McCarty vs Paul's vs Santana vs...

madeinbologna

madeinbologna

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I'm looking for my first PRS. I've got a partscaster and 3 bass guitars, but I've really been drawn to guitar this past year. I'm still learning. I want to learn blues along the lines of Peter Green, Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, David Gilmour, Jimi Hendrix, Robben Ford to name a few. I loved the tone I heard on Robben's demo of his signature through the HDRX20! But that's too much of a stretch this year.

$3,500 budget. Used. Paul's Guitar? McCarty (594?)? Straight CU24?
 
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For those styles, I'd go for a 594 personally. They really capture the old Les Paul vibe with the added versatility of great sounding coil taps.

If you can manage a used Paul's with the TCI pickups, it would hit the Stratty sounds better. It's a more modern-sounding of guitar, but super versatile.

I wouldn't go for a CU24 for these styles. I did use one myself back in the day to play stuff like Gov't Mule, Allman Bros, and all sorts of classic rock, but I think the two guitars above or a regular McCarty or a DGT are better tools for that job.

I'd go regular McCarty if you want the simpler operation and they have a little more snap to the tone vs. the 594. Or the DGT is a great pick if you want to have those more classic tones with a trem.
 
I have two CU24's and a 594 HBII. Of those three, the HBII gets 95% of my guitar time for a few reasons.

1. I like the tones better for what I am doing right now (Dylan, Willie Nelson, Petty, Bo Diddley, jazz plus originals)
2. The lightweight (5.6 lbs I believe compared to 7.x for my CU24's) allows me to wear it for many hours without any fatigue or issues next day
3. Unplugged, it sounds great

Your mileage may vary, and if I were playing more rockin' or funk stuff, the CU24's would be a better fit, and I will be doing some of that down the road, but for now, the HBII wins for me and it sounds like it would be a great fit for you!!
 
Interesting thought on the Hollowbody. I didn't have that in my list. I play un-amplified about 75% of the time right now as it's just me practicing/learning. If a guitar doesn't sound good UN-amplifed, it's a non-starter for me.

What about rosewood vs maple vs ebony? I played a zootsuit SG with an ebony fretboard a month ago and I loved the feel of that fretboard. I know ebony and maple are going to be brighter. My partscaster is rosewood. My basses are a mixture of rosewood(SRFF805), maple (MTD Kingston), and ebony (SRF705).

First priority is finding one in Eriza Verde. I just love that color. Reminds me of my first Schwinn 10-speed in grade school.
 
If you're going to lay out that much cash, I'd say try all of the above and the solid and semi hollow Vela models.

This is a journey of experience and I'm looking forward to hearing to which PRS you select. You've got Strat covered it seems and perhaps a different flavor will add to the palette.

Good searching, you came to the right place for encouragement!
 
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I'm trying to get as much of a feel from feedback as I can as there are no used PRSs in my area with these parameters, so I'm 90% sure I'll be buying something off Reverb and hoping for the best.

I've played a CU24, a couple of Throwbacks, a 95 CU22, and a 99 CU22. I liked the feel of the Throwbacks the best and the CU24 and CU22s were pretty good. For the money, I think I can do better than a Throwback since that was designed to solve a specific problem that I don't have. (simulate replacing a 100' cord with a wireless.)

Is the difference mostly in the pups? I mean, aside from the semi and hollow bodies for which weight will be an obvious factor.

If the CU24 is secondary to my primary list, it reasons I should take the \m/ -equipped "Floyd" off my list as well. Yes?
 
.... and are there year ranges? I think I've read that post-2015 is the ideal? (But that might be just for CU24s.)

What year did Paul's guitar start getting the TCI pickups?
 
I've got the gamut covered from solid to hollow , and I'd say for an all around swiss ar knife the Special Semi hollow is hard to beat. The mahogany necks perhaps a bit more versatile than my maple neck . The 594's are great and the Hollowbody's to me are the best guitars in the line, acoustically my HB II is just amazing , plugged in even at high gain it covers everything except the whammy stuff .
 
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madeinbologna said:
Interesting thought on the Hollowbody. I didn't have that in my list. I play un-amplified about 75% of the time right now as it's just me practicing/learning. If a guitar doesn't sound good UN-amplifed, it's a non-starter for me.

What about rosewood vs maple vs ebony? I played a zootsuit SG with an ebony fretboard a month ago and I loved the feel of that fretboard. I know ebony and maple are going to be brighter. My partscaster is rosewood. My basses are a mixture of rosewood(SRFF805), maple (MTD Kingston), and ebony (SRF705).

First priority is finding one in Eriza Verde. I just love that color. Reminds me of my first Schwinn 10-speed in grade school.
Click to expand...
I'd also recommend either the 594 or an SE Hollowbody II. The SE HB's are excellent guitars, and would leave plenty of cash towards your next (and inevitable) PRS purchase
 
I’ll throw another consideration into your mix. The NF3 or another guitar with Narrowfield pickups like the Swamp Ash Special (SAS) or anniversary McCarty. As a recent re-convert to the magic of Narrowfields, I feel they come closest to the ability to get both big rock/blues humbucking tones, along with the clear, ringy single-coil clarity. The list of players in your post spans both, so it’s a consideration and can get you in PRS-land well under your budget. Here’s a few examples currently out there:

reverb.com

PRS NF3 Narrowfield 2011 - 2015 | Reverb

The PRS NF3 is essentially a reinterpretation of a Strat-type design, with an interesting 25.25 inch scale length and three PRS 57/08 Narrowfield humbuckers. It features a Korina body and Maple neck. Years of Production: 2011 - 2015
reverb.com reverb.com

reverb.com

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special Narrowfields 2010 Sapphire Blue Burst | Reverb

