D'Angelico Premier Bedford vs Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
Reasons to Get
D'Angelico Premier Bedford over Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
Reasons to Get
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple over D'Angelico Premier Bedford
Other Key Differences
D'Angelico Premier Bedford vs Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
Shared Features
D'Angelico Premier Bedford vs Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Frets
Common Weaknesses
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- 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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford's 64 score, which is a significant difference.
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality. On the other hand, the D'Angelico Premier Bedford has the upper hand when it comes to 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple is the better choice.
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the D'Angelico Premier Bedford meets only 3. 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
D'Angelico Premier Bedford- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
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
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.
D'Angelico Premier Bedford Overview
- From D'Angelico's 2021 Premier series
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 14" Fretboard Radius
- Basswood body
- Maple Scarf neck
- Ovangkol fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Duncan Designed P90-1 Bridge (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Chrome Tune-O-Matic bridge
- C-Shape Set neck
- 22 Medium frets
- Grover 109 Super Rotomatic tuners
- Weight between 7.35lbs (3.3kgs) and 8.7lbs (3.9kgs)
- Compare Specs >
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 >
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
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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford
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.
Ovangkol is a beautiful wood that's popular for acoustic guitars. Its tone sits somewhere between rosewood and mahogany, meaning it has a punchy low-end and nice mid-range. Find out more about Ovangkol.
Woods Used in the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Winner: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
Pickup Configuration
The D'Angelico Premier Bedford has an P90P90 configuration while the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has HSH pickups.
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.
On the other hand, 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.
Pickups Quality
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple pickups from a more specialized brand than the D'Angelico Premier Bedford. Its pickups should give you a fuller, richer 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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford 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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford compares to the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The D'Angelico Premier Bedford is built in Indonesia while the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple is made in United States.
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.
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: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple
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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple comes with 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.
Winner: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
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
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple 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 Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford has a 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple comes with 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: Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
D'Angelico Premier Bedford
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Expensive Woods
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- 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
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
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 Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has the longest scale: 25.5". The D'Angelico Premier Bedford 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 D'Angelico Premier Bedford and the Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple 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 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.
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 .
D'Angelico Premier Bedford:
Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple:
Fret Size
The Charvel Guthrie Govan USA Signature HSH Flame Maple has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the D'Angelico Premier Bedford's Medium 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.
