I have a strange predicament.

I would personally make sure the guitar I purchased somehow reflected my Dad. The body could be his favorite color, maybe a PRS made truss rod cover with his name or initials on it but something of him that is incorporated into the guitar. This way every time I played it I remembered him with a visual cue.

No matter what, I would make sure to get it ASAP so I could take pictures of it with my Dad.

Please keep us posted and hang in there !!!!
 
If it were me, I wouldn’t by a PS case queen. I’d buy a great guitar that I’d play every day. A regular core PRS Custom 24 is a dream guitar for many. I have one that my wife bought me for our 25th anniversary, and it is the smoothest playing guitar I’ve ever had in my hands. Simply incredible. I’d get something like that, play it every day, and remember that my dad got it for me every time I played it.

But my dad was a musician and he didn’t believe in trophy instruments, but that instruments were meant to be played.

So, you do what’s right for you and whatever best honors your fathers wishes.
 
Bummer about your Dad, but one silver lining is he did not disappear in a moment with zero notice! Take advantage of the time you have left with him to whatever extent possible!!

I echo the sentiment of most here, but I would put a bit of a twist on it ;~)) I would say, find a PS instrument at one of the dealers that you really like that is available today. From your description of experience, I doubt that you are set on having a specific wood for the neck, another specific wood for the body, another specific wood for the fret board, bridge pickup X and neck pickup Y, etc. There are a LOT of beautiful PS's floating around looking for a home that would definitely lift your boat (more on that in a minute)!!! The big advantage to this path as I see it is, you will be able to take possession of said six stringer, and actually play it for your Dad! He will be able to hear and see you enjoy this gem of an instrument, and I think with that added to the mix, it is worth more than designing one that he may never see or hear.

As for "Am I worthy", I went through this same mental exercise last year. Now, I am decades older than you, but I wanted a PRS for over 25 years, but always shied away from the money it would cost for even a core model, and I did not want to settle for an SE (I've got a bit of a "must be made in America" complex for some items). In December of 2020, I was starting to make a lot more music and decided, I am getting one. Took me about 4 weeks of searching, but I found a Wood Library McCarty 594 Hollowbody II that I instantly fell in love with. Three hours after seeing it I had paid for it ;~)) About two weeks later it was in my hand and I fell in love with everything about it! I did not feel I was worthy, and did not need a guitar of this caliber in some senses. But then I also know that it made me so happy, and that any discussion of "worthy" was a waste of time for me to wait for the point in which I felt that good about myself before I bought a really nice piece of equipment. I may never get one with that kind of logic! And most of the time, this "are you worthy" question is one which is imposed on us by society and it's manipulative hidden messages about self worth. I could not be happier with the decision to get the guitar I was not worthy of ;~)) Which takes us to the other two that I bought after I got that one! I did NOT NEED another guitar (or two), and the one I had just acquired was fulfilling all I could want in playability, tone and looks wise for the time being! But I had a special event in my life that I did not realize was going to happen, and I decided to track down PRS guitars that shared the date that matched that emotionally significant moment in my life! I found 4 all together, I was able to purchase two of them. One I did not really care for and the other one got purchased by someone else before I could pull the trigger. Both acquired were CU24's, they were both "born" on the same day (twins) and I will cling to them both until the day I die! One is a Core model and the other is a Private Stock! Now again, I did not feel "worthy" but the same arguments above convinced me that I should not wait because trying to find guitars in the future that matched up with that special date would be a real PITA. I dug myself into debt to get these guitars even though I did not NEED them, did not feel I was worthy of them, but wanted them enough to do what I had to do to get them. I am psyched that I did. That PS feels even better than my Wood Library HBII and the Core CU24 has a bite to it that scares me at times! Maybe it is the PS frets, maybe it is the Hormigo fret board wood, whatever the case is, it is mine now and I LOVE playing it as well as the core model! Now neither are getting as much time as my HBII in large part due to the type of music I was doing in most of 2021, but that is going to change soon! And when it does, they are coming out to PLAY! I take exceptional care of all of them, and am not going to be "passing them around" for everyone to play, but they will get played and not live in their cases (well, they will when not in my hands)!

Long and short is, make your Dad happy by letting him make you happy! And never feel that anything is beyond what you should have, it is a societal restriction that keeps people from achieving what they really want in life!! These guitars allow me to play stuff I could never play on my strat or other guitars (this is the lift your boat part) and therefore make me be able to play better, and have prompted me to play longer, so that alone is worth the price of admission!!!

