Goodbye McCarty

[kingster911]

Too lengthy of a last post: My McCarty isn't cutting it for the direction I want to go in. I'm playing much harder and heavier type of leads lately and am lusting after a Hamer Monaco after realizing I'm a big Les Paul guy so I'm trying to maybe hauch a PRS offer trade of some sort.

 

[Riven]

Ugh,

after playing countless PRS's, I can say in my collection of 23 guitars that a PRS will never grace it.

So many better options.

I just got an ESP Eclipse Custom on ebay. Want a Les Paul that outdoes a Les Paul in every way? Try that. The Customs though....handmade and whatnot from Japan.

You may want to switch out the EMG's for passive pickups, but I just LOVE the thing.

 

[kingster911]

Gah yeah I've started to realize more and more that PRS is like a status thing hahaha! I've looked into Eclipses I just like a little more elegant look to my guitars, but guess I haven't looked close enough considering those things are pretty friggin' sweet. I'm now lusting after the Jim Root signature Tele and if you've seen that I'm sure you are too. Thinline eat your heart out!

 

[Red Barchetta]

As usual, I've gotta stir up the pot with my disagreement! I have been a Les Paul guy for many many years when I needed a heavier sound. The other guitarist in my band got a PRS back in 97 or so...I played it, to me it was "OK" but nothing to switch my Lester over.

I am lucky to have a fantastic local music store here, and I've been buying from the owner for over 25 years. He knows me (too well) and will call me to have me come in and try this or that....

Over the years, I've lost count of all the PRSi he had me try...dozens of them...none of them impressed me all that much. Beautiful, yes, but nothing to write home about as far as tone or playability.

Back in 06, he called me to tell me about this McCarty he had...really nice he said....quilt top, a rarity for a production McCarty...and solid Rosewood neck...something special about this guitar, he said....well...I'd heard that before.

A week or so later, I happened by and tried it out briefly. Woah. Hold on...this one's gooood....but nah...can't be that special.

Went back a few days later...played a little longer. Man, something about this one...tone is just awesome....resonance coming off that rosie neck is something....

Thought about that guitar every day. Finally called him and told him to set me up in a studio room with a RK and the McCarty, that I'd be in to compare with my Lester.

Sat there for 2 hours A/B comparing the McCarty to my Lester....back and forth....discovered that this McCarty had every bit the low end chunk and growl of my Lester...but the top end and high mids were sweeter...a little more "soaring" and open.

The guitar was beautiful (pic below) and sounded every bit as good, even better than my Lester...and was a few pounds lighter....I was hooked. And I got it. Immediately.

Been my main axe for that type sound ever since.

So...I have to disagree that PRS are just status things. Like any other brand, you've just gotta find the "one" that fits you and your style the best...after playing so many and walking away unimpressed, it just took the right one to stop me in my tracks.

That's the great part about being a guitarist right now...there's so many great axes out there waiting for us. You just gotta find the right one.

RB

 

[kingster911]

That is a nice McCarty man! Yeah I liked the tone of the Custom I tried I think it was a little more but hate that knob pickup switch. My McCarty does sound great playing punk stuff and chords through my RKII and pretty **** good on bluesy leads. But something about it for reggae chords and that type of stuff it sounds muddy.

 

[jdurso]

red... its funny you posted that because i just had the exact same experience with a mccarty rosewood. it was so good i had to find one in my price range and ended up finding and buying one yesterday. I will say a regular McCarty might not cut it but the McCarty Rosewoods are the real deal. Best guitar tone i've ever heard, period. I think PRS gets a bad rap because people expect them to sound like something else. They do sound similar to a les paul in ways and similar to fenders in some ways but you cna make that argument about almost any guitar. Also there are a lot of guys who dont like how dolled up they look. That i can understand but at the end of the day its a guitar whether its plain or fancy. I will say however PRS does the best quality control out of any big company putting out guitars. If you can find a gibson from back in the hayday when they were putting out great stuff then your going to pay just as much if not more than you would a PRS. The newer stuff from gibson unless its from their custom shop is just not worth it IMO. So point is for the whiners, if you dont like PRS then you dont like them and thats fine but dont compair them to a les paul because they're not meant to sound like a les paul. and dont complain about price or looks because you'd pay just as much for a gibson or fender of that quality.

