Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain vs Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
Reasons to Get
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain over Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
Reasons to Get
Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM over Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain
Other Key Differences
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain vs Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
Shared Features
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain vs Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
Common Strengths
- High-Quality Nut
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- 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 Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM is probably the better product overall with its final score of 81 compared to the Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain's 79 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM wins when it comes to build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain has the upper hand when it comes to sound.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel more comfortable playing the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM is the better choice.
The Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain meets only 3. 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 USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
- Comfortable neck
- Locking tuners
- Easy-to-use bridge
New Player Friendliness
Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM- 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.
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain Overview
- From Jackson's 2016 Artist Signature series
- Phil Collen Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- 1/8 Quilt Maple top
- Caramelized Mahogany body
- Quartersawn Caramelized Flame Maple neck
- Caramelized Flame Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Super 3 DP152 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: DiMarzio HS-2 DP116 (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: PC1 Sustainer Driver (Single Coil/Active)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Floyd Rose Original Double-Locking Tremolo bridge
- Phil Collen PC1 Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Jackson Sealed Die-Cast tuners
- Compare Specs >
Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM Overview
- From Charvel's 2019 USA Select series
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Caramelized Flame 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 with Brass Block and Titanium Saddles bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Sperzel 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
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
Woods Used in the Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain
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 Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
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: Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain.
Pickup Configuration
The Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain has an HSS configuration while the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM has HH pickups.
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.
On the other hand, 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.
You can purchase similar pickups to the Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM's online:
The Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain's pickups are Active while the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM's are Passive.
Passive pickups are what most guitars use. These have a normal output that works well for most genres. However, Active pickups are the preferred choice of heavy metal players because they offer extra output thanks to their 9v battery, which results in a heavier, more distorted sound. Bear in mind that achieving a completely clean tone with them won't be easy. So if you want to also use clean tones, you might want to avoid Active pickups.
Winner: Tie.
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.
Both give you different pickup mod options.
The Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain offers Sustainer.
The pickups with Sustainer are able to recreate the 'feedback' you get when you hold your guitar near a speaker without muting the strings. This allows them to produce infinite sustain that you can use for as long as you want to create interest sounds and harmonics.
On the other hand, the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM comes with the following: 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: Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
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 USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain compares to the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
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 Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain has 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM 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.
In this comparison, the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM is the only one that has stainless steel frets. These frets will basically last for the entire life of the guitar. They will never need polishing nor replacement. And not only that, but some people also notice that bending and vibratos are much easier to perform when they upgrade to stainless steel.
Winner: Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
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 Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM'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: Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain.
Tuners
The Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM 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 USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain has a locking nut, so it should have even better tune stability and doesn't need locking tuners.
Winner: Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
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.
Both have a 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: Tie.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Locking Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Sustainer Pickups
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Retainer Bar
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Multi-Voicing Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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.
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 USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain has a Vintage type of neck. This means that it's thicker than most modern necks, and makes it a better fit for playing chords and slow solos. Some people prefer this type of neck because it gives them a better grip thanks to the extra mass. Still, the vast majority prefer a thinner, faster, and more ''modern'' neck.
The Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM, 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.
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 Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain favors large hands more than the Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM.
Jackson USA Signature Phil Collen PC1 Satin Stain:
Charvel USA Select DK24 HH 2PT CM:
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.
