NGD - McCarty

Great looking McCarty! Unless you’re dying for it to be stock for whatever reason, I wouldn’t get too worried about it. The bare knuckle pickups are worth more after market. If you want more vintage style, sell the bare knucks and put 5708’s in it. McCarty pickups are ok, but not anything mind blowing. You could just ask the guy what he’d want for the original parts? I’d have thought he might include them, but didn’t ever say he would. Personally, when I’ve been in the seller’s shoes, I offer to sell as is or return it to stock and keep my aftermarket parts.
 
I’m in Pennsylvania with a set of 1999 McCarty pickups. I replaced them with 57/08s. Feel free to message me and I’ll contact you if you want them, as we can’t do that here per forum rules.
To clarify my post, if it were me, I’d put 57/08s in it unless the OP feels the need for original McCartys.
 
Here’s another possibility... The seller might just have been the absentminded type, recalling enough to acknowledge from memory owning the original pickups, but, possibly being stored out of case (I’d not be storing them knocking about inside a case for no reason myself), he might have honestly simply forgotten to go find them in a parts drawer, etc., and then place them in the case at point of shipping. Duh.

Again, only a possibility, going from my own experience. Over the last few years, I’ve bought two pedals listed with power supplies included that arrived... er, without. A simple reminder had them shipped soon after with an embarrassed apology each time.

Couldn’t hurt to ask, making the suggestion of an innocent oversight, but also along with the polite mention that they had, of course, been included in the sale per the seller’s own communications.
 
I had an '04. The vintage tuners would have been stock. There wouldn't have been coil taps. It would have come with McCarty pickups. But if I had that one, I'd put some 57/08s in it, might sound even better than the originals.
 
Two words I never dared hope I'd be able to say together, but here she is!
Not "new", but new to me. She's an 04, in really great shape!!

Always dare to hope, it's what makes things happen!

Congrats! Nice guitar! and my favorite color!
 
Congrats, nice top on that one!

My first PRS was a 2000 McCarty and it did have a push/pull for a coil tap - I remember I didn’t realize this until a couple of years after purchase!

I’d also highly recommend 57/08s versus the original McCarty pickups. Or 59/09s if you want a little hotter but still vintage style flavor.
 
Thanks to all for the comments and input! Apologies for going ghost, but it was a busy weekend!

So, to try to reply to the highpoints:
- I prefer my guitars to be stock, especially a PRS. I think Paul and the team make an amazing product, and would prefer to see what left the factory before deciding if there's anything I'd like to change to personalize
- I gave the Bareknuckles a fair shot, but really didn't like them. I know they're supposed to be "higher end", but not my cup of tea
- Thanks for all of the recommendations on the 57/08s, those are actually likely my first swap out, if I don't like the McCartys

I had a really good interaction with the seller. I simply asked why he sent the guitar and half the things we discussed, but not the other half. He said that he thought I reached out to ask about the original parts, but never followed up so I decided to just take the guitar as-is. I told him I reached out to verify that it was all included, and thought he confirmed. We agreed that it was mutual confusion, not malice on either part. It was very interesting that he thought the price we negotiated wasn't fair for me to assume all new and original gear. I have no problem sharing those numbers (if anyone cares), but I'm going to be vague here b/c I'm not 100% clear on forum rules for this.

He was the second owner, and bought it from Reverb about a year ago. He told me the price he paid for the guitar, and the price for all the parts he put on. I told him he paid OVER the new retail price for a used guitar, and about $1k over the Reverb price guide for the last year or so. I also told him that new parts were usually a sunk cost, and that he shouldn't expect $0.50 on the dollar for them when selling them with a guitar, and that was if he was lucky. By my math the price I paid him was more than the guitar and new parts combined were worth, but I agreed to pay it because of that darn "lefty premium".

In the end, we agreed that the most fair thing to do was for him to send me all the original parts, and me to send him back his new ones. We each paid our own shipping costs, and call it a day.

LAST QUESTION: He sent me this pic of the parts he pulled off the guitar and is sending me. Everything looks like its correct, EXCEPT the pickup rings and switch tip are black. Is everyone here SURE that they should be cream? Is there any chance that he's right, or am I about to be scammed?

lwvZjYg.jpg
 
That's a tough decision to make. I never really liked the original McCarty pickups - when I had mine back around that same year, I swapped them out for BKP Mules. I agree that the BKP Aftermaths aren't ideal for the McCarty, being out and out metal pickups. But I'd bet you could sell them for £200, so maybe $300 USD. I doubt you could sell the McCarty pups for that. I'd be looking to sell the BKPs and like others have suggested, look for a set of 57/08s or 58/15s to put in there as a better pup than the old McCarty set.

The McCarty bridge is definitely a prettier looking bridge than what he has in there, but something like that Mann bridge that folk have been throwing on their Singlecuts would be a nice looking Bridge on the McCarty. The pickup rings and switch tips you can grab off eBay, but the black ones probably suit the colour and black back better than cream?

