McCarty vs Paul's vs Santana vs...

I love this, thanks! I think I might like a shorter scale length just for comfort of playing while I'm learning guitar in general. When learning some of the shapes near the far end on my 'caster, my fingers can get stretched a bit making it slightly painful. But that's a 25.5" scale. I know that's part of the growing pains in addition to callluses. I had a 339 that I sold at the beginning of lockdowns that was pretty comfortable to play. I think that was 24.75". When I was looking at Les Pauls earlier this year, I'd settled in to the Standard 50s as more to my taste than the Standard 60s. I think the R9 is in between and all of the PRSs that are in this thread are probably closer to the R9 from what I've read, which is fine.

I added the Core Studio 10 Top Green to my watch list along with the other NFs, thanks!

Should the Santana be in my list? https://reverb.com/item/60834364-20...re-rare-eriza-verde-finish-great-top-case-tag

This one looks very interesting, but the electronics have been messed with and it doesn't really look like Eriza Verde. Maybe the lighting is bad. https://reverb.com/item/58098065-prs-hollowbody-ii-eriza-verde

This one is a bit darker green than I would like and is over my price range, but the PUPs are the right ones according to this thread: https://reverb.com/item/62439477-prs-mccarty-594-wood-library
 
wow, I just looked at the demo of the Vela semi-hollow on the PRS website. Nice!! Kind of like the rebel step-child. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I was avoiding the SE and S2 lines since that usually results in me wishing I'd just spent the money to get the better quality experience in the first place. Like knowing eventually I'll get a US-made SS to replace my partscaster.
 
In my opinion Paul’s Guitar with TCI pickups is a very versatile guitar capable of producing quality classic rock, blues and jazz tones. I have a fairly large guitar collection and my Paul’s Guitar is my guitar of choice 95% of the time.
 
madeinbologna said:
I love this, thanks! I think I might like a shorter scale length just for comfort of playing while I'm learning guitar in general. When learning some of the shapes near the far end on my 'caster, my fingers can get stretched a bit making it slightly painful. But that's a 25.5" scale. I know that's part of the growing pains in addition to callluses. I had a 339 that I sold at the beginning of lockdowns that was pretty comfortable to play. I think that was 24.75". When I was looking at Les Pauls earlier this year, I'd settled in to the Standard 50s as more to my taste than the Standard 60s. I think the R9 is in between and all of the PRSs that are in this thread are probably closer to the R9 from what I've read, which is fine.

I added the Core Studio 10 Top Green to my watch list along with the other NFs, thanks!

Should the Santana be in my list? https://reverb.com/item/60834364-20...re-rare-eriza-verde-finish-great-top-case-tag

This one looks very interesting, but the electronics have been messed with and it doesn't really look like Eriza Verde. Maybe the lighting is bad. https://reverb.com/item/58098065-prs-hollowbody-ii-eriza-verde

This one is a bit darker green than I would like and is over my price range, but the PUPs are the right ones according to this thread: https://reverb.com/item/62439477-prs-mccarty-594-wood-library
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If you are into the double cut Les Paul JR vibe, then you'd like a Santana. I have one and it's very very cool and has it's own thing that's different than the modern PRS experience.

That "Eriza Verde" 2012 HB II is ... faded at best. It might have been the color once, but is no longer that color, likely it got left in the sun.

For that unplugged sound, I notice the non-trem guitars just feel a bit more lively, but the trems do give you that trem-spring reverb!
 
I half feel you're barking up the wrong tree. The players you listed are either (primarily) know for playing a Fender Strat or a Gibson Les Paul. I like PRS guitars but if I wanted to sound like Peter Green then I probably wouldn't be looking at a PRS as my first choice. Ditto Jimi Henrix etc. I'm kinda shocked no one else has said this tbh.
 
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Collywobbles said:
I half feel you're barking up the wrong tree. The players you listed are either (primarily) know for playing a Fender Strat or a Gibson Les Paul. I like PRS guitars but I wanted to sound like Peter Green then I probably wouldn't be looking at a PRS as my first choice. Ditto Jimmi Henrix etc. I'm kinda shocked no one else has said this tbh.

Edit - yes I know Mayer has a signature model, but it's just a copy of a Strat albeit with a strange headstock and plastic bird inlays.
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Considering he said he wanted to play the Blues like those players, not necessarily sound 'exactly' the same as those players. That being said, PRS offers both a 'Les Paul' style and a 'Strat' style guitar in their range. The Silver Sky in particular sounds like a vintage strat so would do all the same things a 'Fender' would. Peter Greens LP was somewhat unique so you couldn't just buy a 'Gibson' to get the Greeny sound. That being said, the 594 covers the same sonic territory as a Les Paul anyway and if you wanted to modify it to sound more like Greeny, the same as you would need to with a Gibson, that's an option too. As for not mentioning it, I did say this...

Mozzi said:
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.
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I guess you fall into the 'if it was played on a Fender Strat, it must ALWAYS be played on a Fender Strat...
 
