Custom 22 vs. McCarty

[Paul L]

If you had one of each side by side, both stoptails and with 57/08s, do you think there would be much difference in tone and/or playability? The McCarty would have a slightly thicker body (1/8" I think) and a slightly thinner headstock with vintage tuners. The reason I ask is that I'm looking at a 2013 CU22 with 57/08s and stoptail...it has the 5-way blade switch. I've owned a few McCartys and am pretty familiar with how they play & sound. I prefer vintage-style humbuckers.

 

[László]

This of course depends on the actual hunks of wood, so obviously you'd have to play both guitars, but what I'd expect with the CU22 is a bit less lower midrange, and a bit more bite in the upper mid and treble.

That's my experience in the past with both guitars, having had several CU22 iterations, and several McCartys.

But as I said, every guitar varies individually, and my description is a very large generalization.

 

[Tag]

This of course depends on the actual hunks of wood, so obviously you'd have to play both guitars, but what I'd expect with the CU22 is a bit less lower midrange, and a bit more bite in the upper mid and treble.

That's my experience in the past with both guitars, having had several CU22 iterations, and several McCartys.

But as I said, every guitar varies individually, and my description is a very large generalization.

I agree with Les. I dig the CU22s more in general because they have more upper mids than the McCarty, which can sound congested and not as open or airy when you play them side by side. Then again, going semi hollow, I like the McCarty depth over the Cu22s because it gives a deeper, more hollow body tone. So for me, solids, I like the CU22. semi hollow, I like the McCarty. As Les points out, the individual guitars and woods used can probably make things much more alike, or much more different.

 

[maxtuna26]

CU22 for the thinner body and locking tuners, McCarty for the 3-way toggle and coil-split. That said, the wood matters more than what's on the truss rod cover haha.

 

[Rampage]

Not to muddy the waters, but what about a McCarty MC58? It has locking tuners which differs from a traditional McCarty. Not sure if the MC58 sticks to the other McCarty specs in terms of body and headstock thickness etc.

 

[maxtuna26]

I'm pretty sure the MC 58 is the same thing as a traditional McCarty, but throw in the locking tuners, more blings and probably comes with one of the 5X/0X instead of the McCarty pickups, pretty much like the SC 245 and SC 58. All in all, they're all beautiful guitars haha