 

[Red Barchetta]

jdurso....

I have to agree about the quality issues. A couple of years ago, I posted about new guitar quality issues....its a topic that still ticks me off.

I think you are right that PRS sound like PRS...my Lester sounds like a Les Paul, my PRS is close, but distinctly different.

Great thing is....I am lucky enough to be able to own many guitars, and have a tone to cover pretty much whatever I need....

hmmmm....except for a 12 string....I think I really need a Ricky 12... :lol:

RB

 

[jdurso]

yeah there are a lot of quality issues out there especially with gibson. i'm not picking on them because i hate them.. i actually love gibsons but there is no consitancy, at least with some of the more affordible ones. you can get one great one and play a guitar from the same run and it sounds like ***. Thats the one thing i love about prs, there is waaaayyyy more consistancy in guitar from the mira to the modern eagle.

 

[Rocky]

I think the QC issues with Gibson are 99% bullshit and hype. They are often set up poorly in stores but that is not QC...that is idiots noodling with them in the store because they dont like the action.

I have picked up ones that are livelier than others but have yet to pick up a Gibson that I cant get playing really nicely after a setup.

 

[jdurso]

i dont know rock ive seen a bunch of the more "affordible" gibbys (not epis) with either finish or electronic issues. now unless you know something i dont about setups, if you get issues with the finish or electronics on a new guitar, its most likely a qc issue. i definitely attribute some of the finish flaws to them being handled in the retailers store but if i'm going to spend 1500-2200 on a guitar i'd expect it to have a flawless finish out of the case and the electronics to hold up for a few years. in my hunt for a new guitar ive seen way too many finish flaws and electronics issues to warrant buying one unless i jump into the 2500 which is in prs range. now if you prefer a gibby at that point you buy a gibby but for my taste i prefer the prs. now ignoring the SE line, there are very very few PRSi that have come out of the factor with so many issues. maybe its because prs produces a lot less guitars than gibson.... that makes sense. and from a business stand point its easier to let the flaws be than to improve processes and hire more staff as long as its not harming your name too much (which it hasnt... yet). again this is just my observation and hearing stories from my buddy who is the manager at the GC near me (lets not even get into Epiphone because the stories ive heard are just plain sad).

 

[aberrant]

I think the QC issues with Gibson are 99% bullshit and hype. They are often set up poorly in stores but that is not QC...that is idiots noodling with them in the store because they dont like the action.

I have picked up ones that are livelier than others but have yet to pick up a Gibson that I cant get playing really nicely after a setup.

Disagree! I've seen just horrid finish, binding, fret, and electronics issues out of gibson...directly from gibson. I worked in a big box and had hundreds of gibsons come out of the box with major QC issues.

 

[scott7d]

Too lengthy of a last post: My McCarty isn't cutting it for the direction I want to go in. I'm playing much harder and heavier type of leads lately and am lusting after a Hamer Monaco after realizing I'm a big Les Paul guy so I'm trying to maybe hauch a PRS offer trade of some sort.

The Mac has some pretty mellow pups in it and really wasn't designed for the harder stuff. I would really check into a trade for a Custom 24. I am not one of those people who thinks you have to have a certain kind of guitar to play certain kinds of music, however the Cu24 is very user friendly for dialing in a lot of different styles.

If you like the feel and playability of the Mac and it's only the tone you are wanting to change, I'd try some hotter pups or really check into a 24 with the regular neck carve. I am picking up a Stiletto Ace tomorrow and would be happy to post some sound clips playing some heavier tunes with the 24. Keep in mind my recording equipment is very cheap 8)

 

[jdurso]

while i agree the mac pups are somewhat mellow, i feel if you have it paired with the right amp you can get all the heavy you want. i just got mine today ( a mcbraz) and i can get into brutal metal territory with channels 3/4 on my roadster with the gains at 10/12 respectively (and a little help from an OCD with a little gain and volume max'd). i think the hfs being a lot hotter just gives you a tighter heavy, better for speed picking. both are great pup IMO just with different flavors.

