Great sound no matter what your playing for sound or music. The sustain is rediculous.

It's simple and I'm a set it and forget it kind of player so I love the simplicity.

see above, very easy to get the sound you want. Very easy play. To me it's very fast and I can sweep pick like mad on it. I will not put it down for hours.

It's beautiful craftsmenship and is a dream to stare at. I have gotten a little noise with the volume knobs and the imput but I think it's normal with all guitars.

I really don't know the value of the guitar. I traded about a $1000 drum set for it and it was well worth it!

Ibanez is great! Why else would they have two of the greatest guitar players of all time (Satch and Vai) as their customers?

I wish I could rate it an 11. Cause this one should go to 11!!! :) It would make a great conversation piece, kinda like owning a hand madeJapanese sword and not knowing how to use it, it's still cool to have.

over 25 yrs., in Christain rock worship band now

Rock, Christian, Blues.

id been looking at this guitar for a while before buying it (6 months). its distortion is great and has a nice natural sound. the three way switch provides a broad range of sound with its double humbumcker setup. hooked up to a pedal it wails and playing clean it has a nice relaxing tone. the action on the guitar is great and the one piece body makes for a very comfortable play. the thing i like most about it is that its sustain is amazing. i have a fender koa stratocaster, and while its a different guitar layout with its single coil pickups, i would say that the ibanez beats it any day of the week on all counts and was about 200 dollars cheaper. im not an outstanding guitarist but ive let some experienced players mess around on this guitar and they all say its one of the nicest guitars theyve played...period

this guitar came as was. the paint job and guitar design is what caught my eye more than it being an ibanez. ive never had any problems with it. the seymore duncan pickups sound amazing and it is a high quality sounding guitar

highly easy to use. i generally dont play around with the switching very much anymore because i have a computer program to do that, but in the beginning it was very easy to use

the only loose part that i noticed was the nut holding the amp cable input in place on the guitar was loose and ive just been too lazy to get a wratchet and fix it. that was the only issue ive ever had with it. no scratches, dings, paint runs, or fret rub on it

its worth every penny and more

its a gorgeous guitar. the fret inlay is what really turned me onto it and it was put together well

hobbyist

most rock, alternative, nu metal, classic rock, funk are all styles i enjoy...im not amazing at them but i can hold my own

I just cannot rate anything a 10...perfect is just too difficult...but this one would be close---9.5---. Sounds great and has great response...Cannot believe, all this for $399. You cannot go wrong with this guitar...unbelievable at this price.

Guitar is great. Just wish it came with a case instead of having to pay extra...but I bought the Gator, and it is a solid case and guitar fits perfectly. I guess at $399, I cannot really complain about buying the case...LOL...

It is very easy to use...and lots of fun...

You cannot beat this quality for this price...I looked at a strat, and am glad I bought this one...

As stated earlier...$399...set in neck...I have a Gibson Les Paul, and this is just as fun to play...and I paid a lot less...But I love the GLP...

I haven't had to deal with anyone yet...but I expect things to run as smoothly as when I bought this awesome guitar...

The Cherry Burst is stunning...I would put this guitar against any other. Great finish, and great product.

Active Musician

Southern Rock

do u here the tone on this thing? this is like PRS smooth when its clean and its got the Les Paul feel to it too. The Gilbrater 3 bridge adds so much sustain and it just goes on forever

the 3 way pick up is a little weak. pickups may get noisy.

This thing is beautiful. I have the golden ambur sunburst. it looks awesome with the QM. killer looks, poor mans PRS

Ibanez rules. nothing beats Ibanez for the price it give you

hell yea

hobbyist

punk, emo, metal

This guitar sounds great! There is no need to replace the pickups. You can get pretty much any tone you want once you get used to the guitar.

This guitar doesn't have much except for the bare necessities - volume an tone - which is all you really need.

This guitar plays great and you can easily get it to play what you want to.

This guitar is probably the best thing you can get for the money. The action was a little low when I bought but I just set it up myself and everything was fine.

Like I've said, this guitar is definately worth it. Period.

I haven't needed anything.

This is a beuty. 'Nuff said.

Student

Rock, Jazz, Folk, Surf, Funk

the sound is bright, clear, and has plenty of voice.

its nice and simple. i wouldnt ask for anything more.

this guiutar is beautifully crafted.

this guitar is quality that you'd get for twice the price.

i havent dealt with any problems yet, but im sure the service is great.

this guitar is a beautiful peice of work.

