Paul Reed Smith Guitars McCarty Soapbar

McCarty Soapbar Standard Black
Very basic features which is what I like the most about this guitar
My model is the Standard with no Maple cap
Kluson M/heads
Moons
nice and light
the features this guitar has that I love is one piece mahogany body one piece mahogany neck and bare basics in hardware and electronics I've given a high rating in this category on the fact less is more in my opinion

Great all rounder
Great clean
Great dirty
love the sound its not like my LP,Strat or Tele which is the reason I bought it.

best sounding soapbar guitar I've ever heard not too muddy or too harsh just nice and round sounding.

I've hunted around for years looking for a Les Paul soapbar that sounded like this but never found one that sounded any good. I'm surprised how good it sounds

Best playing guitar I own full stop

I'v got some great guitars but this one feels the best

solid as

really impressed with quality

most in tune sounding guitar I have

NA

been playing for 15 years have far too much gear but the PRS is the fave at the moment have not picked up anything else since I've owned it

really loving the soapbars

this guitar has the best features of a strat I like (double cutaway and longer scale than Gibo)
and best features of a Gibson I like (mahogany body and neck carved top)

It truly is a great guitar I'n in love with mine glad I got the soapbar I considered the h/buck McCarty but wanted something different. I was worried it would be too different to everything else I had and would rot away like some of my other guitars but it sits in the middle there somewhere between a strat and LP and I now play it more than either my strats tele or LP

other guitars I've got
SRV Strat
EC Strat
52 Tele
LP Custom
and many others but the PRS wins as far as playability goes

Mine was born in August of 1998 (initial year of production)and is a simply gorgeous Goldtop, with moons. Smooth, poly finish, maple top, thick mahogany back with natural stained grain, vintage stle tuners, stop bridge, Seymour Duncan designed pickups, volume and tone controls, three-way switch, 22 fret, and PRS' Wide-Fat neck shape. Came with original hardshell case. This guitar has ALL of the features I want and need. The only reason I didn't give it a 10 is that the standard McCarty (with humbuckers) has coil-splitting and some of the models have locking tuners (but for my needs, I give it a 10).

I play blues, classic rock, and alternative. The P-90 soapbars are fantastic. Sure, they hum a little when run separately, but nothing I can't live with, and, of course, there is no hum when both pickups are run together. Think of single coils with ATTITUDE, almost to the point of humbuckers, but with more clarity. The sound is perfectly round and gritty for blues, classic rock, and pefect for jazz chords (just turn down the tone and use the bridge), and even bright enough for some lite twang/lead work (tone all the way up, with bridge pickup). Currently running the guitar through a Victoria 518, Dr. Z Mini-Z, Roland Micro Cube, and Vox DA5. The low end is a little too much for the Vicky (that's a good thing for the guitar, bad for the amp). Best tones out of the Mini in comparison to my other guitars. Sounds great through the solid state amps, particularly on the British amp settings, with gain, and a touch of reverb. The guitar shines with clean settings, excels with crunch, and gets down right rude with gain. Much ballsier than a Strat (and I love Strats), rounder/warmer sound than Teles (and I love Teles), and crisper and more airy than say a Les Paul. You can't get the Strat quack or true Tele twang, but the McSoapy has its own excellent range of totally usable tones. This is not a one-trick pony.

Although mine was 9 years old when I got her, she was in immaculate condition. The finish is stunning, and the grain (on the back and headstock) is gorgeous. The fret work is top notch for a production guitar. Mine was set up for 10s, though it came with 9s out of the factory. It arrived with action too low to play. Made a 1/4 inch adjustment to the truss rod and now it's perfect. Very low, but no buzz. She has the fastest neck of any of my guitars. The lighter neck scale (compared to Fenders) makes it super easy to play, particularly with bending. Did I mention she stays in tune too! The pickups, as described above, are fantastic. The controls work as designed, don't stick (like my Gibsons), and the three-way switch is tight. As far as I can tell, there are absolutely no flaws. This is the prettiest, most classy guitar I have ever owned. If you prefer the feel of tight-tensioned Fender, the PRS's feel may take some getting used to, but for me, it's what I have have kind of been waiting for. Oh, mine is light too, around 7.5 pounds.

