Finding Right Guitar - New to PRS and this Forum

[moT]

Thank you for all the help. I think the field is narrowing a bit though I am feeling a bit lost with all the choices. Floyd is out. I just want a basic guitar that rocks and is easy enough to maintain. Any thoughts on the Zach Meyers Semi Hollow? Is weight a consideration on any of the guitars?

Oh, you've opened up Pandora's box on this one

Yes! I am feeling the strain already. So many choices. I like too many to decide what to focus on.

Well, then, looks like it's time to saddle up and go shopping!

We have expectations! NGD, pictures, audio clips! Get busy! Don't procrastinate!

Slow down on your expectations of me and refer to #4 of first post for this thread. This is going to take at least a bathroom refinish or more before I can seal the deal on a new guitar of any sort.

the McCarty is really going to stand out

What makes a McCarty a McCarty? Seems to be quite a few price points for various McCarty guitars.

I think my focus should be on SE 22/24 while also keeping an eye on McCs that interest me.

ScreamingD, thanks for the tap talk. Makes more sense now. Do all PRSi come with tap or just certain models or after a certain year?

All the 22/24 fret talk is making me think I should get a SE standard 24 or SE custom 24 and a McCarty 22 (if that exists), but I don't know that one bathroom remodel will be enough to swing two more guitars. I need to focus only on one and just one is a no-go until the tub is functional again. On the one hand I don't know if I want to throw out serious money for a higher trim PRSi when an SE can scratch the itch well enough. On the other hand, if I get the SE and decide I want (need) a higher trim later, I may have wasted all my goodwill on the inferior model and not have enough honey-dos left to get another in the near/far future.

The Sweetwater folks have my number already and have been quite helpful helping me spend money in the past. So the bottom line is that I want to know more about what makes a McCarty a McCarty and if I should only concentrate on SE and McCarty or is there something in between like a custom, Bernie or Mira that could scratch this itch as well as the higher trim line while not leaving me longing for a nicer trim line (which is my fear in getting just an SE). I suspect that if I grab an SE (like I would have done already if it wasn't for my happy-wife/happy-life constraint alluded to before) I could be perfectly happy with it looking through my acoustic guitar chops until I start to have access to better guitars in the PRS lineup.

Fortunately I am forced to not be in a hurry and will have to sit on the question of which guitar is the 'right' one for me (and the kid) for a little longer. I think he is more inclined toward a really fast 24 and I think I am more ambivalent but leaning more toward a 22 than when I first started looking at PRSi.

The questions are getting answered and the more I investigate the more I think that PRS is the right direction to go for my first electric. I can't thank you enough for taking your time to help me spend some money on a quality axe. I still have a bunch of unanswered questions, so feel free to fill in my blindspots as much as you are willing and think I can absorb. I am pretty slow, so sometimes you may have to hit me over the head a few times to get a point across. I should get there eventually though.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I just want a basic guitar that rocks and is easy enough to maintain.

Custom 22 or 24... SE, S2 or Core, depending on your price point.

Any thoughts on the Zach Meyers Semi Hollow? Is weight a consideration on any of the guitars?

Lots of people love the Zach Meyers. I'd recommend a solid body as your first electric, particularily if you want to play more aggressive music.

What makes a McCarty a McCarty? Seems to be quite a few price points for various McCarty guitars.

The McCarty was a more vintage take on the Custom 22 design. Generally, a thicker body and lower output pickups. There's been a lot of variations over the years.

ScreamingD, thanks for the tap talk. Makes more sense now. Do all PRSi come with tap or just certain models or after a certain year?

It varies; different models implement it differently and sometimes it's implemented differently on two versions of the same model.

If it seems like I'm skimming some subjects it's because it would take more time than I have to get detailed. Due to the variety and frequency of changes on PRS guitars it'd take paragraphs to cover knob placement, coil taps, pickups and other variations on all the different Custom 22/24 and McCarty models produced over the years.

On the one hand I don't know if I want to throw out serious money for a higher trim PRSi when an SE can scratch the itch well enough. On the other hand, if I get the SE and decide I want (need) a higher trim later, I may have wasted all my goodwill on the inferior model and not have enough honey-dos left to get another in the near/far future.

As long as your second guitar is the same colour as the first....

