How different does the Custom 24 sound vs the McCarty 594?

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What difference in sound is there between these two great guitars. I believe the C24 also has an easier neck to play on as well?

Yeah I could not change the typo on the post.
 
Which Custom 24? What pickups? Which 594? Singlecut or Doublecut?

Obviously there are lots of nuances, but they should sound considerably different from eachother.

Typical answer from the forum: Buy Both!
 
What difference in sound is there between these two great guitars. I believe the C24 also has an easier neck to play on as well?

Yeah I could not change the typo on the post.

As someone with Both, they are quite different guitars and the best way I think to illustrate that is the 'era' they would sit best in.

The 594 is very much a late 50's vintage guitar. Its design brief was to build a 'vintage' Les Paul as few if any will ever get the chance to and the closest they get is a modern day re-issue. It was built in response to people having no idea what a real 58 LP sounded and felt like when Paul would talk about these in his clinics. Of course we get the PRS build quality and the modern features like coil splitting and locking tuners but the purpose was to make a guitar that fitted into that era and that it was accessible for most people without having any of the issues associated with true vintage instruments. In a lot of ways, its similar to the Silver Sky except with 63/64 era Strats as the design brief.

The asymmetric carved neck of the 594, along with the rolled edges make the guitar feel broken in, worn to fit the hand like 1000's of hours of playing could do. The 594 has successfully captured the spirit of vintage guitars feel and by lowering the turns in the 58/15 PU's, created a Pick-up that really fits the tonal characteristics of that era. Even the Scale length is like the early LP's before 24.75" became the standard but at 24.594, its different from the Scale length that PRS became synonymous with

The Custom 24 was the guitar that Paul launched PRS with in 1985. Its design brief was to take some of the best bits about a Fender Strat and some of the best bits about a Gibson Les Paul and build a guitar that sits somewhere between the two. Its far more modern than the Gibson Les Paul and the era the 594 sits in and that is reflected in its design and features. The body is slimmer like a strat but still mahogany/maple like the LP. It has a floating trem like a Strat but the double humbucker of a LP. It also has some 'split' coil sounds either both split together or the neck split with the humbucker bridge so could get more stratty sounds than a LP can. The scale length is between both at 25" and the headstock design took the 3+3 LP style but the break angle and straight string pull of a Fender - thus creating a much more stable and much lower risk of breaking than a LP.

The Custom 24 has the thinnest neck - not wizard thin but still thinnest of the Pattern Necks although you can find some with the Pattern Regular (I believe - unless that has stopped now) and its a regular C shape neck. Whether that's more comfortable, that is down to personal preference. The Custom 24, in keeping with its more modern feel, is equipped with 85/15's, a Pickup Paul has said he wished he'd had for the launch of the Custom 24 in 1985 (hence the name). Being a 22 fret guitar, the distance between both Humbuckers is closer than on a LP so that gives it a unique tone - even if you were to put the same Pickups in the 594, it would sound different.

The Custom 24 sits on the middle (as it did all the way back in 1985) between the 594 (LP) and Strat (Silver Sky) and more modern than both. Both the 594 and Custom 24 are different and the decision as to which to buy first, is something you need to decide yourself. Owning both is the obvious answer and as they are different, they won't be stepping into each others tonal palette. If you want to start back at the beginning of the history of the Electric guitar, the most obvious first choice would be the 594. If you want to start with the most 'PRS' guitar, then start with the Custom 24 - the guitar that PRS built his reputation and success on that led to more and more models. Both are extremely high quality and exceptional instruments so you can't go wrong in that regard.
 
As someone with Both, they are quite different guitars and the best way I think to illustrate that is the 'era' they would sit best in.

The 594 is very much a late 50's vintage guitar. Its design brief was to build a 'vintage' Les Paul as few if any will ever get the chance to and the closest they get is a modern day re-issue. It was built in response to people having no idea what a real 58 LP sounded and felt like when Paul would talk about these in his clinics. Of course we get the PRS build quality and the modern features like coil splitting and locking tuners but the purpose was to make a guitar that fitted into that era and that it was accessible for most people without having any of the issues associated with true vintage instruments. In a lot of ways, its similar to the Silver Sky except with 63/64 era Strats as the design brief.

