All user reviews for the Ibanez SZ520QM

Ive been playing for nearly 2 years now, I am a keen guitar player, I have owned this guitar for nearly a year too, I am submitting this review because I want to advise others who may want this guitar too.

I got this guitar at Nevada Music, Farlington, England. I paid £400 for this guitar, though I am aware the price has slightly dropped since then.

There are many things I love about this axe. The build is unflawed, with a nice set-in-neck, and a strong, comfortable body. The Pick-ups are very good too, I play this guitar through a 50-watt marshall, with a Boss ME-50, it sounds awesome, pumping out loads of good tunes, and its neck is comfortable and fast too!

If there is one thing I dont like about this guitar, its the fact when I get all my equiptment out, I just cant put it down! Other than that, nothing.

Great body, lovely colour (I have the black-berry, but all the others are nice too) fast neck, sturdy build, great pick-ups, nice set-in-neck, good for reaching those high notes!

Great guitar, well worth the money, will make your playing better, and sound better too, beautiful guitar, thats all!

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

Its Christmas Day, and I finally got the guitar I've been saving up for the past 2 months (I work at a Pizza shop, $7/h and I am in Gr. 11)Anyways, I finally got my Ibanez SZ520QM, with the Gold Amber Sunburst paintjob, christmas morning because my parents paid the rest. The shop it was bought from was Central Music, a popular local music depot focusing on guitars and drums. The original price was marked at $695.99 Cdn funds, however, I managed to make the clerk drop the price, throw in extra strings, patch chord, and adjust the action (it was to low, and it buzzed a little). All in all, I paid $600, $150 of that coming from my parents. I bought the guitar because I beleive that music is an art and the instrument creating the music should be a work of art as well. Additionially, I had spent many hours at the shop testing guitars within my price range, such as epiphone les pauls, and schecter guitars. However I fell in love with the PRS looking SZ and couldn't resist. I'll save some of the goodies for the next paragraph.

First off, I want to comment on the price, for $600, I could not buy a better guitar. The sturdy peice plays as well as she looks. The set in neck, and giberaltar bridge allow for maximum sustain. The lack of markers on the fretboard, to me, was a great idea because no one can tell what your playing, and you look good playing on a guitar with no markers, save for a gorgeous flame inlay stretching about 4 frets in the middle of the neck.

There could have been more frets layed out on the neck, possibly 24 or 25.

This ibanez's double humbuckers have superb range and have a really warm, bright tone. One thing I liked about the dub Hum's is that you can upgrade to EMG pickups seamlessly and have the exact setup as Zakk Wylde (an EMG85 up at the neck and an EMG85 down by the bridge). The small scale neck at I think 24.1 or 25.1 is also thin and fits easily into my palm. Also, the tuners on the headstock are smooth, and the guitar stays in tune for days of hard play (I didn't have to tune it all day so far [at least 6 hours play] - im writing this on christmas day)

I have had another guitar before my new Ibanez, and it obviously cannot compare to the quality and playability of it. The guitar may not be a good for beginners because of the cost, but it is certainly good for the more advanced player, possibly going on to do some real gigs. The guitar's looks can fit any attitude and will definitly not be an embarrassment to shred. This is my main axe and will most likely continue to be. I was lucky enough to get one in my area, because Ibanez for some reason does not deal anymore with Ontario. Buy one now, these guitars would sell easily for over $1000 if they were in any other big name such as Gibson. 5 out of 5.

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

I bought this guitar at Sam Ash in Miami Lakes, Florida. I decided on this guitar because of it's excellent playability and outstanding tone. It is also one of the most beautiful guitars I have ever seen. I paid $430 plus tax.

I like the playability and feel of the neck and fretboard. It has 22 medium sized frets and a 25.1 scale neck which allows for maximum versatility in playing style. It sounds amazing with or without effects. Beautiful warm tone.

The only thing I dont like about this guitar is its weight. It's slightly heavier than most guitars and it can get tiring after a while.

