Paul Reed Smith Guitars McCarty Soapbar

2000 McCarty Standard Soapbar. All-mahogany body without the figured maple cap. Two P-90 pickup custom made by Seymour Duncan for PRS. Vintage tuners, stoptail bridge. 25 inch scale. Rosewood fretboard with moon fret markers.

This guitar has a magical sound to me. The first time I played one, I was enchanted. This guitar is articulate, toneful, and a joy to play. I can play anything, and it makes me sound better. I can make it sound sweet and make it purr like a kitten, and yet I can make it growl and howl like a banshee. I find that I can't practice on this guitar, because its sound seduces me to explore musical nirvana instead.

Perfect. Fit, finish, intonation, action, everything is perfect.

This guitar is so well built, it will stand the test of time.

I've taken a tour of the PRS factory. The people who build these guitars really care about their customers and about their guitars.

I've been playing for over 30 years, I currently teach guitar to five teenagers and two adults. I've owned and played a lot of guitars over the years, and I feel that this PRS will be with me forever. It's a keeper.

1998 prs soapbar. Black top, natural side band, mahogany natural back which matches head stock. Sharp looking very unigue.
P 90 pickup, stop tail, wide fat neck.

sound is just perfect for my style, classic rock and a little blues.
Play it through a late 60's Plush amp, with korg effect peddal and the sound is great. Off course the guitar sound just perfect without the peddal. Also use a fender delux tube amp also sounds great. The notes on a cord just seem purfect. I could not imagine anything sounding better. I don't seem to have much hum with the p-90 pickups which was a plus.

one word "Purfect"

I bought the guitar used, and it is in great condition. I am very careful with my instruments. Still owe all my guitar from the late 60's and they are in purfect condition. I expect the prs will be the same.

I e-mail prs to get info on the guitar and a catalog. They were very responsive.

plaving over 35 years, also own Fender strat plus, Hagstrom semi hollow.
The PRS play better than above mentions guitars, the action is just great. This is definetely my favorite guitar.

My guitar is a '98 Goldtop McCarty with P-90's. It's a very basic guitar, with one tone and one volume control and a three-way pickup selector. It has a wide/fat neck with "moons" or dot inlay. The bridge is the non-adjustable PRS stoptail.

I found this guitar on ebay for a very good price, mainly because the headstock had a good sized chunk knocked off of it that was rather inexpertly glued back on. The damage is cosmetic only and makes no difference to me.

I give it an '8' for features not because there is anything wrong with the guitar, it's just that there are so few features there.

Fat, fat, fat! I am a single-coil fanatic, and these P-90's produce a rich, thick, yet clear, sound I've never heard anywhere else. The neck pickup, rolled back a bit, makes a superb jazz tone with bell-like low notes. Turn the tone to 10 and you get a great blues tone. The bridge pickup manages to be both ballsy and articulate. The volume control is wonderful with the bridge pickup; around 7-8 it makes a great gutsy lead sound, at 9 it really starts singing, but at 10 is just gets downright nasty. I almost never set it to 10 as it seems too hot. These pickups are surprisingly loud for P-90's.

My guitar is very light and resonant. It's easily the most resonant solid-body guitar I've ever owned, and surprisingly loud unplugged. It almost seems alive, it vibrates so much. Plugged in, it sings and sustains like crazy.

My only complaint is with the middle setting. It just doesn't seem jangly enough for me, like it's trying to get that Strat in-between sound but it's too subtle. I rarely use it. Some other reviewers have said they've abandoned their Strats for this guitar, but I can't see that happening. There's no replacement for a vintage Strat sound. This guitar has its own set of sounds which are great, but quite different from a Strat.

This guitar has the typically fabulous PRS action. How do they do it? This thing plays like a dream, and with the PRS stop-tail, there's practically no maintenance. It just works.

The goldtop paint is superb. My brother-in-law has a mid-70's goldtop Les Paul with the mini-buckers and it pales in comparison to the PRS. The clear finish on the back and neck mahogany is perfect. This guitar just looks classic.

This is a very basic, no-frills guitar, which means it will probably be very reliable. There's just so little to go wrong on it. The finish is durable, it has the big strap-locks on it, and it feels solid as a tank (a very lightweight tank, that is).

There are two things I really like the best about this guitar. One--like all PRS's--it's just so easy to play. The neck, the action, everything just feels so right. The other is the great sound. It's a nice meaty single coil, to my ears not like a Strat or Tele at all. It has a sound all its own.

