1 of 1 from Brain’s Guitars –
I have been spending some serious time with the PRS S2 McCarty 594 lately and man this thing is an absolute beast. If you are not familiar with the story behind this guitar, it is actually a tribute to Ted McCarty who ran Gibson during their legendary golden era and served as a huge mentor to Paul Reed Smith. Because of that relationship this model is basically a modern take on a classic Les Paul but with some PRS tweaks. This specific S2 model is fully made right here in the American factory in Maryland so you already know the craftsmanship is top tier.
When it comes to the actual technical side of this guitar they really nailed the vintage feel with the 24.594 inch scale length which is where the model gets its name from. It is just a hair shorter than the standard Gibson scale which makes the strings feel a little easier to bend and gives the whole instrument this broken in personality right out of the box. The neck has that pattern vintage carve so it is a bit chunkier in the hand and feels super substantial without being a baseball bat. Tone wise those 58/15 LT pickups are the absolute stars of the show because LT stands for low turn and that means they are not wound super hot. You get this incredibly clear and airy vintage sound that is basically a telecaster on steroids when you want it to be but then it gets all warm and creamy once you roll the tone back a bit. It handles everything from those woody blues licks to classic rock crunch with so much touch sensitivity and the note separation is just on another level.
The biggest selling point for me is that PRS finally decided to start putting their actual core pickups into the S2 models in April 2024. It honestly makes the guitar feel and sing just like a core model even though it has a few less flashy features and a slightly different top carve. When you compare the two the S2 is really giving you about ninety percent of that core experience for a much better price point and now that the electronics are identical the gap is smaller than ever. Again both made in the same American factory.
I ended up picking this one up from Brian’s Guitars over in Connecticut which is easily one of the best spots in the country for PRS fans. Brian is one of their biggest dealers and he works super closely with Paul so he gets to hand pick his inventory and sometimes lands these crazy one off colors that do not even exist in the standard catalog. This one showed up in an olive green top with the natural wood exposed on the back, sides, and the headstock. On top of that, the second I plugged it in, I immediately fell in love with the tones and the overall vibe. Was a must buy.
