How am I having this problem?

[Max Headroom]

What problem you ask?
Well I'm just not feeling it, the magic, the mojo whatever you want to call it with one of my guitars...a darn expensive guitar I might add.
I'm referring to my 2018 McCarty 594 Wood library.
What is the problem exactly?
I mean it looks stunning with the flame maple top and matching neck, Korina body, gold and nickel hardware.
But....its just not talking to me when I play it, something is just not there and I can't really put my finger on it(sic) but it's not inspiring me in any way at all.
I think its possible the 58/15LT pups are not working for me but I don't think it's just that on its own, as a whole it's just not feeling magical unlike my PS or Ol 85 say.
Anyone else had this with a very well specced guitar that's a stunner visually but for whatever reason is just not calling your name?
Right now unfortunately my heart has just about made up my mind to put it up for sale as I can ill afford a $5k work of art just hanging around.
Feeling pretty sad and disappointed here about this right now....

 

[JasonE]

Is it the feel or the sound you are not getting along with? I was not a huge fan of the 58/15 LT pickups. I swapped them out for newer 57/08s and it really made a difference in the guitar for me. I was not really happy with mine until I did that. Now it is definitely a keeper for me.

 

[ElrytNamrogo]

I hear ya...

It's pretty disconcerting (and kinda heartbreaking) when, what you thought was going to be a guitar of your dreams, just doesn't end up clicking with you. I've purchased guitars and had it take years before I really bonded with 'em, and I'm glad I didn't sell them when I thought I should.

In my experience, guitars come and go in terms of how much I bond with them. Sometimes I'll go long, long stretches (months or even years) of not getting along with a particular guitar. Sometimes a guitar will just completely suck at a gig, and then the next week just completely take my breath away at how good it is.

My relationship with guitars is pretty organic, which is all part of the magic to me. I do have one guitar, my 35th Anniversary Custom 24 (standard, run-of-the-mill, production model), that just never ceases to deliver every single time. It is, on all accounts, an incredibly solid, vocal, and expressive instrument. All my others, Wood Library and Artist models included (I don't have any Private Stocks) can come and go in terms of how agreeable they are, and how much I "mesh" with them.

I'd suggest keeping it for a bit longer, and keep giving it a chance. Sometimes they don't express the way we expect, but that can always turn into an opportunity for musical and artistic growth. Like you said, it's a big chunk of money and unless you're hard up for that cash, it's worth it to offer yourself the time to bond with the guitar. One thing is for certain, these guitars don't seem to really be losing their monetary value (at least from what I've seen them selling for) and you never know when something is just going to click and you'll find yourself enamored with how well a guitar delivers.

On the other hand, it is your money and you absolutely deserve to be happy with your purchase and have it accommodate your expectations! Good luck finding that magic....whether that's in the guitar you're currently struggling with, or a different guitar entirely!

 

[Max Headroom]

Is it the feel or the sound you are not getting along with? I was not a huge fan of the 58/15 LT pickups. I swapped them out for newer 57/08s and it really made a difference in the guitar for me. I was not really happy with mine until I did that. Now it is definitely a keeper for me.

I would say its a bit of both tbh.
I pick it up and it feels ok but not "play me" like some others in my stable do and I really don't how to express or define that .
It could just be some stupid mental block thing, who knows at this stage.

 

[SinSir]

I've felt that way before on a couple cores, after some tweaking to get the setup just right for me things improved. Then on to the pickup mania journey.. once I found the right pickup combo, and tweaked on the settings things changed. The two I'm thinking of are now my favorite guitars and never going anywhere.

I'd check the setup including playing around with pickup adjustments first. If that doesn't work, and if it's a tone issue, not playability, then I'd go down the pickup swap road. I personally love the 5708 bridge/5815LT neck or 5909/5815LT neck combos.

I wouldn't go swapping pickups if after checking the setup and how it plays to you is an issue. For example, even though it's board favorite, and seems like a profile I'd like on paper.. The pattern vintage is a profile I rarely get a long with for whatever reason. The only PRS profile. I guess I'm saying, try to identify what it's lacking to you and if addressable, go for it, but if not, like neck profile, move it and get something else. Plenty of others that would love a 594WL.

