Difference between single and double cut 594s

Austin_Taunt

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Really digging the specs on the 594. Appears to be a great guitar for me to fulfill the Les Paul urge I constantly have. Had four different Gibson’s in the past few years and each had their own reasons why they didn’t work for me. I love the short scale feel and tone and the 594 seems to address most of those. Looking around I’m finding mostly double cuts for what I consider good deals. Do these differ much in tone and feel than the single cuts? Do the double cuts allow easier upper feet access? My first wish is to get the SC bc it has the traditional look but I’m honestly not too picky if it delivers.
 
I'm sort of in the same boat as you. In looking at the specs, I think the double cut is a 25" scale, whereas the Singlecut is 24.594" scale, according to the specs I see on Sweetwater.

I find the doublecuts have been upper fret access, they just do, but it's really not bad on a singlecut either. I have a S2 CU24 and a CE24, love how easy they are to play, and the SE Santana Singlecut is easy too, but it's a bit heavier, and thicker, so there's that.

I'd love to add maybe an S2 594 Singlecut sometime this year, they seem pretty back ordered, so it may indeed be late into the year!

Edit, I was wrong (So is Sweetwater) as the doublecut 594 are indeed 24.594 scale, I thought that seemed odd they would be listed as 25".
 
I think the Singlecut 594 just looks right, something about the doublecut with the 4 control knobs and the input selector on top, looks a bit off to me. I'm sure they'd both be amazing though, can't lose!
 
Really digging the specs on the 594. Appears to be a great guitar for me to fulfill the Les Paul urge I constantly have. Had four different Gibson’s in the past few years and each had their own reasons why they didn’t work for me. I love the short scale feel and tone and the 594 seems to address most of those. Looking around I’m finding mostly double cuts for what I consider good deals. Do these differ much in tone and feel than the single cuts? Do the double cuts allow easier upper feet access? My first wish is to get the SC bc it has the traditional look but I’m honestly not too picky if it delivers.

I love my 594. The singlecut 594 is slightly thicker and has a bit of a meatier tone because of that. They play exactly the same otherwise.

I also play an R7 but I welcomed the DC 594 because les pauls are unwieldy in the best of cases. Even still, the SC594 is a lot easier to handle than a LP.

All things considered, the 594 is easily one of the best guitars i've ever owned or played. I'm actually playing it as I type this lol
 
I'm sort of in the same boat as you. In looking at the specs, I think the double cut is a 25" scale, whereas the Singlecut is 24.594" scale, according to the specs I see on Sweetwater.

I find the doublecuts have been upper fret access, they just do, but it's really not bad on a singlecut either. I have a S2 CU24 and a CE24, love how easy they are to play, and the SE Santana Singlecut is easy too, but it's a bit heavier, and thicker, so there's that.

I'd love to add maybe an S2 594 Singlecut sometime this year, they seem pretty back ordered, so it may indeed be late into the year!

Edit, I was wrong (So is Sweetwater) as the doublecut 594 are indeed 24.594 scale, I thought that seemed odd they would be listed as 25".
You might be looking at the regular mccarty, not the mccarty 594.

All the 594's have the same scale length
 
IIRC, all 594s are scale length 24.594. The McCarty SC 594 voiced slightly lower midrange because of the extra upper bout weight, more traditional for a deeper vintage LP tone. The double-cut 594 slightly higher midrange because of the opposite effect, less weight contributes to slightly higher timbre. Not sure if the TCI pickups have anything to do with the tone, but they must...which makes each guitar different to one's ears...IIRC, the purpose of the TCI pickups was to produce different sounding guitars so that no 2 would be exactly alike...and a good reason why some folks understand "snow" better than others...

Both guitars good choices, my pref is the traditional LP style though would prefer a lighter weight. They are found online, you just need to research well and find them...

The Sweetwater site mistakenly mentions the scale length at 25", when the scale length is actually 24.594...
 
I love my 594. The singlecut 594 is slightly thicker and has a bit of a meatier tone because of that. They play exactly the same otherwise.

I also play an R7 but I welcomed the DC 594 because les pauls are unwieldy in the best of cases. Even still, the SC594 is a lot easier to handle than a LP.

