Charvel Jake E Lee USA and Pro Mod sound comparison Mesa Badlander 25 head

[@kevingodziebiewski2593]

Got one today…. Absolutely love it!!! Not because of jake…but because it was the nicest playing guitar in store….spent 6 hours going between 3 different guitars over 2 days Fender Jackson And jake 😊

[@paroblynn]

Glad to hear it!

[@zach5882]

That is a KILLER sound you got there 💪

[@paroblynn]

Thank you very much. That was the badlander 25 in crush with a prince of tone in front.

[@brandonjackson5865]

@@paroblynn that’s a pretty sweet rig for sure. How do you like the Badlander 25 ? I had a Rectoverb 25 that I loved when I first got it 8 years ago but sold it about a month ago because I had been playing my DSL20 way more and couldn’t ever get the rectoverb tight enough even with boosts in front and an eq in the loop, it was probably more my cab than the amp anyway I assume the Badlander 25 is a Rectoverb 25 minus reverb with a tighter bottom end ? Maybe more leaning more modded Marshall/Soldano than rectifier, it’s still got the girth of the recto but it sounds a little more shifted towards a British voice? Maybe a little recto a little trans Atlantic ? Of course anything sounds pretty amazing through those oversized boogie cabs .

[@paroblynn]

@@brandonjackson5865 I can't really think of an accurate comparison for the Badlanders. They sound like nothing I've ever heard but they are the sound I've always heard, if that makes sense. Every time I play one I'm just blown away by how incredible it is. Maybe it's just because it seems to "fit" me so well. The simplicity and ferocity combined are pretty much everything I've wanted out of an amp. I mean, think of a JCM800 with 2 independent channels and their own eqs; that's a magic item right there. The Badlander has the 800 flavor. Maybe it's fair to say it's got the spirit of the rectifier with the flavor and body of a marshall/slo. It's pretty much made me stop even looking at amps (well the 100 did, I ended up buying the 25 just for a more portable "scaled down" version of the 100.) I have a mini rectifier (which would be similar to the rectoverb) and while some say they prefer the mini rec to the badlander, the badlander makes me keep coming back. I prefer the 100, but I'd have no problem if the 25 was my only amp.

[@brandonjackson5865]

@@paroblynn yeah I really liked my Rectoverb when I first got it and it was like you described the sound I’d been chasing or at least closer than anything else has come. You know plenty of gain but nice string to string clarity even under heavy gain open chords can be heard clearly and you know like hitting a resolving open G chord you get that rahhhhwwwring but here each individual string but it blooms. I never remembered having a problem with it being tight enough for like thrash rhythm playing but I just couldn’t get the percussive clank that I want , I guess and I found it sounded boxy compared to my DSL20 and it wasn’t being used. I hated getting rid of it but I came to the realization that I liked the idea of having the Rectoverb more than actually using the Rectoverb. Sounds like the Badlander 25 might be closer to what I’d want, but I’d probably search for a used Mark IV if I were to get another Boogie. I loved running running them both together Rectoverb and dsl20 with a chorus like a dime store bargain bin John Sykes rig but when I got them dialed in together the Marshall was louder and the main tone and the Rectoverb was basically really quiet by the time I got it dialed in the Rectoverb was darker and muddier but it with a little modulation from the chorus made my guitar sound huge, it was crazy how just a little blend made the overall tone huge. I’m old school and will always love tube amps, but I’m thinking about getting a Katana or a Pod Go or something for the versatility and hopefully quieter than even 20 ish watt tube amps. Glad you’re digging the Badlander, I was just trying to figure out what it was or how it is voiced. By the way a a dual JCM 800 or stereo 800 + another 800 in the same head Shell would be an awesome thing in my opinion. I really loved the independent eq on the Mesa because you could get it completely crystal clean if you wanted it. What’s the point of a dual channel amp if the clean channel is thin and brittle because it shares the eq with the crunch or lead channel. I’ve always wanted to be a guy who could play a single channel amp and ride my volume knob to clean it up but I’m never going to be that guy.

[@briansimpson8116]

Nice guitars, nice run through, nice playing.

[@paroblynn]

Thanks! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun making this one.

[@WickedFesterBand]

Both very nice guitars!

[@paroblynn]

Thanks! This was a lot of fun. I’m anxious to listen to see if I can hear a difference between the guitars in the bridge position.

