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PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
PRS Custom 24
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Playability
75
Sound
75
Build
70
Value
58
Score
73
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Playability
72
Sound
73
Build
72
Value
57
Score
72
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PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 vs Custom 24 Specs Comparison
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 Custom 24
General
Brand: PRS PRS
Year: 2016 2011
Configuration: HH HH
Strings: 6 6
Made in: United States United States
Series: Core Core
Colors: Gold, White, Black, Blue, Green, Black Burst, Orange, Purple, Yellow, Red Burst, Gold Burst, Dark Cherry Sunburst, McCarty Sunburst, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst Gold, White, Black, Blue, Green, Black Burst, Orange, Purple, Yellow, Red Burst, Gold Burst, Dark Cherry Sunburst, McCarty Sunburst, McCarty Tobacco Sunburst
Left-Handed Version: No No
Body
Type: Solid Body Solid Body
Body Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Bridge: PRS Two-Piece, Cast Zinc PRS Patented Tremolo, Gen III
Neck
Neck Joint: Set Set
Tuners: Vintage-Style PRS Phase III Locking
Fretboard: Rosewood w/ Faux Bone Binding Rosewood
Neck Material: Mahogany Mahogany
Decoration: Old School Birds Birds
Scale Size: 24.6" 25"
Shape: Pattern Vintage Pattern Thin
Thickness: 1st Fret: 0.87'' (22.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.97'' (24.6mm) 1st Fret: 0.83'' (21.1mm) - 12th Fret: 0.9'' (22.9mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver 24 Medium Jumbo Nickel Silver
Fretboard Radius: 10" 10"
Nut: Bone PRS Propietary
Nut Width: 42.9mm (1.688'') 42.9mm (1.688'')
Electronics
Bridge Pickups: PRS 58/15 LT + (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Middle Pickup:
Neck Pickup: PRS 58/15 LT + (Humbucker / Passive) PRS 85/15 (Humbucker / Passive)
Switch: 3 Way 5 Way
Knobs: Speed Speed
Pickup Mods: Coil Split None
Volume Controls: 2 1
Tone Controls: 2 1
Hardware
Strap Lock: No No
Hardware Color: Nickel Nickel
Show Diagrams Comparison
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 pickups switch and push knobs diagram
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594's switch options
PRS Custom 24 pickups switch selector and push knobs diagram
PRS Custom 24's switch options

Reasons to Get
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 over Custom 24

Release Year
2016 vs 2011
From a more recent year
Neck Profile
Pattern Vintage vs Pattern Thin
Adapts to the natural shape of your hand
Pickup Mods
Coil Split vs None
Splits humbuckers into single coil pickups
Volume Knobs
2 vs 1
More volume control
Tone Knobs
2 vs 1
More tone control
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.87'' (22.1mm) vs 0.83'' (21.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for big hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.97'' (24.6mm) vs 0.9'' (22.9mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for big hands
Bridge
Fixed vs Tremolo
Good sustain and needs no set-up
Scale Length
24.6'' (624.8mm) vs 25'' (635mm)
Easier bending, shorter fret separation and warmer natural tone
Value Score
58 vs 57
Better price/quality relationship

Reasons to Get
PRS Custom 24 over McCarty Singlecut 594

Neck Profile
Pattern Thin vs Pattern Vintage
Comfortable neck that works for most people
Switch Positions
5 vs 3
More tone options
Number of Frets
24 vs 22
Allows to reach higher notes
Locking Tuners
Yes vs None
Easier to change strings
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret
0.83'' (21.1mm) vs 0.87'' (22.1mm)
More comfortable open chords for small hands
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret
0.9'' (22.9mm) vs 0.97'' (24.6mm)
More comfortable at higher frets for small hands
Bridge
Tremolo vs Fixed
Simple vibratos without too much maintenance
Scale Length
25'' (635mm) vs 24.6'' (624.8mm)
Lower action and brighter natural tone

Other Key Differences
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 vs Custom 24

Bridge Pickup
PRS 58/15 LT + vs PRS 85/15
Different Bridge Pickup
Neck Pickup
PRS 58/15 LT + vs PRS 85/15
Different Neck Pickup
Nut Material
Bone vs PRS Propietary
Different Nut Material

Shared Features
PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 vs Custom 24

