Ibanez At300 & Sa2020 & Sa260FM?

[shredfreak]

So any experiences with these guitars? Is there a big difference in feeling? How much better Andy Timmons model is than Sa2020 and Sa260 models or is it that much better? Which one has the best value?

I'm interested because at the time I'm mainly looking for a Fender Stratocaster and what I've understod these guitars are quite similar in some ways.

Thanks!

[rastachild]

i own a sa1620, which is the predecessor of the sa2020 (it was discontinued a year after it was introduced) and have owned a sa2020. the sa1620 is a pretty decent guitar. the main difference is that the 1620 is bolt on while the 2020 is a set neck. fretboard radius was actually a lot flatter than i thought it would be (i was expecting something that felt more strattish, or more like a js1000 neck), but the neck is fairly thick and wide. the 1260 also is a H-S-S configuration while the 2020 is H-H. but on to the differences.

well the 1260 is a japanese prestige while the 2020 is korean. supposedly, the difference should be minimal, but the 2020 i owned was just a crappy guitar. it had no resonance whatsoever...sounded like the strings were attached to a broom when you strummed it. plugged in, the tone was even worse. the dmz/ibz pickups in that guitar are horrible, or the construction of the guitar is poor. i didn't like the feel of the neck either. needless to say, i jettisoned that guitar on e-bay with a quickness and luckily found a 1260 a few months later. the 1260's bridge pickups doesn't sound that great, but the single coils (especially the neck one) sound fantastic and tubular. i figure it will be a great guitar with a new bridge pickup. most importantly, it sounds much better unamplified and just seems to be more solidly built.

the at300 i have yet to play. but i live in dallas and see andy on a fairly regular basis, so i can at least tell you what the guitar sounds like in the hands of a master. it is amazing. i can't believe how versatile that guitar is. truth be told, it looks almost identical to the sa1260 (which is why i bought it, the poor man's at300 if you will), but i know that the neck is completely different. the body is pretty much the same, both made of mahogony, although it could be that better cuts of wood are used on the at300. same pickup configuration, but andy has a specially wound dimarzio in the bridge and i think the neck and middle singles are dimarzio cruisers. this guitar has a decidedly vintage meets modern sort of flair and it can handle pretty much anything from authentic blues to high gain rock (but probably not the heavier metal stuff). i've been watching for them on e-bay on a regular basis, but they are hard to find.

the sa260 i have not played, so i can't give my review of it.

[germX]

hi there i was fortunate enough to have come across a good sounding SA2020 so i bought it without further probing (mine abouve). +1 to what rasta said about this guitar- there are hits & misses, be sure to plug one in before you part with cash.



i'd also like you to give the SAS36 a try should this be available at your dealer's. the reason i bought one was because i like the single coils in there, but the new True Duo humbucker could have been better. it sounds very good with my set-up so i'm keeping it.

the current SA260 also features the True Duo- you might/ might not like it.

[TMKXL]

I own a SA2020FM. I think it's an awesome guitar. The sound is really great, full warm sound, specially the neck humbucker is great. Sustain is very good. Set neck construction is really smooth, awesome feeling. Good upper fret acces. Plays really easy as well, setup out of the box was perfect.

[shredfreak]

Thanks for the replys!

What's the difference between Sa2120 and Sa2020? Also how's the At200? I think it's a bit cheaper than At300 and also has different pickups. Any good?

Next time I'll go to nearest Ibanez dealer I will check them out and if I like them enough I might consider buying one. So At300, At200, Sa1260, Sa1620, Sa2020, Sa2120 and Sas36 are quite interesting models at the time.

[germX]

SA2120 is this year's Prestige SA model. i don't see much diff between the 2, but the 2120 comes with a hard case.

the AT200 has non-Dimarzio pickups & a different fretboard marking. feel & tone-wise, the 200 is above-average.

[shredfreak]

Originally Posted by germX

SA2120 is this year's Prestige SA model. i don't see much diff between the 2, but the 2120 comes with a hard case.

the AT200 has non-Dimarzio pickups & a different fretboard marking. feel & tone-wise, the 200 is above-average.

Thanks germX! I found out from Rich's Ibanez Rules!! site that SA2120 is actually a lot more expensive than SA2020 but we'll see. After I try them I'll know if I like them or not.

[blunotes]

Originally Posted by shredfreak

So any experiences with these guitars? Is there a big difference in feeling? How much better Andy Timmons model is than Sa2020 and Sa260 models or is it that much better? Which one has the best value?

I'm interested because at the time I'm mainly looking for a Fender Stratocaster and what I've understod these guitars are quite similar in some ways.

Thanks!

What kind of Strat are you looking for? I have 2 YJM USA 89's and I gave one to my nephew, I have one left. Send me a PM.

[germX]

Originally Posted by shredfreak

I'm interested because at the time I'm mainly looking for a Fender Stratocaster and what I've understod these guitars are quite similar in some ways.

Thanks!

coming back to this part of your post- the SA/ AT have some resemblance (tone-wise) to the Strat, but it's not one in feel- very different IMO. i own 3 strats (2 am/ 1 jap), i'd say that the SA/ AT models aren't replacements for a strat.