The McCarty carries the name of Ted McCarty, who Paul Reed Smith brought in as a consultant in the late 1980s and who became his mentor and friend. PRS released the first McCarty in 1994. Today's guitar is a 22-fret, 25" scale solidbody with a violin-carved maple top over a mahogany back and a bound rosewood fretboard, in high-gloss nitro.
The neck is PRS's Pattern shape, 7/8" deep at the first fret and 1 11/16" across the nut, so there's real shoulder in the hand. A PRS Stoptail with brass inserts and Phase III non-locking tuners with brass shafts keep the hardware fixed, with no vibrato. Two McCarty III humbuckers, which PRS voices as vintage-inspired, run through one volume, a push/pull tone and a 3-way toggle.
This is the McCarty for someone who likes a 25" scale and a single volume and tone. Set it beside the PRS McCarty 594, which moves to a 24.594" scale, a Pattern Vintage neck, a two-piece bridge and two volumes with two tones. Our pick is McCarty Tobacco Sunburst. On the guitar named for Ted McCarty, the finish that shares his name feels right.
The Top option picks the maple: Standard is PRS's figured maple top, and the 10 Top is a higher grade of figure, which PRS lists with hybrid hardware.
SPECIFICATIONS
BODY
Country of Origin: USA
Body Construction: Solidbody
Top Wood: Maple
Back Wood: Mahogany
Top Carve: Violin
Finish Type: High-Gloss Nitro
NECK
Number of Frets: 22
Fret Wire: PRS Vintage Fret Wire
Width of Fret Crown: .110"
Height of Fret Crown: .050"
Scale Length: 25"
Neck Wood: Mahogany
Neck Construction: One-Piece
Truss Rod: PRS Double-Acting
Neck Shape: Pattern
Neck Depth at the 1/2 Fret: 7/8"
Neck Depth at the 12 1/2 Fret: 61/64"
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 Type: Set
HARDWARE
Bridge: PRS Stoptail w/ Brass Inserts
Tuners: PRS Phase III Non-Locking Tuners w/ Wing Buttons
Hardware Type: Nickel
Nut: Bone
Truss Rod Cover: "McCarty"
ELECTRONICS
Treble Pickup: McCarty III
Bass Pickup: McCarty III
Controls: Volume and Push/Pull Tone Control w/ 3-Way Toggle Pickup Switch
STRINGS
Strings: PRS Signature 10-46
Tuning: Standard (6 String): E, A, D, G, B, E
Options: 10 Top with Hybrid Hardware
CASE
Case: Hardshell Case



