Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
Reasons to Get
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged over Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
Reasons to Get
Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT over Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged
Other Key Differences
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
Shared Features
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged vs Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
Common Strengths
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 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 Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged is probably the better product overall with its final score of 73 compared to the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT's 69 score, although not by a lot.
The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT has the upper hand when it comes to playability, 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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT is the better choice.
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged 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 Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
New Player Friendliness
Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- 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.
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged Overview
- From Gibson Custom's 2022 Murphy Lab series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- 3-Ply Maple/Poplar/Maple body
- Mahogany neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Custombucker Alnico III (Unpotted) (Humbucker/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Lightweight Aluminum Stop Bar bridge
- 50s Rounded Medium C Set neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Kluson Waffleback with Pearloid Tips tuners
- Weight between 8.2lbs (3.7kgs) and 8.7lbs (3.9kgs)
- Compare Specs >
Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT Overview
- From Jackson's 2021 Artist Signature series
- Christian Andreu Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Flame Maple top
- Poplar body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Jackson Covered High-Output Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Dome knobs
- Jackson TOM-Style Adjustable String-Through-Body bridge
- Speed Neck-Through neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Jackson Sealed Die-Cast 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
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.
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 Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged
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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
Poplar is a cheaper and heavier alternative to Alder wood. It terms of tone, it emphasizes the low-end and has cutting mids. It's relatively soft compared to most body woods. Find out more about Poplar.
Winner: Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged.
Pickup Configuration
The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged has an HH configuration while the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT has H pickups.
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.
On the other hand, 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.
Pickups Quality
The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged has pickups from a more specialized brand than the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT. Its pickups should simply give you a better, fuller sound, although it all depends on what type of music you're going to play. We recommend these pickups for Jazz 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: Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light 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 1959 ES-355 Light Aged gives you 3 switch options while the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT gives you 0. This means that the Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged 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.
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT 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: Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged.
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 Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged compares to the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged is built in United States while the Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT is made in Indonesia.
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.
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.
Winner: Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light 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 Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged 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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT comes with 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.
Winner: Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged.
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.
Both come with a similar bridge: 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
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT 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: Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT.
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 Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged 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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT comes with Neck-Through neck joint. This neck is a lot more resistant and lets builders give the neck joint a more comfortable shape for soloing at the upper frets. The disadvantage is that they're more expensive and that if you damage your neck, you can't simply replace it like with bolt-on necks.
Winner: Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Nylon Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Neck-Through Build
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Indonesia
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Top Brand Pickups
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- 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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light 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.
In this case, both have different neck shapes:
The Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged has a C type of 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.
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT, on the other hand, has a D 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.
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 Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT 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 .
Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged:
Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT:
Fret Size
The Jackson Pro Series Signature Christian Andreu Rhoads RRT has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gibson Custom 1959 ES-355 Light Aged's Medium 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.
