McCarty 594
Vintage Heart with Modern Playability
The McCarty 594 is a versatile, vintage-inspired instrument that is effortlessly playable. Featuring a bound 22-fret Pattern Vintage neck and slightly thicker back for more enhanced tone and sustain, the McCarty 594 plays in tune, is intonated the entire length of the neck, and feels like a guitar you’ve been playing forever. Whether you are looking for rich, authentic humbucking tones or nuanced, sweet single-coil sounds, the McCarty 594 can seamlessly master both sonic territories thanks to its 58/15 LT pickups, which have now been through the TCI (tuned capacitance and inductance) process, and dual volume and push/pull tone controls. A zinc two-piece bridge and vintage-style tuners anchor this guitar and stay true to the promise of the McCarty family.
“One of my sayings is that everything that touches the string is God – well, that’s really the bridge, the nut, and the tuners. The updates to the McCarty family make a huge difference in their tone. The guitar sustains longer and the tone has more character,” said Paul Reed Smith.
In the late 1980’s, Paul Reed Smith called on Ted McCarty to consult with him on guitar design and production techniques. He not only served as a mentor but became a great friend of Paul and everyone he met at PRS. In 1994, PRS released the first McCarty, an instrument that incorporated the full spectrum of techniques and knowledge Paul had gained from Ted as well as his own experiences as a guitar builder.
For 2024, PRS Guitars is updating the tuning machines on many of our Core guitars. While, aesthetically, our new Wing buttons are designed to echo the 12th fret bird wingspan design, they were first and foremost designed for tonal reasons all the way back in 1982. Because these buttons are lighter weight than their metal predecessors, they are subtracting less energy from the vibrating strings, thus helping the guitar ring longer and at a more musical note. The removal of the tuner’s locking feature on non-tremolo-equipped guitars further decreases their weight.
Featured Specifications
PRS Two-Piece Bridge
Made of zinc and brass, this bridge has four contact points and added mass, enhancing the natural tone of the guitar and helping to create a more resonant instrument.
PRS Vintage-Style Non-Locking Tuners with Wing Buttons
Traditional closed-back tuners engineered to promote resonance.
PRS 58/15 LT Pickups
“Low turn” pickups with vintage warm, clear tone.
Specifications
| Body | |
| Body Construction | Solidbody |
| Top Wood | Maple |
| Back Wood | Mahogany |
| Top Carve | Violin |
| Neck | |
| Number of Frets | 22 |
| Scale Length | 24.594” |
| Neck Wood | Mahogany |
| Neck Construction | One-Piece |
| Truss Rod | PRS Double-Acting |
| Neck Shape | Pattern Vintage |
| Neck Depth at the 1/2 Fret | 7/8" |
| Neck Depth at the 12 1/2 Fret | 63/64" |
| Neck Width at the Nut | 1 11/16" |
| Neck Width at the Body | 2 1/4" |
| Fretboard Wood | Rosewood w/ Faux Bone Binding |
| Fretboard Radius | 10" |
| Fretboard Inlay | Birds |
| Headstock Logo | Signature, Inlaid |
| Neck/Body Assembly | |
| Neck/Body Assembly Type | Set |
| Finish | |
| Finish Type | High-Gloss Nitro |
| Hardware | |
| Bridge | PRS Two-Piece |
| Tuners | PRS Vintage-Style Non-Locking Tuners with Wing Buttons |
| Hardware Type | Nickel |
| Nut | Bone |
| Truss Rod Cover | "McCarty" |
| Electronics | |
| Treble Pickup | 58/15 LT |
| Bass Pickup | 58/15 LT |
| Controls | Two Volume and Two Push/Pull Tone Controls with 3-Way Toggle Pickup Switch |
| Additional Info | |
| Strings | PRS Signature 10-46 |
| Tuning | Standard (6 String): E, A, D, G, B, E |
| Case | Hardshell Case |
| Options | 10 Top with Hybrid Hardware |
Controls
McCarty 594 - Controls Description
3-way toggle pickup switch
Position 1 (down) - treble pickup
Position 2 - treble and bass pickups
Position 3 (up) - bass pickup
Push/pull tone pots
Down - humbucker mode
Up - single coil mode
Colors
Antique White Top (Opaque Top with Natural Back)
Black Top (Opaque Top with Natural Back)
Black Gold Wraparound Burst
Charcoal
Charcoal Burst
Dark Cherry Burst
Faded Blue Jean
Gold Top (Opaque Top with Natural Back)
Gray Black
McCarty Sunburst
McCarty Tobacco Sunburst
Red Tiger
Yellow Tiger
Accolades
"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
"It's engineered beautifully and really lives up to the idea of getting the best attributes of an old instrument, I love the two volume/two tone layout, while still keeping the overall feel of a PRS. The pickups sound great and really have the vibe of old PAF's that aren't wound too hot."
- Jimmy Herring, Widespread Panic
"I could go on and on about how fabulous this thing sounds, how beautifully it plays and intonates, the exquisite workmanship, etc. Instead let me just say that I’ve played a lot of guitars in general and PRS guitars in particular...and this is one of the finest instruments I have ever encountered."
- Guitar Player
"The new McCarty 594 is extremely versatile. With individual volume, tone and coil tap pulls I’m able to create a wide enough variety of tones that it has minimized my guitar changes on this year’s Toby Keith Interstates & Tailgates tour to almost none!"
- Rich Eckhardt, Toby Keith
"So... you guys knocked this one out of the park. It’s... kinda freaking me out a bit. Causing me to re-think my touring set and I have only been playing it for two hours. I am not really sure what to say, I have two “Holy Grail” guitars that do most of my heavy lifting in the set, but this one is going to be banging it’s head to work its way in. I am a bit stunned. The 594 sounded like a good concept on paper, but....just wow. This is a killer."
- John Wesley Dearth, Porcupine Tree
