Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Review & Prices

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Review
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  • From Schecter's 2024 Artist series
  • Sullivan King Banshee Signature
  • Made in South Korea
  • 6 strings
  • 25.499"'' scale
  • 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
  • Swamp Ash body
  • Maple 3-pc neck
  • Ebony fretboard
  • Bridge pickup: Schecter USA Apocalypse-VI (Humbucker/Passive)
  • Neck pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker/Passive)
  • 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
  • 3-way Switch
  • Floyd Rose 1500 Series bridge
  • Ultra Thin "C" Neck-Through neck
  • 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
  • Grover Rotomatics tuners
  • Compare Specs >

Our Scores and Tone Evaluation

Playability 80
Sound 82
Build quality 80
Value for money 76
Overall Score 81
Tone Evaluation
  • Heavy Metal
  • Hard Rock
  • Jazz
  • Blues
  • Funk
  • Country
Strengths & Weaknesses
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S
  • Stainless Steel Frets
  • Expensive Wood
  • Locking Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Neck-Through Build
  • Luminescent Inlay
  • Tremolo
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Retainer Bar
  • No Locking Tuners
  • Made in South Korea
  • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
  • No Weight Relief
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock

Price Overview

Its average competitor's price is $1370, which means that the Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S costs around 39% more than the competition. It might be due to it having additional features, but know that you can find cheaper similar alternatives. This takes into account all instruments of the same category in our database with 6 strings and Double Locking bridge that are made in South Korea.

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Your feedback

Not all instruments are created equally. That's why it's important to have different opinions. Here's what our users who have played this instrument say. If you've played it before, help others by voting below!

Weight

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Is it Easy to Play?

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, which means that it's a good guitar to start with as a complete beginner. 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 to get used to.

New Player Friendliness

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S
  • Comfortable shape
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners
  • Easy-to-use bridge

Hand Size Comfortability

After taking into account the neck profile, scale size, fretboard radius, and nut width, we can conclude that the Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's construction favors people with relatively small hands.

Nevertheless, this comes down in the end to personal preference. Make sure you test this guitar—or another one with similar characteristics—before buying.

Big Hands
Small Hands

Scale Length

Scale length is the distance the strings will span between the bridge and the nut. It can tell you a lot about the overall playability and tone of the instrument. A longer scale length means longer distance between frets, brighter tone and more string tension—which means lower action, but more difficult bending of the strings.

Here's the Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's 25.499" scale length compared to other common sizes:

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Scale Length Comparison
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's scale length (at the top) compared to other popular sizes

This is similar to the scale found in most PRS guitars, and it's right between the length of most Stratocasters and Les Pauls. This scale will feel like it's easier to bend strings than on a Stratocaster, and will help smaller hands reach far notes. However, it doesn't allow for the same low action you can get with Strats unless you use thicker strings.

Neck Profile

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Neck Profile
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's neck profile

The neck profile tells you the thickness (neck depth) and shape in cross section. Every difference will completely change the feeling and comfortability of the neck. This is a highly subjective thing, but most players indeed prefer certain types of necks (like Cs and Ds) because they feel nice in most hands.

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's neck thickness is approximately 0.748'' (19mm) at the first fret, and 0.787'' (20mm) at the twelfth.

These measurements were taken either from the official Schecter website, or, in case this information wasn't provided, by researching multiple online marketplaces and forums where owners of this model have posted their measurements.

It has a C type neck. C-shaped necks like this have been the most popular for the last years. The reason is that they feel good in most hands. It's generally a thin neck that doesn't get in your way when playing fast, but that also has enough mass to give your hands a comfortable grip for chords if they aren't too big.

Thin necks like this make it easier to move your hand across the neck and it helps when playing fast solos, especially if you like to leave your thumb free while playing high on the fretboard. However, thinner necks are also weaker and will need adjustment more often than a thicker neck.

More for different hand sizes

Fretboard Radius

When it comes to fingerboard radius, personal preference will dictate which one is better for you. However, most people seem to agree that a more curved (lower) radius will make it easier to play chords while a less curved (higher) radius is better for soloing and bending.

