The Official "McCarty 594" Love Thread!!

[jfb]

Mysterious response!

...aaannnd?

Thoughts?

I was there for some other things. Didn't even see this guitar in the shop. It was likely downstairs for pictures when I was there around lunch time. I was just commenting that I was there. I'm pretty lucky to live so close to such a nice shop. They carry damn near everything.

 

[László]

These 594s are just too cool. something about them is appealing beyond belief.

But...I just got that 20th Anniversary of PS model that's off the charts good, so I need to hold my horses...

 

[geese_com]

(The pic from the Facebook video from earlier this week, see Page 2)

Asked and answered!!

It is a prototype that has been around for a while, had some wear and tear.

Eric and I got some time to play it acoustically, but not through an amp.

(That being said, Eric had already played mine through an amp the previous day, and had STELLAR praise for the tone!)

My thoughts on this model so far from fondling it extensively yesterday:

• I *LOVE* the 24.594" scale. Even more so than the 245 scale, for some reason it feels perfect. (And I did not learn on a "shorter scale" guitar, but I have played primarily the short scale PRS for the past 7 years.)
• The Pattern Vintage Carve is awesome, feels great. Pattern nut width, beefier on the top half. You can totally feel it right away, especially for me, being really used to Pattern Necks. Felt awesome and brought a smile to my face!
• Frets are MSC Frets, the DGT frets worn down a bit or whatever. They feel great.
• Switch on the upper horn feels very intuitive, and I am used to it visually already as well. I dig it!

We had dinner with Paul and the crew later, he was very proud of what they were accomplishing with this guitar, all the little things they do to make their instruments great, and to continue to improve them. I gathered from the discussion that the key couple of things of this incrementally were the improvements to the tuner design, and the 58/15 "LT" pickups.

(Apologies again for anyone that cannot see the photos, again it is an issue with Google Photos I can't seem to figure out. I will post a link to an album tomorrow for photos posted in the thread.)

I want that Prototype!

 

[MA Pete]

I want that Prototype!

Get in line!

 

[MA Pete]

I was there for some other things. Didn't even see this guitar in the shop. It was likely downstairs for pictures when I was there around lunch time. I was just commenting that I was there. I'm pretty lucky to live so close to such a nice shop. They carry damn near everything.

Gotcha, thanks for confirming!

You ARE lucky to live so close to a nice shop!

 

[fred11]

Got some better photos this morning:

And with it's 59 brother:

 

[Aqualung]

Got some better photos this morning:

And with it's 59 brother:

That is just too stunning for words.

 

[tiboy]

Beautiful guitar. I have big time GAS for one. I would love to hear your thoughts on how it compares to the 59 as the R9 is my current number one.

 

[MA Pete]

Got some better photos this morning:

And with it's 59 brother:

Wow, great shots! Awesome guitar.

That second shot is great, the colors/tones in the finishes are very close, that is very cool. How do the tones that come out of the two guitars compare? Take your time in answering that question...

Congrats again!!

 

[jfb]

Sick fiddles. Congrats.

 

[MA Pete]

Okay, while I wait for my 594 to come in, this may be a good time to pause and talk to the lineage of this guitar, at least in what it means for me personally. To me this guitar is an extension of the DC 245 Ted McCarty, and my love and dedication for that model since 2009!

In 2009 PRS did the Sunburst run of guitars, a trio of the Smokeburst McCarty, the Sunburst SC 245, and the Sunburst Custom 22. They were the first guitars beyond the DGT to have the Nitro finish. They were gorgeous, I had one of each! The Smokeburst McCarty and Custom 22 looked and sounded incredible! The SC 245 looked the part, and I loved the short scale. But the tone did not match the look and vibe, it sounded good, but not great (these were reported to be "weight relieved"). While the Sunburst 245 pulled at my heartstrings with the look, vibe and feel, it disappointed on tone relative to the other two.

