All user reviews for the Ibanez SA160QM [2001-2005]

Gamlins music
Cardiff
£300

smooth and fast neck, the humbucker sounds very nice with plenty of distortion. Many sounds can be achieved with this guitar.

The middle pick-up sounds too muddy but the neck and bridge pick-ups sound great.

Made in Korea

• SA neck
• Quilted Maple top/Mahogany body
• Large frets
• SAT 30 bridge
• AS2 (S) neck pu
• AS2 (S) mid pu
• AH4 (H) bridge pu

Very good quality for the price looks and sounds great. ideal for gigging

This is one of the best guitars I have owned and for the money it's incredible! I have owned around 10 guitars now and I like this one the best. Right now I also own a Ibanez RG 320FM. This guitar blows my expectations away. A real steal for the money. I urge all serious players to own this beauty. A very versitile axe.


This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought it at the Lindberg Music Shop, Munich (Germany) and it costed EUR400,00 (this corresponds to USD450 or so). Taxation is a bit heavier over here, so it's probably cheaper elsewhere. Also, at least in Germany, you can get a good discount (10 or more per cent) at music stores (you get even more discount if you end up buying the guitar case and a tuner, for example). I acquired it because, after a five year pause, I wanted to start playing again - so, to celebrate this I wanted to make myself a nice present.

I originally wanted to buy something else, something more Les Paul-ish. I used to play a Strat, and - after the mentioned pause - I thought this is a good opportunity to try out something else. While shopping, I was trying out different Epiphones, which do really sound nice. Then, just for a comparison I took the next best 'strat-ish' guitar around, which happened to be this one. It was immediate love...

Maybe thess are the reasons:

The fretboard is longer and broader than the typical 'Les Paul' (22 medium frets). For my style of play, my fingers and such, this was the best fit. The 'feel' of the neck is as smooth as it can be (Maple Neck Material, Mahogany w/Quilted Maple top Body, Rosewood Finger Board).

It has a 5-way switch and a tone-knob (chrome-coloured), which allows for a wide and finely tunable range of sounds. (more specs: 2 single coils - mid and neck, and one humbucker at bridge)

It's incredibly light and the design is beatiful.

The price is absolutely fair.

Last but not least, the case (an optional, which I strongly encourage buying) is cast-on the guitar and is also robust and comaprably thin.

The tremolo bar does have its obvious disadvantages: a) If you use it too much, or like an animal, the guitar will detune. b) Bending and simultaneous playing another string is a problem to a certain extent. But then again, to me, this is of minor importance.

The design is very soft, you cannot use it making badass metal poses without looking ridiculous. Not that this is important to me, but if you're playing badass metal, you'd probably buy something that *looks* better.

The neck is *glued* to the body, this gives the entire guitar more resonance, a warmer sound.

Knobs and switches don't make that cracking sound - at least not right away.

Replacing strings is easy. All innards of the guitar are easily accessible and it all looks terribly easy to maintain.

A beatiful and versatile guitar. Buy it. (I don't give it a 5 just in case a miracle happens and I find an even better one.)

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Local retail shop in cheltenham england, why? i just couldnt take my eyes of it and also read good reviews of it.

Looks georgeous, HSS pickup gives great sound. 5 tone switch is also very usefull. Gives a full bodies clear tone. Just feels right.... something to do with the weighting and the curves just fits into your arms.

Ummmmm? maybe a but dodgy when playing very high up the fret, but then again for its price thats to be expected.

quilted mahogany body, solid, light weight and oh so comfy.

A great all round beginners/intermediate guitar. Solid and reliable you cant go wrong with this guitar.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This Ibanez stood out in a music shop in manchester i was actually looking for a mexican strat but when i saw this i just when crazy the amazing quilted amber paint job just made me attracted to it i had never liked Ibanez's before but now im madly in love! And it only costs no more than £299.

The pickups are good quality AS and AH which using the pickup selector you can get a wide variety of tones. The SA range features pro level hardware and finish selection. And unlike any other brand in this price range the SA160 QM recieve the same high level setup as Ibanez's higher priced models. Anything you play rock,pop,heavy metal,classical,punk,ska etc... its just amazing!!!!!!!!!

At the price you can get them fr and the amount of quality you get theres nothing i dont like about it.

Heres the technical stuff:

It features a SA neck a Quilted maple top and nato body, medium sized frets, SAT 30 bridge,AS2 neck pickup,AS2 middle pickup and a AS4 bridge pickup.

Basically this is a really knarly guitar and i said i love it and i do i will never look back to my earlier guitars (Squire and a Vintage). Its just amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Go for it i did!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I was looking for a versatile guitar at a reasonable price. I bought it in April 2002 at Klangfarbe in Vienna, Austria for EUR 375,-


I changed the weak stock pickups for Seymour Duncans and changed the strings to .10s
I like the sound and the manufacturing quality of the guitar. Especially the SAT-30 tremolo is great, much better than on a Fender.

I don't like the slim neck with the flat fretboard, I think it is harder to play than a Gibson or Fender neck.

Very good quality, the quilted maple top of the mahagoni body looks awesome.

