Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple vs Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
Reasons to Get
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple over Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
Reasons to Get
Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas over Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
Other Key Differences
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple vs Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
Shared Features
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple vs Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
Common Strengths
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Nut
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple is probably the better product overall with its final score of 81 compared to the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas's 76 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas has the upper hand when it comes to playability.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
Both meet 6 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
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
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.
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple Overview
- From Charvel's 2015 Artist Signature series
- Guthrie Govan Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Flame Maple top
- Caramelized Basswood body
- Caramelized Flame Maple neck
- Caramelized Flame Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Charvel Custom MF Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Charvel Custom MF Single-Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Charvel Custom MF Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Recessed Charvel Locking Tremolo Bridge bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Sperzel Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas Overview
- From Jackson's 2017 Artist Signature series
- Gus G Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Quartersawn Maple neck
- Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Blackfire Pickups Titan Humbucker (Passive) (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Blackfire Pickups Titan Humbucker (Passive) (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo bridge
- Speed Neck-Through neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Sperzel Die-Cast Locking 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 the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of 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 Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
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.
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.
Winner: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
Pickup Configuration
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has an HSH configuration while the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas 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
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has pickups from a more specialized brand than the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Hard Rock 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: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple gives you 5 switch options while the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Only the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Tap.
Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple compares to the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.
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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has 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.
On the other hand, the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas comes with a Black Tusq XL nut. TUSQ nuts are usually the highest quality you can get. Black TUSQs are made from a special slippery material that helps the strings get back to its original position (one of the keys to 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.
In this comparison, the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple is the only one that has 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: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
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.
Both come with a similar bridge: 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.
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: Tie.
Tuners
They both have 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.
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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame 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 Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas 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: Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Tap Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Black Tusq XL Nut
- Neck-Through Build
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Expensive Woods
- No Top Brand Pickups
- 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
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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.9mm (0.034'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has a C type of 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.
The Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas, on the other hand, has a D neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.
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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple favors large hands more than the Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple:
Jackson USA Signature Gus G. San Dimas:
Fret Size
Both have a Jumbo fret size. This is one of the tallest frets you can get. You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. It will give you the best sustain and all types of chords will be easier to play. However, you can end up changing the pitch of your notes if you press too hard, which is something people used to feeling the fretboard do when trying Jumbo frets for the first time.
