Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut vs Reverend Contender 290
Reasons to Get
Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut over Reverend Contender 290
Reasons to Get
Reverend Contender 290 over Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut
Other Key Differences
Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut vs Reverend Contender 290
Shared Features
Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut vs Reverend Contender 290
Common Strengths
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Nut
- 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
- 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut is probably the better product overall with its final score of 74 compared to the Reverend Contender 290's 73 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Reverend Contender 290 has the upper hand when it comes to playability.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut is the better choice.
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Reverend Contender 290 meets only 5. 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Reverend Contender 290- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut Overview
- From Charvel's 2022 Pro-Mod series
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Figured Walnut top
- Mahogany body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Caramelized Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Strat SHR-1B (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 RWRP (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking tuners
- Weight between 6.65lbs (3kgs) and 7.05lbs (3.2kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Reverend Contender 290 Overview
- From Reverend's 2021 Set-Neck series
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Korina body
- Three-Piece Korina neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: 9A5 Bridge (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 2 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- TOM with Stop Tail bridge
- Medium Oval Set neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Reverend Pin-Lock 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut
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.
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 Reverend Contender 290
Limba is a relatively rare wood that shows exotic tight dark grain stripes. It comes in white or black. As a tonewood, it is comparable to Mahogany but with richer mids. Find out more about Limba.
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: Reverend Contender 290.
Pickup Configuration
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut has an SSS configuration while the Reverend Contender 290 has P90P90 pickups.
SSS is perfect for players who like to play clean. The definition you get between notes and the crispiness is unmatched by most other configurations. You can still use it for distortion, but you won't get the same kind of output and power compared to a humbucker, and the hum they produce also makes them less adequate for high gain.
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 Reverend Contender 290 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut'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: Reverend Contender 290.
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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut gives you 5 switch options while the Reverend Contender 290 gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut.
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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut compares to the Reverend Contender 290.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut is built in Mexico while the Reverend Contender 290 is made in South Korea.
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.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut has a Ivory Tusq nut. Ivory used to be considered the best material for guitar nuts due to its beauty, durability, and the rich harmonics and sustain you could get from a guitar with it. However, the way to obtain it is simply unethical. Enter TUSQ ivory nuts, which are made synthetically to imitate ivory. Technically, it's better than ivory because it is consistent piece-to-piece, while natural materials can vary a lot, even if they're made from the same.
On the other hand, the Reverend Contender 290 comes with a Boneite nut. This is an artificial material made to imitate the favored type of nut: bone. This allows it to sound and feel pretty much like bone, but without the inconsistency of natural materials.
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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Reverend Contender 290'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: 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut 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 Reverend Contender 290 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Mexico
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Reverend Contender 290
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Boneite Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in South Korea
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- 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 Reverend Contender 290 has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.1mm (0.0050000000000001'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Reverend Contender 290, 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut has the longest scale: 25.5". The Reverend Contender 290 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut and the Reverend Contender 290 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 Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut 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 Reverend Contender 290 favors large hands more than the Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut.
Charvel Pro-Mod DK22 SSS 2PT CM Mahogany with Walnut:
Reverend Contender 290:
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.
