Bad neck angle?? S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut

[Mr.Blooze92]

Hey all,

A few days ago, I snagged a S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut as an open box deal from an online retailer. It showed up yesterday and I COULD NOT put it down last night. The action was much higher than I usually like, but decided to wait until tonight to do a little bit of setup work on it.

As I began assessing how much of a setup I needed to do, I noticed that the bridge was sitting extremely low with an action of almost 4/32 on the low E side and close to the same on the high E side. The neck is as straight as it can be with the slightest bit of relief. I began lowering the action with not much room to work with before the thumb wheels would touch the top. On the High E side, I was able to get the action to 2.5/32 with the thumb wheel kissing the top and 3/32 on the low E side with slightly less than 1/32 between the thumb wheel and the top.

To me, this doesn’t seem right. The action is acceptable now but it can’t be adjusted lower and as the guitar settles in over time, it may continue to pose more problems. I REALLY, REALLY love the neck profile and the sound of this thing, I just feel like I got a dud. Unfortunately, if I send it back, I won’t be able to afford another since I got this one for hundreds less than regular stock. I feel like I finally found the one and I’m stuck with what I believe is an incorrect neck angle.

What does this sound like to you guys?

Thanks,
-Nick

 

[Prs Mods too]

What year, bridge pics?

 

[Jack Gretz]

Where are you taking the measurements at ?

 

[Mr.Blooze92]

Where are you taking the measurements at ?

From the top of the 12th fret.

 

[Mr.Blooze92]

What year, bridge pics?

It is a 2021. I can take pics but imagine a 594 bridge bottomed out and that is what it is.

 

[Broseph]

Submit pics. Of the bridge setup. The nut.
Verify that the relief is correct to PRS specs.
I’ve had like 4-5 different s2 594’s. The action could be set pretty decent with no issue, much lower than i could get away with on the silver sky or strats. I strongly advise removing tension when adjusting the thumbwheel. It’ll allow you to easily lower/raise the action. If no help could be found here and the relief is low and action is still too high I would suggest contacting the dealer. See if they would either accept a return or pay for professional setup.

 

[11top]

Hey all,

A few days ago, I snagged a S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut as an open box deal from an online retailer. It showed up yesterday and I COULD NOT put it down last night. The action was much higher than I usually like, but decided to wait until tonight to do a little bit of setup work on it.

As I began assessing how much of a setup I needed to do, I noticed that the bridge was sitting extremely low with an action of almost 4/32 on the low E side and close to the same on the high E side. The neck is as straight as it can be with the slightest bit of relief. I began lowering the action with not much room to work with before the thumb wheels would touch the top. On the High E side, I was able to get the action to 2.5/32 with the thumb wheel kissing the top and 3/32 on the low E side with slightly less than 1/32 between the thumb wheel and the top.

To me, this doesn’t seem right. The action is acceptable now but it can’t be adjusted lower and as the guitar settles in over time, it may continue to pose more problems. I REALLY, REALLY love the neck profile and the sound of this thing, I just feel like I got a dud. Unfortunately, if I send it back, I won’t be able to afford another since I got this one for hundreds less than regular stock. I feel like I finally found the one and I’m stuck with what I believe is an incorrect neck angle.

What does this sound like to you guys?

Thanks,
-Nick

I’ve experienced that. I’ve had a few where the action is acceptable, but it could be lower if you could lower the bridge any further (and the truss rod is adjusted to flat). I agree that you should be able to lower the action beyond what is “acceptable” or beyond spec.

 

[Mr.Blooze92]

Submit pics. Of the bridge setup. The nut.
Verify that the relief is correct to PRS specs.
I’ve had like 4-5 different s2 594’s. The action could be set pretty decent with no issue, much lower than i could get away with on the silver sky or strats. I strongly advise removing tension when adjusting the thumbwheel. It’ll allow you to easily lower/raise the action. If no help could be found here and the relief is low and action is still too high I would suggest contacting the dealer. See if they would either accept a return or pay for professional setup.