All things considered, the 594 is easily one of the best guitars i've ever owned or played. I'm actually playing it as I type this lol

I need to get to sweetwater and try the 594s. They have a killer artist package hollowbody single cut. It’s probably the prettiest guitar I’ve ever seen. A local shop also got a used R9 in stock that I’m going to try out this week. I wasn’t wanting to break the bank on my next purchase but we all know how that goes lol.
 
The SC has a slightly thicker body and a unique neck-body joint that the original TCI pickup technology was initially designed for. It also sits a bit more body-close being a SC shape. The DC body is slightly thinner (yet thicker than a standard core) and sits more heel centered. I have five 594s. They are the very best guitars ever made. You can't lose.
 
The Singlecut will have more oomph in the lower midrange. The tones are different. Incidentally, I have a DC594, and have played the SC (and own an SC McCarty Singlecut PS, a very similar guitar, as well as having owned quite a few PRS SCs of various types over the last 20 years).

I've seen comments implying that the two models are the exact same in terms of tone. That's simply not true. If you're unsure, play both to see which you prefer.
 
Wow. Thank you everyone for the really helpful advice. With this being a substitute for a Les Paul I would really like to get a single cut. I’m loving how people really talk them up. I’m sure they are both great.

I did play a Gibson R9 today and it had a great neck. Had to tune it twice in 20 min which was super annoying. Nut definitely needed work, case was aftermarket, worming on the back and it appeared two knobs had cracks. I’m not super picky but it was only priced 30% less than new and that is a lot of money with those types of problems. I can buy a 10 top sc594 brand new for less and if the quality is anything like my 513, the 594 will smoke the R9. I played the 513 for a hour today and it never lost tune. That’s the way it should be.
 
The Singlecut will have more oomph in the lower midrange. The tones are different. Incidentally, I have a DC594, and have played the SC (and own an SC McCarty Singlecut PS, a very similar guitar, as well as having owned quite a few PRS SCs of various types over the last 20 years).

I've seen comments implying that the two models are the exact same in terms of tone. That's simply not true. If you're unsure, play both to see which you prefer.
I couldn't agree more, Schef. They are VERY different. My SC is a 2020 with TCI pickups, and I feel it nails the classic SC tone while offering a wider selection of sounds around the edges, if you will. The DC gets close but has it's own sweet, creamy tone that walks its own path. I recall hearing the 594 in person for the first time at Experience and GOD was it amazing. I think they played it through a Blistertone amp or a DGT head, not sure. It just sailed on its own wind, it was incredible.
 
Wow. Thank you everyone for the really helpful advice. With this being a substitute for a Les Paul I would really like to get a single cut. I’m loving how people really talk them up. I’m sure they are both great.

I did play a Gibson R9 today and it had a great neck. Had to tune it twice in 20 min which was super annoying. Nut definitely needed work, case was aftermarket, worming on the back and it appeared two knobs had cracks. I’m not super picky but it was only priced 30% less than new and that is a lot of money with those types of problems. I can buy a 10 top sc594 brand new for less and if the quality is anything like my 513, the 594 will smoke the R9. I played the 513 for a hour today and it never lost tune. That’s the way it should be.
I can case my PRSi and come back (in rare cases) months later and it's still in tune. No one can touch the PRS neck manufacture protocol and resultant stability.
 
I went back and forth between an R9 and the prs 594 SC. I already have a McCarty that I bought in 1998. So I knew about the quality. I also had a LP studio back in the day as well. Actually the McCarty replaced the LP studio.
After PRS added the TCI pickups to the 594 I let my faith in PRS sway my buying decision and got a SC model.
So far no regrets on my part at all.
As an aside I would still like an R9. I met Les Paul in the 90s. He was extremely kind and autographed a denim Gibson Jacket that I was given. He told me I now had a "one of a kind" article.
I still have it and it remains unworn.
 
First timer here and I'm struggling with the same issue. I know I want a 594, but I just can't decide which to get. I'm leaning towards the singlecut, but part of me wants something different since I have a R9 already. Maybe that's the shape for me. It looks like I can't go wrong with either, so I guess it will come down to what kind of price I can get.
 
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