On the tuners - you might find he had to open up the peg holes to fit the Gotoh's. Maybe not. I had to do that on an Les Paul back in the 90s. Hopefully not the case though. But the locking Gotoh he's put on there look appropriate and vintage, I'd leave them on.

If it were me, I'd leave it as is, see what he might send out for free, otherwise I'd sell the Aftermaths and the Bridge and buy the Mann bridge and 57/08s and have a better guitar for it.

ps. entirely possible the original owner swapped out the pickup rings and switch tip before your seller got it. Heck, there's no guarantee those are even the original pickups either, though a photo of the backs would help. Either way, what you have is worth more, he'll be rubbing his hands.
 
Thanks to all for the comments and input! Apologies for going ghost, but it was a busy weekend!

So, to try to reply to the highpoints:
- I prefer my guitars to be stock, especially a PRS. I think Paul and the team make an amazing product, and would prefer to see what left the factory before deciding if there's anything I'd like to change to personalize
- I gave the Bareknuckles a fair shot, but really didn't like them. I know they're supposed to be "higher end", but not my cup of tea
- Thanks for all of the recommendations on the 57/08s, those are actually likely my first swap out, if I don't like the McCartys

I had a really good interaction with the seller. I simply asked why he sent the guitar and half the things we discussed, but not the other half. He said that he thought I reached out to ask about the original parts, but never followed up so I decided to just take the guitar as-is. I told him I reached out to verify that it was all included, and thought he confirmed. We agreed that it was mutual confusion, not malice on either part. It was very interesting that he thought the price we negotiated wasn't fair for me to assume all new and original gear. I have no problem sharing those numbers (if anyone cares), but I'm going to be vague here b/c I'm not 100% clear on forum rules for this.

He was the second owner, and bought it from Reverb about a year ago. He told me the price he paid for the guitar, and the price for all the parts he put on. I told him he paid OVER the new retail price for a used guitar, and about $1k over the Reverb price guide for the last year or so. I also told him that new parts were usually a sunk cost, and that he shouldn't expect $0.50 on the dollar for them when selling them with a guitar, and that was if he was lucky. By my math the price I paid him was more than the guitar and new parts combined were worth, but I agreed to pay it because of that darn "lefty premium".

In the end, we agreed that the most fair thing to do was for him to send me all the original parts, and me to send him back his new ones. We each paid our own shipping costs, and call it a day.

LAST QUESTION: He sent me this pic of the parts he pulled off the guitar and is sending me. Everything looks like its correct, EXCEPT the pickup rings and switch tip are black. Is everyone here SURE that they should be cream? Is there any chance that he's right, or am I about to be scammed?

lwvZjYg.jpg
Everything looks good to me. And even if the rings and tip were creme I'd consider it a nothing burger and get them from the store.
Congrats, it's a lovely axe!
 
Wow, a ton more good points. I never considered that the rings and tip may have been changed out by the FIRST owner, thanks for that! I also hear everyone about potentially wanting to upgrade the McCarty pickups, I just hope that the first owner hadn't swapped them up before they made it to the second owner.

I’m in Pennsylvania with a set of 1999 McCarty pickups. I replaced them with 57/08s. Feel free to message me and I’ll contact you if you want them, as we can’t do that here per forum rules.

I appreciate the offer Glenn. If what shows up isn't a set of McCartys, I'm likely to take you up on the offer for these. What color is yours? Any chance you can confirm that this blue should've come w/white rings and tip?
 
LAST QUESTION: He sent me this pic of the parts he pulled off the guitar and is sending me. Everything looks like its correct, EXCEPT the pickup rings and switch tip are black. Is everyone here SURE that they should be cream? Is there any chance that he's right, or am I about to be scammed?
You said he bought the guitar second hand. No telling what the original owner did to the pickup rings & switch tip. The guy you’re buying the guitar from probably has no idea they were supposed to be cream.

You have a nice guitar. Dude is sending you what he has. I’d feel pretty good about the situation.


I’ve got a 2002 McCarty. Push-pull on the tone knob. The McCarty pickups are all right. But the 58/15LTs are special. If I were to change the pickups in this guitar, it will be with LTs
 
Wow, a ton more good points. I never considered that the rings and tip may have been changed out by the FIRST owner, thanks for that! I also hear everyone about potentially wanting to upgrade the McCarty pickups, I just hope that the first owner hadn't swapped them up before they made it to the second owner.



I appreciate the offer Glenn. If what shows up isn't a set of McCartys, I'm likely to take you up on the offer for these. What color is yours? Any chance you can confirm that this blue should've come w/white rings and tip?

I bought it used, but it came unmolested with cream colored rings. Perhaps the color changed over the years. I’m not anywhere near as knowledgeable as the old timers here. Not sue of the actual color name...
jWtKrvE.jpg
 
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