Ibanez SA series identification?

blue42 · 2010-04-08T10:15:54+00:00

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 identifi...

Ibanez SA series identification?

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.

Breeze

IceCreamMan wrote: 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 ...

Ja, Cash Converters screws you big time... my first amp back in the day was also a Samick - it was covered in grey carpeting ??? (also from a pawn shop)