SC 594 Birthday Bash in the Windy City!

[MA Pete]

So my Birthday was yesterday, and I had the pleasure of having BrianC, Alan/yankeebulldog, Mike/rider1260 and Sergio over!

There were *7* SC 594's there, perhaps a record number of them assembled in one place outside of the factory since the launch of the model.

(The seven: my three PS's, two Prototypes and the Semi-Hollow, my Faded Vintage Yellow WL, Alan's Tobacco WL, Alan's Blood Orange, and Brian's Black Beauty.)

It was a great time! I brought in a brand new amp for the day, a Bogner Goldfinger 45, great amp, tinkering with that with the group was fun.

It was my first time meeting Sergio, he is a great guy, and has some great chops as well!

We brought the Kemper in that same room and Mike played some rhythms while Sergio played some leads, that was cool.

Other guitars of note - Sergio's White Westy was great! He also had a cool Mira that weighed a little under 6 pounds, cool guitar. Mike brought over two cool pieces, a Brushstroke 24 that sounded killer, and a very unique triple P-90 Custom 22 that sounded really cool, one he picked up from Howard Leese. Also the guys enjoyed my 305. (Yes, I have something in my collection beyond just 594's!) Alan also brought over his Purple Metallic DC 594, which I declared to be the coolest looking Opaque PRS I have ever seen, very slightly topping the cool Green Metallic one I had.

Note that I am not short by any means - Alan is just really tall! That White Westy looks good on me!

BrianC and his "Black Beauty" SC 594 - he was coaxing some great tones out of it through the new Goldfinger.

Brian and Alan have both been very busy with their band activities - and their skills have improved very noticeably as a result! Me on the other hand, bandless and spend more time on gear than practicing...

Below Sergio checking out one of the Prototypes, with Mike looking on. (Right after that was the Sergio and Mike jam session, with Mike on Sergio's Mira through the Kemper.)

It was great to have the guys over, and to meet Sergio (finally!). The highlight for me was having Sergio play my three Private Stock 594's back-to-back, and discussing thoughts on each of them, first the original prototype, then the Rumbleseat one, then the Semi-Hollow. He seemed especially taken by the Semi-Hollow, I wasn't sure I was getting it back!

It is always cool to hear others play through your gear, it is just so much easier to appreciate the nuances of the tones when you are not the one playing, and also to share thoughts with your other gearhead friends.

Thanks guys, for joining me on my Birthday! A fun day, and quite the experience sampling all the great PRS guitars, and the experience of chatting all things guitars, pickups, amps, speakers, gigs, studios, etc.

 

[bodia]

Sorry I couldn't be there. Looks like you guys had a blast! Happy 50th Pete! You're right about Mike, Sergio and Brian! I'd toss in Alan, but I haven't had the pleasure yet.

Of note, the weather in northern Wisconsin blows. Picked the wrong weekend for a road trip!

 

[You-S4-It]

Happy belated birthday.

Was there a concerted, "yeah, that's the one!" amongst the magnificent 7?

 

[FJ4]

That is a Great way to celebrate, Happy Birthday Pete!

 

[BrianC]

Great day and great guys! First time meeting Sergio - cool dude and quite the player (guitar player that is). Pete and Allan are a wealth of PRS and guitar knowledge. Mike as always the Worlds Nicest Guy - no really.

I must remember to either get more dressed up next time or not get caught by a camera

Shots of the Black Beauty here (look if you dare):

http://www.vintagerocker.com/forum/showthread.html?31374-Black-Beauty-SC594!&p=398572#post398572

 

[Rider1260]

This was a blast - We invaded Petes house got to lust after and play some great guitars and meet some new forum folk !!!
So many cool options there never seems to be enough time.

 

[toothace]

Happy Birthday! Looks like a great Forum gathering!

 

[László]

Happy birthday, Pete!

You know, you're getting so thin, maybe you should go shopping for a little food instead of more guitars!