[@pathotstuff1184]

Note: the pickup spacing on the Jake pro mod is actually true to Jake’s original guitar( identical to the blue burst) as opposed to the different spacing on the USA model. I don’t understand why Charvel did not stay true to the original pickup spacing on their USA version. Just my observations through many photos of Jake’s original Charvelized Stratocaster

[@SuperCMO79]

Thanks for the great runthrough! Im wanting a charvel either the jake e lee style 1 promod or a sean delong. Both look like theyd fit the bill. I do have concerns over the MIM...had a jim root tele MIM and nut and other qc was not right. That was 2 years ago though so not sure of QC.

[@muleblues71]

What year is the usa and I seen "custom shop" on some models. Any info? New subscriber

[@paroblynn]

That USA is a 2020. I've seen some say custom shop on the headstock but I've never seen one that said that in person. I'm not sure if the one I saw online was the same one and it just had it. I have a 2018 and it doesn't say it on the headstock either. However, they both come in the "custom shop" cases and have those "custom shop" certificates. Thanks for stopping by, I love talking about gear. I'm way overdue to post some new full length videos.

[@sovaine]

Excellent comparison.

[@tonybrown7847]

Which guitar, in your opinion plays better? They sound very similar to me.

[@tmoss89]

I just got a telecaster contemporary it’s amazing for 200$ burnt maple

[@666andyberycz]

Thinking of buying a mexico on Friday, should i

[@jamesmccracken9323]

First off, i own both versions and also own the blue burst too. You can t stipulate the best sound out of the situation here. The comparison is strictly is the mexico version > aka , pro mod better made or made greatly as the usa version. The amp choice is basically what you use. That is a question of sound, not guitar stability . Both are made great but the usa version ,of course is the better overall choice. Its very close to mimicking each other and kudos but i have all 3 models,usa ,mexico and blue burst. The usa kills the contest ,blue burst is 2nd and mexico is 3rd. All great guitars , made strong and i overall go with the usa because it is a treasure. Its the best guitar i ever played,owned and researched. Plus the signature on it ,mine i speak of by jake e lee himself, is what makes it a master peice that is the best guitar ever.

[@zipchtkdn7804]

What I like about these Jake models he did not use Floyd's and cut all that wood off body and used the gotoh fixed and it sounds great and no body wood had to be taken from .

[@karlmartin849]

Is the Mexican version worth it, are there other alternatives out there?

[@paroblynn]

The Mexican model is worth it if you want a Jake style guitar that is a Charvel. There are other options but they require work. Such as buying a hard tail guitar and “Jake” styling it. If you want a genuine manufactured Charvel, then it’s the pro mod or the USA. If you can live with it not being a Charvel you have the whole partscaster approach. I would not pay full/new price on a pro mod. I’d buy it used and I’d budget to replace the nut with a tusq. I hope this info helps ya.

[@666andyberycz]

Been watching your you tube videos. Thinking of buying a mexico jake tomorrow, should I, are they worth it. Thanks Andy

[@666andyberycz]

Been watching your you tube videos. Thinking of buying a mexico jake tomorrow, should I, are they worth it. Thanks Andy

[@ricardodiaz4381]

they sound similar because of the pickups other than that its just the price difference of the guitars

[@paroblynn]

I agree with you mostly. I am not a member of the “tone wood” camp when it comes to electric guitars. I think most of the tone comes from the pickups. I don’t even think the nut matters much outside of open strings. I think there are a few differences between the USA and the MIM that substantiate the difference in price BUT is it a 2x+ difference? But the overall, I agree with you.

[@GodWentPunk1]

are the neck profiles the same?

[@paroblynn]

Very close. The main difference is the fret size will make it feel different, but it’s a Charvel speed neck on both.

[@kennethmeeker6369]

I don’t think any of them are made like Jakes are they ? Jumbo frets up to the twelfth fret and then medium frets ?

[@paroblynn]

Kind of. Some of his had that fret job. Some didn’t. There are so many variations that it’s silly.

[@zipchtkdn7804]

I like the Mexican made ..sounds brighter

[@rubenreza]

The A5 magnet in the MIM JB pickup vs the A2 mag in the USA JB will do it

[@MrFoodkiller]

@@rubenreza Where did you get the pickup information? I cant realy seem to find anything anywere about them having different magnets

[@rubenreza]

@@MrFoodkiller online