Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany vs PRS SE Mark Tremonti
Reasons to Get
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany over PRS SE Mark Tremonti
Reasons to Get
PRS SE Mark Tremonti over Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
Other Key Differences
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany vs PRS SE Mark Tremonti
Shared Features
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany vs PRS SE Mark Tremonti
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 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 Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany is probably the better product overall with its final score of 69 compared to the PRS SE Mark Tremonti's 65 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the PRS SE Mark Tremonti in every aspect.
If you got small hands, none of these instruments will make a big difference when it comes to comfortability.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany is the better choice.
The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the PRS SE Mark Tremonti meets only 4. 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
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
PRS SE Mark Tremonti- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
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 Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany Overview
- From Charvel's 2017 Artist Signature series
- Joe Duplantier Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Mahogany body
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Joe Duplantier Signature DiMarzio Fortitude (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: DiMarzio PAF 36th Anniversary (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Charvel Fully Adjustable Radius Compensated Bridge with Anchored Tailpiece bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
PRS SE Mark Tremonti Overview
- From PRS's 2018 SE series
- Mark Tremonti Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25"'' scale
- 10" Fretboard Radius
- Beveled Maple Top with Flame Maple Veneer top
- Mahogany body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: PRS Tremonti S (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: PRS Tremonti S (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- PRS Patented Tremolo, Molded with Trem-Up Route bridge
- Wide Thin Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- PRS Designed Tuners tuners
- Weight between 8.2lbs (3.7kgs) and 9.2lbs (4.2kgs)
- 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
Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.
Woods Used in the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
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 PRS SE Mark Tremonti
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.
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Winner: Tie.
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.
You can purchase similar pickups to the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany's and use them on any guitar:
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
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
They both share the following switching options:
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: PRS SE Mark Tremonti.
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 Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany compares to the PRS SE Mark Tremonti.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in Indonesia.
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.
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 Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany 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 PRS SE Mark Tremonti comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.
Winner: PRS SE Mark Tremonti.
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 Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany'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 PRS SE Mark Tremonti's 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.
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
The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany 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.
Winner: Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany.
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 Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany 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 PRS SE Mark Tremonti 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: Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
PRS SE Mark Tremonti
- Expensive Wood
- PRS Propietary Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- 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
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, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').
This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.
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.
The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has the longest scale: 25.5". The PRS SE Mark Tremonti is only 25" long. This is a 0.5'' (12.7mm) scale length difference.
This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.
This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.
Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).
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.
Both the Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany and the PRS SE Mark Tremonti have a C-shaped 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 Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany 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.
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both in this comparison favor small hands .
Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany:
PRS SE Mark Tremonti:
Fret Size
The Charvel Joe Duplantier Signature Pro-Mod San Dimas Style 2 HH E Mahogany has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the PRS SE Mark Tremonti's Medium 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.