 

[Rider1260]

I've had lots of guitar that have moved on because they sounded better on other than me, mainly shorter scale guitars to be honest.
If you really love the look at least try a new set of strings ( mabey go up a gauge for a bit more power ) and fiddle with the pickup height a bit just to be sure.

 

[Max Headroom]

I've felt that way before on a couple cores, after some tweaking to get the setup just right for me things improved. Then on to the pickup mania journey.. once I found the right pickup combo, and tweaked on the settings things changed. The two I'm thinking of are now my favorite guitars and never going anywhere.

I'd check the setup including playing around with pickup adjustments first. If that doesn't work, and if it's a tone issue, not playability, then I'd go down the pickup swap road. I personally love the 5708 bridge/5815LT neck or 5909/5815LT neck combos.

I wouldn't go swapping pickups if after checking the setup and how it plays to you is an issue. For example, even though it's board favorite, and seems like a profile I'd like on paper.. The pattern vintage is a profile I rarely get a long with for whatever reason. The only PRS profile. I guess I'm saying, try to identify what it's lacking to you and if addressable, go for it, but if not, like neck profile, move it and get something else. Plenty of others that would love a 594WL.

It could be the neck profile for sure as now I am checking the rest of the stable and no other pattern vintage neck profile.
However it could be worth a string change, setup already checked and about as optimal as I can make it.

 

[SinSir]

It could be the neck profile for sure as now I am checking the rest of the stable and no other pattern vintage neck profile.
However it could be worth a string change, setup already checked and about as optimal as I can make it.

That's me on the PV. I looked at 594 for a while, played more than I can count through the lines. And rarely do I find a neck I get along with. Then I found my SC58, and the 594 hunt ended.

Best of luck, as I know how disappointing it can be to have a guitar hang there more than in your hands.

 

[nac]

It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on it to me. If it's the neck shape/feel that you're not bonding with then sell it and find one you love.

 

[Max Headroom]

It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on it to me. If it's the neck shape/feel that you're not bonding with then sell it and find one you love.

And the more I think on , the more that could just explain it.
Why when I pick it up my left hand just does not feel quite at home.
And it becomes more a chore than a joy, my PS has pattern thin and I simply love the feel.
And I would never have thought I would be one to really notice such a difference with neck profile with all the different guitars I have lying around...lol.
But maybe that's it.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Some guitars just have “it”.

Others… not so much.

 

[SinSir]

my PS has pattern thin and I simply love the feel.
And I would never have thought I would be one to really notice such a difference with neck profile with all the different guitars I have lying around...lol.
But maybe that's it.

That's probably it right there. Two of the most different profiles in the line up. PT/WT and PV.

 

[nac]

And the more I think on , the more that could just explain it.
Why when I pick it up my left hand just does not feel quite at home.
And it becomes more a chore than a joy, my PS has pattern thin and I simply love the feel.
And I would never have thought I would be one to really notice such a difference with neck profile with all the different guitars I have lying around...lol.
But maybe that's it.

Sometimes you just don't know until you know . I've gone through my fair share of gear to figure out what I really like but I still get tempted by a pretty guitar all the time

 

[Bogner]

Try Playing The Guitar Unplugged For A While And See What It Does For You. I Typically Start There On My Purchases And If I Can't Bond with A Guitar Unplugged I Typically Move Along To Something Else.

These Different Neck Profile Names Have Me All Screwed Up. I Am Still Wide Fat Or Wide Thin In My Thinking And I Am Wide Fat All The Way On Necks. Is This Neck Too Big Or Too Small For Your Liking? I Know For Me, It Is Odd For Me To Play A PRS With A Different Neck But I Can Jump To Another Brand Of Guitar And Seem To Adjust Easier. Have You Tried That At All? Playing A Different Brand Guitar (If You Have One Around) And Then Going Back And Seeing How You Feel About It And If It Works? May Be Worth A Try.

