Would you return this SE Mccarty 594 or get it fixed?

gregv

gregv

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Joined
Apr 2, 2023
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Hey all, I'm not too familiar with guitar repairs etc so looking for any opinions. I purchased an SE McCarty 594 a few weeks ago and have had a chance to play it for a a bit. I've noticed the following issues....


- fret ends are pretty rough and not smooth
- G string fret buzz
- the volume on the bridge pickup is basically zero. So when I play the neck pickup its fine and switch to the bridge one there is no volume and I have to crank my amp to get a bit of volume out of that pickup
- the volume knob for the bridge pickup rubs on the body of the guitar
- the input jack for the cable isn't a great fit and a bit of movement from the cable and the guitar will "cut out"

Do these seem like minor issues or something more concerning? I have two weeks to return the guitar for full refund or my local shop will also fix the guitar under their policy if I want to keep it.

Any recommendations as I'm not sure how "big" these fixes are?

Thx!

Greg
 
Sorry for the troubles you are having. While I have no experience with the SE line, the problems you describe are much more than you should expect for a new guitar. The fret ends and fret buzz would not concern me. The first may be expected for that price point, the second may simply be a setup isue. All of the electronic issues concern me the most and would have me send it back. You should not have to "fix" a new guitar. Sorry again.
 
Last edited:
gregv said:
Hey all, I'm not too familiar with guitar repairs etc so looking for any opinions. I purchased an SE McCarty 594 a few weeks ago and have had a chance to play it for a a bit. I've noticed the following issues....


- fret ends are pretty rough and not smooth
- G string fret buzz
- the volume on the bridge pickup is basically zero. So when I play the neck pickup its fine and switch to the bridge one there is no volume and I have to crank my amp to get a bit of volume out of that pickup
- the volume knob for the bridge pickup rubs on the body of the guitar
- the input jack for the cable isn't a great fit and a bit of movement from the cable and the guitar will "cut out"

Do these seem like minor issues or something more concerning? I have two weeks to return the guitar for full refund or my local shop will also fix the guitar under their policy if I want to keep it.

Any recommendations as I'm not sure how "big" these fixes are?

Thx!

Greg
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear this. I had a couple things on my McCarty 594 SE that had to be addressed, but nothing that I couldn’t do myself.
As far as your list goes, here are my thoughts:
The fret finishing on mine was great, but the dealer I bought it from really looked at it before they put it on the floor. They have taken care of fret filing and polishing for me before and hardly charge me anything for it. I suggest you find someone that could help you with it. A pretty easy fix in my book.
The fret buzz could be a neck relief issue, uneven fret height or possibly string angle issue at the bridge. I am assuming you did not buy it through a dealer, because most would have looked the guitar and taken care of these things. Again this can be taken care of easily by a good tech.
I did have to set the pickup height on mine but I usually do this anyway, but this could be why you have a volume issue. Mine were set way too low. Just follow the PRS guide to setting pickup height on YouTube.
These are not high output pickups so if you’re expecting a lot of distortion you may be disappointed. I like them a lot but I don’t like high gain pickups.
The body isn’t dished out around the knobs like my core McCarty. The knobs or the pots themselves need to be adjusted.
The input jack was loose on mine as well. I tightened it with a socket wrench and that worked, at least for now. Do not over tighten the nut.
I guess at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if you like the guitar enough to keep it. I really like mine, it sounds great, has a great neck and is fun to play. The lesson is that no guitar is perfect, especially at this price point.
 
Longneck Tenon said:
Sorry to hear this. I had a couple things on my McCarty 594 SE that had to be addressed, but nothing that I couldn’t do myself.
As far as your list goes, here are my thoughts:
The fret finishing on mine was great, but the dealer I bought it from really looked at it before they put it on the floor. They have taken care of fret filing and polishing for me before and hardly charge me anything for it. I suggest you find someone that could help you with it. A pretty easy fix in my book.
The fret buzz could be a neck relief issue, uneven fret height or possibly string angle issue at the bridge. I am assuming you did not buy it through a dealer, because most would have looked the guitar and taken care of these things. Again this can be taken care of easily by a good tech.
I did have to set the pickup height on mine but I usually do this anyway, but this could be why you have a volume issue. Mine were set way too low. Just follow the PRS guide to setting pickup height on YouTube.
These are not high output pickups so if you’re expecting a lot of distortion you may be disappointed. I like them a lot but I don’t like high gain pickups.
The body isn’t dished out around the knobs like my core McCarty. The knobs or the pots themselves need to be adjusted.
The input jack was loose on mine as well. I tightened it with a socket wrench and that worked, at least for now. Do not over tighten the nut.
I guess at the end of the day you have to ask yourself if you like the guitar enough to keep it. I really like mine, it sounds great, has a great neck and is fun to play. The lesson is that no guitar is perfect, especially at this price point.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for the detailed response. I do enjoy the guitar so far.

I bought it from my local dealer and it was not opened when I bought it so the dealer did not do anything to it. They offer a full free set up on every new guitar and a no hassle 30 day refund. So my thoughts were to have them address all the issues and if they were fixed and it played well then I'd keep it and if not then return it prior to 30 days. I just wasn't sure if these were all big fixes and the reason I started the thread.
 
gregv said:
Thank you very much for the detailed response. I do enjoy the guitar so far.

I bought it from my local dealer and it was not opened when I bought it so the dealer did not do anything to it. They offer a full free set up on every new guitar and a no hassle 30 day refund. So my thoughts were to have them address all the issues and if they were fixed and it played well then I'd keep it and if not then return it prior to 30 days. I just wasn't sure if these were all big fixes and the reason I started the thread.
Click to expand...
Absolutely return it to them for a proper setup and if they aren’t willing to help I would inform them and PRS that would be the last guitar I would buy from both of them. Quality issues do come up but they should hold up their side to make sure they are resolved.
 
gregv said:
Hey all, I'm not too familiar with guitar repairs etc so looking for any opinions. I purchased an SE McCarty 594 a few weeks ago and have had a chance to play it for a a bit. I've noticed the following issues....


