Vintage Tone and Feel. Remarkable Playability.

The McCarty family of guitars is born from passion and precision: built passionately to embody vintage appointments and tone while utilizing the precision of PRS’s modern manufacturing techniques. Whether you are looking for rich, authentic humbucking tones or nuanced, sweet single-coil sounds, the McCarty Singlecut 594 can seamlessly master both sonic territories thanks to the 58/15 LT pickups and push/pull coil taps on the tone controls. The electronics layout, a few key specifications, and PRS craftsmanship combine in the McCarty Singlecut 594 to create an instrument that plays in tune, is intonated the entire length of the neck, and feels like a guitar that you’ve been playing forever.

The McCarty Singlecut 594 has been meticulously spec’d to deliver a familiar feel and warm, vintage tone, featuring a bound, 22-fret, 24.594” scale length Pattern Vintage neck, a slightly thicker back for enhanced tone and sustain, and 58/15 LT treble and bass pickups, which have been through the TCI (tuned capacitance and inductance) process. 58/15 LT pickups offer exceptional clarity, focused midrange, and vintage character. The McCarty Singlecut 594 model is anchored by a zinc two-piece stoptail bridge with brass saddles and studs for added resonance and vintage-style tuners.

“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.