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Fender Sonoran Mini
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
VS
Playability
78
Sound
76
Build
62
Value
87
Score
72
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Playability
68
Sound
81
Build
72
Value
84
Score
74
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Fender Sonoran Mini vs Tim Armstrong Hellcat

Reasons to Get
Fender Sonoran Mini over Tim Armstrong Hellcat

Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Body Shape
Sonoran Mini vs Concert
Small body with a short scale
Scale Length
24.1'' (612.1mm) vs 25.3'' (642.6mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs 11.81'' (300mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
87 vs 84
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat over Sonoran Mini

Pickups Brand
Fishman vs None
Pickups from a renown brand
Top Wood
Solid vs Laminated
Helps with richer tones and louder volume
Number of Frets
19 vs 18
Allows to reach higher notes
Body Shape
Concert vs Sonoran Mini
Compact body with balanced tones
Scale Length
25.3'' (642.6mm) vs 24.1'' (612.1mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
11.81'' (300mm) vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Fender Sonoran Mini vs Tim Armstrong Hellcat

Body Wood
Spruce vs Mahogany
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Nato vs Maple
Different Neck Wood
Headstock
6 vs 3-3
Different Headstock

Shared Features
Fender Sonoran Mini vs Tim Armstrong Hellcat

Back Material
Mahogany
Same Back Material
Sides Material
Mahogany
Same Sides Material
Saddle Material
NuBone
Same Saddle Material
Bridge Material
Walnut
Same Bridge Material
Fretboard Wood
Walnut
Same Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
NuBone
Same Nut Material
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Hollowbody
Warm tone, lighter and acoustic sound
Switch Positions
0
Same pickups versatility
Volume Knobs
0
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
0
Same tone control
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Bridge
Fixed
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Neck Profile Type
C
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Type of Frets
Medium vs Vintage
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Solid Side Wood
  • Solid Back Wood
  • Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
  • Locking Tuners
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • 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 Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Fender Sonoran Mini's 72 score, although not by a lot.

The Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Fender Sonoran Mini 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 Fender Sonoran Mini is the better choice.

The Fender Sonoran Mini meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat 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

Fender Sonoran Mini
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Short scale
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Soft Strings
  • Locking tuners

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.

Fender Sonoran Mini Overview

  • From Fender's 2016 California series
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 24.1"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Spruce top
  • Mahogany back
  • Mahogany sides
  • Nato neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: (/)
  • Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic C Shape Set neck
  • 18 Medium frets
  • Vintage-Style with Aged White Plastic Buttons tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Overview

  • From Fender's 2016 Artist series
  • Tim Armstrong Signature
  • Made in China
  • 6 strings
  • 25.3"'' scale
  • 11.81" Fretboard Radius
  • Solid Mahogany top
  • Laminated Mahogany back
  • Laminated Mahogany sides
  • Maple neck
  • Walnut fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fishman-designed preamp system (Preamp/Active)
  • Walnut bridge
  • Acoustic C Shape Set neck
  • 19 Vintage frets
  • Vintage-Style with Aged White Plastic Buttons tuners
  • Weight between 4.5lbs (2kgs) and 4.6lbs (2.1kgs)
  • Compare Specs >

Sound Quality Comparison

The most important thing that will determine the tone of an acoustic guitar is the wood. Let's take a look at the differences between both .

Woods Used in Both

Walnut wood pattern used for guitar building
Walnut
Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

It's a hard wood with a chocolate color that is often used to give an elegant finish. Since it's quite expensive and rare, it's mostly used for guitar tops. Find out more about Walnut.

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.

Woods Used in the Fender Sonoran Mini

Nato wood pattern used for guitar building
Nato
Spruce wood pattern used for guitar building
Spruce

Nato a hard and dense wood similar to Mahogany, but cheaper and not quite as hard. Tone-wise, it's also similar, but it doesn't have quite the same attack as Mahogany.

Spruce has a light color with tight grain patterns. It's very stiff but relatively light. It's known for producing a well-rounded tone with a broad dynamic range. Find out more about Spruce.

Woods Used in the Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat

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.

Winner: Tie.

Electronics

The Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat comes with a preamp that allows you to connect it to an amp, unlike its competitor. This allows it to have more versatility and sound quality if you want to record with it or play live.

Winner:Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Fender Sonoran Mini
Sustain 65
Versatility 70
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 76
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
Sustain 80
Versatility 75
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 81

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 Fender Sonoran Mini compares to the Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in China.

China has a bad reputation when it comes to building quality. However, times have changed and now respectable brands use China's cheap labor to build good instruments for a lower price. Don't discount a guitar only because it was built in China, but also expect more quality from countries like Korea.

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 NuBone nuts. It's made by the same company that makes TUSQ nuts. It's slightly softer but hard enough to give you a brighter sound when playing open strings. It's also self-lubricating, so it's good for tuning stability.

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.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. Both come with Vintage-Style with Aged White Plastic Buttons.

Winner: Tie.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Sonoran Mini
  • Expensive Wood
  • NuBone Nut
  • NuBone Saddle
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • No Top Brand Pickups
  • No Electronics
  • Laminated Top Wood
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
  • Expensive Wood
  • NuBone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Electronics
  • NuBone Saddle
  • Solid Top Wood
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in China
  • Laminated Side Wood
  • Laminated Back Wood
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Fender Sonoran Mini
Quality of materials 66
Features 65
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 62
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
Quality of materials 76
Features 85
Quality Control 55
Build Quality 72

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

Fender Sonoran Mini Nut Width
Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 43mm (1.693'').

This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

Scale Length

Fender Sonoran Mini's Scale Length
Fender Sonoran Mini's Scale Length
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat's Scale Length
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat's 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.

The Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat has the longest scale: 25.3". The Fender Sonoran Mini is only 24.1" long. This is a 1.2'' (30.5mm) scale length difference.

This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

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

Fender Sonoran Mini Neck Profile
Both guitars have the same 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 Fender Sonoran Mini and the Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat 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

Fender Sonoran Mini Fingerboard Radius
Fender Sonoran Mini's Fingerboard radius
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Fingerboard Radius
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat'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 Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Fender Sonoran Mini's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Fender Sonoran Mini.

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 .

Fender Sonoran Mini:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Fender Sonoran Mini Frets Size
Fender Sonoran Mini's Frets Size
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat Frets Size
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat's Frets Size

The Fender Sonoran Mini has Medium frets, which should be taller than the Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat's Vintage 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

Fender Sonoran Mini
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 75
Solo Playability 70
Playability 78
Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat
Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 65
Playability 68

Specs Side-by-Side

Fender Sonoran Mini vs Tim Armstrong Hellcat
General Fender Sonoran Mini Tim Armstrong Hellcat
Brand: Fender Fender
Year: 2016 2016
Strings: 6 6
Made in: China China
Series: California Artist
Colors: Natural Natural
Left-Handed Version: No Yes
Body
Type: Hollowbody Hollowbody
Body Material: Spruce Solid Mahogany
Sides Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Back Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Bridge: Walnut Walnut
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Vintage-Style with Aged White Plastic Buttons Vintage-Style with Aged White Plastic Buttons
Fretboard: Walnut Walnut
Neck Material: Nato Maple
Decoration: White Dot Hellcat and Double Skulls
Scale Size: 24.1" 25.3"
Shape: Acoustic C Shape Acoustic C Shape
Frets: 18 Medium Nickel Silver 19 Vintage Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 11.81"
Nut: NuBone NuBone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 43mm (1.693'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: Fishman-designed preamp system (Preamp / Active)