The Smokeburst McCarty was also loaded with 5909's (arranged with a dealer, they were not stock), which instantly became my favorites over the 5708's, they were a little hotter.

Smokeburst McCarty:

Sunburst Custom 22:

Sunburst 245:

Later that same year, PRS did the Dirty 100 Run which was a DC 245 with some interesting wood combinations. In concept I loved it, the comfort and playability of a DC, but with the short scale that I dug the feel of. But Kevin/BostonGuitar and I played one at GC in CT, and we weren't blown away. (Coincidentally, we played the Original Sewell that day, and l loved it! Still 7 years later, my favorite PRS amp!)

Around the same time, the "Ted McCarty" Limited Run came out, SC's and DC 245's with 5708's and Soapbars with Nitro finishes and MOP Old Birds, about 300 in total if I recall correctly. Also, they were the first PRS models to have Neck Binding, beyond the Howard Leese Golden Eagle Private Stock run. I was smitten with the concept! Particularly I was glad that they did the Old Birds, I was not at all a fan of the Outline Birds, and I totally dug the binding. I bought several DC's, and an SC from this run. My favorite DC from the 2009 production run was "137", which sounded amazing, was my main gigging guitar for a couple of years. I believe Jon/FlyingV still has that one.

My first DC Ted, being checked out by Kevin:

137:

I did stray back to 25" PRSi for a little bit, only because the cool guitars coming out in 2010 did not include DC 245's, a Willcutt's Wood Library DGT that was so awesome Eric from Willcutt's bought it back from me and still owns it, and a McCarty Shootout.

But then Willcutt's first Wood Library Ted run came out, and I jumped back in.

To be continued...

 

[jay]

Got some better photos this morning:

And with it's 59 brother:

Clips, clips, clips!

 

[László]

I grew up playing Gibsons, and the 24 point-whatever-it-was-that-day scale length feels very natural to me. But when I got my first PRS, back in 1991, they offered the 25" scale length, and that felt great to me, too.

I didn't buy a Ted, so my first experience owning the 24.5 scale length on a PRS was my Stripped 58, and the one I had was a great one. Then I got an SC58 and later an SC245. By the time I got into the McCarty Singlecut, I was hooked on the kind of fat, vintage tones they have. Both scale lengths feel great to me, but the shorter scale guitars definitely have a different sound focus that seems to please my ear in just the right way.

The 20th Anniversary of PS guitar is a 24.6, and it's great, too, though I played my 25" McCarty and CU24 30th yesterday, and I have to say...they have great tones and feel, too. Different, but great.

I guess when it comes to being a PRS junkie, I'm a general practitioner, Pete's a specialist. But I will get a 594 down the road.

 

[MA Pete]

Before jumping into the DC Ted's from Willcutt's first Wood Library Ted run, I did try 3 SC58's. Why 3? Because I was searching for a great sounding one. They were good, but not great. The new addition was the two-piece bridge, which looked and felt great IMO, but again the tone was not quite there yet.

Then I jumped back into the DC Ted's from the Willcutt's Wood Library Run, in a big way! That ended up being "home" for me for several years, and I went from those to several Private Stock DC 245's, which have been my favorite ever since.

This Glacier Blue DC Ted was my favorite from the Willcutt's Run, aristotle has it now, and I don't think it is going anywhere soon:

Willcutt's Wood Library DC Ted, I had this for a while, sold it to Alan/Yankeebulldog, and bought it back later:

Brian C with the first DC 245 Private Stock I spec'ed myself, never gigged as it weighs 8.75 pounds, has a heavy mahogany body that I intentionally picked because it was so musical sounding in the PS Vault:

A Brent/TGS creation, Mike Cantrell's favorite, traded to Howard Leese, he plays it regularly still at the Rock Vault shows (I miss this one!):

Killer! A little too flashy for me to gig, but this guy didn't seem to mind, here at the Rock Vault, after I traded it to him:

This one was originally mine, I sold it to someone else, it ended up in Howard's hands, and he traded it back to me:

(Thanks, Howard! It has been great fun trading guitars with you, and seeing you playing those great DC 245's!)