Solid, sturdy design. I play mine at home, not out, but I think this one would withstand serious playing. Just don't drop it or put too much pressure on the tilted headstock (not as an intense of an angle as my SG, but obviously more than a Fender). The strap locks are better than any of my production strap locks. I usually use Dunlop strap-locks, but don't need them here. The finish is smooth, clear, and super fast. I usually favor nitro finishes of poly finishes, but this one is just light enough for my taste. Nothing at all to indicate it's unreliable.

No experience at all. Picked mine up used from Fat Sound Guitars in N.C., where I have enjoyed unsurpassed customer service for many years.

Been playing for 10 years. I have a '52 RI Tele (refretted with higher fret wire, for bending), an Eric Johnson Stratocaster, Gibson SG, Les Paul Custom Classic with P-90s, and Taylor acoustic. My amps are listed above. I've gone through a lot of gear over the years, finding exactly what I want -- what works and works well. I lean towards vintage/classic gear, and this one fits in my stable. I bought this one sight unseen, and I haven't looked back. Previously owned a Custom 22 PRS, but never took to its tone -- I think the Customs favor a higher gain, less classic sound, as opopsed to the thicker, fuller-sounding McCartys (I can play mine unplugged in bed, next to the wife). Picked mine up for like $500-600 under MSRP, and I doubt I would ever find a finer replacement. If something happened to it, I think I would have to seriously consider picking up another one, even though they are really expensive guitars. The only negative here is the high price of PRS guitars, so I give this category a 9 (The used price is a 10 in my book). Excellent quality, made in the USA, but with a hefty price tag for a brand new one. I must say that I am liking this one so much, I think I might have to try the Johnny Hiland model next.

Beautiful, light, tobacco sunburst mahogany body, a meaty, glued in mahogany neck,( wide-fat) thick rosewood fretboard, 22 medium frets, 2 p-90's, amber volume and tone knobs from more expensive prs guitars. In my opinion this guitar is a better gibson les paul jr, for a fraction of the cost. Literally weighs 6 pounds, as opposed to 10-11 pound jr, and the workmanship is so clean and happening, it's perhaps the best deal in guitars today. Paid $450 Canadian at the 12th fret, toronto, canada. They installed the nicer amber volume and tone knobs and really works with the sunburst body better than standard black knobs.

I play many styles of music, and this blood simple guitar excells at any style you want to play, and has that inherent beautiful tone found in the best all mahogany guitars. It's tone should age very well with passing years too. I play a new 5-25 mesa boggie express, with a couple overdrives to drive the front end, and a digitech ex-7 expression pedal. The guitar was such a great deal, I thought I'd immediately put seymour duncan replacement p-90's in, but the the stock pick-ups are really good!!!and have yet no reason to change them. Perhaps they're missing 1-2% of openess in the midrange from being a great p-90, but they sound killer regardless of their origins. This guitar easily matches a friend's les paul jr. in overall sound quality, and feels to weigh half as much. Age should allow this guitar to surpass the jr., as brand new, and really missing nothing.

Perfect set up, 11-52, spot on intonation, easy to play. Finish everywhere is flawless and clean.

This guitar feels and looks absolutely bullet proof. Should age beautifully and last forever and even the polyester finish is thin in a good way.

None required.

I play through a new mesa boogie express 5-25, and I sound like I'm playing on the best vinyl records with this guitar. Beautiful deep clean neck tone, broad and round open in-between setting, sparkling girth and even some twang on the bridge...then add some overdrive or distortion and shazam!!.. CRUNCHES!!! Wicked power chords just flow out of this baby and really really moves in the midrange well, and still manages articulation and depth when overdriven/distorted. Lead notes feel like they can sustain till tomorrow, and each note is enveloped in that glorious mahogany voice that reeks of substance, and simply, it inspires you to play better. Have a friend with a 60's l.p jr. and really nothing special compared to this guitar!!!This little prs does the jr. thing really really well and has an inherent midrange sweetness that makes jaws drop, clean or dirty. Incredible guitar for the money. Gibson Jr's are overweight, overpriced monsters compared to this beautiful piece of mahogany guitar high art. $3000 prs's feel and sound no better.

This guitar has Gold top finish and maple top. Moon fret inlays.

