Music Man St. Vincent Goldie vs Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
Reasons to Get
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie over Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
Reasons to Get
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM over Music Man St. Vincent Goldie
Other Key Differences
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie vs Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
Shared Features
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie vs Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
Common Strengths
- Locking Tuners
- High-Quality Nut
- High-Quality Frets
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Top Pickup Brand
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 Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM is probably the better product overall with its final score of 81 compared to the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie's 75 score, although not by a lot.
The Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM wins when it comes to sound, playability, build quality, value for the money. This means that it wins over the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie in every aspect.
However, there's still a reason to choose the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie instead. If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie is easier to play.
Which One is Better for Beginners?
If you're looking for your first guitar to learn how to play, the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM is the better choice.
The Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM meets 6 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie 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
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Narrow nut
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 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.
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie Overview
- From Music Man's 2021 St. Vincent series
- St. Vincent Signature
- Made in United States
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 10" Fretboard Radius
- Okoume body
- Figured roasted maple neck neck
- Ebony (Cashmere & Silk Charmeuse) fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Music Man Custom Mini-Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Music Man Custom Mini-Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Music Man Custom Mini-Humbucker (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Custom chrome plated Music Man St. Vincent Modern tremolo with solid brass saddles bridge
- St. Vincent Bolt-On neck
- 22 Medium Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Schaller M6-IND locking with pearl buttons tuners
- Compare Specs >
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM Overview
- From Charvel's 2021 Artist Signature series
- Guthrie Govan Signature
- Made in Japan
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Ash top
- Basswood body
- Caramelized Maple neck
- Caramelized Maple fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Charvel Custom Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: Charvel Custom Single-Coil (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Charvel Custom Humbucking (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 1 tone Dome knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Recessed Charvel Locking Tremolo Bridge bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 24 Jumbo Stainless Steel frets
- Gotoh 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 the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie
This wood has beautiful patterns only found in specific types of maple.
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.
Okoume is an affordable wood and one of the first to replace Mahogany when the prohibitions started. It's generally softer than Mahogany and the tone has warmer lows.
Woods Used in the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 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.
Basswood is a lightweight type of wood that isn't as expensive as other popular choices for guitar building. It gives more power to the mid-range frequencies. Its color can vary from pale white to light brown. Find out more about Basswood.
Winner: Music Man St. Vincent Goldie.
Pickup Configuration
The Music Man St. Vincent Goldie has an HHH configuration while the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM has HSH pickups.
A triple Humbucker (HHH) can be intimidating at first, but it's one of the combinations that offer the most tone versatility. You'll be able to have from a lot of output for Hard Rock genres, to warm and clean sounds that are more common in Jazz.
On the other hand, HSH is a versatile pickup configuration that will give you the high output, full tone, and quiet sound of humbucker pickups, but with the possibility of using a single coil for cleaner tones. The disadvantage is that the middle single-coil pickup will have a noticeable lower volume, so you might want to adjust the height of the pickups. Another problem is that if you set the middle pickup too high, it might interfere with your picking hand.
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 Music Man St. Vincent Goldie has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.
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: Music Man St. Vincent Goldie.
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.
Only the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Tap.
Coil Tap is similar to Coil Split but it works a bit differently. Instead of completely cancelling one of the coils of the humbucker, it only cuts part of the output once activated. Some people believe this gives the split pickups a more real single-coil sound.
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 Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 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 Music Man St. Vincent Goldie compares to the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Music Man St. Vincent Goldie is built in United States while the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM is made in Japan.
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.
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.
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 Music Man St. Vincent Goldie has a Compensated nut. Each hole where the string sits at the nut is cut at a different distance from the bridge, which compensates for the different amount of tension that each string is subject to. This fixes most intonation issues across the fretboard, so it gives great tuning stability.
On the other hand, the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 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.
Both in this comparison come with 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: 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: 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: Tie.
Tuners
They both have 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: 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.
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:
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Made in United States
- Expensive Wood
- Compensated Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Compound Radius Fretboard
- No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
- No Strap Lock
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM
- Stainless Steel Frets
- Locking Tuners
- Made in Japan
- Ivory Tusq Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Coil Tap Pickups
- Luminescent Inlay
- Tremolo
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- 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, the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM has the wider nut with 42.9mm (1.688'') vs 41.3mm (1.625''). This is a 1.6mm (0.063'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM, 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.
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.
Both the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie and the Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM have a C-shaped 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 Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM 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 Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM favors large hands more than the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie. But it's still more comfortable for people with small hands, as you can see in the score meter below.
Music Man St. Vincent Goldie:
Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM:
Fret Size
The Charvel Guthrie Govan Signature MJ San Dimas SD24 CM has Jumbo frets, which should be taller than the Music Man St. Vincent Goldie'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.
