Show Full Spec Comparison
| Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium | Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Brand: | Ibanez | Schecter |
| Year: | 2025 | 2020 |
| Configuration: | HH | HH |
| Strings: | 6 | 6 |
| Made in: | Indonesia | South Korea |
| Series: | RGA | Banshee Mach |
| Colors: | Black | Black Burst, Natural Burst |
| Left-Handed Version: | No | Yes |
| Body | ||
| Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
| Body Material: | American Basswood | Swamp Ash |
| Bridge: | Gibraltar Standard III | Floyd Rose 1500 Series |
| Neck | ||
| Neck Joint: | Bolt-On | Neck-Through |
| Tuners: | Gotoh MG-T locking machine heads | Grover Rotomatic 18:1 |
| Fretboard: | Ebony | Ebony |
| Neck Material: | Maple/Walnut | Roasted Maple/Purpleheart Multi-ply with Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods |
| Decoration: | Mother of Pearl Step off-set dot inlay | Offset/Reverse Roman Numerals |
| Scale Size: | 25.5" | 25.5" |
| Shape: | Wizard | Ultra Thin U |
| Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.71'' (18mm) - 12th Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) | 1st Fret: 0.748'' (19mm) - 12th Fret: 0.787'' (20mm) |
| Frets: | 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel | 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel |
| Fretboard Radius: | 15.748" | 12" to 16" |
| Nut: | Plastic | Locking |
| Nut Width: | 43mm (1.693'') | 41.3mm (1.625'') |
| Electronics | ||
| Bridge Pickups: | DiMarzio Fusion Edge (Humbucker / Passive) | Lundgren M6 (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Middle Pickup: | ||
| Neck Pickup: | DiMarzio Fusion Edge (Humbucker / Passive) | Sustainiac (Humbucker / Passive) |
| Switch: | 5 Way | 3 Way |
| Knobs: | Dome | Dome |
| Pickup Mods: | Coil Split | Sustainer |
| Volume Controls: | 1 | 1 |
| Tone Controls: | 1 | 1 |
| Hardware | ||
| Strap Lock: | No | No |
| Hardware Color: | Black | Black & Chrome |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium over Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S
Reasons to Get
Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S over Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium
Other Key Differences
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium vs Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S
Shared Features
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium vs Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Frets
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium:
Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S:
Beginner Friendliness
Both meet 83 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness. 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. If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, you can't go wrong with either of them.
New Player Friendliness
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
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
Ebony is a high-end wood, so it is not cheap. It's only used for fretboards because it's also very heavy. It does an excellent job as a durable material while looking elegant. Find out more about Ebony.
Woods Used in the Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium
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.
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 Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S
Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.
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: Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HH. 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.
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: Tie.
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 RGA21P1PB Premium gives you 5 switch options while the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S gives you 3. This means that the Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium offers 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.
On the other hand, the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S comes with the following: 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.
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 RGA21P1PB Premium.
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 Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium compares to the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium is built in Indonesia while the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S is made in South Korea.
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.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
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 RGA21P1PB Premium has a Plastic nut. This is a low-quality nut that you might want to consider upgrading soon. Bone and TUSQ nuts are the best for guitars with a fixed or simple tremolo bridge.
On the other hand, the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S comes with 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.
Winner: Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S.
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.
Both in this comparison come with 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: 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 RGA21P1PB Premium's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S's 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.
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: Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S.
Tuners
The Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.
Nevertheless, the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium.
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.
The Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium has 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.
On the other hand, the Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S comes with Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Split Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Sustainer Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in South Korea
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- 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 RGA21P1PB Premium has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 1.7mm (0.068'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Ibanez RGA21P1PB 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 Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium has a Wizard type of 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.
The Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S, on the other hand, has a U neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
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 Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S 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.
Fret Size
The Schecter Banshee Mach-6 FR S has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Ibanez RGA21P1PB Premium's Jumbo 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.
