McCarty vs McCarty 594?

[Casi1]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering if anyone knew the answer to this question (its driving me INSANE):

What single attribute is most responsible for the McCarty 594's bright tone?

My plain ole McCarty seems a bit thinner, has same LT pickups (I replaced them), has same body wood (I think the 594 still has the hog and maple?), has bright strings... But still sounds dark compared to every single 594 I have picked up.

Is there a major difference in the 594 electronics? Maybe thats what I am missing.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[László]

Every guitar sounds different, for starters. But I have a McCarty too, and it's as bright as any 594 I've played, so it may just be worth thinking about pickup height, something that matters.

Other differences are the 594's bone nut and the bridge, plus the different scale length. You might be hearing those kinds of subtle differences as well.

Finally, you mentioned that you've changed pickups. Check to see if the treble bleed caps are the correct values.

 

[Casi1]

Every guitar sounds different, for starters. But I have a McCarty too, and it's as bright as any 594 I've played, so it may just be worth thinking about pickup height, something that matters.

Other differences are the 594's bone nut and the bridge, plus the different scale length. You might be hearing those kinds of subtle differences as well.

Finally, you mentioned that you've changed pickups. Check to see if the treble bleed caps are the correct values.

Thanks! I will check the caps...

I guess the other, more obvious, reason that my McCarty sounds dark is the brazilian rosewood neck. Its just that I thought I'd see a bigger difference (in brightness) after ditching the 57/08s for 58/15LTs. Its definitely more articulate but not a significant boost in brightness. The guitar definitely sounds better with the pup change.

 

[Parralax view]

LSchefman I think, is on to something about the bone nut. I recently changed my Proprietary PRS nut on my McCarty standard to a buffalo horn black nut.. The sound difference was immediate. Most of the "dark" was eliminated. I played it through an amp I had played it through the evening before I sent it to the shop. The amp sat idle with no adjustment for the almost 3 weeks it was gone. I plugged it back into the same amp with no changes, and the tone was clearer and almost a tad too bright in the unwound strings. So much so that I had to adjust the treble down a bit on the amp and the guitar tone knob.

 

[Casi1]

LSchefman I think, is on to something about the bone nut. I recently changed my Proprietary PRS nut on my McCarty standard to a buffalo horn black nut.. The sound difference was immediate. Most of the "dark" was eliminated. I played it through an amp I had played it through the evening before I sent it to the shop. The amp sat idle with no adjustment for the almost 3 weeks it was gone. I plugged it back into the same amp with no changes, and the tone was clearer and almost a tad too bright in the unwound strings. So much so that I had to adjust the treble down a bit on the amp and the guitar tone knob.

Thanks! I'm debating about changing the nut (it seems more 'permanent' than the cap switcheroo but it just might be the fix I need).
Do you find the bone nut to be better than those tusq nuts? I will look for one of those buffalo horn bone nuts. Thanks again!

 

[shallbe]

The type of bridge is going to have more an impact on tone than the nut. the bridge design, material and sound transfer will be there on EVERY note. The nut is only significant on the open strings. If you play a lot of open chords, the nut change can be significant.

However, the biggest tonal generator on an a solidbody electric guitar is the neck. Like a tuning fork, if you will. Wood types and rigidity are big factors in tone. If one of your guitars has a solid Brazzy neck, it is in no way similar to your other guitar with a mahogany neck and Indian board, even if the bodies are the same. New pickups will only enhance or amplify what is already there.

Put your ear on the top horn and strum a chord, unplugged. Do it with the other guitar. I bet they sound different.

 

[AP515]

I guess the other, more obvious, reason that my McCarty sounds dark is the brazilian rosewood neck. Its just that I thought I'd see a bigger difference (in brightness) after ditching the 57/08s for 58/15LTs...

You answered your question. The BRW neck cuts highs and leaves the mids. My BRW Cu22 will never cut through like the ones with hog or maple necks, but when you want a warm, well rounded tone, it's the right choice.

 

[garrettb]

I'll agree the biggest factor is the rosewood neck on the McCarty.

Last year I did some comparing of the McCarty and the 594. Both were the standard formula. For me, the McCarty had a brighter snap to the notes, presumably from the longer scale, while the 594 had a warmer growl. The McCarty was woolier in the neck position, presumably from the higher output 58/15 vs. the LT.

 

[Parralax view]

Interesting observations on woods, materials, and outputs. I don't know if the output of the guitar has changed, and the tone of the guitar is somewhat different and clearer. Mine is a bone stock standard, nothing fancy in the way of necks or parts. The only single part that has ever changed on this particular guitar is the nut material, all else is just as I bought it. I like the change, and the tech was good enough to make that nut look basically just like the old one.

 

[Casi1]

I would like to thank everybody for their comments thus far. Great points about the neck wood and the bridge.