 

[intelligentpony]

I think the QC issues with Gibson are 99% bullshit and hype. They are often set up poorly in stores but that is not QC...that is idiots noodling with them in the store because they dont like the action.

No it is not bullshit. QC is about QUALITY not a set up even though most Gibbys have a horrible set up out of the box. I'm talking about paint flaws, bad buff jobs and crooked truss rod covers. Why in the hell Gibson can't get the paint right on the top at the bass side neck edge is beyond me. Hamer and PRS can paint and buff a guitar correctly so why can't Gibson?

Don't get me started on Gibson using two piece backs on Les Paul Standards and Traditionals.

 

[Rocky]

PRS uses poly finishes, a thick material that sprays slowly and dries fairly quickly. The Grissom PRS I saw had some finish issues along the neck...guess what? It is nitro.

Hamer uses an acetone and makes guitars in very small #'s...better QC than pretty much anyone out th ere. I will be the first to say that Hamer > Gibson WAY better

Gibson uses true nitrocellulose which sprays lik water...very hard to use. The way they just tape binding (which results in some slop) bugs the hell out of me but that doesnt effect their playability.

I have dealt with PRS guitars iwth bad electronics. Pretty much neck in neck with the # of gibsons. Both PRS and Gibson are toy building companies when you start moving up to Heatley, Driskill, Collings etc.

 

[jdurso]

ill agree with you on the nitro i didnt consider that and the early run of the grissoms did have QC issues because they didnt completely get the art of nitro down. since then i've heard they stopped production so they could perfect it and the newer runs should be flawless but i guess we'll see. as for the electronics, ive seen and played waaaaayyyy more gibbys with electronics issues than i have prs. it could be because there are way more gibbys out there. but really the only time ive seen that problem with prs' is when they were putting out brand new products or in their SE line.

 

[Rocky]

Nitro is REALLY hard to use.

REALLY hard. That Gibson can release as many instruments as they can with the few issues that they have (most are fine) is impressive.

I am not a PRS basher in any way, I have a really nice Custom 24, but I think the idea that they are the top factory out there is hilarious. Dean and Hamer both have USA made guitars that demolish PRS. Toss in smaller makers and PRS are mediocre at best.

 

[jdurso]

Nitro is REALLY hard to use.

REALLY hard. That Gibson can release as many instruments as they can with the few issues that they have (most are fine) is impressive.

I am not a PRS basher in any way, I have a really nice Custom 24, but I think the idea that they are the top factory out there is hilarious. Dean and Hamer both have USA made guitars that demolish PRS. Toss in smaller makers and PRS are mediocre at best.

i dont know man... i havent found a dean i liked. that could be me but even those new hardtails (which are beautiful) just didnt do it. hamer makes some great stuff but again doesnt do it for me. one company i think puts out some killer stuff is Carvin. comfortible, amazing sound and affordible. there are a lot of great USA shops out there that all fill the different niches you could imagine, but of the bigger companies, PRS still has a smaller shops mentality and personability. Plus finding guitars outside prsi that have solid rosewood necks is tough... to me mahogany body, maple top, rosewood neck is the ticket.

 

[Rocky]

Funny cause every Carvin product I have ever tried has left me feeling like I was picking up a complete toy. I am not really talking about connecting with a product line...I am talking being able to see the quality of their build quality...in Carvin I see very little quality (I am expecting the Carvin nazi's to go ballistic but, to be honest, I dont really care what they have to say) in their guitars when compared to other USA makers.


I've toured PRS, nothing little about anything in that company. They are about mass production and efficiency. They make great stuff but they have competely lost the small company mentality. They pay employees 9 or 10 bucks an hour and put them on an assembly line. Nothing wrong with that (Gibson, Fender, Carvin and Peavey also do this) but it is the antithesis of small company.

Want to see a small shop in action? Head to Newbury Park California and set up a shop tour at Tom Anderson....that is what a small shop looks and feels like.

 

[kingster911]

In even plainer terms, what I meant was: I would like to trade someone my McCarty for a tobacco burst colored Hamer Monaco.