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IBANEZ GUITARS

1. Ibanez SZ320MH with "Fred" Pickup, (front/back), (headstock).  One of the best guitars for you money if you're looking for the warmth of an all-mahogany axe.   This one has been upgraded with the popular DiMarzio "Fred" ($69.99 everywhere) bridge pickup (pickups pic) which sounds superior to the stock SZ-2 pickup and along with the SZ-1 neck pickup you have a very good range of tones.  This is a set-neck model with a very comfortable neck joint that's well-rounded and extremely comfortable to play in the upper register.  Other features include: staggered stringing compensates for different string thicknesses and provides superior tonal balance, feel, articulation and sustain, 3-piece set in neck for designed for better upper fret access and sustain, all-mahogany body is slightly thicker than the normal "S" style for a fuller sound with a wide range of overtones, slightly shorter - 25.1" - scale for easier bends, bound neck, dark red stained flat finish, Gibraltar III bridge offers fixed bridge simplicity and sustain and no sharp edges for longer string life, nickel hardware and SZ special inlay.  Most of the SZ320's I'm seeing  have a maple veneer on the top but I think this solid Mahogany "MH" model is more desirable and a really nice for the money - Just $359, which is $100 less than new PLUS it has a high-end DiMarzio Fred.  
2. 1998 Ibanez RG-270DX, (front/back), (headstock).  Time-tested RG at a very friendly price.  The RG line has been the mainstay of Ibanez' solidbody line for almost 20 years and the RG-270DX, crafted in Korea, is one of the best Ibanez in terms of bang for the buck.  The RG-270DX features a fantastic Wizard II neck with jumbo frets, basswood body, licensed Floyd Rose tremolo, PSND-1 and PSND-2 humbuckers with a PSND-S in the middle, sharktooth inlays, and a high gloss black finish.  Plays great with quality tone and the finish is buffed out to an immaculate gloss.  With the DX upgrade (bound 24-fret neck with the inlays and black hardware), these listed for $550; street priced at $399.  This one is  in showroom condition, set up to perfection and nicely priced at just $275(HOLD-Remington 7/2).
3. Ibanez RG-270DX, (front/back), (headstock).  Absolutely KILLER players - low action shredders will love this one.  These are some of the best Ibanez in this price range - the RG-270DX features a fantastic Wizard II neck with jumbo frets, basswood body, Floyd-licensed tremolo, PSND-1 and PSND-2 humbuckers with a PSND-S in the middle, sharktooth inlays on a bound neck, and a high gloss black finish.  With Ibanez moving much of their production to Indonesia, these Korean models are becoming more of a bargain.  With the DX upgrade (bound 24-fret neck with the inlays and black hardware), these listed for $550; street priced at $399.  This one is  in beautiful condition with almost no playing time.  You may have played some 270DX's before but I bet they didn't play like this one and because of this, a nice deal for the player at $299.  
4. 2005 Ibanez RG-321MHGN, (pic2), Gray Nickel, classic Ibanez RG look and feel in a nicely priced package.  The RG-321 has a great neck, the Wizard II with 24 jumbo frets, as well as fixed bridge with strings thru body for better sustain and more meaty tone, IBZ INF3 and INF4 humbuckers with 5-way pickup switching, and bound neck.  Exceptionally clean condition - as clean as a new floor model, with low action and a great feeling neck with jumbo frets.  If you want a cool RG with the simplicity and tone of a hardtail, this is a sweet axe for just $225.  
5. 1991 Ibanez RG-570, (pic2) (pic3).  Jewel Blue - another killer shred guitar extremely well crafted in Japan.  The 570 features the same specs as the 550, with the 550 being the model with a pickguard rather than the sleeker look of the 570.  Features Basswood body, one-piece maple neck, Edge tremolo, IBZ USA pickups with V1-S1-V2, and a nice beveled area around the cutaway which makes playing up high a breeze.  Extremely thin and wide neck - shredder's delight - made for tapping, sweeping arpeggios, and very fast play.  Overall good shape for a used guitar - finish has a nice shine and looks good from the front, a few finish chips touched up around the edge, tarnished bridge and knobs.  Don't buy if you're looking for a near mint guitar but for a player, there's few better.  A very expensive guitar, with a list price of $819 way back in the early 90's and a very good value today in a pro quality Ibanez at $399.
