It's funny to think about the fact that in 2021 I had no PRS guitars and had hardly ever played one. It's now 2023 and I have 3.
After my 91/92 alder bodied CE and my 2017 Custom 24, I really wanted the "other" iconic PRS, aka the McCarty.
I also wanted a PRS that I could downtune easily (aka stoptail) and one that wasn't a case queen so that it wouldn't give me much anxiety if it managed to catch an extra ding or two. I plan to gig this guitar quite a lot.
So here comes the new girl:
If you look closely at the photos you can kinda see the little battle scars that it has gathered over 20 years. Still, it's reasonably clean and presents itself quite nicely I think! Some parts have obviously been changed (knobs, pickup rings, selector tip and also the nut has been swapped for a bone one) but all the original pieces were included, which is nice. I am partial to black pickup rings myself, tho I'll probably end up installing PRS originals because these ones end up tilting the neck pickup to a considerable degree.
Electronics are bone stock and don't look like they've ever been altered. I find the old McCarty pickups to be nice, definitely fat sounding but also clear. They seem to shine in a mix rather than in isolation. I do feel like modern numbered pickups are a step above, but for now there is no plan to swap these out.
The top is gorgeous, in my opinion, my only gripe is that it's the same black cherry color as my Custom 24, tho I have to say the McCarty has a better looking top (despite the CU24 also being a 10 top) and the red is a bit brighter, making the figuring pop more.
The Wide fat neck is very comfortable (all PRS necks are comfortable to me tbh, for 30 years I thought I was picky about necks, turns out some companies just can't make them right), altough the modern regular neck is, again, a cut above.
Overall, it's interesting to see the evolution of PRS guitars now that I have one for each main "era": an early 90s CE with the rotary switch, this McCarty from the early 2000s and a failry recent Custom 24. I can appreciate the evolution these guitars - rather objectively I'd say - have made, but also don't mind the quirks and ingenuity of the earlier days.
Anyway, can't way to gig this girl tonight. Have a nice day you all.
After my 91/92 alder bodied CE and my 2017 Custom 24, I really wanted the "other" iconic PRS, aka the McCarty.
I also wanted a PRS that I could downtune easily (aka stoptail) and one that wasn't a case queen so that it wouldn't give me much anxiety if it managed to catch an extra ding or two. I plan to gig this guitar quite a lot.
So here comes the new girl:
If you look closely at the photos you can kinda see the little battle scars that it has gathered over 20 years. Still, it's reasonably clean and presents itself quite nicely I think! Some parts have obviously been changed (knobs, pickup rings, selector tip and also the nut has been swapped for a bone one) but all the original pieces were included, which is nice. I am partial to black pickup rings myself, tho I'll probably end up installing PRS originals because these ones end up tilting the neck pickup to a considerable degree.
Electronics are bone stock and don't look like they've ever been altered. I find the old McCarty pickups to be nice, definitely fat sounding but also clear. They seem to shine in a mix rather than in isolation. I do feel like modern numbered pickups are a step above, but for now there is no plan to swap these out.
The top is gorgeous, in my opinion, my only gripe is that it's the same black cherry color as my Custom 24, tho I have to say the McCarty has a better looking top (despite the CU24 also being a 10 top) and the red is a bit brighter, making the figuring pop more.
The Wide fat neck is very comfortable (all PRS necks are comfortable to me tbh, for 30 years I thought I was picky about necks, turns out some companies just can't make them right), altough the modern regular neck is, again, a cut above.
Overall, it's interesting to see the evolution of PRS guitars now that I have one for each main "era": an early 90s CE with the rotary switch, this McCarty from the early 2000s and a failry recent Custom 24. I can appreciate the evolution these guitars - rather objectively I'd say - have made, but also don't mind the quirks and ingenuity of the earlier days.
Anyway, can't way to gig this girl tonight. Have a nice day you all.
