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EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
Ibanez JS1CR
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Playability
70
Sound
79
Build
70
Value
68
Score
73
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Playability
68
Sound
86
Build
74
Value
61
Score
76
FIND IT ON:
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EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie vs Ibanez JS1CR

Reasons to Get
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie over Ibanez JS1CR

Release Year
2020 vs 2019
From a more recent year
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Medium
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Compound Radius
12" to 16" vs 10"
Balanced playability for chords and single-notes
Pickups
HSS vs HS
High output with beautiful cleans and tone versatility
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.81'' (20.6mm) vs 0.88'' (22.4mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Paint Finish
Heavy Relic vs Poly
Looks like an old and heavily beaten up instrument
Bridge
Floyd Rose vs Edge
Allows intense vibratos and techniques like Dive Bombs
Value Score
68 vs 61
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Ibanez JS1CR over EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie

Country of Manufacturing
Japan vs Mexico
Built with higher quality standards
Type of Frets
Medium vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
Sustainer vs None
Infinite sustain when activated
Switch Positions
3 vs 0
More tone options
Tone Knobs
1 vs 0
More tone control
Pickups
HS vs HSS
High output with bright neck cleans
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.88'' (22.4mm) vs 0.81'' (20.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.688'' (42.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Paint Finish
Poly vs Heavy Relic
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Edge vs Floyd Rose
Intense vibratos with more features than a Floyd Rose

Other Key Differences
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie vs Ibanez JS1CR

Bridge Pickup
Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbucking vs DiMarzio Satchur8
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
Dummy Strat Pickup vs Sustainiac
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Basswood vs Alder
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Maple vs Rosewood
Different Fretboard Wood

Shared Features
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie vs Ibanez JS1CR

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Nut Material
Locking
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.79'' (20.1mm)
Same neck comfortability
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm)
Same string tension and fret separation
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On
Allows you to detach and swap the neck

Common Strengths

  • Retainer Bar
  • High-Quality Nut
  • Top Pickup Brand

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • 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 the Ibanez JS1CR is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Ibanez JS1CR wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie has the upper hand when it comes to playability, value for the money.

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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie is the better choice.

The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie meets 4 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez JS1CR 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

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

New Player Friendliness

Ibanez JS1CR
  • 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.

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Overview

  • From EVH's 2020 Striped series
  • Made in Mexico
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Basswood body
  • Quartersawn Maple neck
  • Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: (/)
  • Neck pickup: Dummy Strat Pickup (Single Coil/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 0 tone Bell knobs
  • EVH-Branded Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo with EVH D-Tuna bridge
  • EVH Modified C Backshape Bolt-On neck
  • 22 Jumbo frets
  • EVH-Branded Gotoh tuners
  • Weight between 7.25lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.75lbs (3.5kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Ibanez JS1CR Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2019 JS series
  • Joe Satriani Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 10" Fretboard Radius
  • Alder body
  • 3pc Maple/Bubinga neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Satchur8 (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Edge tremolo bridge
  • JS Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Medium 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 wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple

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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie

Basswood wood pattern used for guitar building
Basswood

Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.

Woods Used in the Ibanez JS1CR

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

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.

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.

Winner: Ibanez JS1CR.

Pickup Configuration

The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie has an HSS configuration while the Ibanez JS1CR has HS pickups.

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.

On the other hand, An HS configuration gives you a bridge pickup with a lot of output for playing distortion parts, but you'll also have the bright sound of a Tele or Strat neck pickup for your clean tones.

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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

Winner: EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie.

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

The Ibanez JS1CR gives you 3 switch options while the EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie gives you 0. This means that the Ibanez JS1CR gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Ibanez JS1CR comes with some kind of pickup modification: Sustainer.

The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.

The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie doesn't come with pickup switching options.

Ibanez JS1CR pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Ibanez JS1CR's switch options

When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

Winner: Ibanez JS1CR.

Final Sound Quality Scores

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
Pickups 90
Sustain 80
Versatility 60
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 79
Ibanez JS1CR
Pickups 85
Sustain 100
Versatility 74
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 86

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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie compares to the Ibanez JS1CR.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie is built in Mexico while the Ibanez JS1CR is made in Japan.

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.

Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.

Winner: Ibanez JS1CR

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.

Both models come with a retainer bar, which is helpful when changing the strings on a double-locking tremolo. Without it, the strings would change pitch once you lock down the nut, so you'd have to make more micro-adjustments at the bridge to tune it correctly

Winner: Tie.

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.

Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

Winner: Tie.

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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie'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 JS1CR'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 JS1CR.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie's are EVH-Branded Gotoh while the Ibanez JS1CR'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:

Strengths & Weaknesses
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Retainer Bar
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in Mexico
  • No Expensive Woods
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Ibanez JS1CR
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Sustainer Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Retainer Bar
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
Quality of materials 56
Features 75
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 70
Ibanez JS1CR
Quality of materials 51
Features 70
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 74

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

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Nut Width
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Nut Width
Ibanez JS1CR Nut Width
Ibanez JS1CR Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez JS1CR 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 JS1CR, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie and Ibanez JS1CR's Scale Length
Both have the same 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

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Neck Profile
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie's neck profile
Ibanez JS1CR Neck Profile
Ibanez JS1CR's 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.

Both the EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie and the Ibanez JS1CR have a C-shaped 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.

Fretboard Radius

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Fretboard Compound Radius
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie's Compound Fretboard Radius
Ibanez JS1CR Fingerboard Radius
Ibanez JS1CR's Fingerboard 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 EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie 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 .

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Ibanez JS1CR:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Frets Size
EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie's Frets Size
Ibanez JS1CR Frets Size
Ibanez JS1CR's Frets Size

The EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez JS1CR's Medium frets.

Some people prefer taller frets because they result in more sustain since the strings get pressed cleanly without interference from the fretboard. However, if they're too tall—like Jumbo frets—, you might change the pitch of the strings accidentally if you press too hard because you won't be touching the fretboard with your fingers. This is also why some guitarists with a heavy grip prefer smaller frets. They like to feel the fingerboard to avoid pressing down too hard and getting out of pitch.

Final Playability Scores

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 80
Playability 70
Ibanez JS1CR
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 65
Solo Playability 75
Playability 68

Specs Side-by-Side

EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie vs Ibanez JS1CR
General EVH Striped Series Frankenstein Frankie Ibanez JS1CR
Brand: EVH Ibanez
Year: 2020 2019
Configuration: HSS HS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Mexico Japan
Series: Striped JS
Colors: Red Gray
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Basswood Alder
Bridge: EVH-Branded Floyd Rose Locking Tremolo with EVH D-Tuna Edge tremolo
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: EVH-Branded Gotoh Gotoh machine heads
Fretboard: Maple Rosewood
Neck Material: Quartersawn Maple 3pc Maple/Bubinga
Decoration: Black Dot Mother of Pearl dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: EVH Modified C Backshape JS
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.81'' (20.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.88'' (22.4mm)
Frets: 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 Medium Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 16" 10"
Nut: Locking Locking
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Direct Mount EVH Wolfgang Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive) DiMarzio Satchur8 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Dummy Strat Pickup (Single Coil / Passive) Sustainiac (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 0 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: None Sustainer
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 0 1