The asymmetric carved neck of the 594, along with the rolled edges make the guitar feel broken in, worn to fit the hand like 1000's of hours of playing could do. The 594 has successfully captured the spirit of vintage guitars feel and by lowering the turns in the 58/15 PU's, created a Pick-up that really fits the tonal characteristics of that era. Even the Scale length is like the early LP's before 24.75" became the standard but at 24.594, its different from the Scale length that PRS became synonymous with

The Custom 24 was the guitar that Paul launched PRS with in 1985. Its design brief was to take some of the best bits about a Fender Strat and some of the best bits about a Gibson Les Paul and build a guitar that sits somewhere between the two. Its far more modern than the Gibson Les Paul and the era the 594 sits in and that is reflected in its design and features. The body is slimmer like a strat but still mahogany/maple like the LP. It has a floating trem like a Strat but the double humbucker of a LP. It also has some 'split' coil sounds either both split together or the neck split with the humbucker bridge so could get more stratty sounds than a LP can. The scale length is between both at 25" and the headstock design took the 3+3 LP style but the break angle and straight string pull of a Fender - thus creating a much more stable and much lower risk of breaking than a LP.

The Custom 24 has the thinnest neck - not wizard thin but still thinnest of the Pattern Necks although you can find some with the Pattern Regular (I believe - unless that has stopped now) and its a regular C shape neck. Whether that's more comfortable, that is down to personal preference. The Custom 24, in keeping with its more modern feel, is equipped with 85/15's, a Pickup Paul has said he wished he'd had for the launch of the Custom 24 in 1985 (hence the name). Being a 22 fret guitar, the distance between both Humbuckers is closer than on a LP so that gives it a unique tone - even if you were to put the same Pickups in the 594, it would sound different.

The Custom 24 sits on the middle (as it did all the way back in 1985) between the 594 (LP) and Strat (Silver Sky) and more modern than both. Both the 594 and Custom 24 are different and the decision as to which to buy first, is something you need to decide yourself. Owning both is the obvious answer and as they are different, they won't be stepping into each others tonal palette. If you want to start back at the beginning of the history of the Electric guitar, the most obvious first choice would be the 594. If you want to start with the most 'PRS' guitar, then start with the Custom 24 - the guitar that PRS built his reputation and success on that led to more and more models. Both are extremely high quality and exceptional instruments so you can't go wrong in that regard.
^^^Like he said ...

Way the hell different. ;)
 
Thank you so much for your insightful information. I love the 594 but I have to admit I'm not a fan of the thicker neck just like I'm not a fan of the Fender Tel 50's reissue. I'm so used to the more modern necker that are slimmer. Just like the new Martin acoustic guitars vs their older ones. I tried their reissue Martin with the V thicker design and it's just too bulky. The new ones are easier to hold. I will have more time to play the 594 before it goes back to its owner. I hope I get use to the neck and fall in love with it completely.
 
As with a thicker body, the neck thickness is part of the tone recipe. That isn’t to say thicker is better, just that it’s one of the many things that give the guitar its sound.

One nice thing about the 594 neck is that it’s asymmetrical. It’s thinner on the high string side, and thicker where the heavy strings are. I think it feels perfect, but everyone’s hands and tastes differ.

The good news is that the CU24 is a fabulous sounding guitar, and if you prefer one of the thinner profiles, you can’t go wrong with it.

I have both, each has its charms, and each has a great sound.
 
Thank you so much for your insightful information. I love the 594 but I have to admit I'm not a fan of the thicker neck just like I'm not a fan of the Fender Tel 50's reissue. I'm so used to the more modern necker that are slimmer. Just like the new Martin acoustic guitars vs their older ones. I tried their reissue Martin with the V thicker design and it's just too bulky. The new ones are easier to hold. I will have more time to play the 594 before it goes back to its owner. I hope I get use to the neck and fall in love with it completely.

Have you tried a Pattern Vintage neck? Compared it to other PRS guitars? It maybe the chunkiest of the 'pattern' neck carves but its only marginally thicker (1/32nd of an inch or 0.8mm thicker - not even a full mm thicker) and the carve doesn't feel thicker. Its as wide as the Pattern thin neck at the nut so its not 'wide' - certainly not as wide or as thick as an acoustic!!

Maybe you should look at the Ibanez with Wizard necks if you find PRS guitars to be too chunky for you. Compared to my acoustic - a Washburn EA that has great action and more 'Electric' feeling neck than a LOT of acoustics still feels bigger and wider than ANY of my PRS guitars. To me the necks feel small but the reality is they fit in between some of the biggest Electric necks and the thinnest too - none are what I would consider 'big' because of playing an Acoustic as my main guitar for years (I had no choice with raising a family).

I wouldn't say the Pattern Vintage feels so much bigger than the Pattern Thin but again that may be because I played an Acoustic for a while and it took me a while to get over how small a PRS looks and feels after many years without playing an Electric and, unless I can get my first Electric back, I think that was a bigger guitar.