The neck is set in (great tuning) and it's a sturdy guitar. Mines has taken quite alot of abuse and its still working like the day i bought it.

The pros far outweigh the cons and I would recommend this guitar for anyone looking to invest in a great-sounding, long-lasting guitar.

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

Purchased from Steves Music Store (Toronto, Canada)
Paid for 600 CAN


Why did I buy this guitar?
Before purchasing this guitar, I had a Yamaha Pacifica 2002. Now that I work, I was able to buy a better sounding guitar like this one, SZ520QM. I wanted to get a guitar that would have strat look, but double humbuckers. I know Fender has guitars with humbuckers, however, I never really liked the pick guard and controls design. I also wanted a guitar that had PRS type of look, PRS guitars look amazing, and Ibanez SZ520QM has it. Maybe not EXACTLY, but it really does look like a PRS to me. As well, the double humbucker and hardtail bridge reminds me of the Gibson Les Paul. Three in one! Simply amazing! I just knew this guitar would be my next one. At the store, they only had the blackberry one, I wanted the gold amber, however the blackberry looked just as good. I was able to get the price lower because it was put in the store for awhile. Purchased a soft gigbag, cases are too heavy for me. I'm not a big person.


I like everything about it! However, the best feature I like is the flame inlay and side dots, and the bridge look neat. The controls, and tuners all look amazing in chrome. The colour of the guitar match - dark redish, black and chrome. The glossy coat makes the guitar look so expensive, if it's suppose to cost more than 2000 dollar guitar! I love everything about it.

Nothing : )

The construction is very nicely made and crafted. From the tuners all the way down to the bridge. There are 22 medium frets on the guitar and adjust three different pickup styles. The headstock is different from traditional Ibanez guitar. It has PRS look, not that sharp and pointed like the PRS. The neck is 'fused', well, made in one piece with the body of the guitar, it gives the guitar better sustain, and durability than other electric guitars. The quality in this guitar is way better than my Pacifica. Obviously, the price is the reason, however, I played other more expensive guitars, and this guitar tops all of them! The quality just plain rocks! The sound is more crisp and bright, and action is set very low, however, the salesperson was nice to adjust it higher for me.

If you are trying to find a guitar that doesn't cost over 700 or more CAN, but delivers good sound and looks. Get the IBANEZ SZ520QM ! It is a inexpensive guitar that can make an expensive guitar look bad.

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

Make-n-Music, Frederick, MD $400

I bought this as an alternative to Fender Strats or the Paul Reed Smith guitars.

This is a beautiful guitar. I bought the sunburst finish, but you can get it in blue. I bought it as an alternative to the $1500 PRS strat style guitars. The body and neck set up is similar. String-thru-body makes it really convenient to change strings on the fly.

I play guitar in a rock band (www.crosscutsaw.net), and this guitar handles itself very well on stage, in rehearsal and in the studio. The double humbucker pickups aren't subject to light rig noises like my single coil strats are.

The neck is also intriguing...I like the "dot-less" neck. You can see the fret markers on the side of the neck, but the audience can't. It has good pearl inlays and a sweet tone.

Some of my friends don't like the shorter 25.1" scale. I would have preferred some kind of pickup cover, like the les pauls have.



Set neck, nice sustain.

Solid body, nice finish.

String-thru-body

Decent bridge

Nice tuners, nice shape of headstock (I'm not a fan of the usual Ibanez headstock).

Pearl inlay at 12th fret and also in the headstock

No complaints, really. This is a wonderful alternative to $1000 guitars. Try this if you're in the market for PRS or the high end Schecters.

