McCarty 594 neck woes

[808stevan]

I own a McCarty 594, made in Maryland, it had been buzzing on the first three frets on the GBE strings. And it would "bottom out" when I did bends up in the teens... I did a truss rod adjustment and set the intonation, which initially took care of the buzzing, but left me with an action height that you could slice boiled eggs with. I took it into the local PRS dealer and they messed with it for a half hour and tweaked here and there and then said that they recommended removing the frets from the 12 to the 22nd and sanding down the fretboard--apparently due to a "Ramping" effect. It would be 4 months before they could get to it and this is my main gig tool. I bought this guitar to be the end of a trail of lower end workhorses that lacked that pro feel & response. I absolutely love it and have come to depend upon the tonal control. Well, I am a bit shocked about the ramping in such a well built (and for me) expensive guitar.
I am at a severe loss for what to do? Any suggestions from the good folks on this forum?
Mahalo!
808Stevan

 

[Birdsofprey]

Did you buy it new or used Steven? If new bring it back to the dealer if used contact PRS customer service for advice and options. Good luck and hope it all works out in the end.

 

[808stevan]

Did you buy it new or used Steven? If new bring it back to the dealer if used contact PRS customer service for advice and options. Good luck and hope it all works out in the end.

Mahalo Birds of Prey!
I bought it second hand, but in the past decades I have sent a PRS or two back to the factory for repairs and they do a stellar job and for reasonable rates, but shipping kills you to Hawaii. I have to decide if I want to have that re-fret and sanding done...seems invasive to me...

 

[frankencat]

I would start by getting it setup by someone who knows what they are doing. This would include a fret level-crown-polish if that is indicated.

If there is a deeper issue like worn frets or maybe a slightly warped or twisted neck then a fret job that includes truing the fretboard can get it playing well again, a lot of times better than it left the factory.

Personally I don’t like partial refrets for many reasons, one of them being that it is essentially the same amount of work to just do the whole neck and you get a more uniform result. Plenty of folks do great fret jobs and truing the board is part of the deal. Ask around and find someone who does great work, they are usually not cheap but are worth it. I would say send it to me but I imagine the shipping would be costly. I have refretted many high end PRS guitars, most of them with stainless steel frets and have many happy customers. Good luck!

 

[Bogner]

I Am Really Curious Why The Repair Shop Suggested Such A Thing. Everything With Setup Is Essentially Angles And Lines Across A Plane. If You Think Of It That Way You Can Often Times See Where The Problem Resides. The Nut Is Responsible In Many Instances For A Lot Of Problems. Frets That Are Not Level Can Effect Those "Lines" I Made Mention Of. If The Frets Are Not Severely Worn I Have A Hard Time Believing The Frets Are A Major Issue On A USA Made PRS. Is The Neck Straight? Does It Have A Twist? I Would Doubt That It Does But I Am Asking Just In Case? Did The Repair Shop Use Proper Luthier Tools To Measure Neck Relief, Fret Slot Depth, And All The Other Things That Could Be Effecting Things Like Radius Of The Nut Slots And Fretboard, Fret Rocker, Etc. Or Did They Just Eyeball It And Give It The Old College Try On Guess Work? If The Saddles Haven't Been Filed Down And The Neck Is Not Twisted And The Relief Is Right Then The Nut Itself Is Likely The Problem. Does The Guitar Have The Original Nut And Has The Nut Been Messed With In Any Way? What Is The String Gauge Being Used? How Long Have You Had The Guitar And Where Did It Come From? Is The Climate Similar And Did You Just Recently Get It? Drastic String Gauge Changes, Climate, Etc Could Throw Some Things Off Potentially If All Of This Is Very Recent. Again, PRS Are Very Stable So I Am Inclined To Not Think That Is The Issue But I Am Just Throwing It Out There In Case. Wisdom And Experience Tell Me You Have A Nut Issue.

 

[JasonE]

I am a bit skeptical on a US built PRS needing something this severe. If it were a Gibson, I could buy it, not on a Maryland built PRS. I am with Bogner. I would want to know how they measured the guitar to come to that conclusion.

 

[d^rren]

Buzzing on the first three frets is probably a poorly cut nut or a bad fret job. If the frets are in decent shape, take it for a fret level, crown, and polish.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Buzzing on the first three frets is probably a poorly cut nut or a bad fret job. If the frets are in decent shape, take it for a fret level, crown, and polish.

What he said. My first stop would be the nut

 

[JasonE]

What he said. My first stop would be the nut

The nut could easily be the entire cause of the issue. Putting a new nut on is a lot less money than what was suggested. Much less invasive too.

 

[Gtrbldr]

The nut could easily be the entire cause of the issue. Putting a new nut on is a lot less money than what was suggested. Much less invasive too.

Totally agree. Even @ PRS they sometimes muck up nuts. My starla has a nutslot cut a little to deep. It buzzes slightly

 

[rcsrich]

The nut could easily be the entire cause of the issue. Putting a new nut on is a lot less money than what was suggested. Much less invasive too.

Ditto- thinking a new nut may be in order.

 

[Tom Bradovich]

The nut could easily be the entire cause of the issue. Putting a new nut on is a lot less money than what was suggested. Much less invasive too.

Totally agree. Even @ PRS they sometimes muck up nuts. My starla has a nutslot cut a little to deep. It buzzes slightly

Ditto- thinking a new nut may be in order.

^^^ Yes yes and yes. Sounds symptomatic of nut slots cut too deep. Just from a cost standpoint, it seems like the most logical place to start from.