So the bottom line is that I want to know more about what makes a McCarty a McCarty and if I should only concentrate on SE and McCarty or is there something in between like a custom, Bernie or Mira

When I first bought a PRS I was was fortunate in that all I did was sit in a store and play them until I found one that seemed to call to me. I had gone in wanting a Custom 24 because it was THE classic PRS but I left with a McCarty because it was the one that I dug the most. I'm also a Les Paul player, so I probably liked the thicker sound and three way switching. If I was a Strat guy I may have dug the Customs better for the more cutting tone and 5 way blade switch.

Then I looked at the PRS website and joined this forum. Talk about option overload. I was initially overwhelmed with all the options available, and I'm an experienced electric player. I can only imagine what it must be like for you.

My recommendation is to just play a bunch and pick the one you dig the most. Since you're new to electrics don't worry about getting it perfect the first time. Over time your tastes will evolve as your ear develops and you gain a better understanding of what you do and don't like in an electric. If you can't demo a bunch and need to order online Custom 22 or 24 is a great starting point, and you can't really go wrong either way. No matter what choice you make you'll still be able to make music.

 

[László]

Slow down on your expectations of me and refer to #4 of first post for this thread. This is going to take at least a bathroom refinish or more before I can seal the deal on a new guitar of any sort.

Tom, I was kidding, of course.

 

[Dusty Chalk]

ZM would be an excellent choice, it's very versatile. Weight is not a consideration on any of the hollow or semi-hollow bodies. The only one it might be a consideration on is something like the McCarty, but they're really only infinitesimally heavier than a regular solid body. What do you consider excessive? Feel free to ask about the weight of a particular guitar before getting one to try, a lot of us have scales and/or know the weight of a guitar.

 

[veinbuster]

The Zack Meyers is a very nice guitar and might be particularly well suited to someone who is primarily an acoustic player.

Screaming daisy had the same answer about the McCarty I would have given.

PRS don't generally have a weight problem.

 

[Pine Cone]

VELA ALL THE WAY!

I just got mine from online today (I think there's one left for like $1000 on Reverb).

You won't get more tones out of one guitar besides maybe like a 513 or something.... The two single coils are as opposite as can be, with the bridge one being real chimey and metallic and bright and the neck one being mellow and cool and well balanced, but both having the single coil signature sound. The humbucker is a bit feisty but again well balanced and not EMG overpunching.

And then you can mix them in mid position.... And the guitar looks cool. You should definately get the tones you want for the music styles you want to play in the OP!

And it's decently light. It's significantly lighter than my other guitars.

 

[moT]

I was initially overwhelmed with all the options available, and I'm an experienced electric player. I can only imagine what it must be like for you.

I am definitely overwhelmed. I think my best choice is to bite the bullet and get a SE or S2 CU24 and a McCarty so I have both worlds, but I don't know how to swing that by my significant other. Same color scheme could be an option, but I am not good at subterfuge. I'll need help narrowing the choices down to one and/or viable strategies on keeping the house happy. On the good news I may have a chance to go by a PRS dealer this weekend. It depends on timing and a few other things though.

Tom, I was kidding, of course

I know, but there is still a bit of truth in most things we joke about.

ZM would be an excellent choice, it's very versatile. Weight is not a consideration on any of the hollow or semi-hollow bodies. The only one it might be a consideration on is something like the McCarty, but they're really only infinitesimally heavier than a regular solid body. What do you consider excessive? Feel free to ask about the weight of a particular guitar before getting one to try, a lot of us have scales and/or know the weight of a guitar.

I found a McCarty semi hollow body and at least three different shapes all called McCarty, so can a ZM be a McCarty too?

I don't know that I am that aggressive and I don't really care about weight as long as it is comfortable standing and sitting. I will keep the hollow bodies in consideration for now.

 

[shinksma]

I found a McCarty semi hollow body and at least three different shapes all called McCarty, so can a ZM be a McCarty too?

Which "shapes" did you see called McCarty? Keep in mind there is a stain/finish color called "McCarty Sunburst" or "McCarty Burst", so it can be tricky figuring out if the term is being used for the body shape/style or the finish.

The following is my understanding - I'd be happy for other forumites to correct any mis-conceptions I have:

As you probably know, Ted McCarty was president of Gibson for many years. He became a sort-of mentor to Paul Reed Smith himself (PRSh), and Paul created the McCarty line as a sort-of tribute to Ted. A "McCarty" model, when first released, was intended to take to typical CU22 body, thicken it up by 1/8", use vintage-style tuners and a stop-tail bridge, and within a year they put in less-aggressive "McCarty" pickups, making it more like a classic Les Paul than your usual CU24. But it was still a double-cutaway design. A few years later they came out with the hollowbody McCartys and Soapbar McCartys, and there have been many variations on the theme since then.

