#7009 – PRS McCarty SC594 – Antique white

£3199.00

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Overview : – Thanks to intellectual property rights, as well as a host of protected trade marks, it is accepted that only Gibson can make a Les Paul – That doesn’t stop various far eastern companies pushing those ‘legal’ boundaries – Navigator, Edwards, Tokai for starters – Whilst others will take the heart of a Les Paul, tweak it accordingly, maybe update a few details, in order to create their own singlecut model – Huber, Patrick James Eggle and PRS for starters – There is no doubt whatsoever that the best selling LP Standard is at the core of the PRS McCarty SC594 – It allows Paul to pay homage to his friend and mentor, Ted McCarty – But it still retains ‘modern’ features that are at the heart of many PRS Guitars – Not forgetting their legendary attention to detail with regards to build quality and finish  – Before I update you with a host of details with regard to this new McCarty SC594, with a very cool antique white , click here to read a review, courtesy of Guitarist Magazine, then click here to visit the PRS web site page that includes a very handy video clip demo

I’ve now sold new and used PRS Guitars for well over 35 years and some may recall a few years ago when Guitars4You were amongst the UK’s leading stockists – I still retain a good relationship with the UK team and we speak on a fairly regular basis – Such chats often update me with regards to  the odd B stock grade guitar that is available for me to buy – Some are ex-display following various guitar shows and/or evening clinics – Some are ex product review models, from say Guitarist Magazine – Some just have a subtle finish blemish – But all are offered to me with a more favourable price tag – Hence my acquisition of this new PRS McCarty SC594, with a cool antique white finish – Complete with the deluxe PRS case and relevant tag – Shows a date of birth as May 2023  – Following a detailed tour of the shiny nitro gloss finish I have yet to find a blemish – If it is there then it is very subtle and I can’t find it – Maybe, just maybe, there is the merest hint of some hairline lacquer checking  – The SC594 has spent some time on my bench for my usual evaluation, a new set of strings (10-46) and to fine tune the set-up – So a new PRS at a more favourable price

Full spec + product info :-

Feel/playability :- Always a hard topic to chat about, other than via your own thoughts – In many ways, you’ll judge the feel of a guitar based on what is familiar to you – So with that in mind, then here are my views – Despite many of my favourite players favouring a Les Paul, I have never really bonded with an LP – Yes I can play one, but they always feel ‘awkward’ and not so easy to handle – As such I tend to have to accept that in order to play an LP, I have to play within my own ‘limited’ ability – Hence an LP doesn’t allow me to bring out the best of my technique/ability – No matter how good or bad that is – I can’t explain why that is the case  but it is – Take into account this is based on buying/selling such guitars over a 40 year period – However I can play a PRS based LP and find them so much more ‘user friendly’ – Is this the neck profile, fret size, fingerboard radius, all the above or even other reasons ?? – Don’t over analyse it, just play it and accept you like it or you don’t – The pattern vintage neck profile is a tad more meaty than PRS Guitars you might have played in the past – But equally it is a tad slimmer than the Custom Shop Historic Replicas like an R7, R8 and R9 – Tad is key in both instances, yet it is amazing how such a small difference means you favour one model over an other – The SC594 retains the 10″ fingerboard radius which is almost par for the course on most PRS Guitars – The frets on the SC594 are slightly less ‘chunky’ than many PRS players are used to, so more akin to a vintage/jumbo size – So a tad less width and height – Yet still bigger than vintage size – As such they are still easy to pull off those big blues bends – Add the legendary PRS build quality and attention to detail, with regard to build quality and you’ll find the SC594 is an easy guitar to handle , across the full length of the 22 fret fingerboard – Only a light touch is required to show of a few cascading licks ‘n’ tricks – Yet you can still dig in and lay into a few big moody blues bends as required – Maybe a combination of a precision cut top nut,  quality fret work including the profile and impeccably polished, but the whole guitar sounds more in tune – Even when playing more complex’ jazz flavoured chords further up the fingerboard – Maybe PRS have not re-invented the classic feel of a 59 burst, but they have made it more slick

Tonal character : –   Again the influence is very much 59 burst influenced – Is it a DNA 59 replica ? – I’ll say no, but that is purely as in my opinion there is a ’59’ characteristic, yet two, three or four different 59’s, when compared side by side, are similar but rarely identical, for whatever reason that is  – ie the finer nuances of two or three identical guitars can produce  a slightly different tonal character – To my ears the PRS has more definition, articulation and dynamics – As such more responsive  – The neck pick-up sings and puurrrs and sounds so lush and creamy smooth – The bridge pick-up delivers a tight low end that is full, with punchy mids and musical highs that are clear but not thin – It has more than enough character to enjoy working through the clean channel of an amp, be it for those Chic style funky chops, country pickin’ licks, or chilled and laid back jazz lines – Yet only a touch of overdrive is required for the 594 to show its character  – With this in mind, with the guitar’s volume pot on 10, you’ll hear the full on approach – So roll back the pot towards 6 or 7 for  a cleaner voice which you’ll find is ideal to set-up your base camp – ie The sweet spot  – Then roll back towards 10 when you require that bit of extra gain and bite – The same approach works when you dial in more gain on the amp/pedal – Hence you and the guitar can find so much soul and emotion at your finger tips

On hi-gain amp settings I found it was a hard choice between do I prefer to play on the neck or bridge pick-up – I know you can select both as required, but on many guitars I don’t always like both options – But on the 594 I could fall in love with the tone from either pick-up  – Hard not to play an LP flavoured guitar and think Kossoff, Green, Moore and Jo Bo and with that in mind, then PRS have certainly delivered a guitar that captures so much of this magic – Maybe it is  pity that such a guitar needs to capture and deliver the old school vibe, but if you want a more ‘modern’ vibe then PRS suggest the Custom 22 or 24 models – The 594 is old school influenced but it somehow feels more slick – Don’t forget the two partial coil tap options on each tone pot – Are they exact DNA replicas of a classic pre-CBS Strat ? – No – But they are far superior to the traditional thin nature that you hear on many humbuckers with a split/coil tap option – They are certainly useful for funky rhythm chops and at least they allow a humbucker based guitar to deliver something towards the SRV style blues licks and Texas shuffle/walking bass lines – In my opinion they work far more effectively with less gain and/or no gain – This is a guitar that is loaded with tone and expression

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For additional product info, to arrange a showroom visit + viewing, or indeed any other questions, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Call: 01335 345777 or email: mark@guitars4you.co.uk. Please note that showrooms visits are strictly by appointment only.

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Guitars4You is not another corporate high street guitar store - My selection of premium grade guitars is about quality not quantity. Every guitar has been selected, inspected and approved by me, with particular attention to the set-up and playing performance. Every sale, phone call, email and mail order transaction is handled by me. A journey that is now over 40 years old, has fuelled my knowledge, experience, love, devotion and passion for exceptionally fine guitars.