For the price this is a great guitar. After I changed the pickups it even sounds fantastic.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is the best purchase i have ever made! I asked to try out an Marshall MG50 amp a few weeks ago, and picked up this guitar at random to play through it, i instantly fell in love with the ibanez and bought it yesterday!! I paid £249 for it, but its worth a great deal more.

Beautiful finish, plays excellently and the neck is really smooth and easy to play, hardly any effort is need to glide up and down the fretboard, and on a clean channel the guitar sounds really great, lots of great tones can be gained from this guitar by using the shiny metal tone control control, very good for deep, heavy metal. The pickups are INCREDIBLY good quality for a guitar at this price.

There is nothing i don't like about this guitar, it really is that good.

Sturdy Construction and very Solid, its light and easy to carry around.

All i can say is go out and buy it! Its great! I'm so pleased with it you wouldn't believe!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

at www.zzounds.com for $340

Great neck, beautiful finish (I got the gray quilted one), and a great sound. HSS, the neck pickup gives a really nice tone, kind of like a strat neck pu. The humbucker at the bridge gives a great tone too.

It came with several allen wrenches, but the one size used for adjusting the string height at the bridge end seemed to be missing. It is possible that I lost it, but it may be worth looking into, if you need it. Otherwise, no problems at all.

Very solid construction, and a beautiful finish. Set up playable out of the box, but needs a little tweaking. The workmanship is great.

Great guitar, well worth more than I paid for it. List is about $550, and it's even worth more. I fully recommend it.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I came across the SA160QM at Guitar Center. It struck me first with it's appearance, the flame maple top being quite striking. It played well enough for my price range, so I paid a good $410 for it.

It plays well and looks sharp. Stays in tune very well, while I creep it to dark lows or crank it to screeching highs. The 5 tone switch is much appreciated.

After purchasing the unit, I later found out that for about the same price I could have gotten a locking tremolo and better pickups.

Construction is of a fine quality. Playability is great, and tonal output is of a moderate level. It gets a little fuzzy and not too clear when you're playing higher on the fret boards, but not too bothersome.

The bottom line is that it was worth what I paid for it. It's a great beginning guitar for one such as myself. Great for standard riffs, and nothing too fancy.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Ibanez SA Series in general is a great way for musicians to get into a killer shred guitar without having to pay a high premium or deal with the hassles of a locking tremolo unit. This particular instrument was one of my very first "good" instruments when I was quite young. It features a basswood body with a quilted maple top (likely a veneer) a maple neck with rosewood fretboard and 22 frets, sealed chrome tuners, an Ibanez non locking tremolo bridge and a trio of Ibanez designed pickups (two single coils and one humbucker). The guitar itself features a slightly thicker neck than is found on the RG models, which makes it ideal as well for musicians who like Ibanez guitars, but can't get on with the thinner Wizard profile found on so many of the guitars. It's not a baseball bat type neck, but it's got enough girth to be eminently playable.

UTILIZATION

The design of this guitar is quite ergonomic I would say. It's very thin and lightweight. I used this guitar from the age of 7 'til the age of 10 and never once did I have an issue with weight or holding the instrument for long periods of time. The SA shape is very comfortable and is easy to play as well. The upper fret access is great too, I learned a lot of classic Yngwie type licks on this guitar and never had issues getting to the top frets. This is due to the All Access Neck Joint heel that is used and allows the hand to extend right up to the 22nd fret. Very nice.

SOUNDS

I used this guitar with various cheaper solid state Peavey and Yamaha amps. I always thought it had a good tone for what I was doing. I primarily used it to play hard rock and shred styles as that is what I was focusing on. However I did use the guitar in a jazz band for a couple years and it always held up well. The single coils had a nice bright tone, very Stratty and the humbucker was a medium output model that had a nice punch and sustain. The pickups weren't as good as DiMarzios or Seymour Duncans but they did do a good job at both clean and distorted tones for sure. It also had the 5 way pickup switch which allowed some cool "split" tones a-la a Strat as well.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Ibanez SA160QM is a great buy for someone who wants a classy looking guitar that is light and easy to play, plus has a range of very good tones within. I won mine in a contest, but I do recall them selling for about $700 new when I got it back in 2002. They can be had used for about $250 now which is a great deal considering that you're getting a good quality instrument that plays and sounds quite nice. Definitely worth a look if you want a guitar on which to shred.

5 positions have microphones is really nice. The colors are DIFFERENT and original (mine is black tiger). Weight is not honnte without anvil or gaget.

UTILIZATION

The handle is done really well (m if I find a bit wide), when trying to meet Most recent internship boxes, began to become sports but good! A good musician must be able to! ... The shape is aggressive a wish, what an Ibanez! I think that to have a good sound you need to know to take the time to test the micro diffrent positions and tones but then ... What rgal!

SOUNDS

The sound of my guitar rpond much what I expected, it said, a clear, enjoyable (if any m for both must be the amp or pedals follow) sometimes a little too bold (but if I play in dsacord). The sound is really powerful saturated (on Marshall anyway). I use a Mtal Mt2ce area that allows to combine sounds serious and effective trs palmute sounds shrill in the treble (a n'galera not stratum in this area of ​​stridency when m - )).