Nu-Metal

My PRS killer. Very full sound and an perfect set neck. Just do an honest a/b for sound quality and playability. I have never owned or wanted to own an Ibanez until I played this one. I A/B it with several guitars as much as three times the price (PRS CU22) of the SZ and it was impossible to say that the PRS was superior. I know its made in Korea and it's not 100% flawless (maple top binding) but the one I bought looks absolutely beautiful and near impossible to detect. Thank you Ibanez.

I love the bridge on this one. The picture doesnt do it justice, its very nice to the touch. It also has an interesting middle position sound.

What can I say here? It is a pop out Korean made guitar, but for the money you cant beat the value/quality point. The maple top on the one I purchased was almost to perfect and I thought it was fake until I looked at the natural binding. Controls are very solid as well.

I think I covered this point. (wow)

I had no compnay support except a well written catalogue which anwsered a great deal of initial questions. I gave them a nine b/c they actually supplied the shop with a bunch of them and it was haelpful.

I gave it a nine b/c I was not really in love with neck inlay design. The guitar does look and sound like its worth a lot more when its on your lap.

different kinds

I was hopeful this guitar had something a little different to offer than the RG series. My 2000 had the v8 v7 s1 pickups and I liked them but they were too dirty and noisy. The pickups on these are so warm and responsive; the clean channel on my amp provides amazing clarity and no buzz. You can really get down on some distortion as well. The sustain is sweet singing melody. I bought this instead of RG for tone, and it has got tone to the bone!

I have enjoyed having no tremolo on this guitar. it forces you to really clean up your playing and depend on your chops more. the neck is incredible chording is so much easier on the sz than the RG. Tuning is adaquate not great but let me tell you it is much easier than on a double lock trem. string action is good pickups are set in well. came with a cable which is useful and an ibanez owners guide.

I dont want to modify this instrumen tbecause it will void the warranty as explained on the tag but i wouldnt really change anything about this guitar it is great as is. the 3 way selector is great quality with the switch, knobs are bettter than expected. Can get many great sounds from the duncan ibanez pickups much cleaner and articulate than expected. A lot of fun.

This is a well made instrument especially for the price range. The real complaint I have with this guitar comes with the paint job. It looks blue, but it is mostly a blended in black and blue and no color really dominates the finish (black or blue). the quileted maple never really stands out. Disappointing. The binding from the maple onto the mahogany is great the inlays are great. rosewood fretboard is amaizing. Just wish it was a true blue guiatar, not faded black and blue and whatever.

absolutely a joy to play for the price

Nothing yet

Great curves inlays are classy; paint job shiny but not recognizable. chrome gibratlter bridge is awesome looking with the string thru design it is a sexy guitar. Simple yet elegant. Wouled attract women I could take home to Mom.

Hobbyist for 15 years

Classic rock, metal, progressive

I have an older Ibanez S Classic that I've been using as my main guitar for about the past 7 years. I plugged this baby in and instantly I noticed a much more rounded tone. The pickups are definitely hotter in this model than in my S Classic so the distortion sounds are heavier yet smoother and the clean tone is rich and powerful.

this guitar has a deep, rich finish albeit darker than what the picture shows I'm sure it'll fade slightly with time. I have an Ibanez bass that came in really dark and now has lightened slightly to where the flamed maple shows through better. I hope this guitar will be the same because the quilt maple is just gorgeous. it should be a crime to use such beautiful woods on a guitar this price! the only thing I'm not too fond of is the pickup trim are just chrome plated plastic. I would have liked to have seen them made out of metal. The other thing i'm not too keen on is it's made in Korea whereas my S Classic is made in Japan. Being as this is the 2006 model and the new ones go for much more I would have hoped to have seen it made in Japan instead. I gave it an 8 because my S Classic has gotoh tuners whereas this one has no-name tuners. My classic is the SC220 and I would have expected at least the same timers on this guitar.

plug in and go. it's got volume for each pickup, one tone control and a switch for bridge, single bridge/single neck, and neck pickups and that's basically it. it sounds wonderful through my audio interface as well as my laney combo amp

i found a few flaws in the finish but they are not noticeable to the naked eye. the paint/clear is smooth and very will polished but there were 3 spots where there were some blemishes in the paint prior to clearcoat. mostly by where the neck meets the body and around the binding - but again, i'm overly critical about things like that

this beautiful guitar (despite being the 06 model) for this price! how can you go wrong?!