Body Wood
Mahogany
Same Body Wood
Neck Wood
Mahogany
Same Neck Wood
Fretboard Wood
Rosewood
Same Fretboard Wood
Headstock
3-3
Same Headstock
Strings
6
Same playing style
Body Type
Solid Body
Feedback free
Pickups
HH
High output without hum
Nut Width
1.688'' (42.9mm)
Same string separation at the nut
Paint Finish
Poly
Resistant paint that ages well
Fretboard Radius
10'' (254mm)
Same fretboard comfortability
Pickups Power
Passive
Cleaner sound and no battery needed
Decorative Top
Carved Figured Maple
Finished with beautiful natural wood patterns
Neck Joint
Set
Neck is glued to the body
Type of Frets
Medium Jumbo
You'll feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings

Common Strengths

  • High-Quality Nut
  • From a High-Quality-Standards Country
  • Top Pickup Brand
  • Expensive Wood

Common Weaknesses

  • Neck-Through Build
  • Weight Relief
  • Stays in Tune (Evertune)
  • High-Quality Frets
  • Compound Radius Fretboard
  • Luminescent Sidedots
  • Strap Lock
  • 21:1 Tuner Ratio
  • Active/Passive Preamp

Price History Comparison

PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 Prices

    SET PRICE ALERT

    PRS Custom 24 Prices

    SET PRICE ALERT

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    Hand Size Comfortability

    After taking into account the scale length, nut width, neck profile and fretboard radius, we can conclude that both are balanced for most hand sizes.

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands
    PRS Custom 24:
    Big Hands
    Small Hands

    Beginner Friendliness

    The PRS Custom 24 meets 5 out of our 8 criteria items for beginner friendliness, while the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 meets only 4. This takes into account the type of frets, scale length, nut width, bridge type, fretboard radius, and neck profile to determine the easiest combination for new players.

    New Player Friendliness

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Tall frets
    • Short scale
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Narrow nut
    • Comfortable neck
    • Locking tuners

    New Player Friendliness

    PRS Custom 24
    • Comfortable shape
    • Easy-to-use bridge
    • Locking tuners
    • Tall frets
    • Comfortable neck
    • Comfortable fretboard
    • Narrow nut
    • Short scale

    Sound Quality Comparison

    The wood used in an electric guitar or bass is not as important to determine the final tone. However, some people prefer specific wood types, so we'll take a look at those first. Then, we'll take a look at the electronics to determine the versatility and sound quality of each instrument.

    Woods Used in Both

    Mahogany wood pattern used for guitar building
    Mahogany
    Rosewood wood pattern used for guitar building
    Rosewood

    Mahogany is a fairly rare wood nowadays. It's used mostly for bodies due to its relatively lightweight. Gibson popularized it with their Les Paul guitars during their golden years, so this wood has a lot of good reputation behind it. The most expensive type comes from South America and it's still used by Gibson even today. Find out more about Mahogany.

    Rosewood is an almost purple-looking wood that is used mainly for fretboards since it's heavy, rare, and expensive. It's sometimes used on acoustic guitar bodies to create stronger warm tones. Find out more about Rosewood.

    Winner: Tie.

    Pickup Configuration

    Both pickup configurations are HH. Double Humbucker (HH) is the choice for people who want a fuller, more round sound with tons of mids and lows. Humbuckers also get rid of the hum noise that plague single-coil pickups. They can work out for almost any genre going from Djent to even Jazz.

    Pickups Quality

    Both come with very good pickups from at least one of the specialized brands in the market. With pickups like these, you probably won't need an upgrade anytime soon.

    However, the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 has a slight sound quality advantage when taking into account other factors like the type of pickups, magnet, position, etc.

    Both use Passive pickups. This is what's used for most music genres. They have a regular output and will serve you for both high-gain and clean tones. The alternative (Active pickups) offer a higher output that is mostly used for heavy music.

    Winner: PRS McCarty Singlecut 594.

    Versatility Comparison

    Some instruments offer you more ways to explore your creativity than others. Below you'll find how both compare when it comes to versatility.

    Switch Options

    The PRS Custom 24 gives you 5 switch options while the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 gives you 3. This means that the PRS Custom 24 gives you more options to find the right pickup combination for the type of sound you want to achieve

    Only the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 comes with some kind of pickup modification: Coil Split.

    Coil Split lets you disconnect one of the pickup coils. When used with humbuckers, it turns them into single-coil with lower output and cleaner tone.

    When evaluating versatility, we also take into consideration bridge and neck joint type, number of frets, switch options, amount of pickups and more.

    Winner: PRS Custom 24.

    Final Sound Quality Scores

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
    Pickups 90
    Sustain 75
    Versatility 63
    Tuning Stability 70
    Sound 75
    PRS Custom 24
    Pickups 85
    Sustain 65
    Versatility 67
    Tuning Stability 75
    Sound 73

    Build Quality Comparison

    When it comes to build quality, we like to take into account everything used to build the instrument. This includes materials, hardware and the quality control expected depending on the country where it was built. Let's see how the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 compares to the PRS Custom 24.