Thanks for all of the replies so far! Lots to think about.

@Collywobbles @Mozzi My main desire in pointing out those artists was to emphasize that I want to spend more time in arpeggios than chords. In my mind, chords paint the broad "context" of the feeling you are trying to convey, and the arpeggios paint the journey through that context. I've learned this is a neck discussion as much as anything, as chord necks are usually different from arpeggio necks. Then you get to the extreme arpeggio necks where the shredders live. I'm sure I'm over-simplifying and generalizing quite a bit with that statement, but I hope you know what I mean.

I think the McCarty 594 is the one I'm looking for.

I'm also very intrigued by the Vela Semi-Hollow. I've actually got a Gibson Beato Signature coming in that I ordered months ago and if I like it I might keep it and get a Vela Semi-Hollow for now. Or I might sell the Beato and go for a 594 HBII.

No matter what, this has been a great thread to help me understand all of the nuances. If I can find anything local, I'll definitely go put my hands on it, but if not, I can shop remotely a little more intelligently.
 
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.
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I do alot of un-amp'ed playing too...just grab the guitar and sit on the couch, but didn't want a full hollowbody, so I went with a CE semi-hollow. I love the semi-hollows because you still get the feel and almost identical sound of solid bodies (with much less weight), but you get just enough of that acoustic resonance to play unplugged and hear it. I know there are 594 semi-hollows, but I have never gotten my hands on one out in the wild.
 
madeinbologna said:
I've learned this is a neck discussion as much as anything, as chord necks are usually different from arpeggio necks. Then you get to the extreme arpeggio necks where the shredders live. I'm sure I'm over-simplifying and generalizing quite a bit with that statement, but I hope you know what I mean.

I think the McCarty 594 is the one I'm looking for.
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If you're inclined towards a somewhat thinner neck, you might want to also consider the S2 594 Thinline. Same specs as the standard S2 594, but a thinner, mahogany-only body (no maple cap) and the Pattern Thin neck, vs the Pattern Vintage on the standard 594's.
 
madeinbologna said:
Thanks for all of the replies so far! Lots to think about.

@Collywobbles @Mozzi My main desire in pointing out those artists was to emphasize that I want to spend more time in arpeggios than chords. In my mind, chords paint the broad "context" of the feeling you are trying to convey, and the arpeggios paint the journey through that context. I've learned this is a neck discussion as much as anything, as chord necks are usually different from arpeggio necks. Then you get to the extreme arpeggio necks where the shredders live. I'm sure I'm over-simplifying and generalizing quite a bit with that statement, but I hope you know what I mean.

I think the McCarty 594 is the one I'm looking for.

I'm also very intrigued by the Vela Semi-Hollow. I've actually got a Gibson Beato Signature coming in that I ordered months ago and if I like it I might keep it and get a Vela Semi-Hollow for now. Or I might sell the Beato and go for a 594 HBII.

No matter what, this has been a great thread to help me understand all of the nuances. If I can find anything local, I'll definitely go put my hands on it, but if not, I can shop remotely a little more intelligently.
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Necks are personal choice and preference - there is no such thing as an Arpeggio neck or Chord neck - but you'll hear things like 'can't bend well on 7.25" radius, need a 16" Radius (minimum) and thin neck to play arpeggios - especially sweep picked Arpeggios - but Yngwie Malmsteen proves a 7.25" 'Fender' is perfect for him but Steve Vai uses a very thin and flat radius neck.

PRS tend to offer 10" radius as their 'standard' with a couple of models that are different - Holcomb is 20", Silver Sky is 7.25", SE Silver Sky is 8.5". But until the 80's, most bands were playing Fenders or Gibsons with 'standard' necks playing Chords/Arpeggio's, Lead/Rhythm etc on whatever they had. Compound Radius guitars are meant to offer the more rounded profile nearest the Nut (where Barre Chords are more likely) and flatter near the bridge for single notes.

If you do Barre Chords, then a Flat radius can be more difficult and tiring to do as your 'barre' finger has to be held down much 'flatter' where a more 'rounded' fretboard radius is more comfortable and fits the natural curve of your finger. I think that's where you are confusing things - its a bit like thinking a 'tele' is only good for Country or a hollowbody is just for Jazz. There are always musicians that will be playing Arpeggio's, sweep picking and shredding on 'necks' that some people will tell you are not 'shredder' guitars and people using Shredder guitars to play Chords/Rhythm etc because it 'suits' their hands and their preference.

The only thing I would suggest is trying each guitar first. You may find the Pattern Thin neck more 'comfortable' for your hands than a Pattern Vintage and find it 'easier' for you to play more arpeggios and if you know what 'feels' right in your hands as far as neck carve is concerned, you can use that to help in your search. I personally find flat fretboards and thin necks 'uncomfortable' but the way a 'neck' feels, isn't just the way its carved, its the string action, the fretboard edges, String spacing etc as that affects how a neck feels too. High action makes a neck feel much chunkier because you have to reach over the Strings. If you find a guitar comfortable, you can play anything on it...
 
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