S2 McCarty 594 is an EXCELLENT Guitar

[chicagoslim]

I had a Gibson Diablo Premium Plus, that had a PCB and small Alpha POTs. It might have been the best Gibson I have owned. And I've owned 4 vintage 60's Gibson's. Although I didn't have any problems with the Diablo, I sold it, and may never buy another Gibson. I don't even know if I would buy a PRS, with mini coil split switches.



My last 3 guitar purchases, were PRS Custom 22's. I like thin bodies, tremolo's and thick necks. I bought a S2 Custom 22 and liked it so much, that I bought a second one. I modified the second CU22 with Porter Vintage Clean pickups. It now sounds like a vintage Gibson. I liked the S2's so much, that I bought a core Custom 22. I now have 3 Custom 22's that play the same, have three different pickups, that not only sound different, but are wired differently.

I'm a big fan of the S2's. I've played a couple of nice Singlecut, McCarty 594's, a core and S2 model. Both were great, but I'm afraid that they would sit in their case, due to lack of a tremolo. At this time, I'm considering another S2 Custom, and wiring it with a 5-way Slide Switch and non-splitable Tone POT, like my core model.

 

[Broseph]

I do like that custom 22’s can be found with tremolo and stop tails. The variety is nice. I think they slowed down the 22’s being advertised with the rise of the McCarty series.

 

[S2C22]

I had an S2 594 Singlecut, briefly. It arrived damaged by UPS, and I ended up sending it back. I would have kept it with the discount offered, but the pickups were just dreadful. They were muddy, woofy, no character, and lacked any clarity. I could see an upgrade in the electronics department making it a great guitar. The quality was there. But, after I got a refund, I went used Core '02 Singlecut . Threw some Suhr Aldrich pickups in it, and it screams!

 

[Em7]

Here you go.. everything is built into a circuit board with quick connects for pickups, switch, and jack.

There is nothing wrong with a PCB in this application as there is no heat. Now, PCB-mounted power tubes are a non-repairable accident waiting to happen.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I had an S2 594 Singlecut, briefly. It arrived damaged by UPS, and I ended up sending it back. I would have kept it with the discount offered, but the pickups were just dreadful. They were muddy, woofy, no character, and lacked any clarity. I could see an upgrade in the electronics department making it a great guitar. The quality was there. But, after I got a refund, I went used Core '02 Singlecut . Threw some Suhr Aldrich pickups in it, and it screams!

What amazing figuring. Congratulations.

 

[dogrocketp]

What ALNUS said. Love me some quilted maple!

 

[SinSir]

There is nothing wrong with a PCB in this application as there is no heat. Now, PCB-mounted power tubes are a non-repairable accident waiting to happen.

I'm not talking about heat. I'm talking about tone, issues, and whatever else. I spent a weekend swapping multiple pickups around with a pcb vs pots. To my ear and the real musician in the house the standard pots sounded better in every aspect.

Want to add push pull replace it all. Change caps, replace it all. Pot goes bad, replace it all. Etc etc... goes on and on.

If pcb works for someone great, but hard pass for about every reason I can think of.

 

[Em7]

I'm not talking about heat. I'm talking about tone, issues, and whatever else. I spent a weekend swapping multiple pickups around with a pcb vs pots. To my ear and the real musician in the house the standard pots sounded better in every aspect.

Want to add push pull replace it all. Change caps, replace it all. Pot goes bad, replace it all. Etc etc... goes on and on.

If pcb works for someone great, but hard pass for about every reason I can think of.

That is merely confirmation bias. The frequencies and voltages in a guitar circuit are too low to be affected by PCB problems. I have designed my fair share of hand-wired amps. Lead dress is critical in a hand-wired tube circuit due to high voltage and impedance. That is not true in a guitar circuit. I am an a computer scientist and engineer by training and profession. I have spent over forty years in the profession. My father was an electronics technician from 1951 until he retired in the nineties. There is vodoo and then there is physics. Most of what is sold in the guitar world is voodoo.

 

[SinSir]

That is merely confirmation bias. The frequencies and voltages in a guitar circuit are too low to be affected by PCB problems. I have designed my fair share of hand-wired amps. Lead dress is critical in a hand-wired tube circuit due to high voltage and impedance. That is not true in a guitar circuit. I am an a computer scientist and engineer by training and profession. I have spent over forty years in the profession. My father was an electronics technician from 1951 until he retired in the nineties. There is vodoo and then there is physics. Most of what is sold in the guitar world is voodoo.

Granted it may have been better caps, pots, wire, voodoo, or some other bs. But the guitar does sound better for more ways than one with the pcb swapped out.

The rest of the list of reasons against a pcb still stand. I chose the freedom of choice vs manufacturer convenience.

If they work for someone great! I'd they don't they don't. If someone is looking to be swayed one way or another maybe this exercise will be helpful for them.

Atleast we can agree on our career training. Thankfully, I got out of the field a few years back. My career now is a helluva lot more fun! Maybe not as interesting of material but damn fun!

