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Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M

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Playability

80

Sound

67

Build

62

Value

70

Score

70

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Playability

70

Sound

84

Build

65

Value

73

Score

73

FIND IT ON:

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Side to side spec comparison >

Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist vs Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M

Price History Comparison

Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist Prices

• New from $1,406.12 >>
• Used from $1,199.99 >>

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Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M Prices

• New from $999.99 >>
• New from $1,099.99 >>
• New from $1,099.99 >>
• New from $1,099.99 >>
• Used from $600 >>

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Which One is Better Overall?

After going through our comparison algorithm, the results show that the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M is probably the better product overall with its final score of 73 compared to the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist's 70 score, although not by a lot.

The Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist has the upper hand when it comes to playability.

If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

Which One is Better for Beginners?

If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist is the better choice.

The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M 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 the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist

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.

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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M

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: Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist.

Pickup Configuration

The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist has an HH configuration while the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M has HSS 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, HSS provides a great balance if you like to play with a lot of distortion, but also love to use clean tones. You'll get a lot of output at the bridge position, but you'll be able to play bright clean tones at the other positions.

Pickups Quality

The Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M pickups from a more specialized brand than the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist. 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.

We found the same or similar pickups to the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M'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: Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M gives you 5 switch options while the Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

Only the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.

Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist 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: Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist compares to the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

Country of Origin

The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist is built in Indonesia while the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M is made in Mexico.

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.

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: 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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist 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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M comes with 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.

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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist's brige 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.

On the other hand, the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M's 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.

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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

Tuners

Both come with regular tuners. The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist's are Guild Die-Cast, Closed-Gear, 18:1 while the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M's are Charvel-Branded Die-Cast

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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist 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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M 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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

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 Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42.8mm (1.687''). This is a 0.1mm (0.00099999999999989'') difference

This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M, 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 Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M has the longest scale: 25.5". The Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist 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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist 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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M, 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 So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M 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 Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist favors large hands more than the Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M.

Guild Starfire IV-12 ST Shoreline Mist:

Charvel Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS FR M:

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