What benefit does the tailpiece give on a McCarty 594 vs the McCarty which just has a bridge if any?

[Revelation]

Is it more just a design when adding a tailpiece to the guitar or does it actually change the sound, sustain or even help reduce string breakage due to the angle?

In looking at this video, it seems you cannot adjust the intonation on the McCarty, (like you can on the tuneomatic type bridge of the 594) only the height on the bridge with the screws on the left and right screws.

In this video it is said that the McCarty fixed bridge is also adjusted. If you put heavier gauge strings where the G string is wrapped, you need to change the bridge. He said to buy a after market one, but I found that PRS also sells them.

 

[dogrocketp]

I play 9-42’s and love the standard bridge on my core Mira. I don’t honestly believe there is a better, only different. If you like the sound of the one piece, don’t change it. If you don’t like the sound, it’s time to experiment.

 

[vchizzle]

If you use a standard gauge set of strings, 9’s, 10’s, maybe 11’s with a unwound G, the one piece bridge intonates just fine. There are 2 set screws, one on each of the post bolts that you turn in or out. So you set intonation on the high and low E strings and you’re done. The middle 4 strings fall in when the E’s are set. If you use odd non standard gauge strings or alternate tunings, that’s where you’d likely need the adjustable stoptail.

The 1 and 2 piece bridges are made of different metals and the different style itself does cause them to sound different tonally. Like @dogrocketp said, not better or worse, but different. Both styles sustain great. I have 1 piece, adjustable and 2 piece and like them all. It’s hard to describe the differences in tone IMO, no 2 guitars of the same build sound exactly the same either.

 

[László]

The other posters covered the issue of intonation. If the guitar is set up properly, the single wrap tailpiece intonates beautifully.

There's a tone difference with the 2-piece bridge, because it transfers energy to the body of the guitar at 4 anchor points instead of 2. More about this below.

In making comparisons, however, there's a caveat: the older Singlecut, MC58, Stripped 58, and McCarty Singlecut 2-piece bridges have been mostly installed on PRS 24.5" scale length models, and they had unplated aluminum bridges and tailpieces. The 594 is a 24.594" scale length guitar, with a cast zinc bridge..

The wrap tailpieces have come mostly on 25" scale length models.

So the comparison isn't truly apples to apples.

However, having owned lots of PRSes with both bridge designs (and currently owning a couple of them, as well as several with trems), my sample size is probably enough to make some generalized observations.

I find the resonant frequencies a little different between the two bridge designs; the 2-piece seems to bring out the 'woody' character of the guitars it's installed on.

Are we talking gigantic differences? No, these are subtle differences in flavor.

As a person who absolutely hates changing strings, however, I'd like to say that the PRS 2-piece bridge does the most elegant string changes of any guitars I've ever owned. The strings fit right into the slots on the bridge as you face the top of the guitar, thread them into the hole on the tuning machines, tighten the thumbscrews, bring them to pitch, done. Pretty darn cool feature.

 

[ViperDoc]

Another difference is playing-feel when palm-resting on either bridge. They both feel and sound great. The two-piece bridge increases the bridge-to-nut length of the string when installed which makes string-bending a little slinkier, IMO. I think you need at least one of each. GO.

 

[The Bird]

In my experience string bending is a bit easier and slinkier with one piece stoptail bridges. But then again it’s easy on all PRS guitars.

 

[Bogner]

I happen to like all the various bridges on PRS guitars. I find them all to be easy to work with and simple while also sounding great and looking great. It really is impossible to say which one is better because no two guitars are alike to really and truly compare them. Looks? Preference? Comfort? Functionality? None of those are bad on any of them IMO.

 

[László]

In my experience string bending is a bit easier and slinkier with one piece stoptail bridges. But then again it’s easy on all PRS guitars.

This has been true for me as well, though some of it's about how high the stop tail on the two piece is set.

In my experience, the floating trem bridges feel the slinkiest. I rarely attach the trem bar, what I like about the bridges is the feel for bends and that "springy" tone caused by the trem cavity and springs.

 

[dogrocketp]

In my quest to have as many different sounds as possible, I’ve gotten and tried everything except the two piece. I always loved the stoptail for every reason imaginable. Most of my guitars have the trem because of my playing style. I only play standard gauge strings, and cannot find any fault with the one piece or the adjustable stop tail.