594 GAS

newfmp3

newfmp3

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Joined
May 20, 2012
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180
Been a while since I posted here, I'll save you the long story, but I haven't been able to pay much over the last couple of years. Now I got the itch again. Been looking into the 594 in double and single cut and can't decide. Can't decide on a few things
1. Is the neck too big for small hands?
2. I like the look of the SC but obviously the double cut has better reach up high but really like the SC too.
3. Have no idea on semi hollow body and it's differences but the shop I deal with has a few I could choose from.

Sadly where I live, I can't try a PRS. Any. Well, SE's. But no cores. So the ones I have I have had to order blind from the net. I do have a pattern reg experience CU24 from 2012. Also a lovely DGT from 2018 in copper head burst with flame neck. I love the neck on these two guitars. I've never tried a Pattern, or Pattern Thin, or Santana. I do have a good Les Paul Std with slim 60 neck I really enjoy, Tele with modern C that's got an "OK" neck for me, a Custom Deluxe strat with oval 60s C that I find a bit too chunky up top. Just listing for comparison.

I'm back and forth on taking a risk on the 594. With the Neck size being the biggest concern.
 
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I just went and compared my SE245 Standard Singlecut which has a Wide Fat neck with my 594 Singlecut which is a Pattern Vintage neck. They are pretty close. The 594 is a little bigger, but it's asymmetrical, so hard to tell for sure. I would say go play a wide fat PRS neck and you will get the idea.

I am a smaller guy, and I would say I have medium sized hands.

As for the 594. It is an amazing guitar. Get one! It is notable how huge it sounds unplugged compared to my SE245.
 
I have what my friend calls “Billy Barty hands”. If you see videos of me playing, elegant my hands ain’t. The 594 neck fits me very well.
 
I’ve found a really prefer thin necks over the years with pattern thin being my preferred shape. I had a DGT that I sold because the neck and frets were just too big for me. That said the pattern vintage on the 594 feels amazing and somehow manages to play thin while being fairly chunky. It’s quickly becoming my favorite profile because it’s comfy at the lower frets but still quick at the higher frets.

I prefer double cut just for wait savings and playability. I’ve never played a single cut 594 but I have compared mine to my Les Paul and felt the 594 has just as much bottom end to it so it’s really just personal preference with looks and playability.

I own a semi hollow 594 and have played some solid body ones and this again boils down to personal preference and what you’re looking for tone wise. I’ve noticed my semi-hollow has a softer attack and very deep resonant lows compared to the solid body having a fast attack and a tighter tone overall.

Overall 594s are absolutely fantastic and extremely addicting to play no matter which variation you choose. I don’t think there’s a bad 594 out there, you just have to decide what you’re looking for as far as tone and playability.
 
21Hemispheres12 said:
I’ve found a really prefer thin necks over the years with pattern thin being my preferred shape. I had a DGT that I sold because the neck and frets were just too big for me. That said the pattern vintage on the 594 feels amazing and somehow manages to play thin while being fairly chunky. It’s quickly becoming my favorite profile because it’s comfy at the lower frets but still quick at the higher frets
Click to expand...

that's odd that the DGT was too big. Was it an older DGT?
 
Newfmp3, yea it was a 2009. It was a great guitar but the neck felt too narrow and thick and the frets were just too big for me. I recently picked up a custom shop Les Paul special used and found the exact same problem with the thick neck so I had to get rid of that too. I don’t know what’s different with the pattern vintage carve but it’s much more comfortable to me.
 
newfmp3 said:
Been a while since I posted here, I'll save you the long story, but I haven't been able to pay much over the last couple of years. Now I got the itch again. Been looking into the 594 in double and single cut and can't decide. Can't decide on a few things
1. Is the neck too big for small hands?
2. I like the look of the SC but obviously the double cut has better reach up high but really like the SC too.
3. Have no idea on hollow body and it's differences but the shop I deal with has a few I could choose from.

Sadly where I live, I can't try a PRS. Any. Well, SE's. But no cores. So the ones I have I have had to order blind from the net. I do have a pattern reg experience CU24 from 2012. Also a lovely DGT from 2018 in copper head burst with flame neck. I love the neck on these two guitars. I've never tried a Pattern, or Pattern Thin, or Santana. I do have a good Les Paul Std with slim 60 neck I really enjoy, Tele with modern C that's got an "OK" neck for me, a Custom Deluxe strat with oval 60s C that I find a bit too chunky up top. Just listing for comparison.

I'm back and forth on taking a risk on the 594. With the Neck size being the biggest concern.
Click to expand...

1: No the neck is perhaps the 'chunkiest' that PRS do, its not that big overall and the asymmetric carve must help to reduce the feeling of 'bulk'. To me, it felt like it had been worn in. Compared to my Electro Acoustic, the neck feels quite small so its all relative.
2: Obviously, without the wood at the top of the neck that the SC has, you can get a bit further up the neck but I doubt there is a vast difference and if you have played a Les Paul, I would say even the SC may be better thanks to the lower horn scoop that PRS guitars have. If you aren't spending a lot of time up at 19-22 frets - especially on the thicker strings, then it probably won't matter. I went for the DC just because its the more PRS looking version. Another thing to consider though is weight - the DC is generally lighter than the SC.
3: Hollowbody will be different - it also has a carved maple back and much of the Mahogany is removed. Semi-hollow is more like the Solid body but with a portion of the mahogany taken out but you still get the same basic construction which I think keeps it closer to the solid body but lighter. The hollowbody has no backplates either - not that it affects the playability in either case but may affect the difficulty on swapping PU's IF you wanted.