 

[Em7]

Granted it may have been better caps, pots, wire, voodoo, or some other bs. But the guitar does sound better for more ways than one with the pcb swapped out.

The rest of the list of reasons against a pcb still stand. I chose the freedom of choice vs manufacturer convenience.

If they work for someone great! I'd they don't they don't. If someone is looking to be swayed one way or another maybe this exercise will be helpful for them.

Atleast we can agree on our career training. Thankfully, I got out of the field a few years back. My career now is a helluva lot more fun! Maybe not as interesting of material but damn fun!

If you measure the components, you will know for sure. It is like people who claim bumblebee caps make a difference. No acceptable capacitor performs in a significantly non-linear way. If two different capacitors produce a different tones, then they more than likely have different measured values.

 

[shimmilou]

More importantly, all of this pcb stuff has nothing to do with PRS guitars, not sure why it was mentioned about the thinline in the first place.

 

[Drew]

More importantly, all of this pcb stuff has nothing to do with PRS guitars, not sure why it was mentioned about the thinline in the first place.

Because the conversation went into gutting electronics, which is very relevant to S2 guitars who don't have the top shelf guts that the core guitars have.

 

[bodia]

I had an S2 594 Singlecut, briefly. It arrived damaged by UPS, and I ended up sending it back. I would have kept it with the discount offered, but the pickups were just dreadful. They were muddy, woofy, no character, and lacked any clarity. I could see an upgrade in the electronics department making it a great guitar. The quality was there. But, after I got a refund, I went used Core '02 Singlecut . Threw some Suhr Aldrich pickups in it, and it screams!

Ddue, great top!

 

[blues guru]

I bought a brand new 594 S2 and it sounds dark despite me gutting everything out from pickups to the rest of the electronics. love the way it feels and the way its built it just sounds dark for some odd reason. had the exact same components in my custom 24 se and it sounded incredible. the only reason I sold it was because the neck was to thin for my liking my hands hurt when I play it and I'm a one guitar person so I played it a lot. I'm really bummed about this as I just feel uninspired to play as much as I use to be anymore.

 

[Sybo]

My S2 Standard, my simple, plain, Hog, “beater”,

Did I just say beater……….. WILL NEVER BE SOLD! I did do a pickup swap, Duncan’s Pearly Gates, is named Betty..

OOOOOOH BLACK BETTY BAB A LAM……

https://imgur.com/a/GCbWIu1

 

[horax]

I love McCarty's.
I recently got a CE 24, and it's awesome, but part of me wishes I had gone the S2 594 route and upgraded the pickups to the US ones.
The CE is great, but I started noticing the forearm issue on the CE's where the lip digs into the arm. Doesnt' hurt, but it's very annoying. The S2's don't have this.

My avatar is an S2 singlecut standard. It was amazing, but hte pickups were pure mud.

Don't know why they put hte Korean/SE pickups in the American made S2's. I'd imagine they could develop a whole new line of US made pickups that would provide a different sound that the American Core pickups and they'd sell even more S2's.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I love McCarty's.
I recently got a CE 24, and it's awesome, but part of me wishes I had gone the S2 594 route and upgraded the pickups to the US ones.
The CE is great, but I started noticing the forearm issue on the CE's where the lip digs into the arm. Doesnt' hurt, but it's very annoying. The S2's don't have this.

My avatar is an S2 singlecut standard. It was amazing, but hte pickups were pure mud.

Don't know why they put hte Korean/SE pickups in the American made S2's. I'd imagine they could develop a whole new line of US made pickups that would provide a different sound that the American Core pickups and they'd sell even more S2's.

I believe it’s to keep them in a certain price range and so they have their place in the PRS line up, not competing against other guitars (price-wise) in their range.

 

[S2C22]

They don't have the tone of a cheaper LP Studio. I bought one, loved it at first, hated the pickups. $1899 shouldn't get you pickups that are garbage. Clear jazz, maybe. But hard rock/metal, not.

 

[horax]

I believe it’s to keep them in a certain price range and so they have their place in the PRS line up, not competing against other guitars (price-wise) in their range.

I get that, but maybe they should take a nod from fender with what they’ve done with their American performer line. All made in USA, slightly different finishing process (we see that with the body carve), and isa made pickups that are not custom shop quality but way nicer than what you get in the Mexican fenders (which are way nicer than they used to be).

 

[Broseph]

I get that, but maybe they should take a nod from fender with what they’ve done with their American performer line. All made in USA, slightly different finishing process (we see that with the body carve), and isa made pickups that are not custom shop quality but way nicer than what you get in the Mexican fenders (which are way nicer than they used to be).

That would be cool if they made a line above the SE but below core. They could run it in the CE and S2 lines to make it cost effective to create in bulk. Helps bring the cost of the CE down. Spruce up the biggest peeve with the s2 lines. I’m still of the mind set they should use made in USA tremolos too.