The juggernaut Ibanez and smaller-sized Schecter have been battling for the attention of guitar players since the 80s. Being a fan of both brands with many of their guitars under my belt, I'll help you settle the Ibanez vs Schecter debate and help you find which guitar brand suits you best.
Bottom line Upfront: While Ibanez guitars still reign with their massive name and high-end signature models, Schecter has become the go-to for Intermediate guitarists and professional players in the heavy scene.
As a brand, I give Ibanez the edge for offering a wider choice of instruments for multiple genres. For exclusively the metal world, you could find the same quality as Ibanez but at a much more reasonable price with Schecter.
You can't go wrong with either if you are sure about the specs your guitar needs.
Ibanez vs Schecter used to be a David vs Goliath scenario, with the former being often wrongly considered a second-class guitar. Everyone knows Ibanez, even Steve Vai uses one, so they must surely be better! I might have agreed with that a few decades ago, but now I think you can't go wrong with both.
Built quality, comfort, and design are top-notch for both brands. The differences between the two are mostly related to the price/quality ratio and available models. You just need to know what you want in a rock guitar, and you can't go wrong with both.
Overall, three specific areas will affect you when choosing your next guitar:
The Main Differences between Ibanez and Schecter Guitar are:
I'll make my comparison more practical and analyze what I think are the best guitars of each brand for different player levels. There are plenty of other models you should check out; however, I will focus on the rock and metal instruments that best represent the brands.
The
The built quality and finish are excellent considering the price, and not that far off the next tier of mid-range instruments. You will find it super versatile with its five-way switch, even though it can sound muddy on the high gain if you don't know how to dial your amp correctly.
I recommend the Hard Tail version, yet I'm not very fond of budget Schecter Floyd Rose systems if you consider the Floyd version.
The Omen Elite-6 ups the ante over the original Omen-6 with stock pickups that are ready for action. Clean, the Schecter Heretics give you punchy, compressed rhythm tones and fluid neo-prog lead sweetness.
Schecter Omen Elite-6 Electric Guitar – Charcoal | Sweetwater
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We all have come across a guitarist friend bragging about his new cool-looking Ibanez RG or we were that friend. The RG standard is the ultimate budget Superstrat, even though it comes with only the basics and sometimes.
I like the guitar's comfortable neck and would play for hours on the high frets as a teenager without getting tired. Even though it's not a very popular opinion, I like the middle and neck pickups more than the bridge. I feel the last one sounds thin and overly aggressive for rhythm playing, even though shredding leads might require some high-end to cut through the mix.
The best aspect of this guitar is that you can easily play an entire multi-genre setlist with it.
The Ibanez RG450DXB solidbody electric guitar is purpose built for high-speed, low-drag shredding! It all starts with the RG body style, which is primed for players with attitude.
Ibanez RG Standard RG450DXB Electric Guitar – White | Sweetwater
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I vote for the Schecter Omen as the best guitar for the price. The RG is an excellent versatile lead instrument, yet it doesn't have the rhythm chops of the Schecter nor some of its hardware and electronics qualities.
In simpler terms, the RG feels just as expensive as it is, while the Omen feels more valuable. A characteristic that sums up the Ibanez vs. Schecter debate on budget guitars.
If you play down-tuned Metal riffs, the Schecter is an obvious choice. Where the Ibanez wins is the Floyd rose action and the clean tones, making it slightly more versatile than the Schecter for lead work and some lighter rock.
I believe guitar brands hold their actual value in their mid-range and advanced models. You will most likely encounter these guitar tiers in every guitar shop, which are also the ones most musicians can realistically afford.
The Hellraisers guitar series ranks among the best metal instruments in the world you can afford without busting the bank.
I love how this guitar maintains its versatility and elegance while satisfying the need for extra heavy tones. Hardware and built quality are fantastic, with just some slight details away from any signature 2000$+ guitar.
Like many guitarists, I have a love-hate relationship with Floyd Roses. Be cautious when choosing a Floyd Rose instrument, as a poor one can ruin your rhythm game. The Hellraiser C-1 balances both sides of the coin well for rhythm and lead.
You can use this guitar on stage and feel confident about it. The only point of improvement could be the EMG pickups which are notorious for the heavy bottom end - if that is not what you are after.
When you pick up a Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR-S guitar, you'll be amazed by all of the details and finishing touches that make this a truly remarkable instrument.
Schecter Hellraiser C-1 FR-S – Black Cherry | Sweetwater
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Continue reading: Our Complete Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Review.
The Prestige series legacy spans 30+ years. The name is enough to know that your Ibanez is stage and studio-ready.
This has been the easiest to play out of all the modern rock guitars I have played recently. I'm not the type of guitarist who likes to 'fight' the guitar, so this kind of low action is where my playing lives.
