NPD! (New Prototype Day!)

[WA Paul]

"Donor Guitar" for 5815 LT+ Pickups for the 2016 Private Stock SC 594 has arrived! (5815s are going into this one...)

It's a beauty. Full 2020 specs, new tuners, Nitro Finish, etc.

I have to say, these 2020 models are amazing. The Nitro finish IMO makes a huge difference. In 2017 I pretty much gave up on the Core and WL DC and SC 594s and went all-in on the Private Stocks - I really preferred the feel and tone of the Private Stocks, there was a huge difference for me. I think the Nitro finish on the Private Stocks versus the V12 on the Core and WL ones were a big part of that. The Core and WL 594s were still fantastic guitars in their own right, but the Private Stocks were at another level altogether for me. With these 2020's, the gap is narrowed SIGNIFICANTLY. (Which my wallet is very happy for!)

I still think Private Stocks are well worth the delta for the premium fit and finish, the Maple Binding and the custom finishes, sick tops and custom inlays, but feel and tone are now very close.

This one has an amazing resonance to it (even unplugged) that is stellar.

Nice job PRS team - these 2020 models are KILLER!!

Whoa! Killer looking guitar! So far all of these new 2020s have killer tops.

Totally agree with you about the nitro finish - I gave up on Core and W/L too because of it (except maybe satin finish, but I prefer high gloss nitro). Changing the core line to nitro was a great move! I haven’t tried a 2020 yet, but I’m sure they’re terrific.

 

[Jazzedout]

So, these should be TCI pickups right?
Is it possible that these have different values on caps, resistors etc to achieve the sound wanted?

 

[dmatthews]

"Donor Guitar" for 5815 LT+ Pickups for the 2016 Private Stock SC 594 has arrived! (5815s are going into this one...)

It's a beauty. Full 2020 specs, new tuners, Nitro Finish, etc.

I have to say, these 2020 models are amazing. The Nitro finish IMO makes a huge difference. In 2017 I pretty much gave up on the Core and WL DC and SC 594s and went all-in on the Private Stocks - I really preferred the feel and tone of the Private Stocks, there was a huge difference for me. I think the Nitro finish on the Private Stocks versus the V12 on the Core and WL ones were a big part of that. The Core and WL 594s were still fantastic guitars in their own right, but the Private Stocks were at another level altogether for me. With these 2020's, the gap is narrowed SIGNIFICANTLY. (Which my wallet is very happy for!)

I still think Private Stocks are well worth the delta for the premium fit and finish, the Maple Binding and the custom finishes, sick tops and custom inlays, but feel and tone are now very close.

This one has an amazing resonance to it (even unplugged) that is stellar.

Nice job PRS team - these 2020 models are KILLER!!

Outstanding!

 

[shinksma]

I have to say, these 2020 models are amazing. The Nitro finish IMO makes a huge difference. In 2017 I pretty much gave up on the Core and WL DC and SC 594s and went all-in on the Private Stocks - I really preferred the feel and tone of the Private Stocks, there was a huge difference for me. I think the Nitro finish on the Private Stocks versus the V12 on the Core and WL ones were a big part of that. The Core and WL 594s were still fantastic guitars in their own right, but the Private Stocks were at another level altogether for me. With these 2020's, the gap is narrowed SIGNIFICANTLY. (Which my wallet is very happy for!)

I still think Private Stocks are well worth the delta for the premium fit and finish, the Maple Binding and the custom finishes, sick tops and custom inlays, but feel and tone are now very close.

This one has an amazing resonance to it (even unplugged) that is stellar.

Nice job PRS team - these 2020 models are KILLER!!

This really is not helping my GAS for a 2020 SC 594, sir! To hear that you still think they are that much closer to PS in feel and tone...

 

[MA Pete]

So, these should be TCI pickups right?
Is it possible that these have different values on caps, resistors etc to achieve the sound wanted?

Yes, they are the TCI pickups, and the 2020 spec 5815 LT "+" pickups that are only being done in the SCs.