At one point, I had two 408's... Same model year, necks looked the same but one had a Brazilian neck and the other had an east indian neck. The only other difference was the bridge... One had a stoptail (with pauls guitar brass inserts) the other had a trem. To my ears, the necks contributed to a resonant, clear tone on both but the 408 with the trem had EXACTLY what I was looking for tone-wise. There was just something about the articulation and dynamics of that 408 with the brazilian neck and trem. I cant describe it.

What I have gathered so far is that these are possibly the components responsible for the brightness (or lack there of):

1. Neck wood
2. Bridge
3. Nut
4. Cap values

The bridge on this McCarty is the Pauls Guitar stoptail, however, neither that nor bright strings have significantly brightened the tone. My next move is to change out the cap then the nut (if cap change doesnt hit the mark) and see what results come from those changes.

Thanks guys!

 

[garrettb]

It's not the caps, so don't bother.

The nut may make a small difference, but I highly doubt it'll find the missing brightness.

Perhaps the standard stoptail would be a little brighter than the Paul's, but not hugely.

My only other thought is to do some research and find a bright sounding set of pickups. Otherwise, maybe just let the McCarty be what it is.

 

[Casi1]

It's not the caps, so don't bother.

The nut may make a small difference, but I highly doubt it'll find the missing brightness.

Perhaps the standard stoptail would be a little brighter than the Paul's, but not hugely.

My only other thought is to do some research and find a bright sounding set of pickups. Otherwise, maybe just let the McCarty be what it is.

Yeah, I pulled the schematics for the two McCarty models. Looks like there is a cap value difference but I really dont know whats in the guts of this McCarty. Its an artist package, bought used, with PRS signature on the back of headstock. It came with the Pauls Guitar bridge already installed so who knows what other options, if any, were requested/ordered by the original owner. My tech, who changed out the pickups to LT's, doesnt recall the gut specifics...

I have a spare original McCarty bridge from my McCarty Korina that I could put on this McCarty just to see what happens. I guess I figured the brass inserts from the Pauls Guitar bridge contributed to the guitars overall brightness. That could have been a poor assumption on my part.

I'm definitely not at the point where I would think of getting rid of this guitar.... It sounds good with the new LT pups. In terms of note clarity and single-coil-ness, its overall tone is second only to my 408. My problem is with trying to make it what its not or sound like what its not. I will try the bridge switcheroo, the cap change, and maybe the nut swap but if none of those things make it brighter, I will definitely keep it for what it is.

 

[garrettb]

The capacitor only impacts the sound when you lower the tone control. Changing the value will not affect the guitar's tone when it's on 10.

Brass is not a bright sounding metal. It is known for being more warm and balanced. Aluminum is a bright sounding metal. I've heard Paul say the inserts on the Paul's bridge make it sound like having brass saddles. Should be an easy test to try out the normal bridge. I wouldn't expect a night-and-day difference, though.

Since you're going down the rabbit hole of tone, a few more ideas:

• Swap the stock tone pot for a no-load pot. That will add some presence when the tone is all the way up.
• Check the resistance value of the volume pot. I have a couple spare PRS pots and one measures only 400k. Probably another thing that won't be a huge difference.
• You can try a 1 meg volume pot for more presence.
• I know the LT pickups are amazing, but if it's a particularly dark guitar, it may call for something else brighter.
• On your amp, you could always flick on the bright switch or turn that treble knob up.

 

[Casi1]

The capacitor only impacts the sound when you lower the tone control. Changing the value will not affect the guitar's tone when it's on 10.

Brass is not a bright sounding metal. It is known for being more warm and balanced. Aluminum is a bright sounding metal. I've heard Paul say the inserts on the Paul's bridge make it sound like having brass saddles. Should be an easy test to try out the normal bridge. I wouldn't expect a night-and-day difference, though.

Since you're going down the rabbit hole of tone, a few more ideas:

• Swap the stock tone pot for a no-load pot. That will add some presence when the tone is all the way up.
• Check the resistance value of the volume pot. I have a couple spare PRS pots and one measures only 400k. Probably another thing that won't be a huge difference.
• You can try a 1 meg volume pot for more presence.
• I know the LT pickups are amazing, but if it's a particularly dark guitar, it may call for something else brighter.
• On your amp, you could always flick on the bright switch or turn that treble knob up.

Thanks for the great ideas. I can get the guitar a little brighter by tweaking my boogie however that amp weighs a ton so I dont carry that one around. Ideally, I'd like to enhance the guitar instead of relying on the one amp or buying additional amps right now. My other amps dont have a 'bright switch' and my little cheapo favorite amp doesnt even have a treble knob (yeah I know).

Its all good though... I've got a plan now. I'm going to put that other stoptail on it, check the sound, and if it needs more, change the nut to a buffalo horn. Those changes are pretty simple (and quickly reversible). If anything more is needed, I will re-assess about going into the guts. If I go into the guts, I will follow the rabbit hole recommendations.

Thanks guys!