Looking to join the PRS family, McCarty 594 HB II, McCarty 594 Semi or Special Semi-hollow Limited?

Gene46

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Apr 26, 2019
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Hi all, first post here. Been a strat guy for ages. Have a couple of strats and a tele. Also have a Tyler Burning Water and a Yaron Bone Voyage (like a hollow body LP). I've been interested in PRS for awhile. The recently announced 594 HB II caught my attention, but i'm wondering if it would be too close to the Yaron (full hollowbody, although it doesn't have the coil splits). I'm kinda gassing for all the ones above, but I guess I want something that versatile, with a wholly PRS flavour.

I love how my Tyler is a strat (well, super strat), but feels and plays completely different from my Fenders and the Yaron is also a different beast as well. I'm looking for that same experience with the PRS. I'm not somewhere where I can actually try any of them out. I know they will all be amazing guitars, but I have decision paralysis. Can anyone please chime in with which you think I would find to be the most versatile and "different" experience from what I have? I play clean through Welagen SSS and ODS.

Thank you in advance!
 
Special 22 is most versatile out of the 3. The 594 is basically a vintage Les Paul with PRS build quality and modern features like locking tuners and coil splits. The Hollowbody is the same, just hollow. Both of these offer 8 different options via a 3 way switch depending on whether the humbucker is split or full. The Special has a 5 way switch and, with individual splitting of the two Humbuckers, you get an extra 4 different options - positions 2 and 4 which add the Narrowfield to either humbucker which can be 'split or full for 2 different options.

Whether that is the 'best' for you though, I don't know. You may not find the neck as comfortable, may not like the Narrowfield and find it gets in the way when strumming etc. May prefer the 594, love the feel and tones better, prefer the shorter scale length, prefer the fixed bridge. They are both different enough that you really ought to decide or yourself which you want, which suits you best, which is going to fulfil your needs the better. Its all well and good having 12 options but if the 594 suits your needs, your playing style etc better, then that is more important...
 
Only one way to know. Play a few.

I have to 2nd this opinion, even if you have to order one, just getting a feel 1st hand is going to say so much more than anything we can post in this thread. Might be worth a road trip if you can search/call around to a dealer that might have any thing in those models or close.

My vote is for the HB, I doubt it will be that close to your Bone Voyage due to the bridge and construction, it will be totally unique piece, you should be able to get close to semi hollow sounds with it or your other axes, and you've already got the 3 pickup thing covered.

............ this may be a bias cause I only play and own HB's......... :p
 
I'll toss out another vote for the Special Semi Hollow. The MT pickups are killer. Tons of versatile tones, too.
 
Thank you for the replies. Does anyone know if the Special semi is still available for order though? I just realised it was a limit release in 2018. Does anyone have an idea of the difference between the 594 and Special semi neck carves?
 
imo The greatest hollowbody ever made belongs to me and PRS makes a string set just for it. Those guitars you listed are all fine instruments but to be truly different one needs more strings. Forget about that rickybacker twang and jang. Try to imagine true tonal ecstasy. That is the HB12. imo ~~~ https://soundcloud.com/johnnyjacksonbrooks/3-19-19a

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I believe the ordering window is closed for the Special Semi Hollow, they are still being delivered to dealers and can be found new and most likely some used are available.
I also vote Special Semi Hollow

lighter by

https://prsguitars.com/index.php/support/article/neck_profiles


Thank you for the replies. Does anyone know if the Special semi is still available for order though? I just realised it was a limit release in 2018. Does anyone have an idea of the difference between the 594 and Special semi neck carves?
 
You'll not find a non-Private Stock McCarty 594 Hollowbody II anywhere in stock, FYI. They're only available by pre/special order.
 
You'll not find a non-Private Stock McCarty 594 Hollowbody II anywhere in stock, FYI. They're only available by pre/special order.

At the moment... No doubt with time you may find them entering the market as 'stock' as they have been added to the 'core' line. You don't see many Hollowbody ii's either but there are a few retailers that have the odd one or two. I too am waiting to see these start to arrive as I am gassing for a 594 hollowbody ii. I am thinking that I may end up missing out on the Limited Edition Special 22 or may have to accept one of a different colour to what I really really want...
 
At the moment... No doubt with time you may find them entering the market as 'stock' as they have been added to the 'core' line. You don't see many Hollowbody ii's either but there are a few retailers that have the odd one or two. I too am waiting to see these start to arrive as I am gassing for a 594 hollowbody ii. I am thinking that I may end up missing out on the Limited Edition Special 22 or may have to accept one of a different colour to what I really really want...

Right, they were added to the Core line at the very beginning of the year, and yet no stock anywhere in the world. And there hasn't been. Not surprising why - there's a number of 10K+ Private Stock versions which would be hard to sell, if competing with the Core line once they're easily available. So PRS is giving the dealers some time to clear those out. My prediction is you won't see one "arrive" until late Summer/early Fall as a stock item, if that. But again, any dealer is happy to order you one. And there are some Wood Library versions on the way from a few dealers now. I latched on to one of those.
 
At the moment... No doubt with time you may find them entering the market as 'stock' as they have been added to the 'core' line. You don't see many Hollowbody ii's either but there are a few retailers that have the odd one or two. I too am waiting to see these start to arrive as I am gassing for a 594 hollowbody ii. I am thinking that I may end up missing out on the Limited Edition Special 22 or may have to accept one of a different colour to what I really really want...
I just ordered an artist package hollowbody 594 this morning. Eta I was given for delivery is 12 months, and that’s just an estimate.
Hopefully these start showing up in dealers’ inventory before 2020.
 
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I'd say with the difficulty in chasing those specific models ... get a regular solid body, will also be more representative of the brand.

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I just ordered an artist package hollowbody 594 this morning. Eta I was given for delivery is 12 months, and that’s just an estimate.
Hopefully these start showing up in dealers’ inventory before 2020.

Aw yeah! Go D, go!
 
I just ordered an artist package hollowbody 594 this morning. Eta I was given for delivery is 12 months, and that’s just an estimate.

Sweet. That gives you an entire year to work on taking ownership of several siblings before the AP package happy arrival.
 
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