop. People dont go 'wow, its a Fender', but then no-one has any ideawhat it is or how much it cost: just listen to it!
Quality: Lightweight. quality of the finish is superb. The units come with some lovely wood grain finishes that are stunning: mines jet black, and that I think makes it more 'metal' looking. I got this one 'cos it played the best (marginally). controls are smooth. pickups give a wide range. 2 of the settings hum a bit (settings on the swich selector), though not too XS, the others are quiet, the dual 'humbucker' one using the 2 opposite polarity bridge pickups is nicely silent. easy to get to the top frets (much easier than a strat ot Tele). bridge adjustments for string height are allen-keys, these are provided

Summary: Budget price that looks and plays like something more than twice the price. Tones are fine. I love it.

On 2001-12-06, Michael Sartori gave this Ibanez Electric Guitar a 5...(1054)


Purchase: I purchased this guitar as a replacement for an epiphone special II, as a more up-scale instrument. I bought it at the music house in massachusetts, and I payed $349 minus $75 for my epiphone special II
Pros: I love the thin light-weight body, it has a beautiful candy apple red finish. the bridge is a high quality two-point trem. the pickups sound good for heavy tones and clean. also the neck is smooth and feel great in my hands, a mix of strat, and the traditional ibanez wizard shred necks.
Cons: my only complaint with the guitar is that the wammy bar doesn't scrw in, and it falls out while playing.
Quality: the construction is extremely tight, the bolt on neck is held thru the contoured body joint with four bolts in a great design that includes no neck plate. the quality of the hardware and electronics are second to none, the pickups sound as good as seymour duncans. the finish work is exelent, there are no flaws.

Summary: this guitar is wonderful for the proce. I especially love the bridge, which has the dive-bomb effect with the pain of a floyd rose. the tone is great it is light and extremely comfortable, and one of the most beautiful looking designs i have ever seen, as far as the shape, and the carving on top. it is a great value, and very versatile. its the perfect mix between a strat, and a super strat.



© Chris Bereznay - Gear Review Network / MusicGearReview.com - 2000

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