NGD: PRS McCarty with rosewood neck

imalrightjack

I'm a self-confessed serial roller.  Some profits, some losses.  I enjoy trying new guitars, messing around with them for a while, usually selling ot trading them on.  I've tried so many guitars in the last few years, which has ultimately helped me work out what I wanted in respect of custom builds (2 x Williams).  In that huge pile of guitars which I've moved on in the last two or three years, many were PRS, the first being a 2000 McCarty with moons.  It sounded wonderful but I found the lacquered neck a bit sticky, and I really prefer birds to moons.  Having also owned two Modern Eagle Quatros and a Modern Eagle singlecut, I'd put a McCarty with birds and a rosewood neck quite high on my wants list, a bit of a Holy Grail guitar.  And, now, I have one (don't ask for how long but it feels like it might be a keeper)...it's also a 2000, this time in dark cherry sunburst.

It arrived with a terrible set-up unfortunately, a bit dirty and way worse tarnishing than I expected (so much for in-store set-up cleaning):

 
 

Some Silvo and a lot of rubbing later...

 
Scrubbed up brilliantly and the rosewood neck is divine.  I also think the stock pick-ups are perfect.  Switched the knobs for some lampshades to finish the look.

      

SimpleSimon

NIce Score, was it from Guitar Guitar??

imalrightjack

SimpleSimon said:

NIce Score, was it from Guitar Guitar??

@SimpleSimon ;It was indeed.

SimpleSimon

Hmm i've had a few arrive in similar states from them. 

Looks stonking though and has cleaned up very well indeed. 

Stupid question time: Does it have single or double dots on the 12 fret? Is the headstock angled back and thin or straightish and fat? Only asking as I own two beautiful '99 McCartys - a McBurst and a McSoapie and I know they changed spec at some stage so some of the original Mccarty quirks were lost over time. I've found the 'older' ones to be more to my personal liking. The McCarty is pretty much my perfect guitar. If I could have a DGT with a McCarty neck profile that is.

imalrightjack

@SimpleSimon It's birds, no dots.  I'll have to check when I get home, re: the angle/thickness.

Neck profile is a nice simple wide-fat, which is perfect for me.

SimpleSimon

Was enquiring regards the side dots rather than fretboard Moons/birds, the older McCartys have a quirk in so far as its a single dot at the twelfth fret rather than regular two dots......

imalrightjack

@SimpleSimon Pretty sure it’s one dot. 

crunchman

The one guitar I regret selling was a 1998 McRosie.  SN 8 40898 if anyone has it.

TTony

RW necks *are* the best.

imalrightjack

TTony said:

RW necks *are* the best.

I pretty much don’t like any necks other then oiled. Baked maple, birds eye maple, rosewood, etc. 

crunchman

SimpleSimon said:

Was enquiring regards the side dots rather than fretboard Moons/birds, the older McCartys have a quirk in so far as its a single dot at the twelfth fret rather than regular two dots......

All the older PRS have a single dot.  Really used to annoy me.  Not quite sure when they switch to two but a definite improvement when they did.

imalrightjack

crunchman said:

SimpleSimon said:

Was enquiring regards the side dots rather than fretboard Moons/birds, the older McCartys have a quirk in so far as its a single dot at the twelfth fret rather than regular two dots......

All the older PRS have a single dot.  Really used to annoy me.  Not quite sure when they switch to two but a definite improvement when they did.

I truly have never noticed anything like that on a guitar.  The off-the-shelf Williams I bought has only dot markers on the side, with no fret markers, and that really throws me.

sgosden

That's lovely... When's it going in classifieds ?

imalrightjack

sgosden said:

That's lovely... When's it going in classifieds ?

Give it 28 days. After that, it’s fair game!

andy1839

Sweeeeeeet!

imalrightjack

SimpleSimon said:

Hmm i've had a few arrive in similar states from them. 

Looks stonking though and has cleaned up very well indeed. 

Stupid question time: Does it have single or double dots on the 12 fret? Is the headstock angled back and thin or straightish and fat? Only asking as I own two beautiful '99 McCartys - a McBurst and a McSoapie and I know they changed spec at some stage so some of the original Mccarty quirks were lost over time. I've found the 'older' ones to be more to my personal liking. The McCarty is pretty much my perfect guitar. If I could have a DGT with a McCarty neck profile that is.

@SimpleSimon the headstock is angled back and thin.  What a waste of rosewood   

Philly_Q

Wow, you did a good job getting the tarnish off those metal parts!  PRS nickel plating seems to tarnish so easily I don't bother trying to fight it (although mine hasn't got mould-like splotches like the top two pictures).

Lovely guitar by the way, and here I am going on about tarnish...

SimpleSimon

crunchman said:

SimpleSimon said:

Was enquiring regards the side dots rather than fretboard Moons/birds, the older McCartys have a quirk in so far as its a single dot at the twelfth fret rather than regular two dots......

All the older PRS have a single dot.  Really used to annoy me.  Not quite sure when they switch to two but a definite improvement when they did.

Didnt realise ALL the older PRS guitars had the same quirk, that makes sense. I reckon it was early 2000's when they switched. I quite like the single dot myself.

SimpleSimon

imalrightjack said:

SimpleSimon said:

Hmm i've had a few arrive in similar states from them. 

Looks stonking though and has cleaned up very well indeed. 

Stupid question time: Does it have single or double dots on the 12 fret? Is the headstock angled back and thin or straightish and fat? Only asking as I own two beautiful '99 McCartys - a McBurst and a McSoapie and I know they changed spec at some stage so some of the original Mccarty quirks were lost over time. I've found the 'older' ones to be more to my personal liking. The McCarty is pretty much my perfect guitar. If I could have a DGT with a McCarty neck profile that is.

@SimpleSimon the headstock is angled back and thin.  What a waste of rosewood   

It wouldnt be the same with a scarf joint

imalrightjack

SimpleSimon said:

It wouldnt be the same with a scarf joint

Long conversation and controversial! I guess sustainability wasn’t so much a factor then? I don’t imagine it affects tone...

Lodious

Looks great after a scale and polish :-)