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Ibanez KIKO100
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
VS
Playability
77
Sound
84
Build
73
Value
68
Score
78
FIND IT ON:
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Playability
72
Sound
72
Build
72
Value
62
Score
72
FIND IT ON:
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Ibanez KIKO100 vs Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline

Reasons to Get
Ibanez KIKO100 over Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline

Decorative Top
Flamed Maple vs None
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Frets Height
Taller vs Shorter
Easier to press down strings and bend them
Type of Frets
Jumbo vs Vintage Tall
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Body Type
Solid Body vs Semi-Hollow
Feedback free
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Pickups
HSH vs HH
High output, round sound with a single-coil for cleans
Number of Frets
24 vs 21
Allows to reach higher notes
Nut Width
1.654'' (42mm) vs 1.65'' (41.9mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Edge vs Fixed
Intense vibratos with more features than a Floyd Rose
Fretboard Radius
15.75'' (400.1mm) vs 7.25'' (184.2mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend
Value Score
68 vs 62
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline over Ibanez KIKO100

Number of Frets
21 vs 24
Warmer neck pickup
Type of Frets
Vintage Tall vs Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings
Body Type
Semi-Hollow vs Solid Body
Lighter and allows more gain than a hollowbody
Pickups
HH vs HSH
High output without hum
Nut Width
1.65'' (41.9mm) vs 1.654'' (42mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Fixed vs Edge
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Fretboard Radius
7.25'' (184.2mm) vs 15.75'' (400.1mm)
More curved fretboard helpful to play chords without muting strings

Other Key Differences
Ibanez KIKO100 vs Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline

Bridge Pickup
DiMarzio KIKO original vs Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
DiMarzio KIKO original vs Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking
Different Neck Pickup
Body Wood
Alder vs Ash
Different Body Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood vs Maple
Different Fretboard Wood
Nut Material
Locking vs Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Ibanez KIKO100 vs Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline

Neck Wood
Maple
Same Neck Wood
Headstock
6
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
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

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • 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 KIKO100 is probably the better product overall with its final score of 78 compared to the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's 72 score, although not by a lot.

The Ibanez KIKO100 wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline in every aspect.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Ibanez KIKO100.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline is the better choice.

The Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Ibanez KIKO100 meets only 4. 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

Ibanez KIKO100
  • Comfortable shape
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Short scale
  • 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.

Ibanez KIKO100 Overview

  • From Ibanez's 2022 KIKO series
  • Kiko Loureiro Signature
  • Made in Japan
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 15.75" Fretboard Radius
  • Flamed Maple top
  • Alder body
  • Maple/Walnut neck
  • Rosewood fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Middle pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original Single Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 5-way Switch
  • Edge tremolo bridge
  • KIKO Bolt-On neck
  • 24 Jumbo frets
  • Gotoh machine heads tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Overview

  • From Fender's 2022 American Vintage II series
  • Made in United States
  • 6 strings
  • 25.5"'' scale
  • 7.25" Fretboard Radius
  • Semi-Hollow Ash body
  • 1-Piece Maple neck
  • Maple fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Pure Vintage 6-Saddle String-Through Body Hardtail with Bent Steel Saddles bridge
  • 1972 C Bolt-On neck
  • 21 Vintage Tall frets
  • Pure Vintage Fender “F” Stamped tuners
  • Weight between 7.8lbs (3.5kgs) and 8.2lbs (3.7kgs)
  • 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 Ibanez KIKO100

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.

Woods Used in the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash

Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.

Winner: Tie.

Pickup Configuration

The Ibanez KIKO100 has an HSH configuration while the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline has HH pickups.

HSH is a versatile pickup configuration that will give you the high output, full tone, and quiet sound of humbucker pickups, but with the possibility of using a single coil for cleaner tones. The disadvantage is that the middle single-coil pickup will have a noticeable lower volume, so you might want to adjust the height of the pickups. Another problem is that if you set the middle pickup too high, it might interfere with your picking hand.

On the other hand, Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

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 Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline 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: Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline.

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 KIKO100 gives you 5 switch options while the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez KIKO100 gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Ibanez KIKO100 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.

Ibanez KIKO100 pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
Ibanez KIKO100's switch options
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline'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 KIKO100.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Ibanez KIKO100
Pickups 85
Sustain 80
Versatility 85
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 84
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
Pickups 90
Sustain 75
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 72

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 Ibanez KIKO100 compares to the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez KIKO100 is built in Japan while the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline is made in United States.

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.

The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

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.

The Ibanez KIKO100 has a Locking nut. 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.

On the other hand, the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline comes with a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

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 Ibanez KIKO100's brige 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.

On the other hand, the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

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 KIKO100.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Ibanez KIKO100's are Gotoh machine heads while the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's are Pure Vintage Fender “F” Stamped

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
Ibanez KIKO100
  • Made in Japan
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Coil Split 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
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Tremolo
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Final Build Quality Scores

Ibanez KIKO100
Quality of materials 55
Features 70
Quality Control 95
Build Quality 73
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
Quality of materials 66
Features 55
Quality Control 95
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

Ibanez KIKO100 Nut Width
Ibanez KIKO100 Nut Width
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Nut Width
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Ibanez KIKO100 has the wider nut with 42mm (1.654'') vs 41.9mm (1.65''). This is a 0.1mm (0.004'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez KIKO100, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Ibanez KIKO100 and Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline'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

Ibanez KIKO100 Neck Profile
Ibanez KIKO100's neck profile
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Neck Profile
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline'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 Ibanez KIKO100 and the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline 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

Ibanez KIKO100 Fingerboard Radius
Ibanez KIKO100's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Fingerboard Radius
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline'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 American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Ibanez KIKO100'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 Ibanez KIKO100.

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.

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline favors large hands more than the Ibanez KIKO100. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.

Ibanez KIKO100:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Fret Size

Ibanez KIKO100 Frets Size
Ibanez KIKO100's Frets Size
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline Frets Size
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's Frets Size

The Ibanez KIKO100 has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline's Vintage Tall 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

Ibanez KIKO100
Bending & Vibrato Ease 80
Chord Playability 60
Solo Playability 90
Playability 77
Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
Bending & Vibrato Ease 65
Chord Playability 90
Solo Playability 60
Playability 72

Specs Side-by-Side

Ibanez KIKO100 vs Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
General Ibanez KIKO100 Fender American Vintage II 1972 Telecaster Thinline
Brand: Ibanez Fender
Year: 2022 2022
Configuration: HSH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: Japan United States
Series: KIKO American Vintage II
Colors: Red Sunburst, Blue, Natural
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Semi-Hollow
Body Material: Alder Semi-Hollow Ash
Bridge: Edge tremolo Pure Vintage 6-Saddle String-Through Body Hardtail with Bent Steel Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Bolt-On Bolt-On
Tuners: Gotoh machine heads Pure Vintage Fender “F” Stamped
Fretboard: Rosewood Maple
Neck Material: Maple/Walnut 1-Piece Maple
Decoration: KIKO special Black Dot
Scale Size: 25.5" 25.5"
Shape: KIKO 1972 C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) - 12th Fret: 0.878'' (22.3mm) 1st Fret: - 12th Fret:
Frets: 24 Jumbo Nickel Silver 21 Vintage Tall Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 15.75" 7.25"
Nut: Locking Bone
Nut Width: 42mm (1.654'') 41.9mm (1.65'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original Single Coil (Single Coil / Passive)
Neck Pickup: DiMarzio KIKO original (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Authentic CuNiFe Wide-Range Humbucking (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 5 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Dome Dome
Pickup Mods: Coil Split None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1