Point I am trying to make is that its about perspective. If you grew up playing a small thin neck electric, then maybe a 594 feels big but if you spent the last 10+ years with only an Acoustic, then maybe a 594 looks and feels small. I can't 'feel' the guitar in exactly the same way as you to understand or be able to advise on which (if any) PRS would be the best fit for you. The Pattern Thin neck though is the 'smallest' neck (longer too) so I would advise going to a store and trying one. Its a very different guitar though but it might be a better fit for you. Its not going to sound the same, its a more modern guitar but still a great guitar. If you find that neck too big, then you either adjust or don't buy a PRS.
 
The good news is that the CU24 is a fabulous sounding guitar, and if you prefer one of the thinner profiles, you can’t go wrong with it.

I have both, each has its charms, and each has a great sound.

Is the Custom 22 neck thinner than the 594?
 
Is the Custom 22 neck thinner than the 594?

Its a Pattern Regular neck - at least the newer models are. Its a a fraction slimmer and a more standard C shape. According to the official specs, its 1/32nd of an inch slimmer - that's 0.8mm. All measurements tend to differ by this amount so they are all relatively close but yes a Custom 22 has a slimmer neck. Its also a 'modern' guitar - like the Custom 24 but with a shorter neck (22 fret) and a bigger gap between the PU's - that makes it a bit more similar to a Les Paul than a Cu24 and, if you buy new, will come with a trem bridge like the Cu24. Its literally the 22 fret Cu24 and only differ on the placement of the bridge, bridge PU and 22 fret neck.
 
Trying to figure out what is the best PRS for me. I'm more of a Clapton, Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton player.

I already have a LP Custom, Fender Strat, Tele and Carvin 575.

The Double cut 594 or Custom 22 appear to be my best options
 
What difference in sound is there between these two great guitars. I believe the C24 also has an easier neck to play on as well?

Yeah I could not change the typo on the post.

If we are talking about the current lineup with the Custom 24's having the 85/15 pickups and the McCarty 594's having the 58/15LT pickups, I think that the tonal capabilities between the two would be nearly identical. Key word NEARLY for anyone who missed that.

There would however be a much greater difference in the feel or playability between the two as one is a short scale guitar with a fat neck and the other is a light, thin, race car of a guitar with a 25" scale length and a thin neck. To me that is the biggest difference between the two, more so than the tonal options between the two.
 
Trying to figure out what is the best PRS for me. I'm more of a Clapton, Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton player.

I already have a LP Custom, Fender Strat, Tele and Carvin 575.

The Double cut 594 or Custom 22 appear to be my best options

The most obvious answer is the Silver Sky....

If you don't have a 335, a Hollowbody guitar (either the HBii or 594 HB) would probably be the alternative to a Silver Sky. The 594 would probably be the best to compliment the guitars you have...
 
Trying to figure out what is the best PRS for me. I'm more of a Clapton, Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton player.

I already have a LP Custom, Fender Strat, Tele and Carvin 575.

The Double cut 594 or Custom 22 appear to be my best options

To add to what I said a minute ago... The new Custom 24-08's have the best Strat-like tone of the Custom 24's imho ymmv. But if you are really serious about an SRV or a Clapton Strat tone, the new Silver Sky model would get that job done.
 
Thanks for your replies keep them coming. I am very happy with my American Stratocaster and don't want another Strat with a little less high end. So I am focusing on a humbucker guitar. My Carvin 575 with 11's is my 335 type of guitar
 
The more I play the 594, the more it's growing on me. Trying it out a Boogie and Fender Twin and it sounds amazing. I also started playing with the thicker blue turtle pics that provide a warmer tone. This guitar is not so bottom heavy like my Les Paul which is nice too.
 
Thanks for your replies keep them coming. I am very happy with my American Stratocaster and don't want another Strat with a little less high end. So I am focusing on a humbucker guitar. My Carvin 575 with 11's is my 335 type of guitar

The Silver Sky isn't just another Strat as its very much like a 63/64 era Strat. The guitar maybe not as ice-picky horrible like a lot of strats but much warmer as an older strat that has aged well has. Its also more usable in every one of the 5 positions. The attention to detail is incredible with the electronics perfectly matched to each guitar so not all are 'identical' in terms of the electronics to ensure they all work and sound alike. That's far more attention than Fender (or any other Strat type guitars) will pay and as such, John Mayer can walk into ANY PRS dealer and take ANY Silver Sky and it will sound and play exactly like his own. Its closer to the strats that Jimi, Clapton, SRV etc would have had.

