NighthawkChris Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I have been really interested in checking out a PRS McCarty 594 with a semi-hollow body type. I do not foresee one of these in the very near future, but they look like excellent guitars. I would like to give one a shot at some local store that has one - and I think there's a very nice one at a GC near me (not happy about going there to do this, but it's just to play one of their "fine" instruments), so hopefully I get a moment to do so and find it to be worth the experience. I see videos of Greg Koch on YouTube playing the 10 tops from Wildwood Guitars and he can make them sound great... Well, he could make a matchbox sound great that had one rubber band "string", but that's beside the point here haha! I really like the look of the double-cut model and there are some pretty nice looking flamed maple tops on them bad boys. I even think the headstocks are pretty cool too. I'm not going into the PRS blows Gibson away topic but I have Gibsons, Fenders, and a Jackson... I wanted to try something different, and a nice semi-hollow body guitar is something I have wanted to acquire one time or another in my lifetime. I wouldn't compare it to my other guitars necessarily, but I would hope it is just very nice sounding and plays really nice. I tend to believe that each of my guitars have their own thing going on that have a bit of high contrast between each of them tone-wise, so maybe a PRS 594 McCarty semi-hollow body I am eyeing out will start to follow that trend. Please, anyone that has a PRS or wants to comment on them I'd appreciate to hear anyone's input on the subject - good or bad. I don't have a lot of experience on the brand much, but as I have been watching videos and such and figuring out the lineups and such, I want to make sure I know as much as I can before I MAY one day decide to pull the trigger on a nice PRS. Either way, here's a topic we could all contribute to enjoyably - hopefully. I know that if I decide to buy a PRS, it will be because I like the guitar, but I think that I could find value to converse about the guitar I am looking at - or any other PRS for that matter - just to see where the conversation goes. Hoping to learn something I suppose or get some ideas what to expect. I just like talking about guitars, so this is one of particular interest to me right now. Always a pleasure to hear what others have to say here. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly campbell Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I agree..I like PRS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I don't know anything about PRS guitars, but I just checked them out and that McCarty looks awesome, they all do. You should get one, but also get an ES-335, just because. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Dog Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 You mean like this: Beautiful guitar for sure. I've never played one of the high end PRS models but I'm sure they're excellent guitars. They do tend to have stunning tops. Greg does make them all sound good. Scratch the itch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I have a PRS Custom 24 that I love. workmanship is impeccable. action is perfect. just a pleasure to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I got a SE Custom 24 in 2015 and a CE24 Reclaimed Wood last year. I couldn't set up the CE24 as well as other guitars because of an adverse bow (more relief at high e end), PRS built another neck and shipped it to the UK where it was retro fitted at their repair centre. So full marks for service. The guitars are sensible designs and QC is good. Just like all other guitars though, you need to try them out. I regret not buying the first CE24 I tried. TBH, it sounded and played better than my Reclaimed. I was silly enough to be swayed by looks. I should have got the ugly one. The CE C24 was handed to me in an Exeter shop and I knew immediately that I had to take it home. That one is ugly too. Its the guitar I turn to for critical recordings and auditions: when I need to play and sound my best. BTW The CE24 is the only guitar where I have not had to disable the trem. It doesnt de-tune when I double stop bend and it always returns to tune. How? I dont know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darling67 Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I "owned" a PRS SE Custom 24 for a short time. Got it on a trade with a friend. I didn't notice anything special about it. It was a guitar. Felt ok, sounded ok. But when I've got the likes of Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, etc. at my disposal, I've no need for a PRS. But to each their own! Hope you get one if you really want one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I have a PRS Custom 24 that I love. workmanship is impeccable. action is perfect. just a pleasure to play. thumbs up for the shirt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted March 15, 2019 Share Posted March 15, 2019 I jave a McCarty, a lawsuit single cut and a custom 24. All good guitars a pleasure to play and own Edit - should read pre lawsuit single cut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 If you are looking for the versatility of a semi hollow be sure to give Gibson a shot as well. They have been building them a lot longer than PRS has even existed. Specifically a 336, 339, 235, 137. or a 335, just depends on how much you want to spend and what is available in the market place. Not knocking PRS - but just saying don't limit yourself to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 If you are looking for the versatility of a semi hollow be sure to give Gibson a shot as well. They have been building them a lot longer than PRS has even existed. Specifically a 336, 339, 235, 137. or a 335, just depends on how much you want to spend and what is available in the market place. Not knocking PRS - but just saying don't limit yourself to that. Yeah to be honest, I was thinking the same thing as you suggested. I still haven’t found time to head up to the guitar stores and try some things out but when I do I’ll be sure to look at Gibsons. I’ve never played a PRS guitar before that was high end so it was just curiosity peaking I suppose. Thanks