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Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
Fender American Performer Telecaster
VS
Playability
75
Sound
74
Build
72
Value
59
Score
74
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Playability
72
Sound
75
Build
67
Value
71
Score
71
FIND IT ON:
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Show Full Spec Comparison
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior vs Fender American Performer Telecaster Specs Comparison
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Fender American Performer Telecaster
General
Brand: Gibson Fender
Year: 2019 2019
Configuration: H SS
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Artist Collection American Performer
Colors: White White, Blue, Brown Burst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Solid Mahogany Alder
Bridge: ABR-1 with convertible options 3-Saddle Vintage-Style Strings-Through-Body Tele with Brass Barrel Saddles
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Bolt-On
Tuners: Vintage Fender ClassicGear
Fretboard: Indian Rosewood Rosewood
Neck Material: Solid Mahogany, Long Tenon, Hide Glue Fit Maple
Decoration: Custom Celluloid Trapezoid White Dot
Scale Size: 24.75" 25.5"
Shape: Custom 1962 Slim Taper Modern C
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.83'' (21.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.94'' (23.9mm) 1st Fret: 0.82'' (20.8mm) - 12th Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm)
Frets: 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 12" 9.5"
Nut: Nylon Synthetic Bone
Nut Width: 43mm (1.693'') 42.8mm (1.685'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: Gibson Custom Dog-Ear P90 w/ Switchable Induction Coil Circuit (Humbucker / Passive) Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster (Single Coil / Passive)
Switch: 0 Way 3 Way
Knobs: Bell Dome
Pickup Mods: Multi-Voicing None
Volume Controls: 1 1
Tone Controls: 1 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Chrome Chrome
Show Diagrams Comparison
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's switch options
Fender American Performer Telecaster pickups switch and push knobs diagram
Fender American Performer Telecaster's switch options

Reasons to Get
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior over Fender American Performer Telecaster

Neck Profile
Custom 1962 Slim Taper vs Modern C
Thin and flat neck for playing fast
Pickup Mods
Multi-Voicing vs None
Changes the voice (tones or gain) of the pickups
Pickups
H vs SS
Hum-free with more right hand freedom and sustain
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.83'' (21.1mm) vs 0.82'' (20.8mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.94'' (23.9mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Nut Width
1.693'' (43mm) vs 1.685'' (42.8mm)
Less likely to mute strings by accident and more space for fingerstyle
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
24.75'' (628.7mm) vs 25.5'' (647.7mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Fretboard Radius
12'' (304.8mm) vs 9.5'' (241.3mm)
Flatter fretboard makes it easier to play single notes and bend

Reasons to Get
Fender American Performer Telecaster over Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior

Neck Profile
Modern C vs Custom 1962 Slim Taper
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Neck Joint
Bolt-On vs Set
Allows you to detach and swap the neck
Switch Positions
3 vs 0
More tone options
Pickups
SS vs H
Beautiful cleans
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.82'' (20.8mm) vs 0.83'' (21.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) vs 0.94'' (23.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Nut Width
1.685'' (42.8mm) vs 1.693'' (43mm)
Favors small hands, easier bar chords and other shapes
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
25.5'' (647.7mm) vs 24.75'' (628.7mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone
Fretboard Radius
9.5'' (241.3mm) vs 12'' (304.8mm)
Easier to play chords without muting strings
Value Score
71 vs 59
Better price/quality relationship

Other Key Differences
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior vs Fender American Performer Telecaster

Bridge Pickup
Gibson Custom Dog-Ear P90 w/ Switchable Induction Coil Circuit vs Fender Yosemite Single-Coil Telecaster
Different Bridge Pickup
Body Wood
Mahogany vs Alder
Different Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany vs Maple
Different Neck Wood
Headstock
3-3 vs 6
Different Headstock
Nut Material
Nylon vs Synthetic Bone
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior vs Fender American Performer Telecaster

Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Volume Knobs
1
Same volume control
Tone Knobs
1
Same tone control
Number of Frets
22
Same maximum octave
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Type of Frets
Jumbo
You won't feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Weight Relief
  • Locking Tuners
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Prices

SET PRICE ALERT
SET PRICE ALERT

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Hand Size Comfortability

And after taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior favors large hands more than the Fender American Performer Telecaster.