The reason I mentioned the Silver Sky is because that is the best and closest guitar to those played by the artists you mentioned - much more so than your own Strat too. I can understand that you have a Strat and so don't think you need another or even an alternative to your own but regardless of that, its still the best guitar that PRS make to suit you based on the info you have given. Larry Carlton was a 335 player and Clapton has been known to play a Hollowbody so that is the next 'closest' to consider. If you consider those guitars, the Strat and Hollowbody covered already, the ONLY other that you certainly don't have - at least not that you have mentioned, is the Les Paul and therefore the 594 is the best fit - not just in terms of its knob/switch layout but the Vintage sounding PU's and spirit it captures. Like the Silver Sky captures the spirit and sound of a Fender 63/64 strat, the 594 does the same for a Les Paul. Both of these guitars were built to give musicians the chance to own a guitar that captures the spirit and sound of the vintage Gibson and Fender icons but without all the issues you have with vintage instruments, without the massive prices of these and the difficulty in finding one in a playable condition. Mayer for example can't just walk into any music store and find a 63/64 strat and certainly not as cheap as a Silver Sky is by comparison.

The Custom 22 is a much more modern era 22 fret double humbucker guitar with the Custom 24 sitting between a LP and Strat as it was designed to be. The Cu22 is more towards the LP sound because of the separation of the PU's and where the Neck PU sits in relation to the bridge. Unless you buy used, it will come with a trem bridge and the 85/15 PU's which are more in keeping with the more modern (although still a classic 80's era) guitar. If you look at the McCarty models, you are getting more towards the classic Les Paul than a Custom 22 is with the 594 being the 'vintage' era Les Paul. Of the McCarty 594 is too 'vintage' for you, then the McCarty would be the next up with a thicker body with the Custom 22 being the most modern of PRS's own lines. The DGT may be another option to consider as that is based around the McCarty but with Dave Grissom's own specs. The Tremonti I think will be too modern and not the right era for the type of musicians you mention - I think the Cu22 is too modern as well but if the 594 isn't quite right, the only others would be the McCarty or DGT. The Custom 24 is too modern and not in keeping with the music you indicated.

Having dismissed the Silver Sky and Hollowbody, both of which you feel you have alternatives for, then really the 594, McCarty or, at a push, the DGT to get the LP type you are missing.
 
If we are talking about the current lineup with the Custom 24's having the 85/15 pickups and the McCarty 594's having the 58/15LT pickups, I think that the tonal capabilities between the two would be nearly identical. Key word NEARLY for anyone who missed that.

I got the key word, but respectfully, I gotta say it depends how you define ‘nearly’. Having both on hand, the frequencies each guitar emphasizes is pretty different, and the resonances are different, too.

This isn’t to say the CU24 can’t do a credible LP type tone - It can get in the ball park, and is a superb guitar any way you slice it. But its thing is prominent mids and upper mids. The 594’s got more bottom, and the mids are less prominent.

One day I’ll have to get some frequency response screenshots of each guitar with the accurate FFT spectrum analyzer that’s part of Waves’ F6 plugin. It’ll be an interesting comparison!

But, um, this isn’t the day. I’m wiped out. ;)
 
I got the key word, but respectfully, I gotta say it depends how you define ‘nearly’. Having both on hand, the frequencies each guitar emphasizes is pretty different, and the resonances are different, too.

This isn’t to say the CU24 can’t do a credible LP type tone - It can get in the ball park, and is a superb guitar any way you slice it. But its thing is prominent mids and upper mids. The 594’s got more bottom, and the mids are less prominent.

One day I’ll have to get some frequency response screenshots of each guitar with the accurate FFT spectrum analyzer that’s part of Waves’ F6 plugin. It’ll be an interesting comparison!

But, um, this isn’t the day. I’m wiped out. ;)
I was thinking the same, the cu24 and 594 are likely the far ends of prs humbucker spectrum. McCarty and cu22 being more middle ground (among others).
The 85/15 will drive an amp differently to the LT’s too.
The answer ? Get both :)
 
Trying to figure out what is the best PRS for me. I'm more of a Clapton, Stevie Ray, Jeff Beck, Larry Carlton player.

I already have a LP Custom, Fender Strat, Tele and Carvin 575.

The Double cut 594 or Custom 22 appear to be my best options
To have something more different from your herd, I'd go Custom 24 (or 22 if you like a bassier neck sound). It's a more 'modern' sound, without fully getting into Fishman-equipped shreddy beasts.

I have one with a pattern regular neck, and it's heaven.
 
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