Blessings to you, your Dad and his health, and I hope you are able to joyously celebrate the time he has left! Hopefully to the sound of you playing that gift he wants to give to you!!

P.S. Read "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand and you will loose any inhibitions about your self worth! I first read it when I was your age almost exactly and have read it half a dozen times since then!! It changed my life!!!
Thanks a ton. My dad will most likely be here for a few more years that I very much look forward to, but my parents are divorced so I don’t get to see him a lot (haven’t seen him as of writing this since December 24th), so it does still sting a little even though he calls me every day and I know he’ll still be here. And for everyone else, I’m planning on designing the guitar myself (have done a TON of research on woods, pickups, basically every little detail and will get advice from the dealer) and I’m going to have a green cancer ribbon where the neck meets the body of the guitar to commemorate him in some way, even if he doesn’t pass, which I very much hope he doesn’t. He’s been a great dad to me, but court has pretty much taken him away from me at this point, as I don’t believe I’ll see him until March, at the latest June. But I truly thank all of you for the advice, and your kind words. It’s incredibly appreciated, as many people in my family are going through a lot, and again, thank you for your kind words. This guitar will be awesome, and no, it isn’t a financial burden at all for those of you wondering. Once more, thanks so much, and I’ll post pictures of the spec sheet so you guys can get an idea of what it looks like, and I will certainly post pictures after it’s built and during the build process. Thanks all, and have a wonderful day/night!
 
I was diagnosed with early stage 3 prostate cancer 4 years ago. (I'm 68) It's trying to make a comeback. I don't know how old your dad is, but try to see him as often as you can. The best thing for someone going through it, is family support. I have 3 daughters, trust me.
Get a model that you're gonna play the **** out of and keep your dad up to date on your progress. It'll make him smile and smiles are a good thing.
2days ago I bought myself what I call my "FU@K Cancer" guitar. A McCarty CORE Orange Tiger. I'm smiling! LOL
Best wishes for your dad.
 
I was diagnosed with early stage 3 prostate cancer 4 years ago. (I'm 68) It's trying to make a comeback. I don't know how old your dad is, but try to see him as often as you can. The best thing for someone going through it, is family support. I have 3 daughters, trust me.
Get a model that you're gonna play the **** out of and keep your dad up to date on your progress. It'll make him smile and smiles are a good thing.
2days ago I bought myself what I call my "FU@K Cancer" guitar. A McCarty CORE Orange Tiger. I'm smiling! LOL
Best wishes for your dad.
Slay the beast. Give it hell. Stay positive and how could you not with your new MCCarty! Congrats!
 
I was diagnosed with early stage 3 prostate cancer 4 years ago. (I'm 68) It's trying to make a comeback. I don't know how old your dad is, but try to see him as often as you can. The best thing for someone going through it, is family support. I have 3 daughters, trust me.
Get a model that you're gonna play the **** out of and keep your dad up to date on your progress. It'll make him smile and smiles are a good thing.
2days ago I bought myself what I call my "FU@K Cancer" guitar. A McCarty CORE Orange Tiger. I'm smiling! LOL
Best wishes for your dad.
LOVE IT!!!
 
Thanks a ton. My dad will most likely be here for a few more years that I very much look forward to, but my parents are divorced so I don’t get to see him a lot (haven’t seen him as of writing this since December 24th), so it does still sting a little even though he calls me every day and I know he’ll still be here. And for everyone else, I’m planning on designing the guitar myself (have done a TON of research on woods, pickups, basically every little detail and will get advice from the dealer) and I’m going to have a green cancer ribbon where the neck meets the body of the guitar to commemorate him in some way, even if he doesn’t pass, which I very much hope he doesn’t. He’s been a great dad to me, but court has pretty much taken him away from me at this point, as I don’t believe I’ll see him until March, at the latest June. But I truly thank all of you for the advice, and your kind words. It’s incredibly appreciated, as many people in my family are going through a lot, and again, thank you for your kind words. This guitar will be awesome, and no, it isn’t a financial burden at all for those of you wondering. Once more, thanks so much, and I’ll post pictures of the spec sheet so you guys can get an idea of what it looks like, and I will certainly post pictures after it’s built and during the build process. Thanks all, and have a wonderful day/night!
Good luck to you and all your family with everything you're going through.

Any updates on that spec sheet? That sounds like a really special guitar.
 
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