PRS Guitars update the McCarty model, now featuring 58/15 Pickups with coil-split, a thicker back and a Stoptail bridge.
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This is part of the company’s continuing effort to honor Ted McCarty and his influence on their designs, considered as true pioneer of the electric guitar, and as a result of the music instrument industry itself.
When it comes to building great guitars, it would be hard to top Ted McCarty’s impressive resume, being the president of Gibson during their golden era from 1950 to 1966. He was part of the team behind many of Gibson’s iconic guitar designs, including the Les Paul, SG, Explorer, ES-335, Flying V and many more.
Ted’s influence did not end with just the Gibson brand because in the late ’80s Paul Reed Smith consulted with him on guitar design and production techniques.
This expanded his legacy to the PRS brand where he became a personal mentor to Paul Reed Smith, and became a big influence to PRS as a company.
Paul said, “Ted’s instruments and patented parts came across my bench when I was in my West Street shop, so I knew who he was. I asked him to consult because he had made such an impact on the industry – think about it the Flying V, the ES 335. He was a real champion. When we started working together, it was very apparent that he loved being back in the industry. I am proud that he helped establish our legacy and that we were able to help highlight his.“
This mentorship inspired PRS to design and release the first McCarty back in 1994. It featured the techniques and ideas that the company gained from Ted, and was built in honor of McCarty’s great contribution. It went on to be one of the more popular models in their line, and continues to be in demand today.
Check out this cool video where Paul Reed Smith himself shares how much of an influence Ted was to him:
This year, as part of the company’s 30th Anniversary celebration, the PRS McCarty is updated with some minor changes to keep up with the ever changing needs and wants of guitarists. The new production line PRS McCarty model features a slightly thicker back that according to the company helps enhance tone and sustain. They also come with the new PRS 58/15 humbucker pickups, personally designed by Paul Reed Smith to mimic vintage humbuckers, described as having improved clarity and focused midrange.
Most of the specs remained the same, including the use of figured flame maple for the top, mahogany for the back and neck, 25″ scale length and a 22 fret rosewood fretboard. Other additional appointments include a 3-way toggle pickup switch with push/pull tone knob for coil splitting capability, fingerboard binding and the use of PRS’ own stop tail bridge, which is basically a tune-o-matic bridge and stop tailpiece combined in one unit.
Check out the official video demo of the new PRS McCarty
The history behind the guitar itself is reason enough to make it an truly interesting guitar to own, and as seen on the video, the looks and sound of the guitar is just as special.
Pricing information will soon be available, for further details you can head over to PRS Guitars.
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