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

i got this guitar at ace music in dayton,ohio,i took in a fender strat to trade in,they loved my strat but i wanted something differant,after looking over my strat they told me that i could have any guitar they had in stock,they had around 350 in stock,ranging from 100.00 to 3500.00,now i was leaning toward values,but i decided to not look at prices and just play some on the guitars that jumped out to me,after 3 or 4 hours i got hooked on this axe,they had it priced for 599.00,but i didnt care it was better playing than my old strat,and new gibsons,and blew away the g and l's

first off its great looking and all the hardware is great,the sounds you can get from this is unlimited,you can go from old blues,to speed metal,to country and jazz with no effort,i have been playing rythm for 20 yrs and this guitar has taking me into lead,its so easy to play,the sustain is top notch and the feel is perfect..

if i had to think of a bad thing about this guitar it would be hard,the only thing that i would like to see differant is maybe a les pal style pick guard...

the way this is built is the best thing about this,ibanez has out done theirselves,they went from basic speed guitars to a real sleeper axe,it looks so fancy and gental,but it rocks so hard that bright red multin lava spues from my amp when jammin...

if they hung this guitar up in a high end music store and put a 1500.00 tag on it they would sell just as many,or more,im very impressed,in my years ive had alot of guitars,from les pauls to sg's to strats and everything inbetween,and this beats them hands down...

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

After trying this guitar I decided to order one from Trevor Davies Music in Leominster, Herefordshire. This guy really knows his guitars and is a highly respected jazz musician.

This is a serious piece of kit that would impress even the most fastidious professional. The finish is absolutely 5 star and all the fittings are first class. Machines are extremely smooth and the action is top notch straight out of the box.The neck shape I find particularly comfortable. Pickups have a superb range of tones and can be used for heavy metal through to jazz without a problem. The Gibraltar bridge is fully adjustable and has no sharp edges. The through string anchor gives wonderful sustain even with light strings.

The nut is cut really finely so that increasing the string size to 11's will need a professional guitar technician.
Tone and volume knobs could have more "character". Gold hardware would really suit the sunburst model.

I could not find a single thing to criticise on this instrument. The neck join is superb as is the quality of the maple cap, binding and contour. With another manufacturer's name on the machine head this guitar could easily be priced well into the £1000 - £2000 bracket....seriously.

A wonderfully crafted guitar with exceptionable playability and good balance. Not at all heavy like some similar makes.
All this and good looks too.

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

This is a Korean made Ibanez with a master tone, individual volumes for each pickup, and a 3 way switch. The scale length is 25.1". It has a string-thru step up with Ibanez's proprietary 'Gibraltar III' bridge, which is very similar to a typical tune-o-matic, except the saddles are more like modern Strat saddles, which makes palm mutes a little easier and strings less likely to break than they are on the sharp tune-o-matic saddles.

Another cool feature Ibanez added is that in the middle position both Humbuckers are split, so it has a really nice clean tone in that position.

The neck is a very similar shape to the Ibanez Wizard II, but with a little more meat. Its one of my favorite necks of all time. Thick enough that your hand won't cramp up while playing chords, but thin enough that it doesn't get in the way of fast lead playing. It has 22 medium frets.

It comes loaded with Duncan designed humbuckers.

UTILIZATION

The heel is very nice, its shaped to make the fret access better. It doesn't have the best upper fret access, but its not as bad as a Les Paul.

The stock pickups are definitely the weakest aspect of this guitar. They kinda flat and muddy sounding. They aren't awful, but they definitely need to be replaced before the guitar can really shine.

The body of the guitar is quite thick, which makes it beautifully resonant and sustain forever. This also makes it on the heavier side. Its not back breaking heavy, but its definitely not light.

SOUNDS

I used this guitar with a multitude of amps, and once the pickups were replaced it sounded outstanding through all of them.

With the stock pickups the guitar can pull off great clean tones, and great OD tones, but once you get into high gain territory the muddiness really starts to show.

OVERALL OPINION

Its probably obvious by now but the think I like least about this guitar is the pickups. They're decent but not great, and everything else about this guitar is great. At the price point, its still a great value. Especially for what they're going used for these days.

Of all the guitars I've owned this has been one of my favorites. I tried out a lot of other guitars before I picked it and I owned it for over 3 years before I sold mine. It a great guitar that with a decent setup and good pickups can be an amazing guitar. Its be perfect poorman's PRS.

