Sterling Axis Quilted Maple vs Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
Reasons to Get
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple over Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
Reasons to Get
Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S over Sterling Axis Quilted Maple
Other Key Differences
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple vs Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
Shared Features
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple vs Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- 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 the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S is probably the better product overall with its final score of 78 compared to the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple's 66 score, which is a significant difference.
The Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple in every aspect.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S is the better choice.
The Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple 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
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- 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.
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple Overview
- From Sterling's 2022 Axis series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Quilted Maple top
- Jabon body
- Hard Maple neck
- Hard Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Sterling Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Fulcrum Tremolo bridge
- Axis Bolt-On neck
- 22 Narrow Tall frets
- Die Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S Overview
- From Schecter's 2016 Artist series
- Nikki Stringfield Signature
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Quilted Maple top
- Swamp Ash body
- Maple/Purpleheart 5-pc w/Carbon Fiber Reinforcement Rods neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Schecter USA NS-1 (Humbucker/Active)
- Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Floyd Rose 1500 Series bridge
- Ultra Thin C Set neck
- 24 XL Jumbo frets
- Grover Rotomatic 18:1 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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple
Jabon is similar to Basswood and is often compared to Mahogany. It has a well-rounded sound.
Woods Used in the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
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.
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 Nikki Stringfield A-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
The Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S pickups from a more specialized brand than the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Heavy Metal and similar genres.
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: Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S.
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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple gives you 5 switch options while the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S gives you 3. This means that the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S 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.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Sterling Axis Quilted Maple.
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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple compares to the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Sterling Axis Quilted Maple is built in Indonesia while the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple has a Compensated nut. Each hole where the string sits at the nut is cut at a different distance from the bridge, which compensates for the different amount of tension that each string is subject to. This fixes most intonation issues across the fretboard, so it gives great tuning stability.
On the other hand, the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-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: 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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple's brige is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.
On the other hand, the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-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 Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S.
Tuners
Both come with regular tuners. The Sterling Axis Quilted Maple's are Die Cast while the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S's are Grover Rotomatic 18:1
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.
The Sterling Axis Quilted Maple 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 Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S comes with Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.
Winner: Sterling Axis Quilted Maple.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple
- Compensated Nut
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Sustainer Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in South Korea
- No Neck-Through Build
- 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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple has the wider nut with 41.9mm (1.65'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 0.6mm (0.025'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple, 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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.
The Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S, on the other hand, has a C 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
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 Nikki Stringfield A-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.
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 Sterling Axis Quilted Maple favors large hands more than the Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Sterling Axis Quilted Maple:
Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S:
Fret Size
The Schecter Nikki Stringfield A-6 FR S has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Sterling Axis Quilted Maple's Narrow 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.