Another DC 245 PS, I didn't bond with this one, had a Rosewood Neck and I didn't care for the tone of this one as much as the others:

This Aquamarine PS DC 245 Sig was my go-to for a couple of years:

Was coincidentally on the same flight with this guy from SFO to ORD on the way back from the gig above. He was very pleased I was traveling with a PS:

That was replaced with this one, which has been the #1 DC 245 since:

Sorry to hijack my own thread with this history lesson, but I wanted to share with you guys how significant this model is for me, this to me feels like the culmination of the last 7 years of my adventure and love story with the PRS DC 245.

There is one more piece to the equation that I will add later today when I get a chance.

Before the 594 was announced, I was planning to go to the Vault and spec another DC 245 Private Stock, this time with 2 volume 2 tone controls, and the two-piece bridge, influenced by my love for the McCarty Singlecut model (the one more piece mentioned above).

When the 594 was announced, I was floored, I felt like they built this model for me! I had a great discussion with Paul at dinner the other night about that.

My 594 arrives tomorrow - I am very excited!

 

[kes7u]

Mysterious response!

...aaannnd?

Thoughts?

I am not usually a huge fan of Chevron tops, but wow, that one is killer! I think that is the one from the blog that Kevin commented on earlier in this thread...

Yep. That's the one, Pete!!

I SO want that one! Just not the right time or color for me now!! I'm already devising a custom 594 build, for whenever I can't hold out any longer.

Kevin

 

[kes7u]

Before jumping into the DC Ted's from Willcutt's first Wood Library Ted run, I did try 3 SC58's. Why 3? Because I was searching for a great sounding one. They were good, but not great. The new addition was the two-piece bridge, which looked and felt great IMO, but again the tone was not quite there yet.

Then I jumped back into the DC Ted's from the Willcutt's Wood Library Run, in a big way! That ended up being "home" for me for several years, and I went from those to several Private Stock DC 245's, which have been my favorite ever since.

This Glacier Blue DC Ted was my favorite from the Willcutt's Run, aristotle has it now, and I don't think it is going anywhere soon:

Willcutt's Wood Library DC Ted, I had this for a while, sold it to Alan/Yankeebulldog, and bought it back later:

Brian C with the first DC 245 Private Stock I spec'ed myself, never gigged as it weighs 8.75 pounds, has a heavy mahogany body that I intentionally picked because it was so musical sounding in the PS Vault:

A Brent/TGS creation, Mike Cantrell's favorite, traded to Howard Leese, he plays it regularly still at the Rock Vault shows (I miss this one!):

Killer! A little too flashy for me to gig, but this guy didn't seem to mind, here at the Rock Vault, after I traded it to him:

This one was originally mine, I sold it to someone else, it ended up in Howard's hands, and he traded it back to me:

(Thanks, Howard! It has been great fun trading guitars with you, and seeing you playing those great DC 245's!)

Another DC 245 PS, I didn't bond with this one, had a Rosewood Neck and I didn't care for the tone of this one as much as the others:

This Aquamarine PS DC 245 Sig was my go-to for a couple of years:

Was coincidentally on the same flight with this guy from SFO to ORD on the way back from the gig above. He was very pleased I was traveling with a PS:

That was replaced with this one, which has been the #1 DC 245 since:

Sorry to hijack my own thread with this history lesson, but I wanted to share with you guys how significant this model is for me, this to me feels like the culmination of the last 7 years of my adventure and love story with the PRS DC 245.

There is one more piece to the equation that I will add later today when I get a chance.

Before the 594 was announced, I was planning to go to the Vault and spec another DC 245 Private Stock, this time with 2 volume 2 tone controls, and the two-piece bridge, influenced by my love for the McCarty Singlecut model (the one more piece mentioned above).

