Photo credit: Ray Larsen

The ever-improving quality of many entry-level guitars certainly isn’t new news. But finding a good guitar at a rock-bottom price can still be a roll of the dice. Ibanez has a solid track record for minimizing that risk and delivering playability and tone at the lower end of the cost spectrum. And with the SGT520VS, a member of Ibanez’s Sage series acoustics, it has re-enforced that reputation: a smart combination of materials and very apparent attention to construction details helps this elegant guitar stand apart in a very cluttered budget dreadnought market.

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The SGT520VS’s vintage-style tobacco burst finish adorns a solid spruce top, the foundation for the guitar’s very pleasing tone. Its back and sides are constructed from laminated mahogany and the internal top bracing is crafted from spruce. The mahogany neck is a three-piece design, featuring a splined headstock and a heel block added to the main neckpiece. The rosewood fretboard and bridge accent the sunburst finish with light coffee tones, and the wood grain on the most visible surfaces is attractive throughout. Additional cosmetic details like the pearloid fretboard inlays and rosette, the pickguard, and the gold headstock logo are all flawlessly executed, adding to the overall feel of quality. As discerning shoppers know, low-price guitars sometimes cut corners on hardware.

Nuts and saddles can be made from low-grade plastics, but the SGT520VS employs Ivorex, a hard synthetic material with a ringing resonance. The SGT520VS is fitted with die-cast Ibanezbranded tuners that suffer none of the play common to cheaper tuning machines and hold their tuning remarkably well. Other details, like a wide-flanged strap pin at the heel, reflect thoughtful design on the part of Ibanez and a commitment to treat budget-minded players to the little touches that can enhance a playing experience.

TONE AND PLAYABILITY TO MATCH GOOD LOOKS

The basic tone of the SGT520VS would likely stand up to the slings and arrows of any tone snob willing to keep the budget price point in perspective. When strummed, flatpicked, or played fingerstyle, the guitar is even, balanced, and not at all harsh or thin in the high end. And while the bottom end is not quite as pronounced or robust as it is on most dreadnoughts, individual bass notes maintain plenty of definition. There were no annoying rises or dips in volume in the mids as I worked across the fretboard and there was little muddiness when I strummed open chords. And as with so many other details on this guitar, the medium frets were excellently finished and evenly crowned, with nary a buzz or false note to be found.

The Ibanez Sage series guitars are shipped with D’Addario EXP-coated strings. Eager to see how the guitar would perform using the uncoated strings I prefer, I swapped out the EXPs for a heavier set of D’Addario phosphor-bronze mediums (.013-.056). Predictably, the neck bowed a bit, but a simple twist of the dual-action truss rod brought it back to normal, and the increase in tonal complexity, whether from the increased guage or untreated strings, was well worth the effort and investment.

THE WRAP

The Ibanez SGT520VS is an ideal beginner’s guitar and good enough that any player looking for a solid second instrument would also be well served by checking it out. It’s highly playable, tonally satisfying, and shows every sign of being a well-made and long-lasting instrument that may well mature gracefully in tone and appearance. With a street price of less than $200, it’s safe to say Ibanez has taken a step toward reaching a new high at the low end.

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