blue42
Hi Guys
Just bought Eleanor, as she's affectonately known, from a Cash Converters. She's an Ibanez SA of sorts but I need help with the exact model identification. She's got a bolt-on neck, standard 5-way pickup selector and flamed maple top in transparent black sunburst(see photo). Might be a SA160FM because the tone/volume pots don't control pickup adjustment. If so, what's a good price to pay? She's in excelent condition, no scratches or dings and looks like she's had an easy life. I replaced her strings just because so she's good as the day she was born.
IceCreamMan
Certainly looks like a SA 160 ... the model should be mentioned on the back of the head together with the serial number. Mebbe run a search on the serial number.
Not to much info to be found on this particular model though but i reckon 1500 -2000 is prolly good ballpark price from cash converters.
I have a SA160QML pics can be found on this forum. great guitar and cost close to 400 euro's.
blue42
Only a serial number on the back of headstock. How do I do a search based on the serial number? I payed R1700 so I wasn't smoked too badly then.
IceCreamMan
blue42 wrote:
Only a serial number on the back of headstock. How do I do a search based on the serial number? I payed R1700 so I wasn't smoked too badly then.
Guess you could search on the Ibanez website or just try google mebbe u get lucky.
I think the price is alright , no problem there.
blue42
Been on the ibanez site. No facility for searching but I'll drop them a mail and see what I can find out. Was an impulse buy si I'm glad the price seems ok.
dee
The 220 has two coil tapped humbuckers, and the 260 has a coil tapped bridge with two single coils.
Odds are therefor that is the SA160FM...
arjunmenon
blue42 wrote:
Been on the ibanez site. No facility for searching but I'll drop them a mail and see what I can find out. Was an impulse buy si I'm glad the price seems ok.
Highly unlikely that you will hear back from Ibanez. They're famous for lousy customer support.
As for dating the guitar, AFAIK for Ibanez, unless it was made in Japan or at one of their custom shops, there is no way of getting the exact year/date of production.
Breeze
Let me tell you were my money's at.
Your Eleanor is infact an Ibanez SA260FM and she was born in 2005. (It's the only year they produced the guitar in that finish which is called 'Transparent Black' - some mistakenly call it 'Tiger Black'). She was born in Korea, just a year before production of the SA series was moved to Indonesia and minor adjustments were made, like a new trem system and different pick-ups.
You have a HSS PU configuration with the neck and mid PU's being AXIS 2 single coils (AS2) and the bridge is an AXIS humbucker 4 (AH4). It's made of mahogony with a flamed maple top (2003 models were made of Nato), a smoothed off bolt on neck (3pc maple neck - 2003 models were single piece necks), a SAT30S (single locking) tremelo at the bridge, a rosewood fingerboard and satin chrome hardware. Prior to the 2008 series, SA is the only standard (non-budget) range of solid-body guitar that use non-locking tremolos.
With that said, I rest you asured, you got a good deal on the git and I hope you treat each other well. :goodtimes:
WantzChas
If the headstock is black, it's a SA160, if the headstock is the same colour as the guitar it's a SA260. I sold my SA160 in last year for R1800, so it's a decent price.
Breeze
Trudat - the SA260 I'm familiar with has a matching headstock, so if it's black it must be the 160. See, this forum rulz!
blue42
this forum kicks ass! you guys really know your stuff. only thing confusing me is that, according to the 260 specs as posted on the ibanez site, it's volume pot is a pull-up push-down job that also does something to the pickups and eleanor's don't do that. could this be a later mod? and yes, she hails from korea. her headstock is same colour as her body, see photo.
blue42
i must also add that eleanor is my first electric (had an oscar schmidt acoustic plenty moons ago) and so far she's brought me nothing but happy times. extremely easy to play. took the trem off and told the missus to hide it tonight because i have to retune every time i'm tempted to do a bit of a whauwhauwha.
Breeze
Ja, the Ibanez website only features current models.
The pot switch you're refering to is called a 'Coil Tap'. When they moved production to Indonesia in 2006, one of the significant alterations on the SA series was to include what is called a 'True Duo Bucker'. This is basically a bridge humbucker that can be changed to a single coil pick-up by switching the Coil Tap. The '06-'08 models had the Coil Tap on the tone controller and the '09-'10 models have it on the volume controller. When the Coil tap is pushed in you have a normal pu selection, from neck to bridge pu's - when it's pulled up you have the same basic selection except the bridge humbucker becomes a single coil.
In all honesty, I never liked the idea. I feel it makes the guitar too gimicky.
blue42
thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. 2005 sa260fm it is then. bargain!
IceCreamMan
At 1700 a 260 is a deal, only one that got smoked is the guy who sold it to cash convertors i reckon.
they prolly gave himn 500 for it ...
blue42
lucky i had the bucks when i saw her. it was love at first sight. right time right place i guess.
Keira-WitherKay
seems the Ibanez SA series are becoming available suddenly,
cos on thurs in my pawn shop trawling in northcliff ( at excecu pawn , jenny's shop) ...... i found an Ibanez SA series also in grey with S-S-H pups, and a great mother of pearl( or look a like) edging around the body .......push /pull volume pot to split coil of humbucker and it had a neck thru body construction and a way fast feel to neck.......
yeah and from the store i called one of my students who was in the market and he too is now the proud owner of an SA series Ibanez.. he went in the next day and snapped it up for R1900 and is very happy with it
so they seem to be great guitars for the money ........
WantzChas
Keira WitherKay wrote:
seems the Ibanez SA series are becoming available suddenly,
cos on thurs in my pawn shop trawling in northcliff ( at excecu pawn , jenny's shop) ...... i found an Ibanez SA series also in grey with S-S-H pups, and a great mother of pearl( or look a like) edging around the body .......push /pull volume pot to split coil of humbucker and it had a neck thru body construction and a way fast feel to neck.......
yeah and from the store i called one of my students who was in the market and he too is now the proud owner of an SA series Ibanez.. he went in the next day and snapped it up for R1900 and is very happy with it
so they seem to be great guitars for the money ........
If it has a set neck then it is the SAS36FM. Very nice guitars. A played one when trying amps out. Sounded nice through the Peavey Classic 30
blue42
i've only run mine through a little samick 10w but an amp upgrade is definitely on the cards.