Darn good question re possibly different values on caps, resistors, etc. ! I had wondered that as well. I will check with PRS, offline...

 

[Dirty_Boogie]

Beyond lovely!

Maybe this has been asked/discussed already, but does anyone know the real (PRSh) rationale behind reverting to vintage tuners? I can't imagine any consumer is thrilled about losing the Phase III locking tuners as a stock feature. If the vintage look was the reason, why not have a version of the PIII's with vintage-style pegs?

 

[dmatthews]

Beyond lovely!

Maybe this has been asked/discussed already, but does anyone know the real (PRSh) rationale behind reverting to vintage tuners? I can't imagine any consumer is thrilled about losing the Phase III locking tuners as a stock feature. If the vintage look was the reason, why not have a version of the PIII's with vintage-style pegs?

Only thing I can think of is weight savings, as minor as that might be.

 

[rickcard71]

Wow, nice Pete.

 

[MA Pete]

Beyond lovely!

Maybe this has been asked/discussed already, but does anyone know the real (PRSh) rationale behind reverting to vintage tuners? I can't imagine any consumer is thrilled about losing the Phase III locking tuners as a stock feature. If the vintage look was the reason, why not have a version of the PIII's with vintage-style pegs?

From Shawn Nuthall from a thread from October 2019:

The new tuners weigh less than the Phase III tuners. Changing the weight of the tuners changed the way the guitar sounds.

I believe it, my two 2020 spec SC 594's play and sound AMAZING! As I have said, I prefer the locking tuners for ease of string changes, but if these 2020 improve tone, I am ALL IN!

Wow, nice Pete.

Thanks, Rick!

 

[RedGuitars]

Are all your 245’s gone?!

 

[MA Pete]

The neck joint will effect the tone of a guitar, so if all things were equal, a Singlecut would sound differently than a double cutaway guitar. The 58/15LT+ pickups are tuned specifically for a Singlecut neck joint.

The LT+ is only available in the SC594 model, they are not used in anything else. They are tuned to be slightly brighter and a touch louder than the traditional LT pups.

FYI also from Shawn re the LT+ pickups in an SC 594, from that same Oct 2019 thread quoted above. They sound great in an SC!

 

[MA Pete]

Are all your 245’s gone?!

Yes, they all departed in 2016 when the 594s came out. The 594 scale ruined me for the 245s!

It was actually a bit traumatic, I *REALLY* loved the Jade Glow DC 245 and the Citrus Glow McCarty Singlecut, up until that point, they were my favorite two guitars ever.

I am very sensitive to guitar scale length. I am not "at home" on the 25" scale. I very much preferred the 245 scale over the 25" scale. I always felt though that the 245 scale was a hair too short, from the perspective of getting a little cramped on the upper frets.

When the 594 came out, it was Nirvana with regards to feel and tone! I went all 594 scale for PRS guitars from then forward. (I do play 25.5" Strat type guitars occasionally. I own two. But the 594s are "home" for me...)

 

[tdarian]

Congrats on the new 2020 prototype Pete! Sounds like you’re having fun with this!

I have yet to even feel a Pattern Vintage neck, but I suspect that at .890 thickness at the nut it might be a good fit given my comfort and preference for thicker necks and the fact that my hands are now thicker due to the last 4 years of lifting in the gym. Even my McCarty Korina and older stoptail Sc245 feel acceptable lately. So I might seek out a 2020 SC594.

I’m looking forward to following your exploits, thanks for the updates!

 

[MA Pete]

Congrats on the new 2020 prototype Pete! Sounds like you’re having fun with this!

I have yet to even feel a Pattern Vintage neck, but I suspect that at .890 thickness at the nut it might be a good fit given my comfort and preference for thicker necks and the fact that my hands are now thicker due to the last 4 years of lifting in the gym. Even my McCarty Korina and older stoptail Sc245 feel acceptable lately. So I might seek out a 2020 SC594.

I’m looking forward to following your exploits, thanks for the updates!

Hi Tom! Good to hear from you.

