PRS McCarty vs McCarty 594

[Revelation]

Question, what would you choose a McCarty or a McCarty 594? The pickups appear to be different, but they are both LT. 594 has Tune a matic bridge and 4 knobs vs the PRS stoptail with brass inserts and 2 knobs.

 

[gush]

Question, what would you choose a McCarty or a McCarty 594? The pickups appear to be different, but they are both LT. 594 has Tune a matic bridge and 4 knobs vs the PRS stoptail with brass inserts and 2 knobs.

I just can't settle in to the slightly shorter scale on the 594. I just like the original McCarty better.

 

[dmatthews]

I love 'em both.
I have a 2001 McRosie that I put 58/18 LT in, and some 594 guitars.
The simplicity of the McCarty is single vol/tone, and obviously single split.
Also whether you like the switch position. I'm good with both.
Neck on the recent McCarty is Pattern, mine is Wide Fat. 594 is Pattern Vintage. All feel great to me.
You can't go wrong with either, but the 594 might be slightly more versatile if you like the layout...

 

[Greywolf]

I have both , 2 Mc Soapies and a 594 HB II Artist. I'm a little partial to the McCarty , prefer the neck more and the tone.

 

[Mozzi]

I prefer the 594 myself - but then I learned on a Les Paul so the layout was far more familiar to me and not a fan of the Switch being behind the bridge. I also prefer the option to split each Pup individually as I think that offers more versatility but I think that it comes down to personal preferences like this more than Tone/Sound of the instruments.

The McCarty was 'inspired' by the Vintage instruments but with the more PRS spec/design - this was long before the Singlecut and Gibson court case. The 594, whilst it may also share the Double Cut body, its also much closer to the Les Paul. Despite being introduced first, I think of the McCarty as the 'modern' interpretation of those classic instruments but the 594 is a direct LP alternative.

As for Pups, the McCarty and 594 have shared the same Pups too - although the McCarty has been around a LOT longer so has had different Pups over the years. Both are essentially 'Vintage' inspired but the 594 is closest in 'build & design' to the instrument that inspired it - the McCarty is more PRS build/design to achieve similar results..

It depends on the player and their preference - do you need individual Tone controls & coil splitting, do you mind where the toggle switch is, do you prefer the more 'vintage' neck carve or prefer a PRS to be more 'PRS' than Les Paul?

 

[xxxadixxx]

If we are talking double cuts only, it is a toss up depending on use case. The SC594 will win over any other model easily (except the Tremonti, where it could go either way) for me. On DC's, my 2016 McRosie feels amazing. I love the way it feels. The added scale length and different neck profile are fantastic. My DC594's play great though the pick-ups have just a little less bite than the McRosie. My McRosie says it has 58/15, but not the LT shown on the DC594's. I am not sure if that means they are actually different, but they sure do have a little more output than my 594's.

With all that said, the 594 is a better fit for my use case because of the electronics. I love the way the McRosie plays, sounds, and feels. The only place where the DC594 wins is in the switching configuration. I play punk/hardcore/metal rhythm guitar and do not have a "clean" amp channel. Everything runs through a boosted SLO-100. The volume knob and pick-up selector are how I move between parts/sounds. My clean tone is generally my neck pick-up with the volume ~3-4. It is slower to achieve that on the McRosie because of the single volume knob and hence why I have only 1 McCarty and 7 594's.

 

[DISTORT6]

Question, what would you choose a McCarty or a McCarty 594? The pickups appear to be different, but they are both LT. 594 has Tune a matic bridge and 4 knobs vs the PRS stoptail with brass inserts and 2 knobs.

1994 McCarty in McCarty Burst.
PRS got everything right the first time.

 

[gush]

1994 McCarty in McCarty Burst.
PRS got everything right the first time.

I saw a 94 listed yesterday, I didn't know the 94 came with hfs/vb? At least that's what the ad said, I always assumed McCarty pickups??

 

[AP515]

I saw a 94 listed yesterday, I didn't know the 94 came with hfs/vb? At least that's what the ad said, I always assumed McCarty pickups??

It didn't come with that set originally. Someone added them.

 

[bodia]

McCarty. I’m not a fan of 4 knobs

 

[doublescale1]

I had both for a long time, both double-cuts. I eventually sold off the 594 (stunning one-off Burgundy fine-mist-metallic solid color), and my trusty '06 McCarty Gold Top soldiers on. I liked the McCarty neck a lot more than the 594, and for me that's where the rubber hits the road. I also like the more upper-mid vice of a McCarty instead of the lows that the 594 gets because I'm in a 9-piece band and the McCarty has a better voice for being heard in that dense mix. The deeper lows of the 594 often got in a losing fight with the keys or the bass player - no real future in that. They are both incredibly fine guitars, it's just that one suited my needs better than the other. Here's the McCarty with its Naylor Railhammer Hyper vintage pickups and the departed 594 is below.

 

[Senor Verde]

Regular McCarty for me. I don't like double cuts with the switch on a horn. The location of the original McCarty switch is easiest for me to use. I also prefer the 25" scale length.

Having said that, if the guitar is a singlecut, I prefer it where it is on the 594 types. I'm a walking contradiction.

 

[gush]

It didn't come with that set originally. Someone added them.

Well, that's what I was thinking but I wasn't sure enough about it to say anything.

 

[strat63]

I don't have a current McCarty but I do have multiple versions the original version. Even though I like and own 594s, I feel like the OG McCarty is a modern classic. My opinion is the same when you include the original Hollowbody and Archtop. There is just something about them that works for me.

My pick would be a regular McCarty but both are great options.

 

[Herr Squid]

I find myself playing the 594s more than the original-style McCarty variants. I think I just like 594s a little better (though I'm never giving up my ME and 59/09 Ltd. which are both fancy McCartys). Controls and bridge style make the biggest difference in my book. I like the extra versatility of the 594 controls, though prefer the comfiness of the McCarty stoptail bridge. I'm not picky about scale length or neck shape, so the neck is not a big differentiator for me.

 

[RickP]

I'm in the both, or either, camp. You really can't miss with either one. At the moment, I only have a 594 (Hollowbody II), but thought the McCarty I had back when was a great guitar too.

 

[Revelation]

After purchasing a Custom 24, comparing the neck on my 594, it seems bulky. If anything, the neck I would think would be more comfortable on the McCarty? But I get why Paul came out with the neck on the 594 after playing a Les Paul 50's Standard guitar as it is similar.

 

[newfmp3]

See my Pic <- I do love my 594, but I wish it had a Pattern neck. Vintage neck isn't my fav PRS neck. If they had to use a chunky neck, Pattern was a better a choice. Mccarty is Pattern is it not? I'm not sure, I'm asking. DGT, Pattern, Wide fat, Pattern Reg are my fav necks in the business.

 

[FennRx]

Four pots > two pots

 

[DISTORT6]

Four pots > two pots

On a Singlecut body.

*Except on the Standard Satin Singlecuts