Yes, I am on a roll rebuilding the collection!
But I am going to try to chill now, I think I have the diversity I wanted, at least to get going on this new chapter of my journey. (Famous last words - I believe I have said that many times before, completely in vain.)
This one has come from a very interesting process for me. After getting going with a great variety of four 25 inch PRS guitars, I decided I wanted to dip my toe in the water again with a 594 of some sort. That ended up being a little more difficult than expected, but I was happy with the result and learned/confirmed some things along the way.
In wanting to try a 594 again, I was torn between Doublecut and Singlecut 594's, as always. I had loved the Doublecuts basically as a 594 version of my love for the 25 inch McCarty model, the compactness of it and the great ergonomics. But also when I had several DC 594s back in 2016 and the Singlecut 594 came out, I became smitten with those and went more so that route. When I went again with the 594's in 2020, I had and liked both a lot, but had a slight preference for the Singlecuts.
I had a tough time selecting a 594 in Singlecut or Doublecut, based on finish, top and weight - online. I ended up ordering a Doublecut, and received it Thursday. Visually, it was stunning, I gasped when I open the case. With regard to feel and tone, it was not for me, which was a disappointment. It was good - but "this time around" I am trying to focus on stellar feel and tone, and not as much about how pretty it looks hanging on the wall. My criteria for feel and tone is that it must be "awesome" and blow my mind, or I have to return it. I have been really lucky so far here in December 2023 and in 2024, with great examples from a feel and tone perspective - the Custom 24 PS that I played in person at CME and was blown away by, the McCarty and the Tremonti Trem that Eric at Willcutt Guitars hand selected for me from multiple examples (he is always great for me at that!), and the Custom 24 TCI. With a heavy heart, I returned the DC 594 that looked incredible, but was not a fit with respect to feel and tone.
So then I decided I needed to play some 594's in person, so I headed down to CME again yesterday and spent a few hours playing many guitars. I even brought my Custom 24 PS for a reference guitar to make sure the bar was set high for comparison. I played several Core and Private Stock 594's, both Singlecut and Doublecut, and a few other models.
There was a Core DC 594 that was really good, it was on the short list for a while. There was a Private Stock DC 594 that was also really good. But when I got to the SC 594's, there was one that crushed both of the DC's. It was "bigger" sounding and punchier, and still had a terrific clarity, better clarity than the 2 DC's, with the test of all of the riffs and parts of songs I use to test that sort of thing when testing a guitar. As with last time David A at CME helped me in the room to A/B all of the guitars relative to the Custom 24 Private Stock. He agreed that the SC 594 was the pick of the litter, for what I was playing and what I was looking for.
The finish and top really isn't my thing, but again I have to stay true to my new criteria. I don't generally buy Black guitars for the same reason I don't buy Black cars - they show every little smudge! That said, I do like Purple Guitars, and this one does have a cool vibe. Kind of mean and Gothic. I don't love how the bottom of the top becomes mostly Black visually, but you don't really see that when you are playing it. I do like it visually though, it is cool, and I think it looks better in real life than in pictures.
The feel of it is amazing, and the tone is killer. I have to make myself prioritize those things first and foremost! With the Custom 24 PS and this one, I feel like I didn't chose the guitars, they chose me. Which is cool.
Tonally the best two SC 594's I owned previously were first and foremost the SC 594 Prototype Private Stock I acquired in 2016, which was likely one of the very first SC 594's made. Several of the Chicago guys here have played that and many have said that was the best sounding Singlecut PRS they have heard. (Foolishly, I sold that in 2020.) A close second was a 2020 Prototype (when they went to the Nitro Core finish) that I bought from CME. This one is at least as good as that 2020 Prototype, if not a little better, re feel and tone. (I do like the looks and vibe of the 2020 Prototype better, more Vintage.)
So here it is:
Other thoughts from the 594 experience again, and from the CME trip:
It was very interesting playing several 594's again, the DC 594 and the many DC and SC 594's at CME. The 594 scale felt like home to me, it was amazing to reconnect with it! When I first experienced it again with the DC 594 I got in, I must admit, I got a little teary-eyed.
I was worried about reconnecting too much with it, at the expense of not loving the 25 inch scale as much, which would be a problem, since the rest of the collection is 25 inch. Not the case, thankfully, I am still very much digging going back and forth between the two, and can do so easily. Whew!
At CME I also played a Private Stock DGT. I confirmed yet again that DGTs are NOT for me! LOL. The narrower Nut Width and resulting string spacing completely throws me off, as do the gigantic frets. Great tones, though!
I also played a Private Stock Santana. Great guitar! I could definitely feel that subtle difference the 594 scale and the 245 scale, very much so. I would not want to try to go back and forth between the two scale lengths. Playing that Santana really reaffirmed for me the excitement about the 2024 Santana's being 594-scaled, and with a 10" radius. I am definitely looking forward to checking one of those out when they start showing up. In fact, I am more excited about the notion of a 594-scaled Santana being a complement to the SC 594 than the notion of getting a DC 594 (been there and done that?), much like a Custom 24 is to a 25 inch McCarty - as I mentioned on the 2024 Santana threads.
Next up in my focus is Amps - maybe one more tube amp, and a Kemper (again)...
