This morning I watched a That Pedal Show video where the two protagonists’ regular Tele and Strat were compared with a ‘64 Tele and ‘61 Strat, playing through some wonderful amps and pedals. I think the video came out about a week ago. It’s very good.
Thus inspired, in my capacity as Director of the National Bureau of There Can Only Be One, I decided to compare my PS McCarty Singlecut (my “Hammer Of The Gods” guitar, note that it isn’t a 594!) to my WL 594 DC. The two guitars are obviously different, but since they head in a similar direction for their tonal inspiration, I figured why not. First the specs:
The McCarty Singlecut is a thicker bodied Singlecut than usual, without a belly carve. The neck and back are mahogany, the fretboard is Madagascar Rosewood, and the pickups are (I’m told) specially wound 57/08s.
The 594 WL is a little different; it’s a double cut, with a maple neck, BRW board, and mahogany back. The pickups are the 58/15 LTs.
I played them through my DG30 amp and cab, without pedals, and with pedals.
The question wasn’t which one’s objectively better in some way; the two guitars sound quite different. The task was (a) to figure out where the differences lay, and (b) to decide which one I’d pick IF there could only be one.
Spoiler Alert: I’d pick my McCarty Singlecut PS, hands down. Now for the comparison:
Anyone who tells you that a DC PRS of McCarty thickness sounds just like an SC PRS of SC thickness can’t hear very well, or doesn’t know what to listen for, simple as that. The much greater oomph and lower midrange power in the thicker SC is almost so obvious as to not be worthy of mention, except I’ve seen videos where people assert otherwise. They’re full of it.
One other difference in the bodies of the guitars: The SC is nitro, the DC is whatever finish PRS used in 2018 that’s very nice, but isn’t nitro. I think nitro guitars have a certain sound I can’t put my finger on, YMMV.
The mahogany and maple necks have a different tonal character. The maple is more flute-like or hollow sounding, where the mahogany neck is thicker sounding. I’ve found this true of my mahogany neck 594 Soapbar v the 594 WL unplugged, too, so it isn’t the pickups or amp. Of course, the McSC is 24.5” scale length, the 594 is, well, 594.
Notes come off the BRW fretboard a little differently than the Madagascar one. The BRW feels a little sparklier, the Madagascar a little creamier. Some of that is the difference in the necks, some is the fretboard.
On to the pickups...I don’t know how different the 57/08s on my McSC are from standard 57/08s. I heard somewhere that they’re specially wound, but I don’t know what’s different. Maybe one day I’ll find out. I can’t directly compare them to another SC like an SC58 with regular 57/08s because I sold mine before getting the McSC.
However the differences between the pickups as loaded into my guitars are pretty obvious. The 57/08s are a little more midrange-centric and have more gain, but still have plenty of cut. The 58/15 LTs have more top end clarity, less gain, a bit less midrange emphasis, and cut through in a different way. It’s difficult to compare the two instruments with the different pickups, but I think the 57/08s are “more me.” However, the 58/15 LTs are wonderful pickups and I’m glad the guitar has them because it offers a nice alternative.
Bottom line: For me, the McCarty Singlecut has a more vintage character and vibe than the 594 WL. Being a PS, it ought to offer something different, and it does. My 594 sounds like a more modern guitar. Since I’m a fan of vintage sounds, my preference between the guitars is based on that difference in tonal character.
What I’d love to hear is an SC 594 with the new nitro finish. I think that’d be a more valid comparison, and a dangerous one for me, since if it’s anything like my McSC in terms of that vintage vibe, I might have to buy it.
Hope you enjoyed that little dissertation. Here are the two guitars that I compared:
McCarty Singlecut PS
594 WL:
Thus inspired, in my capacity as Director of the National Bureau of There Can Only Be One, I decided to compare my PS McCarty Singlecut (my “Hammer Of The Gods” guitar, note that it isn’t a 594!) to my WL 594 DC. The two guitars are obviously different, but since they head in a similar direction for their tonal inspiration, I figured why not. First the specs:
The McCarty Singlecut is a thicker bodied Singlecut than usual, without a belly carve. The neck and back are mahogany, the fretboard is Madagascar Rosewood, and the pickups are (I’m told) specially wound 57/08s.
The 594 WL is a little different; it’s a double cut, with a maple neck, BRW board, and mahogany back. The pickups are the 58/15 LTs.
I played them through my DG30 amp and cab, without pedals, and with pedals.
The question wasn’t which one’s objectively better in some way; the two guitars sound quite different. The task was (a) to figure out where the differences lay, and (b) to decide which one I’d pick IF there could only be one.
Spoiler Alert: I’d pick my McCarty Singlecut PS, hands down. Now for the comparison:
Anyone who tells you that a DC PRS of McCarty thickness sounds just like an SC PRS of SC thickness can’t hear very well, or doesn’t know what to listen for, simple as that. The much greater oomph and lower midrange power in the thicker SC is almost so obvious as to not be worthy of mention, except I’ve seen videos where people assert otherwise. They’re full of it.
One other difference in the bodies of the guitars: The SC is nitro, the DC is whatever finish PRS used in 2018 that’s very nice, but isn’t nitro. I think nitro guitars have a certain sound I can’t put my finger on, YMMV.
The mahogany and maple necks have a different tonal character. The maple is more flute-like or hollow sounding, where the mahogany neck is thicker sounding. I’ve found this true of my mahogany neck 594 Soapbar v the 594 WL unplugged, too, so it isn’t the pickups or amp. Of course, the McSC is 24.5” scale length, the 594 is, well, 594.
Notes come off the BRW fretboard a little differently than the Madagascar one. The BRW feels a little sparklier, the Madagascar a little creamier. Some of that is the difference in the necks, some is the fretboard.
On to the pickups...I don’t know how different the 57/08s on my McSC are from standard 57/08s. I heard somewhere that they’re specially wound, but I don’t know what’s different. Maybe one day I’ll find out. I can’t directly compare them to another SC like an SC58 with regular 57/08s because I sold mine before getting the McSC.
However the differences between the pickups as loaded into my guitars are pretty obvious. The 57/08s are a little more midrange-centric and have more gain, but still have plenty of cut. The 58/15 LTs have more top end clarity, less gain, a bit less midrange emphasis, and cut through in a different way. It’s difficult to compare the two instruments with the different pickups, but I think the 57/08s are “more me.” However, the 58/15 LTs are wonderful pickups and I’m glad the guitar has them because it offers a nice alternative.
Bottom line: For me, the McCarty Singlecut has a more vintage character and vibe than the 594 WL. Being a PS, it ought to offer something different, and it does. My 594 sounds like a more modern guitar. Since I’m a fan of vintage sounds, my preference between the guitars is based on that difference in tonal character.
What I’d love to hear is an SC 594 with the new nitro finish. I think that’d be a more valid comparison, and a dangerous one for me, since if it’s anything like my McSC in terms of that vintage vibe, I might have to buy it.
Hope you enjoyed that little dissertation. Here are the two guitars that I compared:
McCarty Singlecut PS
594 WL:
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