Show Full Spec Comparison
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 | Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR | |
---|---|---|
General | ||
Brand: | Jackson | Charvel |
Year: | 2022 | 2017 |
Configuration: | HSS | HSS |
Strings: | 6 | 6 |
Made in: | United States | United States |
Series: | American | USA Select |
Colors: | White, Black, Blue, Green | Black, Red, White Satin, Purple Satin |
Left-Handed Version: | No | No |
Body | ||
Type: | Solid Body | Solid Body |
Body Material: | Alder | Alder |
Bridge: | Floyd Rose 1500 Series Double-Locking Tremolo | Floyd Rose Original Double-Locking 2-Point Tremolo |
Neck | ||
Neck Joint: | Neck-Through | Bolt-On |
Tuners: | Gotoh MG-T Locking | Charvel-Branded Die-Cast |
Fretboard: | Ebony | Maple |
Neck Material: | 3-piece Maple | Quartersawn Maple |
Decoration: | Inverted Mother of Pearl Sharkfin | Black Dot |
Scale Size: | 25.5" | 25.5" |
Shape: | Jackson Standard | Charvel Speed |
Thickness: | 1st Fret: 0.79'' (20.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.85'' (21.6mm) | 1st Fret: 0.77'' (19.6mm) - 12th Fret: 0.83'' (21.1mm) |
Frets: | 24 Jumbo Nickel Silver | 22 Jumbo Nickel Silver |
Fretboard Radius: | 12" to 16" | 12" to 16" |
Nut: | Locking | Locking |
Nut Width: | 42.9mm (1.688'') | 42.9mm (1.688'') |
Electronics | ||
Bridge Pickups: | Seymour Duncan JB TB-4 (Humbucker / Passive) | DiMarzio Super Distortion DP100 (Humbucker / Passive) |
Middle Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 RWRP (Single Coil / Passive) | DiMarzio HS-2 DP116 (Single Coil / Passive) |
Neck Pickup: | Seymour Duncan Custom Flat Strat SSL-6 (Single Coil / Passive) | DiMarzio HS-2 DP116 (Single Coil / Passive) |
Switch: | 5 Way | 5 Way |
Knobs: | Dome | Dome |
Pickup Mods: | None | None |
Volume Controls: | 1 | 1 |
Tone Controls: | 1 | 0 |
Hardware | ||
Strap Lock: | Yes | No |
Hardware Color: | Black | Black |
Show Diagrams Comparison
Reasons to Get
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 over Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR
Reasons to Get
Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR over Jackson American Series Soloist SL3
Other Key Differences
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 vs Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR
Shared Features
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 vs Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- Active/Passive Preamp
Price History Comparison
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Hand Size Comfortability
After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both favor small hands .
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3:
Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR:
Beginner Friendliness
The Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR 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
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3- Comfortable shape
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
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.
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.
Woods Used in the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3
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.
Winner: Jackson American Series Soloist SL3.
Pickup Configuration
Both pickup configurations are HSS. 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
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 Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
You can purchase similar pickups to the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR'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 USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR.
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
Both are equal when it comes to the pickup switching option.
Neither of them come with some kind of coil split or pickup mod option. This makes both lacking in terms of versatility.
When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.
Winner: Jackson American Series Soloist SL3.
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 Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 compares to the Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR.
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.
In this case, both have Locking nuts. 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.
However, only the Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR has a retainer bar for the locking nut, which is a helpful addition. Without it, the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3's strings will change pitch once you lock down the nut, so you'll have to make more micro-adjustments at the bridge to tune it correctly.
Winner: Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR.
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: 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: Tie.
Tuners
The Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 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.
Nevertheless, the Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: Jackson American Series Soloist SL3.
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 Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 has a 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR 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: Jackson American Series Soloist SL3.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Jackson American Series Soloist SL3
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Retainer Bar
Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR
- Made in United States
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Expensive Woods
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- 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.
In this case, both have a scale length of 25.5".
This is the scale used in most Stratocasters. It's slightly longer than the typical 24.75'' size found in Les Pauls, and it's one of the main reasons why Stratocasters have such a bright sound in general. A longer scale also means that the strings will have higher tension. This will help you get lower action without suffering fret buzz, which will also be helpful when playing in lower tunings without having to increase your string gauge.
However, this also means that there will be more separation between frets, which can make it more difficult to play. Also, bending the strings will require more strengths due to the increased tension, but remember that a tremolo guitar will offset this difficulty.
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 Jackson American Series Soloist SL3 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 Charvel USA Select San Dimas Style 1 HSS FR, 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.
Both have a compound radius. This means both offer you the best craftsmanship when it comes to fretboard design. You'll have an arc to help you play chords close to the nut, while also having a flat design at the higher frets for faster soloing and easier bends.
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.