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior:
Big Hands
Small Hands
Fender American Performer Telecaster:
Big Hands
Small Hands

Beginner Friendliness

The Fender American Performer Telecaster meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior 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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Tall frets
  • Comfortable neck
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Narrow nut
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

New Player Friendliness

Fender American Performer Telecaster
  • Comfortable shape
  • Easy-to-use bridge
  • Comfortable fretboard
  • Tall frets
  • Narrow nut
  • Comfortable neck
  • Short scale
  • Locking tuners

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

Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
Rosewood

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.

Woods Used in the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior

Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
Mahogany

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 Fender American Performer Telecaster

Maple wood pattern used for guitar building
Maple
Alder wood pattern used for guitar building
Alder

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.

Alder is the most popular wood that Fender uses in most of their guitars nowadays. Even though they say it's because of its balanced tone with an emphasis in the upper midrange, it probably is because it isn't too expensive, and it's also pretty lightweight—more than Mahogany. Find out more about Alder.

Winner: Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior.

Pickup Configuration

The Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior has an H configuration while the Fender American Performer Telecaster has SS 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, SS is the classic Telecaster configuration. It's used mainly for playing clean or with low-gain distortion, and it's very popular for the country genre because of their brightness. It doesn't give you as much versatility as a Strat SSS configuration, but you might like the cleaner look of a guitar body with fewer pickups.

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 Fender American Performer Telecaster has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender American Performer Telecaster's online:

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: Fender American Performer Telecaster.

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 Fender American Performer Telecaster gives you 3 switch options while the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior gives you 0. This means that the Fender American Performer Telecaster gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior 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: Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior.

Final Sound Quality Scores

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
Pickups 90
Sustain 80
Versatility 59
Tuning Stability 65
Sound 74
Fender American Performer Telecaster
Pickups 100
Sustain 75
Versatility 54
Tuning Stability 70
Sound 75

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 Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior compares to the Fender American Performer Telecaster.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

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: 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 Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior has 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

On the other hand, the Fender American Performer Telecaster comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.

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 Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior'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 Fender American Performer Telecaster'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

Both come with regular tuners. The Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's are Vintage while the Fender American Performer Telecaster's are Fender ClassicGear

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 Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior 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 Fender American Performer Telecaster 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: Fender American Performer Telecaster.

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

Strengths & Weaknesses
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Nylon Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Multi-Voicing Pickups
  • Tremolo
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • No Neck-Through Build
  • No Weight Relief
  • No Luminescent Inlay
  • No Compound Radius Fretboard
  • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • No Strap Lock
Strengths & Weaknesses
Fender American Performer Telecaster
  • Made in United States
  • Expensive Wood
  • Synthetic Bone Nut
  • Top Brand Pickups
  • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
  • No Locking Tuners
  • 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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
Quality of materials 56
Features 60
Quality Control 100
Build Quality 72
Fender American Performer Telecaster
Quality of materials 66
Features 50
Quality Control 85
Build Quality 67

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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Nut Width
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Nut Width
Fender American Performer Telecaster Nut Width
Fender American Performer Telecaster Nut Width

The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.8mm (1.685''). This is a 0.2mm (0.008'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior, especially closer to the nut. However, it's also easier to play without muting strings accidently. This favors people with big hands.

Scale Length

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's Scale Length
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's Scale Length
Fender American Performer Telecaster's Scale Length
Fender American Performer Telecaster's 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 Fender American Performer Telecaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior 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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Neck Profile
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's neck profile
Fender American Performer Telecaster Neck Profile
Fender American Performer Telecaster's 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.

In this case, both have different neck shapes:

The Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior has a D type of neck. This is a thin and flat neck that is made for playing fast. If you prefer a neck that doesn't get in your way when soloing, this is the shape you should use. Guitarists that prefer to have a bit more grip won't like this type of neck.

The Fender American Performer Telecaster, on the other hand, has a C 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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior Fingerboard Radius
Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's Fingerboard radius
Fender American Performer Telecaster Fingerboard Radius
Fender American Performer Telecaster's Fingerboard 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 Fender American Performer Telecaster's fingerboard radius is smaller, which means it's more curved than the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior's. This extra arc will make playing chords easier in this model. You won't be as likely to mute the strings, especially if you have big hands. However, playing single notes and bending will be easier on the Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior.

Fret Size

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior and Fender American Performer Telecaster Frets Size
Both have a similar Jumbo 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

Gibson Brian Ray 62 SG Junior
Bending & Vibrato Ease 90
Chord Playability 55
Solo Playability 80
Playability 75
Fender American Performer Telecaster
Bending & Vibrato Ease 75
Chord Playability 70
Solo Playability 70
Playability 72