St. L House of G.A.S. presents for consideration⦠Up For Sale~One Excellent Condition, PRS (Paul Reed Smith) 25th anniversary Swamp Ash Special (SAS) in a deep Sapphire Blue Burst along with its original, Excellent/Near Mint condition, White w/Black end trim 25th Anniversary case, with factory...
reverb.com reverb.com

reverb.com

PRS 25th Anniversary McCarty Narrowfield 10-Top | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
reverb.com reverb.com

I‘m not endorsing these specific instruments, but use them as an example of currently available guitars within your price range that also cover your musical tastes. You can’t go wrong with a 594 (regular, Soapbar, or HB) or regular McCarty, but you ought to listen to some demoes of the 57/08 Narrowfield. You can also find them in the current iteration of Studio guitars, possibly in your price spec. Here’s a cool wraptail version (they normally have trems, if you prefer):

reverb.com

PRS Core Studio 10 Top Green | Reverb

Excellent rare example of this guitar with a 10 top and nice green finish. No noticeable fretwear or body damage. It also has a rare fixed bridge. Comes with original hard case. See pics for further description.
reverb.com reverb.com
 
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madeinbologna said:
without th
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Basically a Pauls Guitar and a 594 will give you a very similar 'spec' - Dual 'Humbuckers' with individual coil splits, 22 frets and a fixed bridge. There are differences, the Pauls is a bit more P90's without the Hum, 25" scale, different neck profile etc and the 594 is more a Vintage Les Paul with individual tone/volume controls, 24.594" scale and its own asymmetric neck carve too. Custom 24 is a 24 fret 25" scale guitar with a trem and is the 'traditional' PRS. Santana is also a 24fret guitar but a shorter scale.

In my opinion, you can play any style on any instrument regardless of whether it suits the genre Aesthetically and unless you are trying to tone match 'exactly', I don't see why you couldn't use whatever guitar you want to play any song, regardless of what guitar and tone was used originally. I don't see any issue with Classic Hendrix Strat based songs played on Double Humbucker Les Paul type guitar - where as others may insist on owning a 'S-type' like the Silver Sky specifically to play songs that were famously played on Strats.

Point is, you can play Blues on any Guitar. Most of those artists used whatever Guitar they had to play music on and didn't have a LOT of choice. It literally was the ONLY instrument they had so used that to make their music.

If you can find a PRS Special Semi Hollow in your price range, you may find the extra NF in the middle to give you a wider Tonal palette to give you more options to get closer to some of the tones those artists had and being semi-hollow, is light weight too. But really you could also check out the 509, Hollowbodies or Semi-hollow version of 594 etc and find a fantastic instrument to play Blues as well as any other genre....
 
RickP said:
I’ll throw another consideration into your mix. The NF3 or another guitar with Narrowfield pickups like the Swamp Ash Special (SAS) or anniversary McCarty. As a recent re-convert to the magic of Narrowfields, I feel they come closest to the ability to get both big rock/blues hum bucking tones, along with the clear, ringy single-coil clarity. The list of players in your post spans both, so it’s a consideration and can get you in PRS-land well under your budget. Here’s a few examples currently out there:

reverb.com

PRS NF3 Narrowfield 2011 - 2015 | Reverb

The PRS NF3 is essentially a reinterpretation of a Strat-type design, with an interesting 25.25 inch scale length and three PRS 57/08 Narrowfield humbuckers. It features a Korina body and Maple neck. Years of Production: 2011 - 2015
reverb.com reverb.com

reverb.com

PRS 25th Anniversary Swamp Ash Special Narrowfields 2010 Sapphire Blue Burst | Reverb

St. L House of G.A.S. presents for consideration⦠Up For Sale~One Excellent Condition, PRS (Paul Reed Smith) 25th anniversary Swamp Ash Special (SAS) in a deep Sapphire Blue Burst along with its original, Excellent/Near Mint condition, White w/Black end trim 25th Anniversary case, with factory...
reverb.com reverb.com

reverb.com

PRS 25th Anniversary McCarty Narrowfield 10-Top | Reverb

Reverb is a marketplace bringing together a wide-spanning community to buy, sell, and discuss all things music gear.
reverb.com reverb.com

I‘m not endorsing these specific instruments, but use them as an example of currently available guitars within your price range that also cover your musical tastes. You can’t go wrong with a 594 (regular, Soapbar, or HB) or regular McCarty, but you ought to listen to some demoes of the 57/08 Narrowfield. You can also find them in the current iteration of Studio guitars, possibly in your price spec. Here’s a cool wraptail version (they normal have trems, if you prefer):

reverb.com

PRS Core Studio 10 Top Green | Reverb

Excellent rare example of this guitar with a 10 top and nice green finish. No noticeable fretwear or body damage. It also has a rare fixed bridge. Comes with original hard case. See pics for further description.
reverb.com reverb.com
Click to expand...

This. Those NF pickups will cover a TON of ground. Here's a demo I did for reference.

I also have a shootout between a McCarty and a Custom 24 I can post up or message you if it helps.


Thread 'The 25th SAS Demo' https://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/the-25th-sas-demo.52589/
 
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