Used for classic rock,blues, and country. Gig with Mesa Nomad 45 and Mesa Tremoverb through various cabinets.
P-90 single coil pickups can be noisy, but with both pu's on, quiet.
Sound is as good as you could ask for on a P-90 guitar. Enough clarity to play country (impossible with humbucker gibson), killer crunch on rear pickup, rich clean on middle setting, neck pu warm with clarity.
PRS uses a capacitor on the volume control which retains clarity as you turn it down. Not quite enough for my taste but still acceptable.

Bought used on Ebay. 8 years old and is in new condition except for one ding on lower rim.
This guitar (as all PRS products) has no flaws. Superb quality control. Gibson, are you listening?!?
I am traditional Fender/Gibson man. PRS McCarty model is the only one that has appealed to me.

The guitar is rock solid. Gold top finish is stunning.
Nothing should go "wrong" with this guitar as it is simple and effective.
Large strap buttons work fine for me.
I have gigged with it with no backup.

I have played for for 40 years, so I can fairly judge a guitar. Also have PRS SE Santana,Hendrix Voodoo Strat,3 bolt Squier Strat,'59 LP Jr. Mesa 4-10 alnico cab, JBL D-130 cab, '70 Marshall 4-12 G30H bottom cab.
The McCarty Soapbar suits me because:
Volume control is where I need it for swells, etc.
The acoustic resonance is incredible. I agree with the tonal concepts of the one piece bridge and vintage tuners. Amplifed, powerful tone with clarity.
The weight is a comfortable 8.4 lbs.
All frets play clean. (Gibson do you hear me?)

Definitely a no frills-guitar. But the guys at PRS did a truly SPECTACULAR job designing this guitar. Nothing is wasted and everything is very well thought out on this guitar. Comes with a case, tuners function properly and the knobs make it almost impossible to screw this guitar up. For myself I would give this a "10" because I was looking for a very spartan guitar that sounded great. But if you like fancy stuff like tremolo's or 5 way PU switching you will be missing it from this guitar.

There is no doubt about this. This is a "10". The tone of this guitar is memorable and unique. It can cover most of the bases for you, and it produces almost no hum in any PU position. The neck pick up is just ridiculous. I lose track of the time when I am playing in that position. The bridge pick up is very, very good. I was surprised at how well it handled really distorted tones (I use pedals only, no amp distortion). I owned a CE22 for a while, but from the get go that guitar never really lived up to my expectations. I sold it quickly after trying it out for a few gigs.

PRS is very consistent in this category. Even though I didn't love the tone in my CE22, it would earn a "10" in this category as well. The McCarty had a wider neck that took very little getting used to (my previous guitars have all had much narrower necks). Also the guitar felt a bit different than I was expecting. It felt a bit like playing a semi-hollowbody to me. I suppose that this must have something to do with the P-90's. The body just vibrates a bit differently than other guitars I have played, and I love that! I can't explain it any better, I hope this makes sense. The action was excellent. Bravo to PRS (or Guitar Center where I purchased this from) for not dropping the action as low as possible. It is still easy to play, but there is some room to get underneath the strings and really get some nice rake/bend combos in. Intonation=perfect.

I never gig without a back up. PRS makes some quality instruments and this is no exception. I don't expect any problems.

No experiences.

Although PRS makes many, many more expensive models, this isn't an inexpensive guitar. Still, I'd really have to say that it is worth every penny, and that the fact that PRS has such high standards when it comes to their instruments, it is deserved on their part. There is nothing I would rather have done with the money I just dropped on this axe.

Beautiful maple top cherry burst. Fit and finish perfect. It has two SD P90's

I have mostly played Fender and Gibson high end guitars and this PRS is right up there. Great shimmer when played clean but what a creamy sound overdriven

The guitar is perfect. I deal with a pro shop so everything is inspected and set up before you buy the piece

This PRS is a tank. Only need for a backup would be broken strings.

No repair history but the shop is top rate so no worries

I have been playing for over 40 years. I have several custom shop relics, a 61 reissue SG, a Les Paul, and a PRS hollowbody. I have to cover a lot of different styles. The Soap bar does great for straight up rock and blues. I rolled back the tone on the neck pu and great jazz sound as well. If it was stolen I would definately get another.

a simple set up.. perfect... get right to the playing and not the switching knobs.

like a cross between a great strat and a Gibson style P90 and one of the the greatest sounds I've ever heard from any guitar. period. Juicy and filled with life, I have played owened everything and THIS IS ONE OF THE GREAT DESIGNS IN THE HISTORY OF GUITAR... you will not be dissapointed. I the only choice is it with Brazlian rosewood (and pay that upcharge) or not... I have both guitars and on this model... both are fantastic... (on humbucker version find the one with brazilian and you will always be happy).

