Rosie McSoapy vs 594 Soapbar

M

Matte82

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So I’ve been playing and loving my 594. It just slays. I love the neck profile, pickups, frets, looks, just everything about it. But it’s making me want one with p90’s. However I also like variety. And love the way a rosewood neck feels.

So I got to thinking. A McCarty soapbar with a rosewoood neck sure would be cool. I had heard of McRosies and McSoapies. Didn’t realize that had actually made a Rosie McSoapy. Now I want one. Has anyone seen one for sale anywhere?

Nothing against the 594 w/p90s. Especially if it was a singlecut version, that would be cool. But I’ve always dug the 25” scale and stoptail of, what in my mind, are tradition PRS features. So I think that will be my next one. Not necessarily in a hurry. Just if someone sees ones, knows where one is, or wants to sell one, let me know.

Also if anyone has one, or played one, I’d like to hear your thoughts. Thanks.
 
Do you mean fretboard, or actual neck? If you just mean fretboard, then yeah, the PRS dealer by me (who I HIGHLY recommend) has one, and it is up on Reverb: https://reverb.com/item/10709792-prs-ted-mccarty-soapbar-2009-2-color-burst-w-ohsc-and-case-candy

I am in there fairly often, and need to run by an adjacent business tomorrow. If you'd like for me to stop in and get any more info on it, I'd be happy to. You can of course contact them. Ask for Wyatt.

If you mean neck, I don't know. I know PRS occasionally does oddball stuff with necks, but I've never seen an entire rosewood neck.
 
67King said:
Do you mean fretboard, or actual neck? If you just mean fretboard, then yeah, the PRS dealer by me (who I HIGHLY recommend) has one, and it is up on Reverb: https://reverb.com/item/10709792-prs-ted-mccarty-soapbar-2009-2-color-burst-w-ohsc-and-case-candy

I am in there fairly often, and need to run by an adjacent business tomorrow. If you'd like for me to stop in and get any more info on it, I'd be happy to. You can of course contact them. Ask for Wyatt.

If you mean neck, I don't know. I know PRS occasionally does oddball stuff with necks, but I've never seen an entire rosewood neck.
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Thanks for the link. But I do mean a full rosewood neck. They’re out there. From what I’ve read, 26 were originally made. Then there was demand, and some more were made. Not sure how many. And I’ve been thinking. Maybe even just a McRosie would suffice. I could put humbucker sized p90’s in there. But since I’m not in a hurry. Maybe I’ll find one at some point.
 
dmatthews said:
Not a soapy, but my McCarty rosie neck is sublime.
I would like to try the soapy version though!
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Already jealous. Yes I put a rosewood neck on my “Strat”. It is just amazing. I really like the satin neck of my 594, but the rosewood one is even better. In fact I had decided after putting that neck on, that I’d never buy another guitar without a rosewood neck. Then I found my 594. Figured since it was satin it might be close. It is, but the rosewood neck rule is pretty much back in effect. :) in fact if I ever run across a shop with a 594 that has a rosewood neck, I might have to try a trade. It’s the only thing I think could improve my 594.
 
I've had a McRosie and I currently have a McSoapie, but I've never seen one with both. If I did I would try really hard to get it so I'm now your biggest competitor! ;)
 
I share the love for rosewood necks. Luckily, some of them Brazilian. One of those has the custom pickups that Lollar makes in a (sort of----blade type) Jazzmaster style. They are seemingly somewhere between a JM and P90 pickup. REALLY nice! Much better than the typical Duncan P9, which I am not a fan of......

You MIGHT consider grabbing a RW neck guitar with HBs (a bit easier to find) and swap in some HB sized P90s. Several winders make them. IMO, the Duncan Phat Cats are a good choice.
 
django49 said:
I share the love for rosewood necks. Luckily, some of them Brazilian. One of those has the custom pickups that Lollar makes in a (sort of----blade type) Jazzmaster style. They are seemingly somewhere between a JM and P90 pickup. REALLY nice! Much better than the typical Duncan P9, which I am not a fan of......

You MIGHT consider grabbing a RW neck guitar with HBs (a bit easier to find) and swap in some HB sized P90s. Several winders make them. IMO, the Duncan Phat Cats are a good choice.
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That’s def an option I’m considering. I’m a fan of bare knuckle pickups. I have their Mississippi Queen bridge in a guitar right now. Love it. And that’s what this guitar will replace. But no rush. I’ll keep looking until I find the right one.
 
WEDGE said:
I had a McRosie soapy. Great guitar, real rocker. Had several bucker McRosies also. The soapy had something special, wish I still had it.
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The one that got away. Well after getting mine, followed by AP515 getting one, the next one can be yours. :)
 
Rosewood necks were indeed an option, along with Soapbars in the mid 2000s; I had an Artist McCarty with Soapbars that was made for one of the NAMM shows back then. These may have been rare birds, but they were a spec sheet option, and not one-offs or weird runs.