6. 2002 Ibanez SCA-220CB, (pic2), (pic3), Cosmic Blue.  Excellent quality Japan model Ibanez and with a featherweight "S" style, sculpted mahogany body.  Lots of fun to play and one of the more traditional models from Ibanez, which are usually associated with locking tremolo HSS or HSH pickup configurations.  This S-Classic features a pair of humbuckers controlled by a 3-way switch and a very simple but innovative "Shortstop II" bridge which is a simple wraparound design, but allows intonation on every string.  Weights in at well under 7 lbs. but the tone is anything but light, with a pair of smoking V6 humbuckers plus excellent quality Gotoh tuners with tortoise buttons.  This guitar is new, old stock from an ex-Ibanez dealer in the area.  Absolutely perfect condition, plastic still on the pickups and back plate with a killer setup.  No possible disappointments with this beauty.  List price on this model was $650 and was store priced at $487.  Get this fine Japan model for less than most Korean Ibanez -  at just $365.  
7. 2000 Ibanez RG-470NP, (pic2).  One of the coolest finishes of the era, "New Penny" and another great Japan made Ibanez.  Features include Wizard II neck with jumbo frets, Basswood body, Lo TRS tremolo, IBZ V7-S1-V8 pickups, 24 frets, raised chrome logo.  Another one that has seen very little playing time, perfect frets, and no pick or buckle scratches.  Had a few very small finish rubs on the edge that we paint matched and touched up but overall extremely clean shape - and another killer player.  Extremely thin and wide neck - shredder's delight - made for tapping, sweeping arpeggios, and very fast play.  Check out info at Ibanez Rules, the best Ibanez site on the web.  This one listed at $699 back in '00 and this is one of the cheapest pro quality guitars you can buy at $350.  
8. Ibanez AX110 Baritone, (pic2), (pic3), My favorite baritone model anywhere near this price range.  Features long 27" scale, solid Mahogany body, with a single humbucker - simplicity is so cool to me.  Body has very comfortable bevels all around and the way the neck joint is designed, it's super easy to get access to the upper frets.  Other features include hardtail bridge with strings-thru-body, bound neck, and glossy headstock veneer.  If you've been wanting to try a Baritone, or need one for just a few songs per gig, you can't go wrong with this one.  With a list of $459, these sold in stores at $349 but this one's in beautiful shape and a really nice player for just $275.  
9. 1985 Ibanez Pro-Line PR1550, (pic2), (headstock).  Champagne Pearl finish.  One of Ibanez' early models "SuperStrats" that defined the guitar market in the 80's.   Made in Japan with extremely high quality construction, with top-notch materials.  A superb feeling neck with factory oil finish that felt broken in when it was new, and only gets sleeker with time.  Other high end features of this Pro Line are Ebony fretboard, Pro Rok'r TopLok tremolo bridge, excellent pickups with a pair of Super 7FT's and a bridge humbucker.  The Ibanez humbucker has been swapped out with a quality DiMarzio but we can change to an Ibanez at no cost.  Excellent variety of tones (controls) via individual mini-toggle switches plus a push-push pot on the tone control.   This is an excellent playing guitar that's in overall very nice shape for 22 years, with the main flaws (picture) being a few touch ups to the back edge and fretboard wear, although the frets themselves are in very nice shape.  These fretboards are unfinished and they wear very quickly, which I think adds to the vibe and gives it a broken in feel.  Another excellent value in a nice 22-year-old Ibanez at $350. 
10. 2003 Ibanez SCA-220, (pic2).  Excellent quality Japan model Ibanez and with this feather-weight sculpted mahogany body - it's a lot of fun to play.  Weights in at just 6 lbs but the tone is anything but light, with a pair of smoking V6 humbuckers.  Also features quality Gotoh tuners and a very unique wraparound bridge, "Shortstop II", that allows intonation on every string.  This guitar is new, old stock and perfect - other than a small finish touch-up on the back edge (pic here).  List price on this model was $650 and this is an excellent value on a Japan Ibanez at $325.  
11. Ibanez Jem 7V...COPY, (pic2), (pic3), Don't let the looks fool you, this thing is all knockoff, from the monkey grip body, to the vine inlay, to the Jem Prestige neck, to the gold hardware, to the Ibanez trem with finger routes, this thing is 100% fake, fake, fake.  From the sneaky craftsmen in China, masters of detail, they even used a fake "Team J Craft" logo and Japan serial number on the back of the headstock.  Overall it looks very convincing but up close the dead giveaway is the trem which is stamped "Ibanez Low TRSO"  and it's not a very good trem.  As a player, it's not bad, typical China quality but with a few higher end parts, you might have something.  One thing that's not bad is the price.  With a real Jem 7 going for $1800, this one's so cheap you could almost buy a new Jem 7 with the difference, just $399.  Seriously, this would be a cool guitar for a project and worth the price for the parts alone.  The finish is excellent as is most of the detail work on this guitar.  It's worth it in my book.  Speaking of upgrades...read on...