    Country of Origin

    The manufacturing country can tell a lot about the build quality of an instrument. Both in this comparison where made in United States.

    The United States is considered one of the best electric guitar manufacturers in the world. A guitar made in this country is supposed to have world-class quality control. Nowadays, guitars made in other countries can beat some of the ones made in the US, but most of the time, this country offers the best you can get. Of course, that comes at a price.

    Winner: Tie

    Nut Material

    If you want your guitar to stay in tune and sound good, you need a well cut nut. Nut quality can be inconsistent even when comparing two copies of the same model. The best way to make sure you're nut will be well done is by getting a nut made by an expert company like TUSQ or Micarta.

    The PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 has a Bone nut. It's a type of nut found in high-quality instruments. They sound similar to Ivory since they give a lot of sustain and a bright sound (at least when striking open strings). The only problem they can run into is that you may get a bone piece that simply doesn't sound as well as others because that's just how natural materials are.

    On the other hand, the PRS Custom 24 comes with a PRS Propietary nut. It's similar to TUSQ nuts, but they're not as hard, and the tone is not as bright. However, the material is self-lubricating, and it's usually well cut, so they have good tuning stability.

    Winner: Tie.

    Fret Material

    Most fret wire is made of nickel silver. This material eventually wears down after a lot of use and most instruments end up needing a complete fret replacement. However, some expensive models come with stainless steel frets. This is what you should aim for if you can afford it.

    Unfortunately, none of them come with stainless steel frets.

    Winner: Tie.

    Bridge

    The perfect bridge for you will depend on your playstyle because they all have advantages and disadvantages. However, some bridges are more expensive—like Floyd Roses and Evertunes—and thus add more value to a guitar.

    The PRS McCarty Singlecut 594's brige is a Fixed. It's a simple bridge that is very beginner-friendly since it doesn't require any set-up. You can swap strings easily. It might also give more sustain since it doesn't have complex moving parts that make the strings lose vibration. However, it doesn't have the same versatility as a tremolo bridge.

    On the other hand, the PRS Custom 24's is a Tremolo. Tremolo bridges give you more versatility than fixed bridges. They let you perform the intense vibrato effects that would be impossible with a fixed bridge. However, since the bridge floats and there's less contact with the body, the strings lose sustain slightly faster. They can also be a bit harder to restring and set up correctly than fixed bridges.

    Since we need to be objective, the most expensive type of bridge will be the winner of this section. In the end, this doesn't matter if you're not going to use the bridge for its original purpose, so choose the bridge that fits your playing style better.

    Winner: Tie.

    Tuners

    The PRS Custom 24 has the best tuners of the two because they are locking tuners. They'll help to keep your guitar in tune because they allow you to tune it without wrapping the strings around the posts. This avoids variations in the tuning due to the strings changing position at the post after a bend. They come at the disadvantage of being slightly heavier than regular tuners. Also, it makes it a lot easier to restring.

    Winner: PRS Custom 24.

    Neck Joint

    Contrary to popular belief, the difference in sustain and tone that some neck joints give to a guitar is simply unperceivable—if they're all well built. However, some of them do have advantages over the others.

    Both have a Set neck joint. This neck is tightly glued to the body. They give you the least versatility because you can't swap them for a neck that fits your hand better if you want to, unlike bolt-on necks. Some people think this gives more resonance and sustain, but there's no real difference if the bolt-on joint is well built.

    Winner: Tie.

    Here is the list of features that were considered when choosing the winner in the Features subcategory:

    Strengths & Weaknesses
    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
    • Made in United States
    • Expensive Wood
    • Bone Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • Coil Split Pickups
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Locking Tuners
    • No Neck-Through Build
    • No Weight Relief
    • No Luminescent Inlay
    • No Tremolo
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock
    Strengths & Weaknesses
    PRS Custom 24
    • Locking Tuners
    • Made in United States
    • Expensive Wood
    • PRS Propietary Nut
    • Top Brand Pickups
    • Tremolo
    • Cheap Fret Wire (NS)
    • No Neck-Through Build
    • No Push Knob or Extra Switch Option
    • No Weight Relief
    • No Luminescent Inlay
    • No Compound Radius Fretboard
    • No 21:1 Tuner Ratio
    • No Strap Lock

    Final Build Quality Scores

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
    Quality of materials 55
    Features 55
    Quality Control 100
    Build Quality 70
    PRS Custom 24
    Quality of materials 50
    Features 65
    Quality Control 100
    Build Quality 72

    Playability Comparison

    Let's now compare their playability. Bear in mind that the instrument will feel different depending on your hand size and play style. That's why you should always test before buying. But if you can't or want a second opinion on it, we can still take a look at each of the important measurements of the instrument for you. This way, we can predict how easy a guitar might be to play, or how different it will feel compared to the other.

