594 needs very soft touch?

Keith B.

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Nov 21, 2020
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Ok, I've waited a very long time to post here on this subject for a couple reasons... first, because I love the look, sound and feel of my 2019 Black Gold (w/ binding) McCarty 594 Singlecut, and second because this might just be my fault.... But, here it goes:

When I play this 594, and especially in the cowboy chord zone, I find that I frequently and easily push notes out of tune unless I am VERY careful and soft with my touch. Generally, I cannot play that soft once I really get into something. The thing is, I don't think I've every had a death grip when playing guitar and I do not experience this issue with MY other guitars.

Any thoughts / similar experiences?
 
I had a similar experience with my SE Chris Robertson, but I adjusted pretty quickly. It's a fret height issue. I didn't think the 594s came with tall frets, but evidently some people like that.

I suppose it could also be a nut height issue - if your nut slots aren't cut deep enough, that could cause a similar problem, but I suspect in that instance you'd notice that the action felt high in general.

It's also possible that your guitar has this worse than most, I don't know. Hopefully some other 594 owners can chime in and let us know how easy it is for them to push cowboy chords out of tune.
 
Check out and adjust the intonation such that it works for your grip.
 
String gauge. Also, and I don't have a 594 to say for sure, but on a Gibson, tightening the tail piece down below the bridge can also tightened the string tension, which may also be helpful. Good luck!

Another great idea!
 
594s play SO easily!! Like others said, go up a string size. If you are use to long scale guitar's, shorter scales can seem to do this at first. They just play easier due to less tension.
 
String gauge?
Ok, this is embarrassing but satisfying all at the same time. I'm an idiot. Here's the rest of the story... I got this guitar not so long ago, it was in perfect condition and the strings seemed fresh (clearly 10s). Guitar played great, but I was surprised by the slightly stiff feeling - which was the exact opposite of what I expected from the .594. So..... I decided to try 9's and it got plenty slinky.

But you guys totally nailed it. Not sure why I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I guess because I've had other guitars that I could swap from 10 to 9's and not get that same issue I experienced.

And, I've just changed back to my preferred run of the mill D brand nickel wound 10-46 set. Tuned up, perfect intonation, slinky and I'm not getting that obvious out of pitch junk when I fret that open D chord. I'm back in love.

Thank you!
 
Ok, I've waited a very long time to post here on this subject for a couple reasons... first, because I love the look, sound and feel of my 2019 Black Gold (w/ binding) McCarty 594 Singlecut, and second because this might just be my fault.... But, here it goes:

When I play this 594, and especially in the cowboy chord zone, I find that I frequently and easily push notes out of tune unless I am VERY careful and soft with my touch. Generally, I cannot play that soft once I really get into something. The thing is, I don't think I've every had a death grip when playing guitar and I do not experience this issue with MY other guitars.

Any thoughts / similar experiences?
Although the answer seems to have been provided, this soft touch easy bend issue is totally about the scale of the guitar. I own many PRS, including 594 as well as other brands and scales. It’s the scale that makes the diff in terms of easy or stiffer to bend etc. it’s part of what this guitar is about. You can affect the feel a bit with string gauge for sure. But in the end the shorter scale of the 594 means a softer feel.
 
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