- 22 boxes
- Bridge Classical / the strings go through the table
- 2 volumes (1 for each humbucker) and a tone
- Neck-off (type SG)

UTILIZATION

The handle is extremely comfortable to play. Very smooth enough, it inevitably attracted.
Access to acute one is very suitable for 22 boxes. The base of the handle is thick enough, however, access may displease some. For me, it gives an impression of strength that I love.
I think the race will surprise fans of Ibanez with its unusually wide (I think), but for those who love the sleeves type SG (gibson) is the foot. It is reinforced in the head by an extra thickness of wood, allowing it to withstand chutte unfortunate. So this is a rather tough race, so quite heavy, but again, it's a matter of habit, and especially taste.
Properly adjusted, it is the delight of a guitarist like me (about 8 years of play), compared to the modest price of the guitar. The sound is clean, it does not frieze, we do what we want!

SOUNDS

Overall, the microphones that have guiatre potato! Without hesitation, it is for metalheads. For about 600 euros, I would not have anything for this style of music.
Personally I use a Rectifier to get sound but very powerful and very homogeneous at a time. Despite strong saturation, we understand always what happens. The microphones of the bridge sounds "aggressive", but I think it is better to change it by an EMG to make the most of this guitar. The neck pickup is quite to my taste: its clear he delivers a very hot, at the limit of saturation. This is perfect for a Blues edged a little. The combination of the two microphones is very nice, it feels to play with a single coil ... will understand.
In general, the sound of this guitar is really interesting to make "bold".
Another feature seductive: this guitar is quite heavy, thick, and the strings are secured to the table. This gives a good sustain, and enjoy the vibrations of the strings of the guitar body. The notes are long and powerful. Like it!
I give a 7 because we should not kid ourselves, there are better, but so much more! For metalheads, add an EMG at the bridge and its going to 9 / 10 for a guitar of this price!

OVERALL OPINION

I just bought this model (there are few out!). I wanted an alternative to my old SG, without changing the handle and comfort of play
This guitar please! Apart from its handle (top!) and big sound (good to see very good for metalcore), it is very beautiful (available in Black / Caramel / Blue). The model has received a Blue pearl inlay in the shape of the flame on three central squares. The table is curved (as for GR), and finishing simple, but fun to watch. In addition, it is a model very robust and cleverly reinforced the top of the handle.
In short, the Ibanez guitar SZ520QM is a very well made for its reasonable price (I want to call it "the poor man's PRS "!!!). Try to adopt it, only if you like heavy artillery!

This stunning skyscraper is manufactured in Asia by ibanez.
The handle, in al Saddle has 22 boxes of spares for medium frets on a rosewood fingerboard offers gorgeous grounds pearly shaped flames.
The bridge is a fixed Gibraltar III and the strings are set up by the back of the guitar through the body.
The nato body (I think) is topped with a table Saddle Mouchet sculptevritablement superb!

UTILIZATION

The handle, though more than the standard ibanez pais, trs is enjoyable for both positions of the fingers "classic" for a more "roots" with the thumb on top. The key is let go enjoyable and the frets are medium sized and not too thin or too wide: in short, a compromise precision / comfort.

CHAC is good for acute and no more, but personally I have big fingers so I do drang has not, however, shredders fans of all triplets in dernires boxes will can be evil.

The SZ520QM has a good weight, but it is reasonable and it octroit a good sustain. The right hand can be (re) pose on the bridge without ropes and stifle the forearm gn will not be because of the table carving.

SOUNDS

The sound is good trs, despite the fact that these are signs ibanez pickups. The saturated trs are enjoyable and friendly but I've seen (well heard ...!) Much more aggressive (I possde of EMG 81 on another guitar). No. The metal is available but with a good amp gross.
In his clear, the sound is enjoyable trs, can show a certain roundness as slamming on the basis of the game only regret the absence of micro split which would have made even more versatile!

I use it to rpt 'with my Yamaha DG 80 or so with my V-Amp 2 and s'aclimate surperbe any sound.