2001 McCarty Soapbar with solid Rosewood neck
22 frets, flamed dark red Michigan Maple top over mahogany, two Seymour Duncan designed P-90 single coil pickups, stoptail
McCarty kluson type tuners, wide fat rosewood fretboard on a solid
Indian rosewood neck
one volume, one tone, one switch (neck, both, bridge)

sweet sweet sweet
Can get ballsy enough for my tastes, not as nasty as HBs
neck pickup only or bridge pickup has a definite buzz but they are single coils
nice low end, too

very nice, was in the store only a couple weeks so not dinged up
after owning one PRS, swapping for another was a no brainer
I love their wide/fat neck, it's the best

Big strap buttons, very durable, well made guitar

Not dealt with customer support

This one is my keeper, I'm done looking at electrics.

2001 McCarty Soapbar. It has an all black body (wrap-around), no binding, chrome tailpiece with bird neck inlays. 2 Duncan creme colored P-90 pickups. It has a volume and tone control and a 3 way pickup selector. The finish is flawless as expected from PRS. The back of the guitar and the headstock are also black.

I believe this may be the ultimate guitar for blues lead work. It has a very rich thick clean tone with the neck pickup. The bridge pickup is very bright and the combination is somewhere between the two. Through a clean Fender amp (Super Reverb) the tone is incredible, it is much fatter than any single coil pickup I have heard, it is as loud as my McCarty with humbuckers, but it is much sweeter sounding for blues. Cranked up it can rock with the best of any guitar. I think that it blows away strats for blues and rock, but it does not get the strat 2 and 4 position tones that we all love (I didn't want to part with my strat anyway) and I wouldn't use it for surf. It also could be used for jazz as rolling back the tone gives you beautiful warm tones. When played loud the P-90's have some buzz to them, it is nothing you couldn't deal with. Like the humbucker equipped McCarty this guitar rings out when unplugged.

The factory set up was perfect. I have a standard McCarty and wanted to have both the humbucker and P-90 versions because I love the feel of the McCarty. I now have 2 different sounding PRS guitars that have the same feel and action. As a former Les Paul player I love the wide fat neck. The finish is a beatiful glossy black. I could not detect a single flaw on the guitar. My only complaint is that oxidation can be heavy on the bridge. I use a mag wheel cleaner (carefully) and it keeps it looking pretty good.

The guitar is very sturdy. It has the big strap buttons that I've been afraid to replace with strap locks because the screw goes in very deep. I didn't want to use a shorter fatter screw and have to use glue that might get on the finish. Since it has no pickguard you will get pick scratches. Some car swirl remover stuff can usually take care of this if it really bothered you, but take caution with that stuff as if you rub to hard you could create more problems than the ones you are looking to solve. You don't need a backup with this guitar as far as reliablity is concerned.

Called them once and they recommended the mag cleaner for the pickup covers and bridge on my McCarty standard. The guy was very nice and it felt good to talk to a PRS engineer/employee who seemed eager to help me.

I have been playing for 30+ years and have tried or owned various Strats, Les Pauls, SG's, Tele's and other PRS guitars. As I've grown older I appreciate the cleaner, fatter, more articulate tones that a good quality guitar like this can offer. I am blown away by this guitar. It has the looks, feel and most importantly the tone that I have long been after. This is not the all-in-one guitar, what it does I believe it does the best. I believe that each guitar has its own purpose and you should decide what guitar is best for your music. If you can get one of these or are not sure if you should all I can say that I highly recommend this guitar.....

This is a 2001 PRS McCarty Soapbar in black cherry. Two Seymour Duncan P-90 pickups, three way selector switch, single volume and tone controls, wide fat neck, "moon" position markers. It's not a 10 top but there's nice figure in the wood. The look is elegant, not flashy. I really like the PRS wrap-around bridge, and I love the layout of the controls. The taper on the volume pot is great. You can go from sparkling clean to righteously dirty without ever touching your amp. When it comes to features, less is generally more, but I'd still like to see separate volume controls so that I could blend the front and rear pickups to taste, a la Les Paul.

