What do you think about the Vintage Pattern neck?

[Revelation]

The PRS McCarty 594 has the vintage pattern neck. According to their website, The Pattern Vintage neck has the same width measurements as PRS's Pattern neck but is slightly thicker front to back and features an asymmetrical carve with a little less meat on the bass side of the neck toward the nut end and a little less meat on the treble side of the neck from the twelfth fret to the heel.

I personally found it uncomfortable the first time I tried it. It does not have a smooth curve on the back like my Les Paul. Its chucky and not comfortable about 1/2 an inch below my left thumb (muscle got tense) when playing it. Several years later, I tried it again. They changed a couple things like adding the brass tuning pegs and saddles. It was not the most comfortable neck, but after playing it for 30 min's, I got used to it. I love my McCarty 594 Core very much. With the double cut, I have full access up to the 22nd fret without my handing hitting the heel of the neck joint. I don't have to arch my hand sideway to play higher notes past the 15th fret like my Les Paul. Though I have gotten used to the neck, its still not my favorite neck pattern. The pickups are clean and slightly warm sounding, but more open sounding that my thicker Les Paul tone.

Has anyone else found the neck slightly uncomfortable?

 

[Stephen J.]

I am always surprised by how much I don’t like the Pattern Vintage profile. Pattern (Wide Fat) is my favorite, so I don’t think I should be that uncomfortable with it. I don’t think I should be able to tell the difference, but I can. I admit, I haven’t played a guitar with the Pattern Vintage profile long enough to see if I would get used to it. It might have as much to do with the added factor of a different scale length and the flatter frets (do they still do that?) on the 594s.

 

[SinSir]

I'm not a PV man either. There's one here or there that I like but more that I don't. I was on a 594 hunt forever and have lost count how many I've played. The SC58 won me over immediately, partially for the pattern neck, but other differences too. I still think about a DC594 and the other day found a s2 10th anniversary DC594 I really wanted to buy on the spot. I'm guessing the few PV I do like have to do with the hand sanding variances.

It really is my least favorite PRS profile and probably the only one I don't always get a long with.

 

[dmatthews]

I love it.
Also like the Wide fat, and Pattern.

 

[RickP]

I’m not very sensitive to neck shapes, really. The PV is a little chunkier, but not uncomfortably so. I like it.

 

[Buddy Shagmore]

Pattern Vintage, Pattern, and Wide Fat...all are winners for me. It's the lesser necks that I can't get on with.

 

[WA Paul]

Love Pattern Vintage neck, I ordered my P245T with it instead of the basic Pattern neck (which I also like). But I get that it may be uncomfortable if you are used to wrapping your thumb over the top of the neck. I tend not to do that. More narrow necks like Pattern Regular tend to cause me trouble, as well as Pattern Thin.

 

[WEDGE]

Not a fan

 

[Greywolf]

love mine

 

[xxxadixxx]

For me, the SC594 is the most comfortable instrument I have ever played! The pattern vintage neck just feels like home. I am a rhythm player (punk/metal/hardcore) and this neck is simply perfect for my gorilla grip. My only complaint with my Tremonti is the pattern thin neck, which seems to cause more fatigue in my fretting hand than the pattern vintage. Similarly, the neck my LP Customs is closer to the pattern vintage and feels comfortable. Maybe if I had a softer grip (all of my PRS' have grooves in the frets from the wound strings after 4-6 months of playing!) or were playing more melodies/solos, a thinner neck could work.

To summarize, after playing many guitars from Jackson, Ibanez, and ESP with much thinner necks, I found my "perfect fit" in the pattern vintage on my 594's.

 

[bodia]

First time I played one I thought that neck felt like a worn in baseball mitt. Love it.

 

[MarcWink]

I'm sort of opposite of the OP. I really dig the Wide/Fat, Pattern, and Pattern Vintage. For me, the Wide/Thin and Pattern/Thin are my lesser liked neck shapes. Having said that, it's not a deal breaker for me, and I quite like playing my S2 10th Anniversary Custom 24 with the Pattern/Thin. I can get used to it after about 10 or so minutes of warmup, and after that I'm totally fine with it and can jump between it and my other guitars with Wide/Fat, Pattern Regular, modified 50's rounded (on my Explorer) and Wizard Prestige on my Ibanez with no issues.

 

[JasonE]

My two favorite neck profiles are the Pattern / Wide Fat and the Pattern Vintage. I have not been able to choose a favorite between the two. The new Studio I bought last fall has the Pattern neck on it and that thing just feels right every time I grab it. I like the neck on my 594 as well. I just submitted my specs for a private stock build and had a really hard time deciding which of these necks to go with. I picked the Pattern Vintage but wouldn't be mad if it had the Pattern neck.