I saw this in the new February Musicians Friend catalog, for a really good price, and I knew I had to have it.

Aesthetically, this piece is a work of art. The carved top definitely gives it a PRS-vibe, and the flamed maple really adds a touch of style you dont see in many instruments in this price range. I picked up the Emeraldburst finish, and the finish combined with the carved top and body bindings scream of a guitar costing at least thrice as much.

The guitar feels like a guitar costing thrice as much, as well. It is very solid and heavy, about as much as a Les Paul. Has the same scale length as a LP, with a faster neck. I deducted a half a point because whoever did the fret job didnt file them quite enough. This was easily remedied in under 10 minutes, but still worth mentioning.

Sound-wise, this is a guitar with some very nice pickups. The bridge pickup is very hot, and has a nice metal sound with great harmonics. The neck pickup has a nice bassy clean sound, and has nice chug with distortion. In between the two makes for an almost acoustic sound. I change the pickups on most of my new guitars, I dont think I will have to with this one.

Overall, this is a very nice guitar that you should pick up right away. This is no longer on the Ibanez web page, which might mean it is being discontinued. That and my Emeraldburst is getting harder and harder to find online. Just get this guitar ASAP, it is by far the best value in its price range. If it cost double, it would still be the best value in its price range.

I just got my Ibanez SZR520 Light Blue Burst in today and I was completely shocked with the craftsmanship on this beauty.. I own a Steve Vai signature Ibanez Jem7V, so I know good craftsmanship and good quality guitars when I see/play them, and this baby is amazing!!! When played with distortion you can tear down the walls, when played with overdrive you can produce bluesy tones that nobody can deny, and well, when you play on clean, you have the best sustain and and fullness you can find at this price point. This guitar hands down is THE most versatile guitar at this price point.

This guitar is one of a kind. It's got great action which has little buzz and is easy to play for hours. The stock pickups blew me away when played through high-gain; I was squealing pitch harmonics and bends like no other. It sounds really good on a clean channel too. Switch it to the neck pickup for a really deep fat sound, great for light picking. Both together almost sounds like an acoustic it's so clean and light. Bridge brings an almost surfy-treble sound. I like to play a lot of Mariachi-esque licks on that setting. One note is that it is heavier than you would expect, but I actually like the weight. It keeps it from feeling cheap and reminds me I'm playing a quality instrument. Might just be me though. Definitely worth the money. The finish is absolutely gorgeous, I have the green sunburst which I think is discontinued now, but I've seen the natural finish and it is exquisite. If you're thinking about buying this guitar you can't go wrong!

an incredible guitar that looks absolutely striking, whose quality is unique to its value, and whose cost doesn't cause a major bail out. Overall, I say this sz520 is a powerful and clean sounding guitar built for true player. Play one and find out. I sure did.

This guitar is awesome. Nice finish, good sounding pickups, stays in tune well. I'm using this guitar with Beefy Slinkies - detuned to Bb. The pickups sound killer distorted - as I expected - but I was surprised at how well they sound when played clean. They're a little brighter and not as muddy as stock Gibson humbuckers. I also own a 1985 Gibson Les Paul Standard so I can compare the two guitars side by side. The SZR520 guitar sounds better to me than the Gibson. And it plays well too - nice neck action - no weird buzzing strings. Much better tuners than the vintage green Klusons on my Les Paul. Really a lot of guitar for the money.