Ibanez guitars tend to save on the pickup quality on budget models, yet on 1000$+ guitars, they are fantastic. This guitar is a tonal chameleon that can go from the single coil-y cleans to aggressive and fat distorted sounds.
What could be better is the volume pots and how they clean up the tone. There's really no in-between setting; it's either full-on or very low.
The Ibanez crafted the RG652AHMFX Prestige solidbody electric guitar for supreme playability and great sound. The ash body's natural tonality pushes you to the forefront of a mix.
Ibanez Prestige RG652AHMFX – Nebula Green Burst | Sweetwater
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Related read: Ibanez RGD2127FX Review.
The Hellraiser series is the best for heavy rhythm, especially modern, heavily down-tuned music - The Prestige series Ibanez, on the other hand, is a jack-of-all-trades rock and metal guitar that is especially great for lead work.
The Schecter has some impressive hardware features, yet it's mainly focused on its purpose. Whether this is good or bad depends much on what you value from the guitar.
There's no room for overly technical analysis in the signature guitar world. Every model represents the artist's name and is often the exact copy of the one they use on stage.
Ibanez is the clear winner in this area, not for the superior quality but for the wider variety of signature guitars you can choose from.
Nick Johnston is a rare gem in today's modern technical-oriented guitar players. His style blends clean, pure melodies with groovy riffs; thus, his guitar needs to be an all-around beast to match his needs.
In my opinion, the Nick Johnston Signature Schecter is the best heavy-duty modern Strat. It is indeed a Stratocaster in the looks and most of its tone, yet it has an edge with hotter pickups and specific hardware. It can easily fit both a blues stage and a rock festival.
What I find impressive about the instrument is how bright and fully distorted chords sound due to the single coil sound. As a session musician, I can assure you need that tonal range in the studio to cut in a mix.
Three Schecter Nick Johnston Signature Atomic single-coil pickups give you a massive array of classic single-coil tone.
Schecter USA Signature Nick Johnston Traditional Electric Guitar – Atomic Green | Sweetwater
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Joe Satriani perhaps started the instrumental guitar movement by taking the instrument's sonic possibilities to another level. What Hendrix did in the 60s, Satriani followed in the 80s. His signature guitar is, on every level, a premium instrument.
It's rare to find a guitar that can actually do everything at a high level as this Ibanez. There's no setting apart from the jazz and extreme metal world where heads wouldn't turn at the sight of it only. This is one of the best Ibanez guitars ever made in every sense.
If not the Joe Satriani signature, the Steve Vai Jem is another next-level acclaimed signature guitar that sold more copies than any Schecter.
However, I chose a Strat-shaped Schecter to show that even though Schecter is mainly a metal guitar brand, there are some versatile gems in its premium guitar catalog.
I value Schecter 7 or 8-string guitar under 1000k to be superior to any Ibanez guitar of the same price range. The brand puts much more focus on modern metal than Ibanez and, in a sense, is a niche they excel at.
For anything above the 1000$ mark, both brands do a fantastic job on multi-string instruments.
The answer is simple: Ibanez has been around for much longer than Schecter in the rock community. When Schecter started as a repair shop, Ibanez took over the booming humbucker-packed Superstrat market by endorsing all the major stars.
Schecter later became a custom-only guitar manufacturer and only decided to enter the mainstream guitar market years after.
Ibanez's signature artists are more popular than Schecters. Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert, Pat Metheny, Paul Stanley, John Scofield, and John Scofield are among the many who have signature models.
Having artists from the rock, blues, metal, and even jazz world helped the brand become widely popular beyond the heavy scene.
Schecter has some big names as well. Mark Knopfler, Ritchie Blackmore, Synyster Gates, and Pete Townshend played Schecter guitars.
However, they never got the notoriety Ibanez had. When heavy metal and shred guitar were at their peak, Ibanez got there first.
Ibanez and Schecter are not the only brands fit for shredders. Many other US and foreign companies with similar popularity as Schecter offer quality instruments that rival Ibanez.
Answer: Ibanez acoustic guitars are ideally suited for the gigging rock musician who needs an easy-to-play guitar with a decent plugged-in tone. They are not guitars I'd pick in the studio to record as they mostly lack the big body richness of, say, a Martin.
Answer: Premium guitars are produced in Japan, while budget models and mid-range ones are in Indonesia and China.
Answer: Custom shops and some high-end Schecter models are still made in the US. All other guitars are made in Korea, apart from low-priced ones in Indonesia, Vietnam, and China.
Sometimes we must look for the thing we need, not the one we want. My goal is to guide you to the brand that best suits your playing, and hopefully, you will find yourself in one of the guitars listed above.
If you are into modern heavy music that prioritizes rhythm over lead, I'd recommend Schecter mid-range and advanced guitars for their price/quality ratio. On the other hand, if you want a guitar that steps more into guitar solos and sometimes clean sounds, Ibanez guitars of the same price tier are best for you.
As a
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