My Other Thought Is Forcing Yourself To Play It At All Times To Make Yourself Like It Or Hate It. You Very Well May Find It Excels In A Different Area And Or Discover Something That Works For You And This Particular Guitar Making It Worthwhile To Keep. Or You May Pinpoint Something Like A Pickup Change Being A Benefit, Etc. If Not, Then You Know It Just Isn't A Fit For You And Can Let It Go And Find Your Next One.

Hopefully Something I Said Helps In Some Way Or Triggers An Idea For You In Some Fashion So You Can At Least Resolve This Feeling You Have. I Have Been There And It Is Frustrating. Good Luck!

 

[JasonE]

And the more I think on , the more that could just explain it.
Why when I pick it up my left hand just does not feel quite at home.
And it becomes more a chore than a joy, my PS has pattern thin and I simply love the feel.
And I would never have thought I would be one to really notice such a difference with neck profile with all the different guitars I have lying around...lol.
But maybe that's it.

That's probably it right there. Two of the most different profiles in the line up. PT/WT and PV.

This right here. The two neck profiles you mentioned are at the opposite end of the spectrum from each other. The frets on my 594 are bigger than some other PRS guitars. I know they are bigger than a number of other PRS models I have. That will also make the neck feel bigger. If it is the neck profile, you will either have to adjust or sell it. That would be a drastic non-reversible modification to make to a guitar.

 

[bodia]

I bought a used PS Santana that I loved the looks/spec of, but just didn't do it for me. I ended up selling it on Consignment through Brian's. Sure was a looker, though.

 

[SinSir]

I bought a used PS Santana that I loved the looks/spec of, but just didn't do it for me. I ended up selling it on Consignment through Brian's. Sure was a looker, though.

It pains me for you! Smokin'!

 

[Rhythmisking]

I've totally had this happen to me. My nicest PRS at one time was an Artist package Singlecut with 7's. Incredibly gorgeous, but when I played it it felt like it was a dead thing...not literally dead as in not sustaining notes, it actually sustained and rang nicely, but it was just not responsive to my inputs ina way that gave something back. It did everything perfectly like it was supposed to (maybe too perfect?), but it was like dancing with a robot, or maybe like singing with too much auto-tune and compression so there's no inflection and nuance. I tried and tried to find a way to understand and work with it, but I ended up selling it.

I've come to understand that what makes a guitar engaging and magical to me is a certain type of responsiveness that has a personality to it. It's very hard to describe, but I need the guitar to respond and sound differently depending on what I'm doing with my hands in ways that I can use expressively. I thought about changing the pickups but decided that wouldn't fix the problem. Switching pickups works for overall changes in tone or color of sound, but they don't change the interactive nature between the guitar and the player.

So a have a Santana signature, an SC 250 and a SAS that are incredibly responsive to what I do with them. They make me smile when I play them because it's almost like they're alive. A McRosie that's very nice and I do really like it, but it doesn't give quite as much back. Same with a core Starla, an Artist package CU22 and a few others. Sound great and play nicely, but just not quite as 'alive'.

Don't really know what it is, but it's more like they're 'tools' rather than 'partners'. Nothing wrong with a great tool, but a great partner is something different.

 

[Juan Luis Vidal]

Give it some time...sometimes it is all you need.

First time y played my CE24 I was like...not feeling it...I was used to flatter necks (Ibanez's Wizard, ESPs...) and more agressive pups...and for many months the guitar stayed kind of lonely, I was using it just for my more rock oriented songs. But suddenly I learned to properly EQ the 85/15s, my hands got used to the Pattern Thin neck and simply felt in love with and became a PRS adept. Now I cannot live without it, and could not be happier with the fact that I resisted the urge to sell it those first months.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I bought a used PS Santana that I loved the looks/spec of, but just didn't do it for me. I ended up selling it on Consignment through Brian's. Sure was a looker, though.

Word!

Yeah, that guitar was great on paper (and in pics) but was just okay IRL. IMO

Blanket statements like “Cores are better than SEs” or “Private Stocks are a cut above the rest” or “the new guitars are even better” aren’t always true.