12. Ibanez Jem 7 - Upgraded Knockoff, (pic2).  You might remember the knockoff Ibanez Jem 7 I posted last month.  I mentioned that while it wasn't an exceptional guitar, it would make a good project if you wanted to replace the neck and tremolo.  Well, somebody took my advice and here you go.  This is the same model, however, the original owner turned it into a much better quality axe by adding a quality neck, an Ibanez RG350DX, which was a good choice since it is factory painted white.  They also added a real Lo-TRS tremolo, which stays in tune very well.  The result is a guitar with all the killer stage appeal of a Jem, monkey grip and all, at a price that's less than 1/2 of the real thing.  Solid player in super clean shape for just $429.  
13. 2005 Ibanez AR200, (pic2), latest evolution of the Artist series and an excellent guitar at an affordable price.  The roots of this guitar go back to the Artist models of the 70's when Ibanez was venturing into their own designs although the Artist certainly borrowed a lot from the Les Paul.  The new models retain the same basic styling and vibe.  Features include set-neck construction (maple neck and mahogany body), Ibanez IBZ AH1/AH2 humbuckers, bound body-neck-headstock and pearl dot inlays.  Lists at $659 and sells most stores at $461; this one's fully set-up and a good quality guitar for $379.  Includes paperwork, tags, etc. Add formfit Ibanez case for $59 (pic2)
14. 2005 Ibanez SA-160, in worn brown or black, new-old-stock.  One of the ultra-comfortable SA-series with a very thin body.  The series has long been a front-runner in terms of style, comfort, and tone and they continue to refine this model.  One of the latest refinements is the new SAT30 Satellite tremolo, which is a two-pivot synchronized trem, much like a Wilkinson.  The SAT30's smooth arming, super-stable tuning, even string-to-string response and incredible control is remarkable in a guitar of this modest price.  With a list of $449, this is priced like a student model but the quality will serve an accomplished player.  Excellent guitar for $279 (might be sold out)
15. 2005 Ibanez SZ520QM, (pic2), Lapis blue quilt.  The SZ520 features neck-thru design with a mahogany neck through a slim mahogany body with maple top.  Thin and comfortable, with nice contours around the heels for easy access to the upper frets.  Comfortable slim body with fat Mahogany tone and sustain that the S-series is noted for - but the SZ features simple fixed Gibraltar bridge and a 25.1 scale rather than the 25.5 found on most Ibanez.  Other features include body bound in maple, bound neck, bound headstock, nickel hardware, SZ special fretboard inlay, pearloid logo, and good sounding SZ1 and SZ2 humbuckers controlled by a 5-way switch.  In this color, the SZ520 sells for $529 in stores, which is a good deal for a neck through Ibanez.  This one appears to seen very little playing time and is as clean as a new floor model - but the price is $180 less, just $349, fully set-up and ready to rock. 
16. Ibanez RG-270DX, one of the best Ibanez in this price range - the RG-270DX features a fantastic Wizard II neck with jumbo frets, basswood body, FR double-lock bridge, PSND-1 and PSND-2 humbuckers with a PSND-S in the middle, sharktooth inlays, and a high gloss black finish.  Plays great, beautiful shape, and a lot of guitar for the money.  With the DX upgrade (bound 24-fret neck with the inlays and black hardware), these listed for $550; street priced at $399.  This one is  in beautiful condition with almost no playing time - only a few light scratches that we'll buff out to *mint* prior to shipping.  Set up to perfection and just $299 with gigbag.
17. 2004 Ibanez GSA-60, (pic2), economical evolution of the famed S-series - but a real bang-for-the-buck winner.  The S bodies are some of the most comfortable to play and the GSA-60 offers pro design at an affordable price.  We upgraded this one with an excellent sounding EMG-Hz bridge pickup which is a great improvement over the original (will include for $10 if desired).  Perfect condition with the film still on the back plates.  These sell for over $200 new but this one is perfect, BETTER than new with a quality pickup and setup, and just $179. 
18. Ibanez JS-100TR Joe Satriani, 2004, transparent red and a super shredding machine with great tone and extremely comfortable to play.  All edges are roundly contoured with a deep cutaway with an extremely thin contour in the treble cutaway.  Features a JS neck with a rounder 12" radius for easy chording in the low register with comfortable bends up top - Lo TRS trem stays in tune under heavy dive bombs - quality tone via basswood body and a pair IBZ humbuckers (AH1 and AH2) controlled by 3-way switch and push/pull tone pot for coil splits.  Joe is still one of the true heroes and is touring again so demand for his signature series is on the rise.  These sell new in stores for $699 (without case) but get this dead mint one for $120 less PLUS tolex Ibanez case for just $550 or an "as new" Prestige case (as shown here) for $50 more.