Thanks. I used to apprentice under two master luthiers so I know how to do setups already. I will post some photos tomorrow. I contacted the dealer and they said that the return processing time is two weeks with another 5-10 business days to get my funds back. That is a lot of money to be tied up for 3 weeks so I don’t know what to do. The neck relief is good, the nut is good, it’s just the neck angle causing that bridge to be so low. PRS said they would look at it if I shipped it to them. That could be weeks without the guitar as well. Maybe I should just stop griping, man up and play with higher action.

 

[Prs Mods too]

Maybe I should just stop griping, man up and play with higher action.

Absolutely not. PRS is known for easy playability.

 

[Rod/]

I’d return it….so your $$’s tied up for 3 weeks… in the big picture…..
it truly sounds like the neck angle is wrong…

 

[aamefford]

It stinks to buy something and then have to fix it, unless you planned to do so (vintage guitar, car, motorcycle…). I’d probably bite the bullet, return it, and ***** for 3 weeks.

 

[archtop]

How deep are the slots on the bridge saddles? Was the bridge modified b4 you got it and saddles cut too deep (maybe someone tried to tweak the setup then returned the guitar)? I had a Gibson ES-335 with ridiculously deep bridge slots and the saddles needed to be replaced to make the guitar playable (the radius was also of on the 335).

I had an S2 594 and it also had the bridge extremely low but there was still room to go a bit lower. The S2 594 is an incredible guitar with a wonderful neck - in my case the S2 594 was a gateway drug/guitar into the world of PRS Core guitars.

 

[Tucson Thump]

Send it to PRS. One way or another it will come out right.

 

[RC Mike]

“Open box” usually means someone else bought it and returned it. Guitars that have just been out at a showroom are listed as new. It was bad enough that someone else sent it back. Why should you settle?

The money would have be gone if you kept it, so what does three weeks really have to do with it?

 

[Rod/]

“Open box” usually means someone else bought it and returned it. Guitars that have just been out at a showroom are listed as new. It was bad enough that someone else sent it back. Why should you settle?

The money would have be gone if you kept it, so what does three weeks really have to do with it?

Absolutely

 

[Rider1260]

If you love the sound of that guitar and you got a good deal and it seems you know your way around a guitar , I would set it so it plays to your liking and keep it , IF it needs something later do that work ( shaving the saddles or the thumbwheels , underside of the contact point between the bridge and thumbwheels ) I have made that mod on several older 2 piece bridge guitars from different makers. A light sanding where the bridge and the thumbwheels meet will easily give you 1/32 to 1/16th more play.
The closer the bridge to the body the more stable the bridge IMHO and less torque on the studs

 

[Prs Mods too]

If you love the sound of that guitar and you got a good deal and it seems you know your way around a guitar , I would set it so it plays to your liking and keep it , IF it needs something later do that work ( shaving the saddles or the thumbwheels , underside of the contact point between the bridge and thumbwheels ) I have made that mod on several older 2 piece bridge guitars from different makers. A light sanding where the bridge and the thumbwheels meet will easily give you 1/32 to 1/16th more play.
The closer the bridge to the body the more stable the bridge IMHO and less torque on the studs

Yep, I was going to suggest the bench grinder or file but that solution isn't for everyone.

 

[Woggers]

I’d almost be tempted to keep it. How many people can say they have a PRS with a serious factory defect? That’s a unicorn.

 

[GADonis]

I’d almost be tempted to keep it. How many people can say they have a PRS with a serious factory defect? That’s a unicorn.

That's a bit of a weird flex.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

You should be happy with the action, for YOUR playing style (whatever that is...).
If your happy with the current string heights, I might think that's a win.
Reason being, I personally love the idea of the bridge being as low as it is,
so there is more contact area, i.e.: the bridge shafts/posts, inserts, to the body.
I guess over time, the neck might need adjusting, but that's the only thing I think might change???????
Changing string gauges might effect something???
Just something to think about...
Good luck whatever way you go...

Edit: (Another thing to think about is you need a certain amount of break angle from
where the strings leave the stop-tail piece up to the saddles, or you might get a little buzzing going on)