- fret ends are pretty rough and not smooth
- G string fret buzz
- the volume on the bridge pickup is basically zero. So when I play the neck pickup its fine and switch to the bridge one there is no volume and I have to crank my amp to get a bit of volume out of that pickup
- the volume knob for the bridge pickup rubs on the body of the guitar
- the input jack for the cable isn't a great fit and a bit of movement from the cable and the guitar will "cut out"

Do these seem like minor issues or something more concerning? I have two weeks to return the guitar for full refund or my local shop will also fix the guitar under their policy if I want to keep it.

Any recommendations as I'm not sure how "big" these fixes are?

Thx!

Greg
Click to expand...
Greg, at some point you'll have to learn to do all these things yourself if you're going to own great playing, great sounding guitars.

Because there is no perfection and all guitars are constantly in need of a little work and readjustment.

Maybe this one does need to be returned...but you need to pick up some books of Dan Erlewine's on guitar repair and some tools and learn to do a lot of this stuff yourself.

Stew Mac is a great source for tools.

YouTube is a great source for Dan Erlewine videos and Jerry Rosa Stringworks videos.

Once you learn how to set up your guitar you'll be able to make it play better than most "techs" will because you'll put whatever time into it needed until it's right.

Maybe this isn't the guitar to get started on...but eventually you'll need to do it all yourself.

Besides: it's part of the fun. Like building a Hot Rod!
 
Lewguitar said:
Greg, at some point you'll have to learn to do all these things yourself if you're going to own great playing, great sounding guitars.

Because there is no perfection and all guitars are constantly in need of a little work and readjustment.

Maybe this one does need to be returned...but you need to pick up some books of Dan Erlewine's on guitar repair and some tools and learn to do a lot of this stuff yourself.

Stew Mac is a great source for tools.

YouTube is a great source for Dan Erlewine videos and Jerry Rosa Stringworks videos.

Once you learn how to set up your guitar you'll be able to make it play better than most "techs" will because you'll put whatever time into it needed until it's right.

Maybe this isn't the guitar to get started on...but eventually you'll need to do it all yourself.

Besides: it's part of the fun. Like building a Hot Rod!
Click to expand...
Well said, Lew.
 
I would send it back. Get another one.

There is something going on with these new SE guitars. I have been seeing a lot of posts about poor workmanship on a few models lately. They seem like they may be rushing them out the door. I have read of a number of electrical issues and bad solder joints in them. I hope someone from the US shop gets involved to get these things resolved.
 
gregv said:
Thank you very much for the detailed response. I do enjoy the guitar so far.

I bought it from my local dealer and it was not opened when I bought it so the dealer did not do anything to it. They offer a full free set up on every new guitar and a no hassle 30 day refund. So my thoughts were to have them address all the issues and if they were fixed and it played well then I'd keep it and if not then return it prior to 30 days. I just wasn't sure if these were all big fixes and the reason I started the thread.
Click to expand...
Forgot to mention the action on mine was set pretty high, for me anyways. I lowered mine so that the clearance at high e string was 3/64” and the low e 4/64” at the twelfth fret. Make sure the bridge humbucker cover is not tilted up or it may cause string rattle on the bass side. It should sound and feel a lot better!
 
Lewguitar said:
Once you learn how to set up your guitar you'll be able to make it play better than most "techs" will because you'll put whatever time into it needed until it's right.

Maybe this isn't the guitar to get started on...but eventually you'll need to do it all yourself.
Click to expand...
Both of these are great points. With setups, not only can it be done until it's right, but right for you. Most adjustments like action and truss rod tension have tradeoffs and you can set these just where you want them and you can tweak till you're happy.

Much of the learning curve is by actually doing this and it can be helpful to have a cheap 'test bed' guitar for trying things out on to get comfortable. An old kid's/starter/beat up guitar that's not really playable can be great for starting on those mid-level mods like changing tuners, pickups, pots, nuts or playing with the finish in sanding the neck.
 
JasonE said:
I would send it back. Get another one.

There is something going on with these new SE guitars. I have been seeing a lot of posts about poor workmanship on a few models lately. They seem like they may be rushing them out the door. I have read of a number of electrical issues and bad solder joints in them. I hope someone from the US shop gets involved to get these things resolved.
Click to expand...
Call me crazy (it’s been done), but I think guitars are a lot like people and pets. They are not perfect, and can be annoying sometimes. But I get very attached to them in spite of that. If they are willing to meet me halfway, I will try to work with them, and I usually find it more rewarding because of it. But sometimes it can be very difficult and frustrating. There is no right or wrong answer, I just keep listening to the voices in my head that live rent-free!
 
Def send it back. A lot of it is easily correctable and fun to learn how to fix. But paying full price brand new? No way. PRS needs this kind of feedback to improve the quality control
 
Bring it back and let the dealer sort it out. it is part of the price of buying a new guitar. It is why they have warranties and all. Unless it is Guitar Center, then just take it back and take your money back as well.
 
As others have said, relatively minor setup issues while not great are common for the SE price range regardless of manufacturer. The electrical issues especially the bridge cutting out in volume are not. I would just have the shop give me another one off the wall. I always insist on playing the guitar they will sell me. So if they tell me they have an unopened one in the back I make them open it so I can test it. If it’s unopened that most likely means the retailer never looked at it. They’re another point in the quality assurance process (good reason not to go direct). I wouldn’t bother fixing it. Sorry you had a disappointing experience, hopefully the advice on the forum helps you out
 
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