for the suggestions. Always wanted a hollow body electric as their nice warm cleans are definitely the tones I like to hear. I’m going to be a bit patient about this and make sure I decide the best fit for what suits me. I know Gibson makes some stellar hollow body guitars. On the side note, never played an ES LP before... how do these compare with some of the listed guitars you mentioned? They look real nice... but that’s not enough to really want one of course. Just thought these would be worth a sit down if I get a chance to play one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted March 21, 2019 Share Posted March 21, 2019 Like you've never played a high end PRS - I've never played an ES Les Paul, but not without some of my own twisted logic. Pretty sure the ES LP is the Maple/Poplar/Maple sandwich like a 335. But it is so much smaller than a 335 that I don't think the tone could be as full and deep. Like I said this may just be my own crazy idea with no merit at all. What I prefer over either a 335 or ES LP is the 336 type. Back, sides, and center block all carved from one piece of mahogany then a carved maple top fitted. This allows the guitar to be smaller than a 335 but has a very deep woody tone. At the same time with the maple top and some amp setting you can get it very bright and crisp if you want. So it is very versatile for many types of music, from the deep mid-range bass sort of muted tone for jazz to nice bright and chimey for country or a brash cutting high end for rock. The 336/356 are just a little bigger than a LP but much lighter so very comfortable to play and they open up over time like an acoustic will. I had a 336 for about 8 years, sold it, and replaced it with a 356 (same guitar with more bling) and the new one was pretty tight when new. I've had it for a couple years now and it sounds better each time I take it out of the case. Here is a shot of the 336 I had If this sounds like I'm trying to sell you a 336 or 356 it's because I am. I think they are one of the best models Gibson makes although they don't seem to be in continuous production. They are not cheap, but when you consider you might be able to sell two or three other guitars that you no longer need it becomes more reasonable. Anyway have fun in your search and let us know what you end up with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hi Twang Gang, Yeah those 336/356 guitars I looked up a bit and they look pretty interesting... I definitely want to give one of these a try. Hopefully I can run into something of the sort and figure out if they are right for me. Really appreciate the info, because I am on the fence what hollow-body I'm going to go after, so thank you for the insight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 22, 2019 Share Posted March 22, 2019 Some more opinions... I use both a Gibson ES-339 Studio and also a PRS CE RC. They are both small semi-hollowbodys. Neither are very loud acoustically, but plugged in they certainly have that warmer & articulate sound. I used to be sceptical about the tone difference between these and solid bodys because their centre blocks are massive & heavy. So there is not much air in those tiny chambers. It does however make a difference. The difference is a little more pronounced in the Gibson. Of the 2, the Gibson has the traditional build of joined and bound top, back & sides, while the PRS back & sides are just routed mahogany (like many Rics are). It seems to me that the ES-339 body is literally a scaled down version of the ES-335. This does have a down side. Because the cutaways are smaller, access to the upper frets is more awkward than it looks. My fretting hand gets caught in that small recess, and I do not have big hands. The CS-356, CS-336 & Epiphone Casino Coupe also share the ES-339 body shape. Obviously the traditional fully hollowbody designs try to exclude everything possible from the acoustic chamber, hence the floating bridge and external pickup etc. I love them dearly but confess they are very limited in use. Unless you are a genius sound guy, forget about using FX, gain or volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted March 22, 2019 Author Share Posted March 22, 2019 Hi merciful-evans, I believe that I am getting more and more of an idea to go the Gibson route... Twang Gang has also started giving me ideas of going the Gibson route too. I want to keep all my options open and I appreciate the suggestions for sure! BTW, some nice guitars you got right there Anyhow, best regards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Hi merciful-evans, I believe that I am getting more and more of an idea to go the Gibson route... Twang Gang has also started giving me ideas of going the Gibson route too. I want to keep all my options open and I appreciate the suggestions for sure! BTW, some nice guitars you got right there Anyhow, best regards! There are plenty of great Gibson options for sure. Enjoy your search! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
american cheez Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 i toured their factory last year. i was really impressed. i will own one eventually. their attention to detail and commitment to quality is evident in every process i saw. i can't imagine buying one and not being happy with it. my advice (although i dont own one YET) is...go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NighthawkChris Posted March 30, 2019 Author Share Posted March 30, 2019 Went up to the store and tried out a PRS... very nice guitars, just not as WOW’ed by it as I thought I would be. Maybe it was the guitar, but whatever with that. I wish there were more options nearby to try out some of the Gibson hollow bodies but I suppose that can wait. But I’m glad I finally got around to trying one of these out to find out it wouldn’t be worth it to me to spend that kind of money for a guitar that doesn’t do it for me. I prefer a LP over a McCarty any day as it stands right now. Maybe one day I’ll find a PRS that I can’t live without but I’m not holding my breath. I have plenty of nice guitars as it stands right now. Anyhow thanks for all the comments and suggestions - very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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