When the 594 was announced, I was floored, I felt like they built this model for me! I had a great discussion with Paul at dinner the other night about that.

My 594 arrives tomorrow - I am very excited!

Wow!!! Quite a story. I love it, and thank you for sharing the story and pictures. AMAZING! I'm also obsessed with the 245s. Aside from my 2 Private Stock McCarty Singlecuts, I also have one of the Willcutt Wood Library DC 245s, which is nearly a perfect guitar!!

I am on the verge of pulling the trigger on a slightly unusual, brand new old stock 245 which is somewhat out of my wheelhouse. Hope to share soon!!

Kevin

 

[MA Pete]

I grew up playing Gibsons, and the 24 point-whatever-it-was-that-day scale length feels very natural to me. But when I got my first PRS, back in 1991, they offered the 25" scale length, and that felt great to me, too.

I didn't buy a Ted, so my first experience owning the 24.5 scale length on a PRS was my Stripped 58, and the one I had was a great one. Then I got an SC58 and later an SC245. By the time I got into the McCarty Singlecut, I was hooked on the kind of fat, vintage tones they have. Both scale lengths feel great to me, but the shorter scale guitars definitely have a different sound focus that seems to please my ear in just the right way.

The 20th Anniversary of PS guitar is a 24.6, and it's great, too, though I played my 25" McCarty and CU24 30th yesterday, and I have to say...they have great tones and feel, too. Different, but great.

I guess when it comes to being a PRS junkie, I'm a general practitioner, Pete's a specialist. But I will get a 594 down the road.

Les:

Great post! That leads to my next point in the timeline and journey - the McCarty Singlecut!

I had owned several SC 245's and SC 58's. The best to-date had been the SC Wood Library Ted's, and as to why I believe it was because the woods were hand-selected, and the bodies were not weight relieved, as the Sunburst 245, 5708 Limited Edition and Production Ted runs supposedly were.

And then the Private Stock McCarty came out. The reports were pretty legendary. Les, your report on yours highly influenced me getting one (later 3) of these. Howard Leese had told me offline how much he loved his.

PRS had cracked the code on this one, all three of my MSC's were fantastic! My Citrus Glow one was the best sounding guitar I have ever owned.

My first one:

My second one, tracked down in "McCarty Glow" finish, bought from Europe. Sold it to Alan after I got my personally spec'ed one in:

My third one, personally spec'ed, the best sounding guitar I have owned, and also next to its DC 245 sibling in the same finish:

I believe that the secret sauce from what they discovered with the MSC is being rolled into the 594, plus new stuff.

So (again, for me at least) the 594 is the combination of many years of DC 245 Ted love, plus the MSC! MSC magic, in the packaging of the Doublecut 245 I love so much!!

P.S. Les - I confirmed with PRS that the 20th Anniversary PS you have has the 24.594" scale. They rounded to 24.6" in the writeup. Makes sense, each CNC program they write is a lot of work, they wouldn't do two for .006" difference in length. BTW, I can definitely feel the difference between the 24.5" and 24.594" scale. Close, but different. I would bet I could tell the difference blindfolded, after 7 years of the DC 245 being my main model!

 

[MA Pete]

Wow!!! Quite a story. I love it, and thank you for sharing the story and pictures. AMAZING! I'm also obsessed with the 245s. Aside from my 2 Private Stock McCarty Singlecuts, I also have one of the Willcutt Wood Library DC 245s, which is nearly a perfect guitar!!

I am on the verge of pulling the trigger on a slightly unusual, brand new old stock 245 which is somewhat out of my wheelhouse. Hope to share soon!!

Kevin

Kevin:

Great, glad you enjoyed the story and pics!

I look forward to seeing your NOS 245 NGD.

-Pete

 

[bodia]

Great stuff! Thanks for posting it. Love the collection (past and present).

 

[FJ4]

This is a Great thread! Hopefully there´ll be tone comparison reports soon.