Reverend Crosscut W vs Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
Reasons to Get
Reverend Crosscut W over Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
Reasons to Get
Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW over Reverend Crosscut W
Other Key Differences
Reverend Crosscut W vs Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
Shared Features
Reverend Crosscut W vs Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
Common Strengths
- Top Pickup Brand
- Expensive Wood
Common Weaknesses
- Neck-Through Build
- Pickup Alter Switch/Knob
- Weight Relief
- Stays in Tune (Evertune)
- High-Quality Frets
- From a High-Quality-Standards Country
- Luminescent Sidedots
- 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 Reverend Crosscut W is probably the better product overall with its final score of 71 compared to the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW's 68 score, although not by a lot.
The Reverend Crosscut W wins when it comes to sound, build quality, value for the money. On the other hand, the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW has the upper hand when it comes to playability.
If you got small hands, you'll probably feel that the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW 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 Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW is the better choice.
The Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the Reverend Crosscut W 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
Reverend Crosscut W- Easy-to-use bridge
- Locking tuners
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Comfortable shape
- Comfortable fretboard
- Narrow nut
- Short scale
New Player Friendliness
Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW- Comfortable shape
- Easy-to-use bridge
- Comfortable fretboard
- Tall frets
- Comfortable neck
- Narrow nut
- 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.
Reverend Crosscut W Overview
- From Reverend's 2021 Bolt-On series
- Made in South Korea
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" Fretboard Radius
- Korina body
- Roasted Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Cleancut Bridge (Humbucker/Passive)
- Neck pickup: Cleancut Neck (Humbucker/Passive)
- 1 volume and 2 tone Dome knobs
- 3-way Switch
- Wilkinson WVS50 IIK Tremolo bridge
- Medium Oval Bolt-On neck
- 22 Jumbo frets
- Reverend Pin-Lock tuners
- Compare Specs >
Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW Overview
- From Charvel's 2022 Artist Signature series
- Jake E Lee Signature
- Made in Mexico
- 6 strings
- 25.5"'' scale
- 12" to 16" Fretboard Radius
- Alder body
- Maple neck
- Rosewood fretboard
- Bridge pickup: Seymour Duncan JB SH-4 (Humbucker/Passive)
- Middle pickup: DiMarzio SDS-1 DP111 (Single Coil/Passive)
- Neck pickup: DiMarzio SDS-1 DP111 (Single Coil/Passive)
- 1 volume and 0 tone Bell knobs
- 5-way Switch
- Hardtail Bridge with Black Base Plate bridge
- Charvel Speed Bolt-On neck
- 21 Jumbo frets
- Charvel-Branded with Pearl Buttons tuners
- Weight between 7.3lbs (3.3kgs) and 8.15lbs (3.7kgs)
- 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
Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.
Woods Used in the Reverend Crosscut W
Roasted Maple is just maple without a finish. It's technically cheaper than regular maple, but it doesn't have any extra disadvantages because of this. The color is darker, and it's lighter weight and very stable even when there's a lot of humidity.
Limba is a relatively rare wood that shows exotic tight dark grain stripes. It comes in white or black. As a tonewood, it is comparable to Mahogany but with richer mids. Find out more about Limba.
Woods Used in the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
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: Reverend Crosscut W.
Pickup Configuration
The Reverend Crosscut W has an HH configuration while the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW 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
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.
We found the same or similar pickups to the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW'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: 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
The Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW gives you 5 switch options while the Reverend Crosscut W gives you 3. This means that the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW 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: Reverend Crosscut W.
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 Reverend Crosscut W compares to the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW.
Country of Origin
The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. The Reverend Crosscut W is built in South Korea while the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW is made in Mexico.
South Korea was for many years the number one choice for mass-producing semi-premium guitars. They can build excellent guitars for a cheap price. Now, it's less common to find Korean guitars because Indonesia has proved capable of building guitars just as well, but likely for cheaper.
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 Reverend Crosscut W has a Boneite nut. This is an artificial material made to imitate the favored type of nut: bone. This allows it to sound and feel pretty much like bone, but without the inconsistency of natural materials.
On the other hand, the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW comes with 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.
Winner: Reverend Crosscut W.
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 Reverend Crosscut W's brige 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.
On the other hand, the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW's 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.
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 Reverend Crosscut W 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: Reverend Crosscut W.
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:
Reverend Crosscut W
- Locking Tuners
- Expensive Wood
- Boneite Nut
- Top Brand Pickups
- Tremolo
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- Made in South Korea
- 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 Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW
- Expensive Wood
- Top Brand Pickups
- Compound Radius Fretboard
- Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
- No Locking Tuners
- Made in Mexico
- No High-Quality Nut
- No Neck-Through Build
- No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
- No Weight Relief
- No Luminescent Inlay
- No Tremolo
- 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 Reverend Crosscut W has the wider nut with 43mm (1.693'') vs 42.9mm (1.688''). This is a 0.1mm (0.0050000000000001'') difference
This means that it will be more difficult to do bar chords on the Reverend Crosscut W, 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 Reverend Crosscut W and the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW 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 Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW 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 Reverend Crosscut W favors large hands more than the Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW.
Reverend Crosscut W:
Charvel Jake E Lee Signature Pro-Mod So-Cal Style 1 HSS HT RW:
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.