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year and a half and am fully satisfied. For a price as low lev everything can be done on a dfendre scne mtal rock (whatever the purists say). She has the mouth, the sound, the maneuverability ... She slams quite what! I would advise anyone dbutent and want to do a good big rock incisive.
PS, try it: a super chorus boss at a 100 or a marshall and a peavey bandit112 mt2 to marshall and you tell me the news without all the time pter compltement PORTFOLIO! ...
Hello all and good zik.

Manufactured in Asia.
22 frets
a double, two singles.
vibrato too rotten.
Volume 1 Tone slecteur a 5 position
plutt handle end.
good look: table Saddle pommel (for mine is a SA160QM)

UTILIZATION

Ban stick, heel not too badly screwed up that allows you to tease the last fret without unnecessary contortions. lgre enjoyable guitar on stage.
No decision-head with rglages.

SOUNDS

Good sound, with distortion on potato twice.
nice jugs on the simple.
positions intermdiaires nice funk to reggae.
A versatile guitar.
lack of sustain even when

OVERALL OPINION

Good scratch for about 400 euros!
Can address all styles!

Hi,
This guitar has a humbucker and two single which makes it very versatile, she has a great look especially amber (sa160QM).
In terms of tone settings on a button and a volume typical anything.

UTILIZATION

The handle is comfortable and convenient. It is not very heavy. It is great for beginners and has a good value for money.

SOUNDS

This guitar is Polyval and can play a bit of everything, blues, the ACDC, Blink's no problem.
It may be a bit limited for the metal I honestly do not know because it's not my thing but hey ca still playable.
Some one changed the pickups for my part I have it widely enough.

OVERALL OPINION

Very good guitar to start with a microphone can be some change but honestly they are very good all the same. I advice

Made in Korea
A double micro Ibanez bridge position
2 simple ibanez
22 frets, jumbo frets
1 volume and 1 tone 5-way switch +
I think I handle Saddle

UTILIZATION

The handle is trs enjoyable, although a slip, it was not too bad for the treble,
is trslgre, trs handy, just the fucking vibrato that moves in all directions :-(.

SOUNDS

This is the guitar that trs is interesting, well I've had two years and I play exclusively mtal, I am always on the humbuckers and I play on Marshall amps and Line 6: Sound is really nickel, although aggressive without being too fat, just as I love the harmonics do well, it's a pleasure to play it (to make mtal anyway)!

OVERALL OPINION

I have 2 years, I love his sound and his lgret for 400 new in France is really a fucking deal!
I do it again this choice without hsiter!

Made in Korea
A double micro Ibanez bridge position
2 simple ibanez
22 frets, jumbo frets
1 volume and 1 tone 5-way switch +
I think I handle Saddle

UTILIZATION

Channel super nice:
fine, smooth, fast (less than a round Jackson but still!)
access to acute very good.
this guitar is very light.
then humbucker, it has a sacred potato! even the micro serious solos is really terrible! there is just one small problem with his microphone twice is too acute, but it does not matter we rule the amp and here we go again!
a really great sound for its price range.

SOUNDS

She is very versatile coat the metal as in his clear, it holds up!
I play on a Marshall MG100DFX and I'm really happy with the scraper.
It's a pretty heavy saturation and its very clear crystalline.
I prefer the kind saturation Death, Children Of Bodom, Hammerfall ......
great sound but not so violent.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for a year and I'm really pleased with this guitar!
Report qualitprix excellent.
I do not regret this purchase but I would favor a Jackson RR5 for a more Death.
The SA 160 is really a super scratch especially for a low price!
If you do not have a huge amount (if you have about 400, the choice is really the one to do!)
In short, super scratch for about 400.

Japan
22 frets, 1 double and 2 single pickups
SETTING THE volume, Tone 5 mic positions (3 individual, 2 single, double and 1 single)
Channel end screws trs smooth, slightly rounded

UTILIZATION

Channel trs enjoyable, it glides well above
Accs perfect thanks to the acute form of the guitar
It is quite lgre, enjoyable to play sitting or standing

SOUNDS

Yes it fits my style, as I am a beginners I touch a little while even if I orient myself more towards the metal. I was looking for a versatile guitar and it is.
I play with a Line 6 Spider 212.
C sounds hard to get fat trs. The dual microphone is good but I will change if I orient myself to the DEFINITIONS mtal fat.

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 2 years.
I love its looks, its shape, ergonomics, weight, ... The only part or it can dcevoir is the sound level if you want a guitar to the big fat mtal trs, I suggest you then a guitar with two double micro example, a Jackson, or Ibanez SERIES mtal home. But if you want a versatile guitar, that's exactly what you need.
I tried a Cort, a Fender, and Jackson. The Fender did not match the sound I was looking for silent and much heavier, but the match Cort t out of stock, the quality of finish, however, silent on best Ibanez, and Jackson was too typ or too expensive.
I pay the 500 era and I think the ratio quality price is reasonable, it is a guitar with really great potential that I am still far from achievement (I myself delivers more than the ds srieusement returns promised )
Yes I would do this choice.