Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Reasons to Get
Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster over Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Reasons to Get
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline over Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster
Other Key Differences
Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Shared Features
Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster vs Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster is probably the better product overall with its final score of 76 compared to the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline's 71 score, although not by a lot.
The Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster wins when it comes to sound, build quality. On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline is the better choice.
The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster meets only 5. 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 Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Short scale
- Locking tuners
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 Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster Overview
- From Jackson's 2020 Artist Signature series
- Rob Caggiano Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- 1/8 Quilt Maple Top top
- Alder body
- Quartersawn Maple neck
- Ebony fretboard
- Bridge pickup: DiMarzio Rob Caggiano Signature (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: DiMarzio Air Norton (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- TonePros TOM-Style Adjustable with Anchored Locking Tailpiece bridge
- Speed Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo frets
- Sperzel Die-Cast Locking tuners
- Compare Specs >
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline Overview
- From Fender's 2020 Artist series
- Jim Adkins Signature
- Made in Indonesia
- 6 strings
- 24.75"'' scale
- 9.5" Fretboard Radius
- Semi-Hollow Ash body
- Maple neck
- Indian Laurel fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan SP90-3 Custom P-90 (Single Coil/Passive)
- 2 volume and 2 tone Bell knobs
- 3-way Switch
- 6-Saddle Vintage-Style Adjusto-Matic with Anchored-Tailpiece bridge
- Modern C Neck-Through neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo frets
- Standard Cast/Sealed tuners
- Weight between 7.35lbs (3.3kgs) and 7.6lbs (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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster
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.
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 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
There are many types of Laurel, but East Indian is the most common for guitar building. Its color can vary from dark to light brown with black lines. Many people find its tonality similar to Rosewood, which favors the warmer frequencies. Find out more about Laurel.
Ash is a type of wood that Fender used almost exclusively in the 50s, and it's still used by many brands. It's a dense wood with a light color that works well for a transparent, natural finish because of its beautiful patterns. In terms of sound, it's known for emphasizing the mid and high frequencies, but with strong low end. Find out more about Ash.
Winner: Tie.
Pickup Configuration
The Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has an HH configuration while the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline has P90P90 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, P90P90 gives you two P90s for a crunchy vintage tone. The tone sits somewhere in the middle between typical single-coils and humbuckers. They also produce less hum than single-coils, but they don't cancel it completely like humbuckers.
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 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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 USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster's and use them on any guitar:
We found the same or similar pickups to the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline'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: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster gives you 5 switch options while the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline gives you 3. This means that the Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster 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.
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 USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster.
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 Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster compares to the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster is built in United States while the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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: Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster
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 Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline comes with a Synthetic Bone nut. Bone is the best natural material for guitar nuts. However, its tonal properties can be inconsistent. That's the problem that synthetic bone fixes. This is much better than using a plastic nut because the nut is more slippery—which helps with tuning stability—, and it gives your open strings rich harmonics.
Winner: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
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 USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster 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 USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster.
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 USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has 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.
On the other hand, the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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: Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline.
Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:
Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Strap Lock
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Tremolo
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline
- Expensive Wood
- Synthetic Bone Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Neck-Through Build
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Indonesia
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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, the Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 42mm (1.654''). This is a 0.9mm (0.034'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster, 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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has the longest scale: 25.5". The Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline 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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster 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 Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline, 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 Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster 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 .
Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster:
Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline:
Fret Size
The Jackson USA Signature Rob Caggiano Shadowcaster has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Fender Jim Adkins JA-90 Telecaster Thinline'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.