My only complaint is that they do not have the sound off-phases, crystalline or one of my strat's ultra distorted and compressed like a prs or gibson lp (in fact the midrange is more forward). But for its price, it is great dj.

OVERALL OPINION

I've had two months and I'm crazy! At this point my other guitars make me face!
Its strong points are its beautiful violin, comfort and good sound.
Not REALLY weak spots seen its price range.
His report is more than excellent qualitprix (580).
A possible could be investissemeny to offer high-end microphones (ie EMG81 for big sound, either MODELS splitables).

A BMOL however: the entrourage mtalique mics start DJ oxidize (palm right), but I have a trs corrosive sweat ... Medium term and see like all the guitars of this price which we see the limits of production after a while.

Mahogany body, round marble table Saddle al 22 frets, rosewood fingerboard.
2 humbuckers, the switch (3 positions) is used to select:
- Double sleeve
- 1simple handle a simple easel
- Double bridge ..
A micro volume (I had one on my guitar and I Previous prfre this config.) A Tone.
between the jack is dvisse (APRS about 8 months of braches / unplug frquents)
on the other hand I have to change all the pots that grsillaient ... fortunately silent warranty

UTILIZATION

Handle large trs enjoyable, Jackson had a fairly silent before the race but ultimately I prfre strait handle larger ..
Access in acute fairly easy, at the same time ... There's only 22 boxes I prfr 24 c but my opinion ...
the sound is nice even when it is plain apprciable simple power switch.
I have not yet trsdvelloppe ear but I feel that the rhythm of saturated to the microphone is not great for serious cons for serious solos micro + Tone 0 l adore!
crunch for the use of the switch in a central position for the single is really good!

SOUNDS

I do not think this guitar is ranked in a particular style .. posibilit to go with the single, making it a very versatile, it's enjoyable plutt .. I like to play several styles DIFFERENT in a more ag MODLIST amp so it's perfect!

OVERALL OPINION

It's been about 8 months I have and I'm glad it's a nice guitar which sounds plutt well.
on the other hand after 8 months I did change dja 3 pots and I think I will have to handle rgler because in acute ca does not sound like it should ... at the same time I really had a jou dsaccord PERIOD ... but I thought the bridge string through-m'viterai such problem ... Beyond that to change the strings is very practical and dsaccorder the guitar you really make bends in two tones ..

-22 Frets, with the lazy and 14th boxes 11/12/13

One-volume bridge, volume and tone nack bridge, selcteur + 3 positions

Al-neck profile and have a fawn ACCS Auw acute extrment gnial! you would think that there 24cases!

Fixed bridge-

Everything is chrome-

UTILIZATION

- The handle is quite enjoyable, but I will have felt a bit faster (well it's nothing, I'm not a shredder)

Access in acute-PERFECT, and I pse my word!

I find it quite heavy (over my Start) but nothing mchant, I'll do me! ergonomics is good

-Good sound: mouai .. still has the original pickups ibanez eh! a drooling is not clear, etc.

SOUNDS

- For my style: bah I believe will go a ^, a strong change in microphone that will make this a little small bbte bbte that should not piss off! lol

I played on an old marshmall, so I give the no notice of my amp is crap, would not be a goal

It's just be warm enough on the stick (micro ibanez I speak eh) and fat and drooling on the bridge (too?)

-I like her enough to handle her, but I do not like too easel

----- I MET 7 Speaking of MICROS IBANEZ -----

OVERALL OPINION

- I reu even today (I just play over 2 hours)

"I love the handle and profile table and the color (burgundy)

-Nan had never tried such an ibanez dce (edr a 470ex and rg1270/370dx = <short, nothing to see)

Quality-price ratio without more, to change the pickups, so must cough up more, made a scratch more or less wholesale 700/750euros
I do it again this choice yes, but I tested a lot of guitars in the same price range, but niveu Aesthetics, I think this is one of only me flat!

I change the pickups and the jet nut I keep a good lil while!