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Fretboard Compound Radius
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's Compound Fretboard Radius

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S has a compound fingerboard radius of 12" to 16".

A compound radius is the best you can get because you'll get the best of both worlds. It starts curved at the nut, but it flattens as you get closer to the body. This means that you'll get great comfortability for chords on the first few frets, but also a flatter fretboard for playing solos without problems on the higher frets.

More with the same fretboard radius:

Nut Width

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Nut Width
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Nut Width

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S has a nut width of 41.3mm (1.626''). This is considered a narrow width for a 6-string guitar. This means that this guitar will have a narrower string separation at the nut, which will affect your fretting hand.

If you are a player with big hands, you might find it difficult to play chords without muting strings. However, this is good for players who have smaller hands, as it will allow them to reach each string more easily at the nut.

Frets

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S has 24 frets. A lot of people mistakenly believe that having more frets will always be better because it gives you a higher octave. This is certainly an advantage, but there's also a disadvantage to this.

Since the fretboard will be longer, the neck pickup will need to be placed closer to the bridge. And as you may know, the further away the neck pickup is from the bridge, the warmer it sounds. This means you'll have a brighter-sounding neck pickup when using a 24-fret guitar, even if you use the same pickup on a 22-fret guitar.

Finally, these are stainless steel frets. They're the best fretwire available. This means you won't need to change your frets since they should last as long as your guitar. Some people also feel easier bendings after swapping to stainless steel.

More with stainless steel frets:

Fret Size

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S Fret Size Comparison
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's fret size (in orange) compared to other popular sizes

Finally, let's talk about fret size. Some people prefer tall frets because it's easier to press the strings and perform bends since there's less friction against the fretboard. On the other hand, some people like shorter frets because they like to touch the fretboard when playing, or because they got heavy hands and tend to press too much on the string and alter the of the note pitch accidently.

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's frets are XL Jumbo size. These are extra-large frets, which are perfect for people who truly want the least resistance for techniques like vibrato, bending, tapping, and just playing fast in general. You won't be able to feel the fretboard with these frets, so if you press too hard you'll get the notes out of pitch. It might take a while to get used to them because of this.

More with the same type of frets:

Playability Score

Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 100
Playability 80

Tone Analysis

Wood will have little influence in the final tone of an electric guitar or bass. Instead, the hardware, especially the pickups, will be the most important thing to look at. Bur first, let's see the quality of the wood.

Wood

Ash wood pattern used for guitar building
Ash Body
Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple Neck
Ebony wood pattern used for guitar building
Ebony Fretboard

Ash Body: The most popular Ash wood for guitars is swamp Ash. It has a really light color with beautiful patterns, which makes it perfect for a natural-looking finish. It's not as lightweight as Alder, but also not as heavy as Mahogany. It's known for producing a bright tone with solid mids and lows.

Maple Neck: This is one of the most popular types of wood used in all kinds of guitars. It's heavy, strong and compact, which makes it great for necks. However, it's also used for fretboards, bodies and tops due to its light color, resistance and beautiful patterns. When it comes to tone, it highlights the mid and high frequencies.

Ebony Fretboard: This is one of the most expensive woods there is, which is why it's mostly used for fretboards. It is dense, heavy, highly resistant and comes in a really dark color that gives any guitar a classy touch. Tone wise, it helps the high side of the spectrum and provides good sustain.

Pickups

This guitar comes with pickups from one of the top brands: Schecter USA. So you can expect well built pickups with great sound that shouldn't need an upgrade anytime soon.

These are passive pickups, so you can expect a rounder sound and a moderade level of output.

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's configuration is HH. With this pickup combination, you'll get warmer tones and more output than using single coils. Humbucker pickups cancel the noise that single-coil suffer from, which also results in a warmer tone. This pickup combination isn't only for high-gain music like Hard Rock or Heavy Metal. Their warmness is also popular for Jazz, Indie, R&B, Blues and more.

