A Closer Look: The McCarty 594 Models

Each guitar in the McCarty family has a unique set of features but share the goal of being a perfect modern, "vintage" instrument.

In this blog we explore how the original McCarty came to be and how it paved the way for our newer McCarty 594 models.

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The journey begins with Paul Reed Smith’s fascination with the golden era of guitar building, considered by many to have been in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. During this time, a man by the name of Ted McCarty was a pioneer of the electric guitar and the musical instrument industry. He served as vice president of the Gibson Guitar Corporation in 1949 and later as president from 1950-1966. McCarty was responsible for a number of patents and innovations including the humbucking pickup, Explorer, Flying V, SG, and Firebird to name a few.

As a young man in the 1980's, Paul was conducting extensive research on the electric guitar and he continued to notice McCarty’s name among patents. He was urged by a friend to reach out to Ted McCarty and interview him. Paul visited Ted and formed a wonderful relationship with him. Consequently, Ted McCarty became a mentor and dear friend not just to Paul but to the PRS company.

Throughout the late 80's and early 90's, Paul called on Ted to consult with him on various guitar design and production techniques and in 1994 a new guitar model was introduced - the McCarty. This guitar became Paul’s tribute to Ted and a tangible way to pay homage to Ted’s legacy of innovation. The McCarty model incorporated the full spectrum of techniques and knowledge Paul had gained from Ted as well as his own experiences as a guitar builder.

In 2015, our company re-released the McCarty model with new 58/15 pickups - vintage voiced and personally designed by Paul Reed Smith.

However, like any true passion, the journey never really came to a close, and in late 2015 our team began development on what we would later call the "McCarty 594."

Our goal with the McCarty 594 was to create a vintage-sounding instrument that offers the extreme reliability that comes from our modern-day manufacturing.

"The 594 is the best new guitar I've played in years. It has a vintage heart and soul but without the technical limitations that usually come along with an old instrument. What good is an old guitar if you can't get all that feel out of the upper frets, or the intonation is off? To hear that old PAF sound but be able to articulate the notes in a way that only modern manufacturing could allow is so exciting." - John Mayer

The 594 deviates from the original McCarty platform in a few unique ways. Most immediately you may notice the 3-way toggle placed on the upper bout of our double-cutaway PRS body shape. This location is familiar for many players and offers easy access to change tones on the fly. Here are some other unique specs the McCarty 594 offers:

- A 24.594” scale length, just slightly longer than our previous "vintage" instruments which clocked in at 24.5." The McCarty 594 derives it's name from this longer 24.594" scale length.

- New “58/15 LT” pickups. LT meaning low turns, which give the 594 a sweet, lower-output tone.

- 2 volume and 2 push/pull tone controls positioned so players can roll off both volume knobs at the same time, and with the added versatility of coil splits for even more tonal options.

- A new Pattern Vintage neck carve. This neck carve shares the same width measurements as our Pattern neck, but is slightly thicker front to back and features an asymmetrical carve with a little less meat on the treble side, and a little more on the bass side of the neck.

- Tweaked Phase III tuners that have an added set screw to pull the tuner’s shaft, gear, and worm together, but with the tuner button taken out of play, to promote tone transfer from the string directly into the guitar itself with as little energy as possible being detracted.

The video below explores our journey of creating the McCarty 594:

In 2017, the McCarty Singlecut 594 was added to the McCarty lineup.

The McCarty Singlecut 594 embraces everything "traditional" guitarists love. With the same electronics layout as the double cut McCarty 594, players can access a wide range of tones in a comfortable layout. The initial prototypes for this Singlecut were developed through our esteemed Private Stock department and released in a 20-piece limited edition model.

Give this model a listen in the demo below!

In early 2019, the McCarty 594 Hollowbody II made its debut.

The McCarty 594 Hollowbody II brings a new set of features to one of our most beloved models – the Hollowbody II. With fully-hollow build construction, the Hollowbody II is a resonant guitar with warm, woody tone. The 58/15 LT pickups ensure that these guitars are clear and musical, and dual volume and push-pull tone controls offer plenty of versatility.

The details taken from the McCarty 594 model impart old-school character to this already classic instrument. Those details include a 24.594” scale length, two-piece bridge, and Pattern Vintage neck shape. The McCarty 594 Hollowbody II is a true showstopper with effortless playability, articulate vintage tone, and a jaw-dropping aesthetic.

Hear some tones in the model demo below:

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To try a McCarty model, find a PRS dealer near you!

For more on Ted McCarty's influence on Paul, watch this video.