PRS SE Singlecut McCarty 594 Standard Electric Guitar - McCarty Tobacco Reviews
Making its way into the PRS SE series for the first time, the SE Singlecut McCarty 594 Standard is a no-nonsense 6-string that merges golden-age guitar design with performance-minded modern appointments. This guitar sports a mahogany body and a mahogany neck for a smooth, mellow tone that perfectly complements the natural clarity of the dual 58/15 LT “S” humbucking pickups. In fact, the only non-mahogany timber found on the SE Singlecut McCarty 594 is its rosewood fingerboard, planed into a comfortable 10-inch radius for a versatile feel that’s equally fit for open position chording and singing upper-register bends. Lastly, a robust Pattern Vintage profile fully lives up to its name with a stout shape that’s a must-have for players who prefer the old-school feel of a substantial neck.
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Highest Rated Reviews
New PSR
Got a new 594. Excellent quality and workmanship.
Sounds awesome, and plays better than that.
Don't worry about the size of the neck. This my
first electric and I love it.
Rock On.
Step up to luxury!
Step up to the luxurious feel and tone of what Paul Reed Smith is famous for. Even in the overseas manufactured guitars there is the quality and unsurpassed sonic capabilities that come standard. I've had many different brands and models of guitars and none come close to a PRS. I will NEVER own any other brand! The next you find yourself in any music store that offers Paul Reed Smith guitars… I urge you to pick it up, hold it in your hands and plug it in to any amp. You will not want to put it down. In fact, I look at creating music in a completely different perspective because of this guitar. A Paul Reed Smith knows no bounds. They are infinite period.
This guitar is an absolute steal for this price!
I must say this is one of those guitars where you get a lot for your money, if the SE model is built to this standard I wonder what the s2 is like. The finish is really attractive, the neck feels great and the playability is impressive. This guitar just plays and sounds better than I do if that makes any sense, it really sounds as good as it looks. The push/pull split coil feature makes this guitar very versatile with the ability to get a variety of different tones. Nothing about this guitar strikes me as being cheap or subpar. I am very happy I pulled the trigger on this one.
Pleked
This is a great guitar! I have a 245 which I love too. But this one is a little sweeter. The pickups are awesome! Love the sound. Warmer with great articulation no matter high gain or crystal clean. Got the free Plek. That's what pushed me to pull the trigger. Wow nice job Sweetwater techs! This thing plays like a dream without breaking the bank! Don't pass up this deal. Whatever guitar you get you won't be disappointed.
Great value and craftsmanship
Excellent polished fretwork allowing for smooth bends on this slightly smaller scale Les Paul near clone. Superb pickups with nice single coil tones as well. Hard to believe that Cort manufacturing is equal to North America quality. Great value is another quality Asian product.
Excellent value and playability
I have to start with the look of the guitar. I wanted a natural finish and this guitar is gorgeous. The fretboard inlays are striking and the hardware, binding, and headstock all fit the vibe perfectly.
The particular guitar I chose weighs in at 8lb 10oz. I normally play bass and don't mind a heavier instrument but it was really striking to me because unlike a bass, this doesn't have a super long neck and the shape of the body is smaller. This thing is DENSE. It sits very still for me while I'm playing and feels super solid. The construction is great overall.
I haven't played a guitar with this particular thick neck shape and I can see how that wouldn't be for everyone but I found it to be super comfortable. I probably am not the one to ask about the slightly shorter neck length, but my thought here was that I like playing a guitar that's set with a little higher action and the specs of this model seemed well suited for that. That was dead accurate - it's SO easy to play and the bridge hardware is heavy duty. The string geometry is also really good and it has better tuning stability than what I'm used to. The single cut body shape is comfortable but I definitely would recommend strap locks of some kind because of where the pegs are placed. I have a locking strap but could easily see having issues if I didn't, especially with a heavier body.
Sound-wise, I do like the versatility of the split-coil pickups but am still getting used to how to configure them and playing with the sound. No complaints about the sound quality and the bridge is positioned comfortably on the body for me.
I'm deducting a half star for two things. First, the tuning keys are not going to be for everyone with the plastic knobs. I personally don't mind them and have had no tuning stability issues but they do feel a little cheap.
The other issue I had was with the pickup selector switch, which unfortunately broke inside the body cavity after just over a month. The entire switch mechanism broke free from the mounting on the inside - from looking around the internet, I'm not the first to have this issue. That said, this is the first time I've had to send something back to Sweetwater for repair and I'm pleased with the level of service so far and I'm sure it will come back as good as new.
Overall, I think this is a fantastic value for the money. A gorgeous guitar that feels great to play. It's my first PRS and while the issue with the switch is irritating, the design of the guitar is awesome and I don't see myself replacing it any time soon. Kudos to my man Reid for his excellent service throughout! Will add photos once and update once the repair is complete.
Almost……..!
Personal Pros:
Overall fit and finish
Neck profile (if you like thicker)
Fret finishing
Weight
Thick/LP width body
24.594 scale
Sweetwater service and follow up A+
Personal Cons:
Poly finish (I knew that going in though)
Pickups are not classic PAF sound (brighter esp too end)
Pots feel inexpensive c/w CTS etc
Coil split is more like a P90 tone (might be ok for some)
In summary really a nice overall instrument. First off Sweetwater is amazing. David W. is a great rep. Got this a a demo with "minimal" if any evidence of use, highly recommend this route for savings. Things I'd fix personally would be to satin finish the neck for playability (and maybe body (optional aesthetics) change pickups and pots/harness as pickups are IMO to bright and harsh esp high end wise. I prefer more classic PAF type sounds. This would be about a $490-600 upgrade so not sure if I'll go that route. I also found that the SE 594 really sounds different depending on which amp I play through. Better on my Yamaha THR10 but not so much on my tube amp which is a bummer. Anyway overall a very nice guitar and I'm sure perfect for someone.
Update
Update to my review above. In playing the SE McCarty more I was able to tame the bright/harsh upper end on my tube amp by not pushing the pre and master volumes. While I like the tubes overdriven tone doing this with all my other guitars, the SE seemed ice picky and bright. Keeping tubes not so driven helped tame the SE tone.