 

[dmatthews]

Happy birthday!
And dayum... wish I was there!

 

[garrettb]

Geez, you guys are making Chi-town look like the place to be! No DC594 makes me a little sad, though.

 

[MA Pete]

Thanks, everyone!

You know, you're getting so thin, maybe you should go shopping for a little food instead of more guitars!

Ha! My wife feeds me well. I gave up alcohol completely a couple of years ago, and did drop a few pounds as a result. (Got a little carried away during the band years!) I eat pretty healthy stuff and exercise regularly. I am fortunate to have the metabolism I have!

No DC594 makes me a little sad, though.

While it wasn't mine, we did have a great DC 594 there, Alan's awesome Purple Metallic. Here is an older shot of it, it has some different pickups in it now. Cool guitar! (You can see it peeking out behind Alan's leg above.)

Was there a concerted, "yeah, that's the one!" amongst the magnificent 7?

For me, it is these two, my favorite two guitars I have ever owned, and I felt that way in the room yesterday as well.

The semi-gloss Nitro gives them a really nice "worn-in" vintage feel, and they both play and sound amazing. Guests are usually afraid to play the Private Stocks, so I gave Sergio a nudge to check them out, and he seemed to enjoy them. I know I enjoyed hearing them played by someone else, those two and the SC 594 Semi Hollow. Sergio plays some cool stuff too, not your usual rock riffs and pentatonic noodling like the rest of there (LOL), he was getting some good tones out them, and fiddling with the 3 way and the volume and tone knobs to get different tones.

Really all of them are great, Brian's Black Beauty and Alan's 2. It is pretty amazing how consistently great the 594's are, both the DC's and the SC's! And it was cool to play them all, in one sitting with 4 guys, to validate that.

Beyond the SC 594's, Mike's Brushstroke 24 and the 3 P-90 Cu22 were cool, although I don't personally get along with the 25" scale these days. I dug the White Westy! I had a couple of the DC 22's (the Musician's Friend 22 Fret Santana with the Stoptail), and that White Westy brought back my urge to do a 24.594" DC 22 Private Stock!

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Yeah! Thanks for a Bangin'! time, Pete!

I'm so glad I finally got to meet Pete, Brian, and Alan, I can't believe it had taken so long. Truly the nicest and most generous guys, and Mike is my homie already so, it was really rad to find out the other guys are even cooler than they are online.

Such a treat to get my grubby mitts on some incredible guitars, I felt a little unprepared with my guitar selections I brought... kinda like bringin' a knife to a gunfight with all the thick-assed SC's in the house! I don't even wanna add up the cumulative cost of the small portion of our guitars that were in the house that afternoon. Seriously, I've been to guitar shops with less inventory.

Was there a concerted, "yeah, that's the one!" amongst the magnificent 7?

I asked Pete to hand me "Something I can't afford, so I don't feel tempted to rush out an' buy something" So he handed me his prototype first.. Damn, son... Not only does it look nicer in-person but, it's everything you want a single-cutaway guitar to sound like, and even more ergonomic and cozy feelin' than the typical "type". I used to be one of those "if you want it to sound like a Les Paul then just get a Les Paul" kinda choads. Now I've changed my mind, it does get better than the real thing. So my PRS SC GAS got a tad bit amplified.

The Rumble Seat guitar was a bit bigger soundin' IMO and the Semi-Hollow vibrated against your body in a more pronounced and pleasant way but... If I had to chose, the prototype was the most balanced and even-spectrumed (if that makes any sense) of the bunch. I'd love to plug that into a SuperBass and turn all the knobs to ten.



For real though, if y'all out there have a chance to get down with some forum dudes in your area.. you gotta make time to do it. Everybody I've met in real life from this place has been the coolest of dudes, not a boner in the bunch.

Geez, you guys are making Chi-town look like the place to be!

I mean, it is though. Come on out!