There is a Private Stock McCarty Single Cut model, but I'm not aware of any regular production single cuts given the McCarty designation - but I might be wrong on that.

A body that is thicker than the traditional CU22/CU24 thickness by 1/8" (or so) is often referred to as having "McCarty" thickness even if it isn't called a McCarty model.

Look here for info on the various models over the years (note this is very outdated, probably no more recent than 2007, so it is missing a lot of good info on the recent models like the ZM):

http://www.prsguitars.com/csc/models.html

Also see this for a brief bio on Ted McCarty (and his relationship with PRSh):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_McCarty

While a Zach Myers (only one "e" in Myers) is thicker than a typical solid-body single-cut PRS, and has vintage-style tuners, it is not called a McCarty variation by PRS.

Oh, and I really like my ZM! I recently gigged with it, and it really did a great job.

I don't know that I am that aggressive and I don't really care about weight as long as it is comfortable standing and sitting. I will keep the hollow bodies in consideration for now.

The ZM is a nice guitar, as mentioned, and the lower weight due to the semi-hollow design is a great bonus. So keep looking at the semi- and full-hollowbodies!

 

[moT]

Which "shapes" did you see called McCarty?

Tricky, Tricky! On review of some 'McCarty' PRSi I saw on the Internet yesterday, they were a lot of "McCarty Tobacco Sunburst" with 22 frets. Looks like I will need to be a little more careful in reading the wording used to describe a guitar. I suspect that some of the on line sellers may err when they give descriptions too, so like anything else there is possible error from many sources that I can overcome somewhat with more (PRSi) education. To misquote the Carpenters and introduce an ear worm for this morning's brain activities, "It's going to take some time this time, but I'll learn how to bend".

 

[dsenoj]

Tricky, Tricky! On review of some 'McCarty' PRSi I saw on the Internet yesterday, they were a lot of "McCarty Tobacco Sunburst" with 22 frets. Looks like I will need to be a little more careful in reading the wording used to describe a guitar. I suspect that some of the on line sellers may err when they give descriptions too, so like anything else there is possible error from many sources that I can overcome somewhat with more (PRSi) education. To misquote the Carpenters and introduce an ear worm for this morning's brain activities, "It's going to take some time this time, but I'll learn how to bend".

In this case, the "McCarty Tobacco Sunburst" refers to the color, not the guitar.

 

[kes7u]

In this case, the "McCarty Tobacco Sunburst" refers to the color, not the guitar.

This. When you are seeing the different shapes referred to as 'McCarty', you are being confused by the finish description. There are McCarty guitars, and there are McCarty finishes.

I have read all of your posts here. I get the feeling that you are suffering information overload, and not quite keeping everything straight. My suggestion would be to get away for a bit and do some research on your own regarding all of the items that have been described to you in this thread. I have a feeling that if you do that, you will have significantly more background which will allow you to gain much more from this thread and the wisdom imparted.

Take my 0.02 for what its worth. Just that I have been where you are in the not so distant past.

Kevin

 

[moT]

Definitely an overload. However, Internet time is much cheaper than hands on time in music shop for me, so I am gleaning what I can here by reading and re-reading threads and posts along with reviews and content from other websites. Hopefully this attempt at a PRSi education will serve me somewhat in my quest to get the right guitar on the first try. It took me 5 tries with acoustic before I found an ideal guitar (and I still have a couple of the duds sitting around that I should sell), so I am hoping to lop off a couple of iterations by using my available resources more wisely this time around.

Again I want to thank everyone for all your time used to help me get a better understanding of PRSi and I invite you to keep dropping any pearls of wisdom you may have left along with your best custard pie recipe while I keep ruminating over the resources I have and the direction I want to go. In the meantime you can bet I will be lurking in this PRS site and any other PRSi resources that I happen to discover or you might name for me.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[dogrocketp]

Here`s how you get 2 guitars. Settle on a dollar amount for the two used guitars, and tell her you want to buy a new Paul Reed Smith, and it will run $XXXXXXX. Do your honey do diligence, and then when the time is right, buy the 2 guitars used, and keep it under the amount you told her. If she dared to look at the full price for a new model, you`re in like flint. I`m also suprised by how many women can appreciate the aesthetic beauty of damn near any PRS guitar. Work it, bro.

