Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman vs Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
Reasons to Get
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman over Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
Reasons to Get
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl over Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
Other Key Differences
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman vs Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
Shared Features
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman vs Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Strap Lock
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Table of Contents
Price History Comparison
These are affiliate links. We may earn a fee if you purchase after clicking. These prices are prone to error. Make sure you're buying the right product after clicking on a link from our site. We are not liable if you buy the wrong product after following these links. As an Amazon Associate site we earn from qualifying purchases.
Which One is Better Overall?
After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's 75 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl wins when it comes to sound, value for the money. On the other hand, the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman has the upper hand when it comes to playability, build quality.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl is the better choice.
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman meets only 2. 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
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman- Comfortable shape
- Short scale
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl- 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.
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman Overview
- From Gretsch's 2017 Professional Collection series
- Chet Atkins Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 24.6"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Laminated 3-Ply Maple with Simulated F-Holes top
- Laminated Maple body
- Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Gretsch TV Jones Filter'Tron Classic (Humbucker/Passive)
- 3 volume and 0 tone Speed knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Bigsby B6G Vibrato Tailpiece with Gretsch Logo bridge
- Standard U Set neck
- 22 Vintage frets
- Grover Imperial Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl Overview
- From Charvel's 2022 Pro-Mod series
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Poplar Burl top
- Alder body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Caramelized Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan Full Shred SH-10B (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Seymour Duncan APH-1N (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Gotoh Custom 510 Tremolo bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Charvel-Branded Die-Cast Locking tuners
- Weight between 7.3lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.45lbs (3.4kgs)
- 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
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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
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.
Woods Used in the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
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: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
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.
However, the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman 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 Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl'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: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
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 2PT CM Poplar Burl gives you 5 switch options while the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman offers 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl comes with the following: Parallel Split.
The Parallel Split feature allows it to split and connect some of the pickups in parallel. When wired in parallel, the result is a very bright tone. This is the wire technique used in most Stratocaster guitars, and it's what gives them their signature transparent and clear sound. This is because the pickups' inputs and outputs are wired together, which reduces the signal's travel distance to the output jack.
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 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman compares to the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is built in Japan while the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl is made in Mexico.
Japan has a long history of high-quality guitar building. Little has changed in terms of their manufacturing and quality control over the years. Many guitars made in this country can be compared—and even beat—others made in the US.
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.
Winner: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman has 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl comes with 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.
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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's brige is a Bigsby Tremolo. Bigsby tremolos are built differently than regular tremolos. They have a stiffer arm, which is something a lot of people like because the arm won't wiggle around a lot. On the other hand, this type of tremolo is more complicated to restring and it might not be as newbie-friendly as other simpler tremolos.
On the other hand, the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl's 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.
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: Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman.
Tuners
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl 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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman 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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl 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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman
- Made in Japan
- Expensive Wood
- Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl
- Locking Tuners
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Parallel Split Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in Mexico
- No Expensive Woods
- 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 Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl has the longest scale: 25.5". The Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman is only 24.6" long. This is a 0.9'' (22.9mm) 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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman has a U type of neck. This is also referred to as ''baseball neck'' because of its shape. It's usually thick, which is why some people with big hands like it. However, they can also be thin, similar to a C shape, but with more shoulders for a better grip.
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl, 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
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 DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl 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 Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman favors large hands more than the Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl.
Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman:
Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl:
Fret Size
The Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH 2PT CM Poplar Burl has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Gretsch G6122T-62 Vintage Select Edition '62 Chet Atkins Country Gentleman's Vintage 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.