Ibanez SGT130E-VS SGT Series (Vintage Sunburst)

Ibanez SGT130E-VS SGT

received this a couple of weeks ago now and it arrived packaged appropriately with no box damage at all etc.
well package inside box, on opening up it looks amazing for the price the finish looked impeccable, however on closer views there were some fairly nasty scratches on the back these were bot from delivery as no damage to t he box etc I can only assume that they were there from factory and had been missed through the quality checks which had been signed out on the head stock labels etc also the scratch plate has a nasty buckle in it; now for the price this may seem to all be a bit picky but I know that there are other lower end guitars where the finish has been impeccable and the price cheaper ( and coming with on board pickup and pre amps?) I can only assume we are paying a little extra for the name here.all this said it looks beautiful color and tone are wonderful and it is a lovely looking instrument.
Well that\'s my gripe about the guitar now for the good bits
this is awesome I love it out of the box I tuned it up ( i assume it was tuned down a quarter step in factory for transport) using the on board tuner which is a fantastic little add on, and the sound was about as good as you are gonna get it its rich warm soft, lovely bass tones and higher up not tinny at all, all due to the solid wood sound board which at this price is just stunning value. the neck is just the right size not to big or rounded but not so thin as to make it a worry abut breaking, its smooth and your hand travels up and down with no sticking, the action out of the box is great not too low but also not so high as to make it difficult for beginners there is no fret buzz and all frets are well finished no nasty sharp edges which can always be an issue on cheaper models..
Its certainly a no fuss guitar in terms of add on\'s the bridge is quite plain as too is the scratch plate which is crying out for a bit of pattern. I found that the string angle behind the bass strings particularly a little low and straight this doesn\'t seem to affect the sound though.
The type and style does mean its a little bulky but you know that if you are gonna buy this style I have found it very c very comfortable to play and a joy to listen to. in terms of sound quality I can assure you this is brilliant and I have no concerns at all about using this on stage in fact i prefer it to my other Ibanez which was over twice the price and came with a set up that was crazily high at the cost.
in terms of sound this matches just about any comparable guitar at two or three times the price its very similar obviously to the Epiphone EJ-200/Gibson J-200 ( noel Gallagher style) the Epi is cheaper ?? I have played one pf these and certainly feel that this Inabez knocks spot off it. the Gibson well if you have £2,500 or more to spend good luck.
This is proving to be an excellent buy I didn\'t return because of the finish issues I wasn\'t that worried by these but some may, be for me its always gonna be a working guitar and will take some damage so I wasn\'t worried and to be honest at this price I would be happy to buy another if it gets broke, which I cant see happening the construction is very good and maintains a hi standard, when comparing this to other cheaper budget makes ,, Ashton, Westfield, Epi, etc etc it really does set a standard especially in sound quality and playability, for the same price I could have bought a westfield jumbo on Ebay with pickup and pre amp previously installed,but here you are getting a great name at a GREAT price and a great sound, I am not sure if Ibanez make this with pickups and preamp at the moment I am assuming they do? I have however retro fitted one myself and amped this sounds brilliant.

All I have to say is if you want a second guitar to muck with get one, you will not go back
If you are a learner and are looking for a great cheap starter guitar you cannot go wrong really.
or if like me you want a guitar to use as a stage guitar and to travel with bash about work it then get it its awesome. YOU WILL NOT FIND BETTER AT THIS PRICE, only issue I had was a slight finish one and to be honest its negligible, and I am being picky here as there isn\'t anything else I could say against it