Ibanez SAS36FM Flame Top Electric Guitar

No longer available at zZounds

zZounds Gear Experts Say...

SA set-in neck. 3-piece maple neck material. Mahogany w/flamed maple top body.

Overview

Sixteen years ago everyone "knew" that fat mahogany tone and sustain equaled weight and discomfort. Then the SA changed everything. The SA is thin around the edge to give you great comfort, and thick around the neck, pickups and bridge to give you great tone.

For players who want S sleekness, but with a standard flat back.

25.5 neck scale offers narrow feel and tight tension similar to an RG.

Rosewood offers a strong, bright sound and an attractive appearance with a long grain.

Unlike other brands in this price range, SA models receive the same individual inspection and set-up as Ibanez's most expensive models.

Features
SA set-in neck

3-piece maple neck material

Mahogany w/flamed maple top body

22 medium frets

Rosewood finger board

SAT Pro bridge

IBZ AHS1 (S) Neck pickup

IBZ AHS2 (S) Mid pickup

IBZ True-Duo bucker bridge pickup

Pearl Dot inlay

Hardware color: chrome

Documents and Manuals

For support or warranty questions, please contact the manufacturer:
Phone: 800-669-8262
Web: https://www.ibanez.com/usa/support/

Reviews

(36 ratings)

Submitted April 15, 2007 by a customer from ovro.caltech.edu

"Look at buying this or the SA260M before you buy any Stratocaster."

Overall:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

I have the transparent grey version of this guitar. It is a very beautiful guitar. One of the things I like most about it is that it is extremely comfortable to carry. It's very light and the thin edges make it even more comfortable. This guitar is replacing my Standard Fender HSS Strat so I'm going to compare this guitar with it. The quality of this guitar is so much better. To me, the sound of these pickups produce a much more realistic string sound then my MIM Strat. But, pickup sound is so subjective. Also, the headstock has a much larger tilt angle then the MIM Strat so you don't need the ugly string tree. To get that in a Strat, you have to buy the America version (Much more expensive.) The body is much nicer than the MIM Strat; a mahogany body with a flamed maple top compared to my MIM Strat that is an Alder body with Brown Sunburst color. The fretboard is much flatter than the MIM Strat; this makes for slightly easier bending. My MIM Strat has a slightly narrower neck with a more rounded fretboard. (Some folks prefer this feel.) Perhaps the biggest difference is the Tremolo; this setup is far superior to my MIM Strat. I believe the design is very close to the PRS tremolo. There is so much play in the MIM Strat Tremolo that it's almost useless. People have told me to wrap something around the threads of the tremolo bar to cure this but why should I have to do that? Personally, the Floyd Rose type Tremolos on most of the other Ibanez guitars is too complicated to work with… read more so I bought this guitar over the RG's. This guitar has a single coil tap for the bridge humbucker while my MIM Strat does not. Finally, this is a set neck guitar. My MIM is a bolt on. You can get an Ibanez version of this guitar with a bolt on neck for much less money(SA260M). I almost bought that guitar because it has a maple fretboard which I prefer. I believe I got a steal on this guitar as I paid $390 for a new one on ebay. I posted the review here as an aid to my fellow musicians.

Musical Background:
Active Musician (Non-Pro)

Musical Style:
I play in a Big Band and Jazz combo group but like to listen to Rock and Roll.

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