 

[You-S4-It]

Dang. These group interventions (or is it technically a gathering at a PRS crack house?) don't do anything to quell my SC594 lust! I need a fix!

Curious if the low gloss nitro finish is the same composition mixture as I have on my '07 satin SCTrem. Over the years, my resting hand/fingers/arms have glossed up the satin in certain spots. Guess that's natural wear and tear and no one can accuse me of keeping case queens!

Is any dealer doing a SC594 nitro run? Bueller?! Bueller?!

 

[Callan]

all of a sudden I need a SC594...
Does anybody want to buy an Explorer? What about a Les Paul?

 

[yankeebulldog]

Here is another pic from the day:

 

[MA Pete]

Here is another pic from the day:

Great shot, Alan! You got 5 of the 7 SC 594's, and the lone DC 594.

Brian is looking pretty happy with the Black Beauty!

 

[MA Pete]

I asked Pete to hand me "Something I can't afford, so I don't feel tempted to rush out an' buy something" So he handed me his prototype first.. Damn, son... Not only does it look nicer in-person but, it's everything you want a single-cutaway guitar to sound like, and even more ergonomic and cozy feelin' than the typical "type". I used to be one of those "if you want it to sound like a Les Paul then just get a Les Paul" kinda choads. Now I've changed my mind, it does get better than the real thing. So my PRS SC GAS got a tad bit amplified.

The Rumble Seat guitar was a bit bigger soundin' IMO and the Semi-Hollow vibrated against your body in a more pronounced and pleasant way but... If I had to chose, the prototype was the most balanced and even-spectrumed (if that makes any sense) of the bunch. I'd love to plug that into a SuperBass and turn all the knobs to ten.

Great description, Sergio! I actually feel about the same way about the two prototypes. I use slightly different words, but I think we are both hearing and feeling the same sorts of things. The "original" prototype is to me very clear and yes, balanced. Clearer and more pure than any Singlecut I have ever played. Yes, it can growl and scream at you, but it is never too dark, muddy or muffled. It is like I would imagine and hope a great vintage 59'ish classic Singlecut would be. The Rumbleseat guitar has a little more Mojo, it is a bit "thicker" and darker. Not muddy at all in a bad way, but a little mud to give it that thickness, that would make it sound more like the classic Singlecut we know and love, more so than the original Prototype. Sometimes I react to the extra Mojo of the Rumbleseat one and say "oh, I like this one better", but then I always seem to come back to the other original Prototype as my favorite.

I am honored and privileged to have the opportunity to own those two awesome instruments, my favorite two guitars of all time, and some cool backstories behind them connected with the history of the launch of this great model!

Thanks for the writeup above, I enjoyed that.

 

[MA Pete]

Is any dealer doing a SC594 nitro run? Bueller?! Bueller?!

Sorry, we won't see any Wood Library Runs with Nitro finishes. The original Ted McCarty Willcutt Wood Library runs in 2010 and 2011 or so were Nitro, because the original 2009 Ted's were.

But the 2012 Willcutt Guitars Ted run was V12, because PRS had gone to 100% V12 for the Core & WL guitars (including the DGT moving over from Nitro to V12), with Nitro being Private Stock only. I know this very explicitly as I was at the Factory with Eric from Willcutt Guitars several times over the past few years spec'ing Private Stocks, while he was also spec'ing some Wood Library Runs, and I *BEGGED* for Nitro finishes, and it was most definitely not on the menu.

But that's okay, the V12 finish is pretty great, my Tobacco and Faded Vintage Yellow Wood Library SC 594's play and sound amazing!

 

[Basauri]

Happy Birthday Pete!

Glad to read about the 2017 Pete's PRS Experience

 

[MA Pete]

Happy Birthday Pete!

Glad to read about the 2017 Pete's PRS Experience

Thanks!

Yeah, we invited Carlos, but he said he didn't have any SC 594's to bring, we told him not to come. He said something about some gold 24 fret SC 245, but I told him this was strictly a 594 Experience.