SA160QM Upgrades

[xrayben]

Well,I've always wanted a nice looking quilt-top guitar and I never read a bad review about the SA160QM online,so I bought a new one one Ebay from a reputable dealer for $65 less than the cheapest online price.Anyways,i wish I would have found you all here first but I still think I'll be ok.(It's due to arrive tomorrow) I have read alot about upgrades and such and I was wondering what would your upgrades of this model be and why? I want to put DiMarzios in it but which ones? I want the anthemic 80's shred sound. Which locking tuners are a direct fit that I can do myself with no alterations? Would you change the bridge? How and why? Thanks for any suggestions and your wisdom.

[darren wilson]

I wouldn't change anything until i'd played it for at least a couple of weeks.

For that '80s sound, i'd go for a Duncan Distortion or JB in the bridge, or maybe a DiMarzio Super Distortion. But the big factor in that sound is also the "modded Marshall" amp tone that everybody was using back then.

I believe Gotoh locking tuners should be a direct fit to replace the stock Ibanez ones. I'm not sure if you'll need to change the bridge... i guess it depends on how hard you are on the trem and what kind of tuning stability you're getting vs. your expectations.

Try it for a while first, then mod to your heart's desire!