1st PRS??

Well, I think I would prefer a 22 fretted guitar. With that being said, it looks like either a Custom 22 for McCarty. What are the differences between the two? What things should I look for when buying besides neck size? Are there particular pickups that sounds better than others? I love the sound of good ole' Gibson T-tops. Any decent places to buy used besides Fleabay?

McCartys are discontinued now, so you'll need to hunt for them on the used or new old stocks.

I'll list out the differences this way for easier comparison:

McCarty
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-Stoptail only (apart from the rare McCarty Trem)
-Thicker body (close to LP thickness)
-McCarty pickups that are vintage voiced.
-3-way toggle switch with push-pull coil tap on tone control
-22 frets

Custom 22
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-Stoptail or Trem option
-Thinner body (PRS Custom model thickness)
-57/08 pickups (vintage-voiced pickups that are highly praised) or HFS/VB pickups (the original PRS Custom pickups that are modern-sounding and versatile)
-5-way blade switch with integrated coil-split function on position 2 and 4
-22 frets

There's another choice you can put in, which is the 408 Standard/408 MT.

-Stoptail or Trem option
-Thicker body (same with the McCarty)
-408 pickups which are the newest special PRS pickups (unique voicing that's not too vintage yet not too modern)
-3-way blade with 2 mini-toggles coil-split
-22 frets
-408 Std = full mahogany / 408 MT = maple top, mahogany back

The 408 Std will be the lowest priced one if you're strictly buying new. Used, you can get most of them at similar prices, but look out for damages. I'm not sure of any sites selling/trading used PRS, maybe vintage rocker or something. Can anyone else chime in on this?
 
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