I have all 4 of the Pattern necks and not one is particularly big. The Pattern Vintage is the biggest but I find the carve fits the hand and feels more like its worn away after years of playing if that makes sense. I don't have any issue going from my Pattern Thin to the Pattern Vintage and none of these feel like the proverbial baseball bat, none feel particularly wide but then I have an Acoustic guitar that is wider and thicker necked - although compared to a standard Acoustic, its a smaller neck. I bought it because it was an Electro-Acoustic which meant a thinner body and smaller, narrower neck than just an Acoustic. To me, all of the PRS guitars are relatively similar and whilst they do differ slightly, they all seem to be in and around the 'middle' size necks. Not the biggest/chunkiest and not the thinnest either - differing by less than a mm here and there.

I cannot tell you how they will feel in your hands though and it will depend on what you have become accustomed to as well. If you are used to a Wizard neck for example, even the Pattern Thin may seem a bit fat for you at first. If a store has any Pattern Vintage necks - that's ANY 594 models, I would recommend trying one to see how it feels to you. Ordering online should give you a period in which you can try it and if its really not for you, send it back without any penalties - as long as you send it back in the condition it arrived in. All good retailers would and should offer that but the best thing is to try and find any shop that has a 594 to try. All 594's come with the Pattern Vintage neck so it doesn't matter if its a DC or SC, solid, semi or hollow, you can get a sense of how the neck feels to you.
 
The pattern vintage took a few tries for me to "get" it, but once I did I really liked it.

I also much prefer the single cut to the double cut. I found there was a difference in tone. I also just dislike the look of double cuts with the toggle at the top, it bothers me for some reason.

If I didn't have a great les paul I would absolutely buy one of these in a heartbeat. The pickups are incredible.
 
I was not blessed with what one would call "large hands". I have no issues with the neck of my 594. To be honest I don't "actively" feel a difference between it and my other two McCartys.
 
I don't find the 594 neck to be as chunky as the Santanas that I have had (including the West St). If you like the DGT neck, I think you'd be fine with the 594. There is something about it that just feels so right when your hands are on it. Like a broken in baseball mitt. Of course, YMMV. I sadly sold my 594s during the Great Purge, but I am looking to put one back in the stable. Soon!
 
1. Only you can decide how a neck feels in your hands. Can’t be answered.

2. The SCs have a little more girth in the lower mids.

3. The semi-hollow body creates a resonant peak at the point where the higher frequencies roll off. It’s a great sound, but it may or may not be your cup of tea. I like it.

Bottom line: As Yosemite Sam always said, “You pays your money, you takes your chances.” Or you could take a trip and play one. Or you could buy one with a 24 hour approval period and make up your mind first. Lots of dealers will do that.
 
IMG_2100__23792.1541698714small_zps4iqyy3ld.jpg


darn watermark!
 
newfmp3 said:
Yeah I don't know what it is about PRS, but it's the only brand where I want ALL OF THEM. I got a nice strat, tele, LP, but no desire to get any more of them. Something about the PRS inspires me to want to play. Anyways, hopefully the neck is ok for me. Otherwise back it goes.
Click to expand...

That is a big reason why I own 5 electric guitars and all 5 are PRS. If its not the 'feel', its the quality issues or the sound as stock instruments - all potentially small problems that can be overlooked because they don't affect anything significantly or can be improved with some after-market parts but with PRS, they are great straight out of the case and even under a microscope, don't appear to have any flaws - even insignificant/minor flaws. You don't have to keep looking for the 'one', the one that everything seems to come together and left the factory perfect - because all PRS guitars can be the one due to the consistency and quality control.

If like me you are limited to a few music shops in your area, choice and trying to find the one is not easy but with PRS, you can order online from any reputable dealer and be confident that it will be as perfect as any other in that model. You have quite a choice too nowadays to have a wide tonal palette from just buying PRS. All 5 of mine are quite different - the closest to my 594 is the Hollowbody ii because of the same PU's but the HBii has a Piezo and Hollow body that changes the sound. Nothing I have is like the 509 and the Special 22 is different too. Not only is my Special 22 a Semi-Hollow, it also has 58/15 MT's so different from the Custom 24 and its 85/15's. And all of this variety of tones without the Silver Sky or Paul's Guitar.

Just having PRS guitars certainly doesn't limit your tonal palette too much....
 
newfmp3 said:
Yeah I don't know what it is about PRS, but it's the only brand where I want ALL OF THEM. I got a nice strat, tele, LP, but no desire to get any more of them. Something about the PRS inspires me to want to play. Anyways, hopefully the neck is ok for me. Otherwise back it goes.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I have 5 now. I didn’t mean it to get that way!

In order of purchase...
  1. 2006 McCarty with rosewood neck - McCarty Burst
  2. 2011 Singlecut Hollowbody II - Matteo Mist
  3. 2013 Gary Grainger 5 bass - Makena Blue
  4. 2019 SE 245 Singlecut Standard - Tobacco Burst
  5. 2018 McCarty 594 Singlecut - McCarty Burst
A 1997 CE22 with Dragon 1 pickups got me hooked. My friend still has that guitar. I WANT it!

The 594 is a stand out!
 
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