    Remember that, even though the difference might seem small, every inch counts when it comes to feeling of the instrument in your hands. Any variation can completely change how comfortable a guitar feels in your hands.

    Nut Width

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 Nut Width
    Both Guitars Have The Same Nut Width

    The nut width will affect the separation between strings at the nut. In this comparison, both have a nut width of 42.9mm (1.688'').

    This is within the most common range of nut widths for a 6-string guitar. It offers a good balance of string separation at the nut. It's the size that most guitarists prefer as it gives them just enough space to play open chords without muting the strings, but without spreading the strings too wide and making bar chords difficult to perform.

    Scale Length

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594's Scale Length
    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594's Scale Length
    PRS Custom 24's Scale Length
    PRS Custom 24's Scale Length

    The scale length is one of the things that influences playability the most. This is the distance between the nut and the bridge and will affect everything from low action allowance, difficulty to perform bends, fret separation, and even tone.

    The PRS Custom 24 has the longest scale: 25". The PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 is only 24.6" long. This is a 0.4'' (10.2mm) scale length difference.

    This longer scale means that the strings need more tension to get in tune. This is good if you want to avoid fret buzz, which can happen when the strings are too loose and touch the frets while vibrating. This is especially important when playing in lower tunings. This will also let you reduce the gap between fretboard and strings (low action) to make them easier to press down. However, this higher tension will also make it harder to perform bends and vibratos as the strings will feel stiffer.

    This also means that the frets have a longer separation between each other, so this will make it harder for people with smaller hands when playing some chord positions.

    Another characteristic of a longer scale is that it makes the guitar sound 'snappier' or brighter. This is due to the extra separation between harmonics and overtones produced by the tension. This influences tone more than any other factor (except the pickups).

    Lastly, remember that you can also affect the tension of the strings by changing your string gauge. You can use a thicker gauge for more tension and a lighter one for less tension.

    Neck Profile

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 Neck Profile
    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594's neck profile
    PRS Custom 24 Neck Profile
    PRS Custom 24's neck profile

    No single neck shape is better than others. However, most people tend to prefer a thinner necks because it doesn't get in their way when playing fast and most hand sizes can adapt to it pretty well. However, some people still prefer thicker necks for a better grip, especially if they have big hands.

    In this case, both have different neck shapes:

    The PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 has a Asymmetrical type of neck. Even though this neck shape looks like a poorly-made job, it's, in fact, the neck that most naturally adapts to the arc of your hand when grabbing a guitar neck. You'll notice that the lower part of your palm makes a more pronounced, deeper curve while the upper part makes a more subtle arch. This is the shape that adapts the best to that natural arch your hand makes while playing.

    The PRS Custom 24, on the other hand, has a C neck. This is what you'll find in most modern guitars. Most people feel like the thickness of a C neck is simply the less intrusive one for playing fast, while at the same time allowing you to grab the neck easily for resting if you want to.

    Fretboard Radius

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 Fingerboard Radius
    Both Guitars Have The Same Fretboard Radius

    Most guitar fretboards are not flat; they usually have a curve or arc across their width. A curved fretboard will make it easier to perform chords without muting strings, while a flatter one will make it easier to play single notes, which is good for bending and soloing in general. The best fretboards have a compound radius that varies across the fingerboard, but they're not common since they take a lot more work to build.

    Both the PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 and the PRS Custom 24 have the same fretboard radius of 10". This is slightly flatter than the typical modern Stratocaster, but not by a lot. This radius will make it comfortable to play chords without muting strings accidentally. However, when compared to Strats, the extra .5 inches radius will make it slightly more comfortable to play solos without sacrificing too much chord playability.

    Fret Size

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594 and PRS Custom 24 Frets Size
    Both have a similar Medium Jumbo fret size

    Both have a Medium Jumbo fret size. These are slightly shorter than full Jumbo frets, so you'll still feel the fretboard when pressing down the strings. However, they interfere less with your fretting hand than medium-size frets. This is a good size if you like easy-to-press frets, but would still like to feel a bit of the fretboard when playing.

    Final Playability Scores

    PRS McCarty Singlecut 594
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 85
    Chord Playability 85
    Solo Playability 55
    Playability 75
    PRS Custom 24
    Bending & Vibrato Ease 70
    Chord Playability 70
    Solo Playability 75
    Playability 72