McCarty Tone / Volume Question

Alpione

New Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2015
Messages
12
Hey all..

Picked up a 2007 McCarty recently and I’m really enjoying it. Question however...

Currently the Tone control is very insensitive (not in a rude way.) :) It takes quite a large turn to get the high end to turn down audibly.

Conversely, turning Volume down cuts the treble very quickly. It didn’t seem to have a treble bleed on it like i thought it had stock, but even trying both a 180pf and 220pf cap, the treble loss is big when turning down from 10 to 9.5.

These make it tough to EQ the amp. If I EQ for Volume at 10 I lose all presence when trying to roll back. If i EQ for the Volume at, say 7 or 8, rolling it up to 10 ends up with ice picks.

Normal? Thoughts?
 
That is not normal. Prs has schematics for all of their guitars look that up and find McCarty in your year and compare with what you have.

I have a 2000 McCarty and it did not act the way you describe but I have custom wiring now.
 
That is not normal. Prs has schematics for all of their guitars look that up and find McCarty in your year and compare with what you have.

I have a 2000 McCarty and it did not act the way you describe but I have custom wiring now.

I need to get over to a store and do that. The Volume is the biggest problem with the big change in tone by just moving off of 10 by a tiny bit. It's like going to 10 on a No Load tone pot. The sound changes a lot and gets pretty harsh. Everything from 9.5 to 1 is fairly linear.
 
I need to get over to a store and do that. The Volume is the biggest problem with the big change in tone by just moving off of 10 by a tiny bit. It's like going to 10 on a No Load tone pot. The sound changes a lot and gets pretty harsh. Everything from 9.5 to 1 is fairly linear.
Jump on the prs website. I think it's under the support tab. They have all the wiring info you need. I've used it several times.
 
I need to get over to a store and do that. The Volume is the biggest problem with the big change in tone by just moving off of 10 by a tiny bit. It's like going to 10 on a No Load tone pot. The sound changes a lot and gets pretty harsh. Everything from 9.5 to 1 is fairly linear.
I know it’s a different game with different pickups, but give the DGT wiring (adjusting to taste) a shot. The only real difference is the .022uf cap but matched with these pups, and my optimized rig, the response far surpasses my other guitars. Make sure, also, that a previous owner didn’t screw up the soldering job.

Another note, DG himself turns his tone down to almost zero all the time. And when I want to deepen things up, I head straight down to 3 on the tone and don’t mess around anywhere else. It’s purely subjective, but that seems to be a sweet spot.
 
I know it’s a different game with different pickups, but give the DGT wiring (adjusting to taste) a shot. The only real difference is the .022uf cap but matched with these pups, and my optimized rig, the response far surpasses my other guitars. Make sure, also, that a previous owner didn’t screw up the soldering job.

Another note, DG himself turns his tone down to almost zero all the time. And when I want to deepen things up, I head straight down to 3 on the tone and don’t mess around anywhere else. It’s purely subjective, but that seems to be a sweet spot.

He really does that???
 
...the Tone control is very insensitive (not in a rude way.) :) It takes quite a large turn to get the high end to turn down audibly.

Honestly, my 2011 McCarty 58 with 57/08's is like this a bit, too. It doesn't bother me much, but rolling the tone down "just a tad" means I've gotta scroll down to around 5-6 on the knob while listening closely for the change.

I don't seem to have the other problems that you're experiencing, but at least as far as the reactivity of the tone knob goes (and with these pickups, which I don't know if you have or not?) I do notice it.
 
He really does that???
I sh@t you not. In my experience, I’d dial in/out the treble based on how the venue EQed. I get the feeling he jockeys his controls constantly.

There’s a video where someone in the crowd asks that question directly, and he answers, with a little hesitation, like it was a bit of a secret.
 
Back
Top