Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM vs Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
Reasons to Get
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM over Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
Reasons to Get
Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium over Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM
Other Key Differences
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM vs Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
Shared Features
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM vs Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- High-Quality Frets
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
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Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that both instruments scored 75 out of 100, which makes them similar in terms of quality.
The Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium wins when it comes to playability. On the other hand, the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM has the upper hand when it comes to sound, build quality.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM is the better choice.
The Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium meets only 3. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.
New Player Friendliness
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium- Comfortable shape
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
Nevertheless, when it comes to choosing an instrument, you should pick the one more compatible with your personal style. Still, below we'll try you to give you our results as objectively as it's possible to help you decide.
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM Overview
- From Charvel's 2022 Artist Signature series
- Marco Sfogli Signature
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Quilt Maple top
- Alder body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Caramelized Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: EMG 89 (Humbucker/Active)
- Middle pickup: EMG SA (Single Coil/Active)
- Neck pickup: EMG SA (Single Coil/Active)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Floyd Rose 1000 Series Double-Locking Tremolo (Recessed) bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Charvel-Branded Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium Overview
- From Ibanez's 2021 RG series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 16" Fretboard Radius
- Koa top
- African Mahogany body
- 11pc Maple/Walnut/Bubinga neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: EMG 81 (Humbucker/Active)
- Middle pickup: EMG SA (Single Coil/Active)
- Neck pickup: EMG SA (Single Coil/Active)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Edge bridge
- Wizard Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo Gold frets
- Gotoh machine heads tuners
- Compare Specs >
Sound Quality Comparison
The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.
Woods Used in Both
Maple is one of the most popular necks for good reasons. It is a strong wood that is relatively cheap to make and looks beautiful. The highest quality maple is the hardest that comes from North America. Find out more about Maple.
Woods Used in the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM
Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.
Woods Used in the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Winner: Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HSS. HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.
Pickups Quality
Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.
However, the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
You can purchase similar pickups to the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium's online:
Both use Active pickups. These pickups use an additional 9v battery to be able to increase their output for high gain tones. This is why they're popular among heavy metal guitarists. Their disadvantage is that you need batteries for the pickups, so you'll need to spend money on batteries and time swapping them. Also, the clean tones aren't as clean as other pickups because they'll have really hot output.
Winner: Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM.
Versatility Comparison
Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.
Switch Options
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Only the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.
Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM.
Final Sound Quality Scores
Build Quality Comparison
When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM compares to the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM is built in Mexico while the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium is made in Indonesia.
Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.
Indonesia is becoming the most popular country for guitar building because they can make good instruments for a low price. Some people think that they're 'the new China' when it comes to build quality. But the truth is that Indonesian guitars are more consistent, although Chinese quality has improved a lot in the last few years.
Winner: Tie
Nut Material
If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.
In this case, both have Locking nuts. Instead of a regular nut, this guitar has a locking system that will lock down the strings at the nut, preventing it from getting out of tune. It removes one of the disadvantages of tremolo bridges, tune stability.
However, only the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM has a retainer bar for the locking nut, which is a helpful addition. Without it, the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium's strings will change pitch once you lock down the nut, so you'll have to make more micro-adjustments at the bridge to tune it correctly.
Winner: Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM.
Fret Material
Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.
In this comparison, the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium.
Bridge
The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.
The Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM's brige is a Floyd Rose. This is a double-locking bridge system that allows you to perform techniques like dive bombs and pinch harmonics. The locking nut allows your guitar to stay in tune even after the most intense tremolo usage. The disadvantage is that it takes more work to change the strings and set up everything correctly.
On the other hand, the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium's is a Edge. This is a double-locking tremolo system designed by Ibanez. It's a tremolo inspired by Floyd Roses but with its own design improvements, like a push-in arm, better-positioned fine-tuners for more right-hand comfortability, replaceable knife edges, and more mass for more sustain. These bridges offer tons of versatility, but they also require more work than simpler tremolos to set up.
Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.
Winner: Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM's are Charvel-Branded Die-Cast while the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium's are Gotoh machine heads
Winner: Tie.
Neck Joint
Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.
Both have a Bolt-On neck joint. This neck is joined to the body by 4 bolts that you can simply unscrew. This allows you to replace the neck or take it off for travel. It's the most common and cheapest way to build a guitar.
Winner: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Mexico
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium
- Gold Frets
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
- No Strap Lock
Final Build Quality Scores
Playability Comparison
Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.
Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.
Nut Width
The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.1mm (0.0050000000000001'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.
Scale Length
The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.
Neck Profile
No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM has a C type of neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.
The Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium, on the other hand, has a Wizard neck. This is thinner than most C-type necks. It won't get in your way if you want to play fast solos. It's not as slim as 'Super Wizard' necks, so it might fit you better if you don't like ultra-thin necks.
Fretboard Radius
Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.
In this case, the Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM is the only one with a compound radius. This is a huge win because it will give you the best of both worlds: a more curved radius in the first few frets for chords, and flatter as you come closer to the body for soloing.
Hand Size Comfortability
Everyone has a different hand size, and that's why it's recommended to try a guitar before buying, even if others tell you that it's comfortable to play. However, we can know whether a guitar favors small or large hands just by knowing its exact measurements.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
Charvel Marco Sfogli Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR CM QM:
Ibanez RG6PKAG Premium:
Fret Size
Both have a Jumbo fret size. This is one of the tallest frets you can get. You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. It will give you the best sustain and all types of chords will be easier to play. However, you can end up changing the pitch of your notes if you press too hard, which is something people used to feeling the fretboard do when trying Jumbo frets for the first time.