The Pattern Vintage Neck Carve is indeed to die for. My favorite neck carve ever, on any guitar. The asymmetry of it is brilliant! It is somehow nice and beefy but never seems too beefy.

Stay tuned here on the forum - there definitely will be some more 2020 exploits and updates!

 

[FJ4]

FYI also from Shawn re the LT+ pickups in an SC 594, from that same Oct 2019 thread quoted above. They sound great in an SC!

Hi Pete! Does the 2016 Holy Grail Prototype still sound a hair better than your new 2020 guitar also?

 

[MA Pete]

Hi Pete! Does the 2016 Holy Grail Prototype still sound a hair better than your new 2020 guitar also?

It is pretty darn close between the 2016 Prototype and the 2020 Prototype. I think the 2016 is a bit better in tone in that it has a little more low end thump. The 2020 Prototype is REALLY good though, it is really close.

It is hard to compare apples to apples, as these 5815 LT+'s are really amazing, and the 2016 Prototype has a 5909 in the Bridge, which is too hot for my tastes, for a lot of tones. I did plan to get another set of LT+'s in another new guitar and swap them into the 2016 Prototype, but then I got that guitar (the Charcoal one I keep in CA, that I got shortly after this one) and it sounded so good that it seemed like sacrilege to take them out. So I am still figuring out what else I might try to the 2016 Prototype to A/B against the 2020.

One thing this 2020 Prototype and the 2020 Core Charcoal one does for me is make me feel much better about finding more SC 594s as good as the 2016 Prototype. I used to feel like it was a needle in a haystack, and I would never find another one as good. I don't plan to sell the 2016 Prototype, as it has a lot of sentimental value being the first publicly available Prototype for the SC 594 back in 2016, but it is nice to know that PRS has cracked the code on how to make them that good more often than not (2 for 2 for me so far!).

Next up for me is to try a 2020 DC 594 and see how those are with the 2020 specs. If the first one of those I get is stellar, my mind will officially be blown!!

 

[11top]

Hi Pete! Does the 2016 Holy Grail Prototype still sound a hair better than your new 2020 guitar also?

Wait................................Pete still has a guitar he got in 2016?

 

[tdarian]

Pete, on the topic of “low end thump” are you finding any correlation between weight and “thump”? With Les Pauls I find generally that a 9 pounder will have more low end than an 8 pounder. Any thoughts since you’ve experienced a few of these now

 

[MA Pete]

Wait................................Pete still has a guitar he got in 2016?

Ha! Yes, indeed. My longest one since I started collecting PRS was the Jade Glow DC 245 PS, had that from 2012 to 2016 (when the 594s ruined me for the 245 scale!). This one will break that record later this year!

Pete, on the topic of “low end thump” are you finding any correlation between weight and “thump”? With Les Pauls I find generally that a 9 pounder will have more low end than an 8 pounder. Any thoughts since you’ve experienced a few of these now

Yes and no. The 2016 weighs 8 pounds 9 ounces and the 2020 weighs 9 pounds even. I have found more so it is the luck of the draw with the woods and the way the guitar resonates. You can feel it while playing the guitar unplugged. The 2020 is a beast, it has great resonance across the spectrum and plenty of thump, the 2016 just has a little more.

I would agree that when you get a lighter than average SC, like 8.25 pounds or less, sometimes it is lacking in thump. Or the older weight relieved ones. With anything 8.5 pounds or greater, I have found it is more so the luck of the draw with the combination of the woods, and all of the other nuances, with the SC 594s being most consistently the best SCs in PRS history, likely due to all of the things in the evolution, the thicker body, the different Maple to Mahogany Ratio, the two piece bridge evolution, the pickups, etc. (And this is speaking from a pretty large sample size!)

Somehow though, the two SC 594 Semi-Hollows I have had have been amazing, not much different in tone, maybe losing 5-10% of the classic Singlecut sound, but sub-8 pounds. Weird, but cool...

 

[FJ4]

Thanks for taking the time to share this information with all of us Pete! And good luck on your journey!