Great and faultless.

like a rock... i've had the guitar for 6 years and still going strong... I highly recommend getting a light one...

great.

I can't say enough about how great this guitar is.

Probablly the most basic of all PRS guitars. Flame, but not a 10. 2 single coils, so no tapping. And none of those silly "birds". Mccarty Burst finish. Made in 2001.

Plays more like a Fender to me than a Gibson, but I'm a Gibson guy and the Fender in it is more apparent to me.

Straight into a Dr. Z prescription; the original model. Sometimes a Keeley modded tubescreamer. The neck pickup sounds like a strat neck, but slightly darker. If you set the pickup real low, it sounds more strat-like. With both pickups on, it sounds real bright and could be mistaken for a Gretsch. In the bridge only position it sounds like AC/DC meets Johnny Winter. It's actually thick sounding. Slightly noisy at high volumes, but has hum cancelling in the center position. More drive than a Strat, similar output to humbuckers. Great Rock/Blues sound.

This has to be one of the simplest guitars out there. I laugh when I hear people refer to PRS guitars as "furniture." This thing has a lot less candy than a Gibson. There is no binding anywhere. It has a wraparound bridge. Sure the top is nice and the finish is awesome, but it's pretty basic; it's pretty hard to screw up. Frets are perfect. Nut is on. Intonation is great. I don't know what the hub-bub is about the neck heel, it's truly less obtrusive than a Gibson, and that's coming from a Gibson guy.

Well built and clearly reliable.

No experience, but they have a decent web site.

I sold a really nice Les Paul to get this guitar. When it arrived I thought to myself "Dear God, what have I done?" I hated it. I played it for an hour and then put it down and picked up my other Gibson. I listed it for sale the very next day on Harmony Central. I decided to give it a fair shake. I experimented with pickup height settings. I adjusted the neck. Put on new strings. Set the height and intonation. And then, just played it for a day straight. I cranked it through the Dr. Z until my ears were ringing. Finally I got it. My impression of PRS guitars has always been some 17 year old noodle with his thin MESA/Boogie tone. I love it. I'm still keeping my other Gibson though.

This is one of the most basic guitars that PRS makes.Mine is the
soapbar standard which is all mahogany,22 frets,3 way switch,2
Duncan soapbar pickups, rosewood board, stoptail bridge, Kluson
lightweight tuners, wide fat neck , case and finished in trans
turquoise (just like page 95 of the PRS book) It has all the
features it says it has plus the added feature of rwrp pickups
which give you hum cancelling performance when using both pickups
at the same time. Nice touch.

I like to think of a P90 equipped guitar as a staple sound for
electric guitarists. along with a strat or tele and a humbucker
guitar (in my case PRS standard 22) you can get most sounds that
may be required for sessions or sideman work. It sounds fat and
smooth clean and it really can cut through with a drive pedal.
It reminds me of a Les Paul special, but Bigger sounding overall(more bass and treble content).I use a Rivera Jake amp and Carl
Martin compressor, along with a Top hat wonderboy drive pedal and
Fulltone Distortion pro. It sounds great

Perfect. I had it set up for 10's. Perfect.

Yes i think the workmanship at PRS speaks for itself.

Limited lifetime warranty.Good people.

Been playing 20 years.I would get another if it were lost or stolen.
It is a well built tone machine. Not cheap, but you won't be looking
for another guitar anytime soon after one of these.

- 2004 model made in the PRS plant in Maryland.
- 22 fret set neck made of mahogany with a rosewood fret board. Other than the two most outer points of the headstock, the neck appears to be made from one piece of mahogany. Wide-fat neck with 10" radius and medium jumbo frets.
- 3/4" carved flame maple top with a one piece mahogany back.
- 2 P-90 pickups (designed by Seymour Duncan) wired into a 3 way switch.
- McCarty Sunburst finish.
- PRS wrap-around bridge.
- Kluson vintage style tuners.
- Came with top-notch case and a couple of allen wrenches.

