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Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO

VS

Playability

73

Sound

81

Build

65

Value

73

Score

73

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Playability

75

Sound

78

Build

87

Value

65

Score

80

FIND IT ON:

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Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple vs Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO

Price History Comparison

Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple Prices

• New from $1,055.13 >>
• Used from $999 >>

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Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO Prices

• New from $3,674.99 >>
• New from $5,132.72 >>
• Used from $3,699.99 >>

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO is probably the better product overall with its final score of 80 compared to the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple's 73 score, although not by a lot.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO wins when it comes to playability, build quality. On the other hand, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple has the upper hand when it comes to sound, value for the money.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple is easier to play.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO is the better choice.

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple 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

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.

Woods Used in the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt 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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO

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.

Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.

Winner: Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO.

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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple's and use them on any guitar:

We found the same or similar pickups to the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's online:

The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple's pickups are Passive while the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO's are Active.

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: 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

The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple gives you 5 switch options while the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO 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.

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 DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt 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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple compares to the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple is built in Mexico while the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO 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: Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO

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 DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple 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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO comes with a Compensated nut. Each hole where the string sits at the nut is cut at a different distance from the bridge, which compensates for the different amount of tension that each string is subject to. This fixes most intonation issues across the fretboard, so it gives great tuning 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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO 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: Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO.

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 DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple'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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO'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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple.

Tuners

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO 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.

Nevertheless, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.

Winner: Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO.

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.

Both have 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.

Winner: Tie.

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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has the wider nut with 48mm (1.89'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 5.1mm (0.202'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO, 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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has the longest scale: 26.5". The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple is only 25.5" long. This is a 1'' (25.4mm) 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 DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple and the Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO 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.

Both have a compound radius. This means both offer you the best craftsmanship when it comes to fretboard design. You'll have an arc to help you play chords close to the nut, while also having a flat design at the higher frets for faster soloing and easier bends.

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 Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO favors large hands more than the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple.

Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple:

Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO:

Fret Size

The Schecter Keith Merrow KM7 MK-III PRO has XL Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH FR M Mahogany with Quilt Maple's 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.

Final Playability Scores