It was a really nice guitar, very articulate, very midrange-focused.

I also have one of the 594 Soapbars currently, along with a 594 with humbuckers. Here are my thoughts:

The 594 Soapbar’s pickups are a more accurate reproduction of vintage 60s P-90s (I have a ‘65 SG Special) than the McCarty Soapbar, and of course, the guitar itself has the ability to get different sounds by blending the pickups creatively. If you’re after a vintage sound, the 594 Soapbar has it in spades.

The McCarty RW Soapbar has a brighter sound with a harder attack, probably due to its combination of less vintage pickups and the RW neck. I’ve also had a McCarty Soapbar with a mahogany neck, and CU22 Soapbars with Maple neck and fretboard, and maple neck/RW fretboard. The pickups were the same as those on the McRW Soap, except that the guitars had more sparkle up top than the RW version.

The RW neck version had a more piano-like, less rounded lower midrange.

My preference is for the tone of the 594 Soapbar, possibly because I grew up playing that SG Special, and the tones I get from it feel more familiar. However, it’s also the case that I prefer mahogany to rosewood as a neck material.

I also had a McCarty RW with humbuckers that I liked a little better than the McRW Soap; maybe the RW neck/humbuckers is a more suitable combination for what I wanted at the time, but I still got a ton of use out of that McRW Soap, and I’d enjoy comparing it to the 594 Soap.

I had a Great Selloff of a bunch of guitars and amps ten years ago, when I was obsessed with the idea of sinking some dough into studio hardware, and it was a pretty dumb move. I’m ready for my do-over, Mr. DeMille!
 
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Wow. Thanks for the insight. For me the rosewood neck is mostly about feel. But I also like my low mids. Where I hear a lot of people going for bass and high mids. I like low mids and clear, but not harsh highs.

Also thanks for the info on the pickups. I wasn’t for sure how the older soapbars compared. I thought they might be the same, but from what I’ve seen and heard didn’t think they were. I will also look for a custom 22 soapbar. I was almost expecting to want to change them. I do want a more vintage vibe.
 
Matte82 said:
Wow. Thanks for the insight. For me the rosewood neck is mostly about feel. But I also like my low mids. Where I hear a lot of people going for bass and high mids. I like low mids and clear, but not harsh highs.

Also thanks for the info on the pickups. I wasn’t for sure how the older soapbars compared. I thought they might be the same, but from what I’ve seen and heard didn’t think they were. I will also look for a custom 22 soapbar. I was almost expecting to want to change them. I do want a more vintage vibe.
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I don’t want to throw shade on the older Soapbar pickups; they’re clear and quite nice!

Like you, I just tend more toward vintage tones.
 
Just my 2 cents. I went through multiple older PRSi with stock Duncan P90s. Inc a 3 pickup Custom 22. Never got on that well with any of them. Guitars that had the "vintage" Duncans (Antiquities) were a whole other (better) thing.
 
AP515 said:
Fixed it for ya. ;)
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We'll see about that. However I will admit, financially I'm not in the best position right now if I were to find one. But where there's a will there's a way.

LSchefman said:
I don’t want to throw shade on the older Soapbar pickups; they’re clear and quite nice!

Like you, I just tend more toward vintage tones.
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Oh didn't take it as a dis of the older pickups. I've just recently figured out for myself that I like lower output vintage style pickups. And it seems PRS has only recently started making pickups that are really geared for that market. So I definitely will try the stock pickups. I just know I love my Mississippi Queen in my other guitar. I want that in a PRS. Hence I kind of figure a pickup swap will be inevitable, but not guaranteed. Also I've been reading and my look into their blue note pickups also. Seems they might have a little more lows and slightly less output. Guess it will depend on how the guitar sounds to begin with. :)

django49 said:
Just my 2 cents. I went through multiple older PRSi with stock Duncan P90s. Inc a 3 pickup Custom 22. Never got on that well with any of them. Guitars that had the "vintage" Duncans (Antiquities) were a whole other (better) thing.
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Yeah the guitar that has the MQ in it, originally had SD Hot p90's. Ceramic mags at like 15k. I put in the MQ in the bridge and loved it. Made the neck sound sooooo wooooollly and thick and undefined. I still haven't swapped it for another BK, but I did find a Benson vintage style p90 that works well enough for me. Especially since I plan on selling it.

Thanks again for the comments. Can't believe I'm already dreaming of another PRS. These things really are worse than drugs. haha
 
Matte82 said:
Can't believe I'm already dreaming of another PRS. These things really are worse than drugs. haha
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Granted, but they won’t kill you.

On the other hand, your significant other might kill you. So I guess the end result is about the same! ;)

PS, I’m pretty sure I’ve used up most of my nine lives...
 
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