never had to deal with them. i have some active pickup buzzing with my bass but i dont use it extensively enough to really worry about it

it's very sexy. hopefully the women will fine me as sexy as this guitar. then all will be good

active hobby musician/recording engineer

rock, alt, progressive, blues, jazz

In the 40 years I've played I have owned everything. This guitar (for the money) is as good as they get. My friend's $3000 Les Paul may be better, but not by $2500. Not even close. After a guitar that does Country to Metal? Look at the Ibanez. You won't be disappointed. Remember, you play the instrument, not the name on the headstock.

former professional musician, now do studio work

almost everything

Sustain is fantastic. Pickups are pretty good and the sound is clean and beautiful for strumming and doing rhythm parts. I put this one against the 470DX with the Floyd Rose and the minimal buzz compared to the 470 was very apparent. Lead is sweet and smooth. I give it a 10 because this can't be beat for the value.

For the money, it's unbeatable. It has all the usuals, nothing surprising nothing really omitted. The inlay on the 12th fret is very nicely done and if you are worried about not having the abalone inlays on the fretboard don't worry. Even those relatively new to the guitar will not have a problem adapting to play (and you'll realize you use the dots on the top of the guitar.) Has an extra control which isn't really useful but it's there.

Wow. It's beautiful. I really liked the blackberry but decided to get the blue because it was just too compelling and "different." The real danger is that you can stare at it for a while. Everyone in the store thought it just had that special look. As you can tell, I decided to see what I was getting and I saw a virtually perfect model. The finish is well done and there are very small imperfections that come from being created in the factory, none of them cannot be hidden, screws tightened etc. At this price, nothing looks more beautiful, save perhaps the wild cherry red one Satriani Model at a few hundred more but that one was just a little too much flash for me. This is sturdy, well built.

At this price, this sweet looking and sounding a guitar cannot be had. For all of you who told me to get a Paul Reed Smith Santana SE, I have this to say... you have to also like the way it freaking LOOKS too and if you feel good with it, you'll play it more and just love it more. The sound is much heavier. While not the highest quality, for the value it is unbeatable. This is the higher priced version of the SZ320 and you are paying for the Quilted Maple top. I saw the 320, which is almost $100 less and that is a best bang for the buck. While the black looks really sharp, you cannot compare the difference between these two.

Didn't need any and this is best as an N/A.

Gorgeous. Everyone who saw it come out of the box was wowed. If it sounds almost as good as it looks they still wanted it and it sounds better. :)

Semi-pro musician with a long time real day job

Classic Rock

clear crisp sound,great sustain and the electronics give you a great range of genre's to play.

quality workmanship with style and sensibility combined. beautiful finish on my quilted maple model and top quality from head to toe.

I have played guitars in the 1200.00-2000.00 range that this one puts to shame. 2words to sum it up is "PURE EXCELLENCE"

STYLE,CRAFTMANSHIP, AND A DAMN GOOD SOUND AND FEEL. COMPARES TO A 1200.00 GUITAR

SO FAR NO PROBLEMS ON QUALITY OR DURABILITY AND I DONT ANTICIPATE ANY.

If it were a woman It would just be a fantasy, because you cant get beauty,brains ,and sophistication without paying one hell of a price any where else. Besides if this model screams and whines at you, it sounds damn good.

rock and blues

I am a tone freak!!! I play a Bogner Uberschall half stack, and the stock pickups were a tad weak for a high gain setting and a bit flat for my clean tone. I love the action and the sustain when it is not plugged in. The frets were also a bit sharp on the end. So, I just slapped an Emg 81 and an 85 in, and filed the frets dow so they wouldn't stabb me. Volia, I had the best axe ever (amp as well.). Plugged or Unplugged. If you put in Emg's I also had to replace the switch to avoid it popping when you flick the pickups back and forth in the same song. Also, the popping can send a surge into the amp and hurt the tubes or break them. Even more so on a all class A amp like mine (Bogner Uberschall).

I liked it all, but the pickups. Which in turn made the toggle switch bad.

The most control over a tone that I need. Great tone without a second tone knob (ala Les Paul standard).

The price makes it worth every cent.

Like I said price is uncomparrable even if you switch pickups like I did. Still, it should be reasonable for a compairable axe.

Never had a problem.