More with the same pickups

24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Schecter USA Apocalypse-VI Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Lundgren M6 Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Fishman Fluence Modern Ceramic Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup
24 Frets
Floyd Rose Bridge
Schecter USA San Andreas Bridge Pickup
Sustainiac Neck Pickup

Versatility

It comes with the popular 3-way switch that is present in most guitars. For more versatility, players tend to prefer a 5-way switch, although it all depends on what you want to use your guitar for.

Unfortunately, it doesn't come with more options for coil split or coil tapping. This makes it less versatile than some competitors.

Diagram

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S's switch options

What music genre is it good for?

As a 6 strings, Solid Body guitar with HH configuration and Passive pickups, we'd recommend it for genres like Hard Rock or similar. However, you can use almost any guitar for any genre. This is just the typical type of music for this particular one.

Sound Score

Pickups 85
Sustain 100
Versatility 57
Tuning Stability 85
Sound 82

Build Quality Analysis

Country of Origin

Knowing where the instrument is produced is a good way to know how well it's built. Some manufacturing countries are known for having higher quality standards. For example, most expensive instruments are made in the US or Japan, but there are some exceptionally great countries—like South Korea—that are building a good reputation.

The Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S is made in South Korea. Guitars made here are well-built and tend to have good quality control, even though they focus on mass production. This used to be the most premium option just below Japan or the US, but other countries like Indonesia are becoming great competitors because of even cheaper labor without sacrificing quality.

Bridge

Floyd Rose 1500 Series: With this type of tremolo bridge, you'll be able to perform dive bombs and pinch harmonics without getting out of tune. This type of bridge gives you the best versatility, but it also makes it harder to set up your guitar correctly, especially when changing your strings.

More with the same type of bridge:

Nut Material

Another important thing to analyze is the nut material, as it's one of the most important aspects that can affect the sound and playability of your guitar. A well-cut nut will make sure it stays in tune and will make it more comfortable to play.

In this case, the Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S has a Locking nut. Instead of the typical nut, this nut locks the strings in place and will make them stay in tune even after heavy tremolo use. This type of nut provides the best tune stability, but they also make the guitar more expensive.

It also comes with a retainer bar for the locking nut, which is a helpful addition. 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.

More with the same nut material:

Neck Joint

The neck joint is the part where the neck of the guitar meets the body. There are three main techniques to attach both parts together: Set-In, Bolt-On and Neck-Through. The latter two provide different advantages, although neck-throughs are the most expensive.

This guitar has a Neck-Through neck joint. Many people believe a neck-through build delivers the best sustain because some of the vibrations from the neck aren't lost like with other neck joints. However, no one has been able to prove this. What we know is that a neck-through build is usually the most comfortable when playing the upper frets because there's nothing on your way at the neck-body joint.

More with the same build:

Build Quality Score

Quality of materials 71
Features 90
Quality Control 80
Build Quality 80

All Specs

Schecter Sullivan King Banshee-6 FR-S
General
Brand: Schecter
Year: 2024
Configuration: HH
Strings: 6
Made in: South Korea
Series: Artist
Colors: Black
Left-Handed Version: No
Body
Type: Solid Body
Body Material: Swamp Ash
Bridge: Floyd Rose 1500 Series
Neck
Neck Joint: Neck-Through
Tuners: Grover Rotomatics
Fretboard: Ebony
Neck Material: Maple 3-pc
Decoration: "RAGE" on Frets 1-4 & Skull with Crown at 12th Fret
Scale Size: 25.499"
Shape: Ultra Thin "C"
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.748'' (19mm) - 12th Fret: 0.787'' (20mm)
Frets: 24 XL Jumbo Stainless Steel
Fretboard Radius: 12" to 16"
Nut: Locking
Nut Width: 41.3mm (1.626'')
Electronics
Switch: 3 Way
Knobs: Dome
Volume Controls: 1
Tone Controls: 0
Bridge Pickup: Schecter USA Apocalypse-VI (Humbucker / Passive)
Neck Pickup: Sustainiac (Humbucker / Passive)

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