dmatthews
Dave's not here
Oooooohhhhhhh
That wavy neck is to die for...
That wavy neck is to die for...
Why do you prefer mahogany to rosewood for necks? Just curious.Rosewood necks were indeed an option, along with Soapbars in the mid 2000s; I had an Artist McCarty with Soapbars that was made for one of the NAMM shows back then. These may have been rare birds, but they were a spec sheet option, and not one-offs or weird runs.
It was a really nice guitar, very articulate, very midrange-focused.
I also have one of the 594 Soapbars currently, along with a 594 with humbuckers. Here are my thoughts:
The 594 Soapbar’s pickups are a more accurate reproduction of vintage 60s P-90s (I have a ‘65 SG Special) than the McCarty Soapbar, and of course, the guitar itself has the ability to get different sounds by blending the pickups creatively. If you’re after a vintage sound, the 594 Soapbar has it in spades.
The McCarty RW Soapbar has a brighter sound with a harder attack, probably due to its combination of less vintage pickups and the RW neck. I’ve also had a McCarty Soapbar with a mahogany neck, and CU22 Soapbars with Maple neck and fretboard, and maple neck/RW fretboard. The pickups were the same as those on the McRW Soap, except that the guitars had more sparkle up top than the RW version.
The RW neck version had a more piano-like, less rounded lower midrange.
My preference is for the tone of the 594 Soapbar, possibly because I grew up playing that SG Special, and the tones I get from it feel more familiar. However, it’s also the case that I prefer mahogany to rosewood as a neck material.
I also had a McCarty RW with humbuckers that I liked a little better than the McRW Soap; maybe the RW neck/humbuckers is a more suitable combination for what I wanted at the time, but I still got a ton of use out of that McRW Soap, and I’d enjoy comparing it to the 594 Soap.
I had a Great Selloff of a bunch of guitars and amps ten years ago, when I was obsessed with the idea of sinking some dough into studio hardware, and it was a pretty dumb move. I’m ready for my do-over, Mr. DeMille!
Why do you prefer mahogany to rosewood for necks? Just curious.
I love the feel of mine, but upper registers on my BRW neck are the issue. A sound guy came up to me once and said, "On the solo, when you went up high on the neck....the sound of your guitar disappeared in the mix." When I've EQ'd for better high end, I lost the character that I loved with the mid-range. Could be the pick-ups on that guitar, or that specific piece of rosewood, but it's discouraged me from using it outside playing these days.Just slight personal preference, really. I’ve had a few RW neck PRSes, and they were great, but the RW neck tone is a little thicker and more low-midrange focused than mahogany, while I want an airier sound.
I should note that I’m not a high gain player; I find that RW necks seem to work best with higher gain sounds, thick Santana-style leads, etc.
In the “feel” department, while lots of players love that bare wood feel, I like a gloss-finished neck. Also, the RW feels amazing at first, but in my hands, it gets “furry” after a few plays, and then I have to use micro mesh to smooth it out, treat the wood, etc. Too much maintenance for my taste!
I love the feel of mine, but upper registers on my BRW neck are the issue. A sound guy came up to me once and said, "On the solo, when you went up high on the neck....the sound of your guitar disappeared in the mix." When I've EQ'd for better high end, I lost the character that I loved with the mid-range. Could be the pick-ups on that guitar, or that specific piece of rosewood, but it's discouraged me from using it outside playing these days.
Looks great! LOVE the neck!