Overall, the guitar features are solid. I prefer a "no frills" guitar and this guitars fits the bill. I took 2 points off for the PRS wrap-around bridge (impossible to intonate every string) and the Kluson-style tuners (I'd rather have the standard PRS tuners as the Klusons aren't as accurate when tuning up).

The sound is unbelievable. It's like having the best of a Strat and a Les Paul in one guitar. Usually I prefer EMG active pickups because the volume and tone controls actually impact the sound. The P-90s in this guitar are the first passive pickups I've played in a long time where the volume and tone controls actually made a meaningful difference in dialing in a particular sound. Turn the tone way up, get the "bell-like" Strat sound. Turn the tone down and you'd swear they were humbuckers.

The bridge pickup is insanely hot -- I usually keep the volume and tone around 7 and keep the distortion on my amp turned down to 7 or else it can get very fuzzy, very fast.

Because the P-90s are single-coil pickups, there is some 60-cycle hum, but not as bad as on a Strat. The control cavity is painted with shielding paint which probably helps. Surprisingly, the down-side of the control cavity cover is NOT shielded. (My $400 Dillion PRS copy was fully shielded, including the control cavity cover.)

The guitar was set-up with medium action. That's fine with me -- I prefer the action to be a little higher so I can get my fingers under the middle strings when doing extreme bends. The nut was cut well.

Most other guitars that I own have 16" radius necks, so I thought that this 10" radius neck would take some getting used to -- I was wrong. The strings bend like butter and the playing is near effortless. I had always read that smaller radius necks were better for chording and large radius necks (16") were better for soloing. This 10" radius neck has made me wish that all my other guitars had a small radius neck.

Like all PRS's since '95, the neck heel is a bit on the large side. However, I do not have any problems accessing the 22nd fret.

The top was bookmatched well. My guitar has a "standard" top instead of a "top 10" which is also fine with me. I think the dead spots in the figured maple give the guitar character. The one-piece mahogany body and the rosewood fretboard and both stunning.

The poly finish is glass-like without appearing to be overly thick.

Other than the Kluson-style tuners, all hardware appears to be first rate.

The only flaws I could find on the guitar were:
- You can see glue under the finish where the neck meets the body.
- The control cavity cover had some light scratches on it.
- The control cavity cover appeared to be ill-fitting; however it turned out that it was just screwed down to tightly. I loosened the screws, reset the cavity and retightened gently -- now it sits perfectly flat.

This guitar is built like a tank. The strap buttons are huge -- so much that I had to make the slit in my strap a little bigger in order to get the strap on. Once on the strap the guitar is perfectly balanced -- I don't think I've ever slung a guitar on my shoulder that seemed to contour this well to my body. The guitar is heavy without being overly heavy like a Les Paul. The weight definitely adds to the guitar's sustain.

Here's the only issue -- do you really want to take out a $2,000 guitar and risk some moron bumping into it?

I didn't rate this category because I've had no contact with PRS Customer Support. From what I've seen on their website, it doesn't look like PRS ever wants you to contact them. It seems that their standard response is "refer all questions to your authorized PRS dealer".

The one thing I really hate is their prohibition against dealers displaying the prices of PRS guitars on websites. I did a lot of research before I bought this guitar. The difference in prices that dealers try to charge for the same guitar is unbelievable ($300-$400 differences). If you're thinking of buying a PRS, make sure you do plenty of price shopping before you buy.

The customer support at Sweetwater was very good. Their website is cool because you can see pictures of the ACTUAL guitar you are purchasing. The guitar also goes through a 40 point inspection/set-up before they send it to you. The guitar I received was in perfect condition.

Before I called Sweetwater, I stopped in the local Guitar Center to try out the PRS's. I could not believe the amount of scratches they had on guitars costing over $2,000. When searching for a PRS dealer, make sure they don't let any head-banger wanna-be touch the guitar. I got a good laugh out of one website that said "we could never figure out guitar stores that put the expensive guitars out for you to try, but they keep the guitar strings behind the counter!"

Overall, I love this guitar. I've been playing for nearly 20 years and I've owned lots of guitars, including custom made models. The McCarty Soapbar is quickly becoming my favorite. I think the price of this particular model is definitely too high; however, I really enjoy the versatility of this guitar and its pure tone which makes it priceless. My only complaint is that I now want to go buy a PRS with a tremolo to round out my collection.

If you've got the money to burn, it's a great guitar.