I own one, now I want the Prestige Sz. I still won't sell mine though. Not even for the Prestige Sz!!!!

professional giging muscian

any but country as of the last 20 years anyway.

Very good. Look, listen here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3994641616108832842&hl=en Judge for yourself.

Standard stuff. A solid no frills kickass axe.

Neck is really fast. No surprise - I've had an Ibanez Flying V since 1984 and have never been able to upgrade it for any reasonable price. Tried Gibsons, all that.

Ibanez is outstanding always. Just ask Steve Vai.

Hell yeah.

Best support possible - ie - none needed. Job done right the first time.

I purposely bought the "ugly" color. I wanted a non-descript looking axe so when I play in the park or on the street, no thugs spot me with what looks like a thousand dollar pawn shop swap. So I got what I wanted - an ugly axe that f-in' wails!

30 Years performer, studio, etc

Hard rock

The sound quality is great, there are some buzzing sounds when I turn up the amp. That could just be the amp, but it had that sound in my Marshall amp too. I like the double humbuckers, this was one of the reasons why I got this guitar. It had the Fender "strat" look and double humbuckers.

From the tuners to bridge, the guitar perfects all of the features I guitar should have. The nut looks a bit cheap, but everything else is excellent. The controls, tuners and bridge are chrome colour, and the body of the guitar has this auralistic look to it. The shiny gloss and quilted maple pattern really adds to the look. The flame inlay located at the 12th fret really gives the guitar simplicity yet fullfilling feel. The neck is fused to the body, so it provides the user with better sustain and tone. Since it connects at the 17th fret, there is more hand space for the user to do high-end riffs on the higher frets. The headstock was another reason I purchase this guitar. Most electric have all the tuners on one-side, this guitar did not. I like it that way. Overall, the features are very simple. Personally, the best design is the most simple design. I like it very much.

The guitars sold at Steves Music Store (Toronto, Canada) isn't exactly new. At least not to me. Customers are allowed to play with them to test and try them out. If 50 customers come in everyday, that will be a lot of people testing out the guitar! When I made my decision to purchase the guitar at Steves, I wanted a lower price on the guitar since it has been touched by so many people. I'm sure if the guitar came out of the box fresh and new. Everything should be nice and shiny. When I got mine, it was dusty and there were some scratches on it.

For 600 CAN, this guitar hits the top! If you can buy a guitar that sounds and looks good like the SZ for less than 1000! It's a great guitar.

Never had to deal with them. Service at Steves was good though. They helped me change the action on the guitar.

I HAVE IT, haha.

Worship, Rock/Alt

this guitar sounds pretty nice and i enjoy playing it.

the three way pickups ok and its just less complicated.

this guitar had a lot of time put into it thats all i know.

its such a beautifal baby. when i first got it i couldnt let go. i own the gold amber burst.

active musician

rock...........RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE LIVES ON

love it , middle pickup has a little hum but still sounds fine to me, bridge pickup lets you rip out some screaming leads as well as the best harmonics i'v ever had, dont really use my front pickup much but it does have a great clean sound if in to that, ha ha

I bought mine at back beat music and I didn't get with it, but when I got it home I could care less, I played it for 28 hours staight with out putting it down, but now I have a little ding in it and I wish those would have gave me the case I was supposed to get. Guess now I can see how good of support Ibanez has.

I got the gold amber burst and I picked it because I play blues and metal and it looks and sounds great for either one.It realy is a beautiful guitar.

Ten a Ten!!!!!!!

Haven't used them,but I'll still give em a 10 so I don't screw up the ratings on this great peace of art.

I own one and I wish I had 10 more just to gaze at.

music freak

blues and metal

because i have a crappy amp, it sounds bad, but when i get a new one i can tell it will be great

guitar....wish it was 5 selector switch tho thats why i gave a 9

the finish is insane, i just stare at it sometimes and think...wow

pretty cheap and yet so expensive, worth 1000 bucks

havent used them yet but i heard they suck

i have it :)

hobbyist, soon to be in a band

metal

my blue one sounds like the ocean on a summer day

gotta love everything!this would be nicer with a tremelo other wise everything is perrfecct

dunno hasnt been attacked yet the woods pretty hard and light

hell, if this thing was 2000 dollars i wouldve baught it but it wasn't =)

ibanez is really helpful i did have some problems with the shipping though *cough fedex cough*

the blue one is really pretty

anything i'm good at