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Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E

Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged

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Playability

70

Sound

79

Build

72

Value

69

Score

74

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Playability

80

Sound

75

Build

72

Value

61

Score

76

FIND IT ON:

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Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E vs Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged

Price History Comparison

Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E Prices

• New from $1,549.99 >>
• New from $1,549.99 >>
• New from $1,549.99 >>
• New from $1,549.99 >>
• Used from $1,077 >>

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Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged Prices

• Used from $12,995 >>

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E's 74 score, although not by a lot.

The Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged wins when it comes to playability. On the other hand, the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E has the upper hand when it comes to sound, value for the money.

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 Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged is the better choice.

The Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E 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.

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.

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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E

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.

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 Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged

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

The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E has an H configuration while the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged has P90P90 pickups.

A single H pickup gives you the advantage of having a little longer sustain (all other things being equal) because there will be less magnetic fields from other pickups affecting the strings' vibration. However, they also give you the least versatility because you won't have other pickups at different distances from the bridge to create different tones. A single humbucking pickup is used for noiseless high output, which is used mainly for Hard Rock genres.

On the other hand, P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.

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.

However, the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

You can purchase similar pickups to the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E's and use them on any guitar:

The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E's pickups are Active while the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged's are Passive.

Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.

Winner: Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged.

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 Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged gives you 3 switch options while the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E gives you 0. This means that the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E comes with some kind of pickup modification: Multi-Voicing.

Multi-Voicing means the pickups come with multiple ''voices'', which means they can change the tone and gain by a simple switch or knob. Piezo, Fishman and similar are considered multi-voicing pickups.

The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E doesn't come with pickup 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: Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E.

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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E compares to the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E is built in Mexico while the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged is made in United States.

Mexico has been for a long time where Fender has built their semi-premium series. If you don't want to overpay for a wellp-built instrument, a guitar built in this country by a good brand always offers good value for the money.

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: Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged

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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E has 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.

On the other hand, the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged comes with a Nylon nut. It used to be one of the highest quality materials for nuts (and still is), but it's rare to find nowadays because it's hard to work with. It's a very resistant material with very low friction, so it will keep the guitar in tune and will last for a long time

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 Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E's brige 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.

On the other hand, the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged's 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.

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: Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E's are Charvel-Branded Die-Cast while the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged's are Gotoh Nickel, Single Band

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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E 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 Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged 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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E.

Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42.3mm (1.664''). This is a 0.6mm (0.024'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E, 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.

The Charvel Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged is only 24.75" long. This is a 0.75'' (19.1mm) 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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E and the Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged 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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E 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 Phil Sgrosso Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 H FR E:

Gibson Custom Mike Ness 1976 Les Paul Deluxe Aged:

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.

Final Playability Scores