 

[elvis]

+1

It may help you to know that I just got two PRS singlecuts. One I picked up in a trade, the other my wife made me buy because she didn't like the color of the first one. It has always worked for me to send a few links or pics of guitars I'm interested in to my wife. Once she starts having an opinion that is taken into account, she starts demanding that I buy a guitar.

Incidentally, both were used and the two together cost me slightly more than one new guitar.

 

[moT]

I have tried the send a link gambit in the past and she sent back a larger honey do list. She plays piano and doesn't see why one guitar is not enough. I play pretty much everything else and have at least 30 instruments lying around the house from trumpets and recorders to ukes and violins. Unfortunately I had to get a real job to support my music habit.

Price tags do have an effect as she likes good deals, but I don't think playing a two-for-one card will work so easily on her. I might try the "this is a better investment than the stock market" gambit. I may also try the "electric guitar will be used more than an acoustic because it's quieter" approach. If you have any other ideas to unlock this door, I am all ears. The ideal conclusion to this 1st world problem is happy wife and several new-to-me electrics in the house along with the right gear to make some quality music. I don't actually have the money for several new electrics, but that is an easier bridge to cross when the time comes given I figured out the right guitar and manufactured the appropriate consent to pursue a purchase.

Keep those PRSi info and suggestions coming too. Thank you.

Cheers,
Tom

 

[elvis]

I wonder how many guitars it would take to have as many strings as a piano...

 

[toothace]

Depends on how many 12 strings and/or doublenecks...

A standard piano has 230 strings, so...

 

[bodia]

I have tried the send a link gambit in the past and she sent back a larger honey do list. She plays piano and doesn't see why one guitar is not enough. I play pretty much everything else and have at least 30 instruments lying around the house from trumpets and recorders to ukes and violins. Unfortunately I had to get a real job to support my music habit.

Price tags do have an effect as she likes good deals, but I don't think playing a two-for-one card will work so easily on her. I might try the "this is a better investment than the stock market" gambit. I may also try the "electric guitar will be used more than an acoustic because it's quieter" approach. If you have any other ideas to unlock this door, I am all ears. The ideal conclusion to this 1st world problem is happy wife and several new-to-me electrics in the house along with the right gear to make some quality music. I don't actually have the money for several new electrics, but that is an easier bridge to cross when the time comes given I figured out the right guitar and manufactured the appropriate consent to pursue a purchase.

Keep those PRSi info and suggestions coming too. Thank you.

Cheers,
Tom

I'm golden with the Mrs on any purchases in the near future. She's dealing with a broken foot, and needs surgery. I have been doing everything around the house while she's down-n-out. She's really appreciative of that. Plus, she's a huge Striesand fan and Babs is doing a 9 city tour this summer....scored her tix for that. And I managed to get Hamilton tix for the Chicago run when they went on sale yesterday. I am GOLDEN right now!

Good luck on your quest, and getting her blessings!

 

[moT]

I should be golden as I just took her on her dream vacation, but when we got back found out the primary bathroom was moldy and flooded from a cracked sewer pipe that insurance won't cover and life is a little less golden until that gets fixed. Currently ripping out the entire bathroom floor as it is ruined including parts of the subfloor and tossed the tub too. This is a remodel I didn't want to do this summer. We'll get there eventually.

I think I have my eyes on a PRS Super Eagle at the moment, but I will have to set my sights a little lower until a small fortune is handed to me (and the bathroom gets fixed).

Cheers,
Tom

PS I like the piano strings argument for more guitars and we happen to have two pianos though one is electric (hmmmm?).

 

[drawshot]

Heya, sir.

After reading through all the posts, I'll humbly offer my opinion.

From what it seems like you're after, you may want to take a hard look at the S2 range. They are made in the Maryland shop...with build quality second to none. They feel great, play great, sound great, and come at a price that won't cause a minor coronary.

They also come in all the fun flavors. Standard 22, CU22, Standard 24, CU24, Singlecut, and Vela. They come in gloss and satin finish. They come with dot or bird inlays. Options galore!

I've owned 4 SE models (I still have one) I have two S2 models (with another in my very near future), and one new CE24 (which is a wicked piece of gear).

All things considered, I think you could find a wallet-friendly S2 that meets all your wants and needs...and have funds left over for bathroom floor tiles!