McCarty 594 vs 513

[Smitty1517]

I know that this is "after the fact" but I though I would chime in (can't wait to see pics)

I had a 513 for a number of years & I presently own a 594. All I can say is that the guitars are both great guitars but they are different. If good single coil sounds are your number priority, then I would go with the 513 and the 5 position switch. If vintage classic rock humbucker sound is what you are after, then I would go with the 594. The 594 has a shorter scale than the 513 so bending strings feels quite different on each guitar. The feel of the necks of both guitars is also different, the only way to figure out which you like better is to play them both. If you need a versatile guitar that covers a broad spectrum of music, the 513 maybe what you are looking for.

PS - I also have 2 PRS Hollowbody guitars, which are very different than the above 2 guitars (I don't think that is much of a surprise)

Well I have some good news, when I told my wife I had picked out the guitar I was getting she asked, "How'd you decide?", I said, "I'm gonna get the other two over the next couple years.", she said, "okay honey, whatever you want." So I have that going for me.

 

[jxe]

get it in writing, they change their minds.

kidding! mine saw a neon yellow jem with disappearing pyramids on the internet and asks me where it is once a week. congratch on the nups and the [what do you call a patch o’ tigers?].

 

[CVS]

Congrats & get those "other" guitars as quickly as possible - something along the lines of "strike while the iron is hot"

 

[Mole351]

Well I have some good news, when I told my wife I had picked out the guitar I was getting she asked, "How'd you decide?", I said, "I'm gonna get the other two over the next couple years.", she said, "okay honey, whatever you want." So I have that going for me.

Well if she gave you that answer you might as well make it three! Search on YouTube for Jake’s leg. Their guitar player does a great Jerry using a custom 24. He’s a monster player... check ‘em out! Ha

 

[László]

Someone posted a thread showing Mayer playing a silver 594 with some custom stuff with the Grateful Dead quite recently. My thinking is that they’re both great guitars that can do an awful lot of things well!

Nonetheless, enjoy your new axe when it arrives!

 

[Smitty1517]

Well if she gave you that answer you might as well make it three! Search on YouTube for Jake’s leg. Their guitar player does a great Jerry using a custom 24. He’s a monster player... check ‘em out! Ha

Nice! Fake Bobby has a sweet Travis Bean too!

 

[Mole351]

Someone posted a thread showing Mayer playing a silver 594 with some custom stuff with the Grateful Dead quite recently. My thinking is that they’re both great guitars that can do an awful lot of things well!

Nonetheless, enjoy your new axe when it arrives!

Yeah he keeps a 594 on stage and uses it for some of their more bluesy songs.

Funny - there was one song I REALLY wanted to hear last summer on which he plays the 594. It was well into the first set and he turned around and put the 594 around his neck, and I just KNEW it was coming as they were due to play the song I was hoping for. Got super excited (almost jumping up and down), and suddenly Bobby (leader/other guitar player) very quickly took his guitar off and ran off the stage. I can only assume he had to take a massive dump. The rest of the band kinda looked at each other and then walked off the stage.

They played the song the next night, and when they posted the picture of the setlist card from the show I saw - that song was scratched out as the first set closer. Dammit!! Lol.

 

[jxe]

‘el paso’? ‘between the moon and new york city’?

Yeah he keeps a 594 on stage and uses it for some of their more bluesy songs.

Funny - there was one song I REALLY wanted to hear last summer on which he plays the 594. It was well into the first set and he turned around and put the 594 around his neck, and I just KNEW it was coming as they were due to play the song I was hoping for. Got super excited (almost jumping up and down), and suddenly Bobby (leader/other guitar player) very quickly took his guitar off and ran off the stage. I can only assume he had to take a massive dump. The rest of the band kinda looked at each other and then walked off the stage.

They played the song the next night, and when they posted the picture of the setlist card from the show I saw - that song was scratched out as the first set closer. Dammit!! Lol.

 

[Mole351]

‘el paso’? ‘between the moon and new york city’?

Viola Lee

 

[Matte82]

Didn’t see if anyone answered this. Put you can add a push-pull on a 509/513 to get neck and bridge pickups. There’s actually a couple of ways to do it. If you’re interested I can elaborate.

 

[Smitty1517]

Didn’t see if anyone answered this. Put you can add a push-pull on a 509/513 to get neck and bridge pickups. There’s actually a couple of ways to do it. If you’re interested I can elaborate.

I'm very interested. Please elaborate...

 

[Matte82]

The easiest method is using the push-pull to simply add either the neck or bridge pickup. This also allows you to have all 3 pickups on at once if you want.

https://goo.gl/images/Nq4iv1

The other way is to switch out the 5 way with a super switch, and then add a push pull so that with the switch one way, you get stock selections. With it the other way the middle position becomes the neck and bridge pickups together. The advantage here is the push pull only affects the middle position. The others will be like stock. However you won’t have the option of all 3 pickups, and the rewiring is more complicated. This is the method I was going to use on a 513 I had. Just never did it. When I get a 509, I will definitely be adding this option.

I have a strat with the 7-way mod, and I just don’t use all 3 pickups at once. Plus it complicates going to the other positions. At least to me. Haha.

Oh and I think the diagram for the second mod is in a post about my 513. I’ll see if I can find it. If not I have it saved somewhere. And you can actually use a 1/2 superswitch. I just already have a full super switch lying around.

 

[Matte82]

Here’s a link to the thread with the other wiring diagram. It’s the 12th and 14th message I believe.

https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/513-3-mod.29165/

 

[jxe]

cool ideas, this is why 3 pickups is more fun.

 

[Mozzi]

It would be cool to have the option to run both neck and bridge pick-ups together on a 509 and that could enable another 4 possible combinations to the 9 it already has - H&H, H&S, S&H, S&S. I can't say I am unhappy with the 9 and more 'super-strat' configuration of it anyway but if I had more confidence in my ability to make these changes without messing up my guitar, I would be tempted...

 

[Matte82]

It would be cool to have the option to run both neck and bridge pick-ups together on a 509 and that could enable another 4 possible combinations to the 9 it already has - H&H, H&S, S&H, S&S. I can't say I am unhappy with the 9 and more 'super-strat' configuration of it anyway but if I had more confidence in my ability to make these changes without messing up my guitar, I would be tempted...

Do you know anyone that’s handy with a soldering iron? The first mod I posted is super simple. The hardest part would probably be swapping the potentiometer for one with a push pull switch. But you literally add 2 short wires after that. Then you would have all those extra options. Plus S/S/S, S/S/H, H/S/S, and H/S/H. However I’ve never found a use for all 3 pickups on at once. But you would have those options.

 

[Mozzi]

Do you know anyone that’s handy with a soldering iron? The first mod I posted is super simple. The hardest part would probably be swapping the potentiometer for one with a push pull switch. But you literally add 2 short wires after that. Then you would have all those extra options. Plus S/S/S, S/S/H, H/S/S, and H/S/H. However I’ve never found a use for all 3 pickups on at once. But you would have those options.

Unfortunately I don't know anyone like that - at least not that they have let it be known. I would just swap one of the pots for a PRS push-pull and stick the original top back on. I would only want the option to have the two 'humbuckers' together in position 3 with it up or the 'single' middle with it down. The separate splits for bridge and neck should still give the H-H, H-S, S-H or S-S (ignoring the middle) in just that 1 position or just push the pot down to get the middle on its own. All I would like is to have the option to either have just the middle or the Neck and Bridge together in position 3 - effectively making the guitar work like a twin Humbucker or a Superstrat with coil splits. I see little advantage in having ALL pick-ups working either...