Some musings on the 594 and Studio

[Markcarl]

I recently got a SC 594 and I’ve been playing it a lot. Tonight I was going back-and-forth between the 594 and the Studio.

One thing both guitars have in common is the 58/15 LT pickup in the bridge position. I was curious how similar / different the guitars would sound when playing on the bridge pickup.

I compared the tone of the bridge pick up on both guitars playing clean and edge of break up. I thought they both sounded fantastic. Both guitars had excellent clarity. The 594 was darker sounding with a more full bass response. The studio sounded brighter. I can’t say one sounded better than the other.

I’m guessing the shorter scale length, thicker body, and single cut body shape have something to do with the darker tone of the 594 compared to the Studio.

 

[dmatthews]

I absolutely hear a difference between 594 DC and SC.
Right now I cannot stop playing the SC.
Great guitars you are comparing, and the pup is lovely...

 

[JasonE]

I recently got a SC 594 and I’ve been playing it a lot. Tonight I was going back-and-forth between the 594 and the Studio.

One thing both guitars have in common is the 58/15 LT pickup in the bridge position. I was curious how similar / different the guitars would sound when playing on the bridge pickup.

I compared the tone of the bridge pick up on both guitars playing clean and edge of break up. I thought they both sounded fantastic. Both guitars had excellent clarity. The 594 was darker sounding with a more full bass response. The studio sounded brighter. I can’t say one sounded better than the other.

I’m guessing the shorter scale length, thicker body, and single cut body shape have something to do with the darker tone of the 594 compared to the Studio.

My 594 is a double cut as my Studio is. I can't really compare the two because I put 57/08 pickups in my 594 and they are a hotter set than what you get today. I fully expected that I would want to change the 58/15 LT pickup out of the Studio because I was not the biggest fan of those pickups in my 594. My biggest complaint was that there was too much of a volume drop off when switching guitars at gigs. The 57/08s totally fixed that issue.

I was pleasantly surprised that once I got the pickup adjusted where I liked it in the Studio, it had enough volume to keep up with my other guitars and it balances well with the narrowfield pickups. This has made me think about putting the stock pickups back in the 594 a few times. However, the 594 just sounds fantastic with the 57/08s in it so I am not going to mess with it. The split tones are the best of any guitar I have ever owned. They are very usable, which really surprised the heck out of me.

One thing I noticed with the Studio is that rolling the volume off a little bit makes it sound brighter. I her more Strat type tones out of it with the volume rolled back a little. Both of these guitars are some of my favorite PRS guitars. I stayed away from the Studio and every model that had the narrowfield pickups on them because with them being an odd size I can't changed them for something else if I really didn't like them. That means the only option is to either not use those pickups or sell the guitar. Thankfully I like them.

 

[Greywolf]

I have the LT's in my Special Artist ( maple neck) and my HB II Artist , they are different in tone not radically , but perceptibly .. to me that's to be expected .. Pickups are after all only mic's sampling the available vibes. Change the environment , change the tone.

 

[Markcarl]

I have the LT's in my Special Artist ( maple neck) and my HB II Artist , they are different in tone not radically , but perceptibly .. to me that's to be expected .. Pickups are after all only mic's sampling the available vibes. Change the environment , change the tone.

Yes. Well said. I’ve read about the impact of body thickness and scale length on electric guitar tone. It’s one thing to read about it and another to experience / internalize it. Last night I think I actually heard the difference.

I love the sound of both guitars. I can see how each would be better suited for specific songs / situations.

 

[Greywolf]

OH it does . My McSoapy's have a thicker tone than my P22 Tripple Soapy .. same pickups .. but that thick body = thick tone .. same with necks.
I have a flame maple neck on my '55 LP (rw board) and it is such a baseball bat that it has none of that maple neck twang

of course the converse is also true .. the other rule of Lutherie .. the more air in the bod , the more air in the sound ...

 

[LaxActium]

I read one of the reviews stating the 58/15 LT on the Studio is the bass 58/15 pickup not the treble pickup even though it is the bridge pickup.

 

[Markcarl]

I read one of the reviews stating the 58/15 LT on the Studio is the bass 58/15 pickup not the treble pickup even though it is the bridge pickup.

Yeah, my understanding is both the neck and bridge 58/15 LT pickups on the 594 are identical.

 

[LaxActium]

Yeah, my understanding is both the neck and bridge 58/15 LT pickups on the 594 are identical.

Are they?
I thought the readings were different?

 

[Markcarl]

I haven’t measured to verify, but I have heard that the neck and bridge pickups are identical on the 594. Hopefully someone on the forum can chime in to verify.

 

[SinSir]

I haven’t measured to verify, but I have heard that the neck and bridge pickups are identical on the 594. Hopefully someone on the forum can chime in to verify.

Depends on the model, version, and year. Originally the LT were the same. Then, especially with the SC, there's been a couple versions.

 

[ViperDoc]

It's hard to say exactly, but the 594 bridge will sound way different than the Studio (trem loaded?). The Studio 25-inch scale length will also make it snappier. Both are awesome.

The SC594 and DC594 are definitely unique. My SC has the TCI pickups, my DC not. I love the tone of both, but the DC wins the taste test in my book.

#BCUZ594

 

[JasonE]

I read one of the reviews stating the 58/15 LT on the Studio is the bass 58/15 pickup not the treble pickup even though it is the bridge pickup.

Yeah, my understanding is both the neck and bridge 58/15 LT pickups on the 594 are identical.

I can verify that the 58/15 LT pickups from my 2016 McCarty 594 are identical. They are not marked treble and bass. They look identical and measure identical with an ohm meter.

 

[LaxActium]

I can verify that the 58/15 LT pickups from my 2016 McCarty 594 are identical. They are not marked treble and bass. They look identical and measure identical with an ohm meter.

Are they the LT or non LT?

 

[JasonE]

Are they the LT or non LT?

They are the LT version.

 

[SinSir]

Are they the LT or non LT?

The 5815 non LT don't measure the same.