The McSoapy's sound is rude, raucous, and ballsy. It's a single coil sound with guts. If a Stratocaster is Mariah Carey, then the McCarty Soapbar is Janis Joplin. It can sing sweetly, but it's got some grit. I sold an American Deluxe Strat in order to buy the McSoapy and I'll never go back. I don't know why anyone would bother with a Strat when they could have one of these. Crank the volume knob down and it cleans up beautifully; you've got all the shimmer and sparkle you could ever want. But crank the volume up and you've got a voice that's throaty and rich; perfect for the blues. I'll never give up my humbuckers because that's a great sound too, but short of Stevie Ray Vaughan, this is the best single coil sound I've ever heard. If Stevie had played one of these, he would've sounded even better.

PRS really sets the standard for the industry. Clean lines, crisp edges, perfectly smooth surfaces; EVERYTHING is as it should be. Everywhere you touch the guitar, it feels right. The black cherry finish is deep and rich and just glows. The fretwork is impeccable. I love the feel of the wide fat neck. I love the clean, ergonomic layout of the simple yet powerful controls. Nothing is IN your way, or too far OUT of your way. "Just right." The guitar is extremely resonant and lively; more so than any solid body I've ever played. I'm really tempted to give this thing a 10, but there are hand made boutique guitars that surpass it. Nevertheless, for a regular production factory made guitar, it's amazing.

Based on the craftsmanship and quality of materials, I'd expect the reliability and durability of this guitar to be top notch. However, I've only had it a month so I can't really say that it's been particularly reliable or durable in my experience. The problem with these guitars is that they're so damn beautiful that you baby them. So, while the reliability and durability may be present in the design, it's unlikely to ever be tested. (If you want to see the durability of a guitar tested, check out the video: "SRV Live at the Mocambo." Stevie beat the crap outta that thing. Whatever else I may say about Strats, I will never fault their durability.)

The folks at Magdon Music were very professional, prompt, and polite. It's a dicey thing to buy a guitar over the web, but this McCarty was exactly what I expected based on the pictures I'd seen, and it was a real pleasure to skip the sales tax on so large a purchase. I'm unable to rate the customer support from PRS, as I've never dealt with them in any way.

Well, $1850 is a lot of money for a guitar. But the thing is, once you've got a guitar that you love, what you paid for it becomes irrelevant. A favorite guitar is irreplaceable. A great guitar is priceless.

For all that money, what you get is a drop dead gorgeous guitar, flawless fit and finish, "smooth like buttah" action, and an instrument that is lively, musical, and resonant with untapped reserves of tone. This McCarty is a better guitar than I am a player (which is not really saying much). It is rewarding and inspiring to play. It will never hold me back. That's pretty much everything I want in a guitar.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I rate this thing a 9. It may not be the best guitar in the world, but it's damn close. It's certainly the best guitar I've ever owned.

This model was made in the year 2000. Not many features but surely
functional. Body and neck is a very nice looking mahogany. Fret board is rosewood with moon inlays.Neck feels like my PRS Custom 24 which is the normal neck.Color is the vintage cherry. Three way selector switch. Cream colored Soapbar pickups. Cool looking guitar.Would give it a 10 but like I just keyed in, not that many features.Standard hardshell case.

Now this is my favorite part. It has a sweet sound when played clean or with overdrive/distorion. I use this guitar with a Rivera R55 and the Los-lobottom Sub-1 system. Man, what a combo! I also use this guitar with a Marshall TSL-601 which sounds very good to my ears but not as outstanding as with the Rivera R55. The tone control is very functional. Not like some other guitars that I,ve played and have a useless tone control. I got rid of a Fender American Standard for this
and never looked back. The sound on this model can be thin or thick or anything in between. Folks, if you are looking for a versatile single coil with some beef and very good output, please do yourself a favor and at least check it out. Like I just keyed in, it is a sweet sounding guitar clean or dirty.

This model felt so comfortable for me and I have small hands. The action is precisioned perfectly for my playing style. The pickups seem to have the correct height. I did not see any flaws on the guitar and I am very picky when it comes to perfection. PRS guitars will get you spoiled. The only other make in my opinion that has this kind of perfection is a Tom Anderson Cobra-S that I have. Check out guitar of the week March 12,2000.

This is a tough section only because it depends how someone takes care of their on piece of gear. If your an animal, it may not last long. The finish looks like it will last. My PRS Custom 24 was made in 1997 and it still looks new. Your right palm may tarnish the fixed bridge that I have on both models. I strongly beleive that these guitars can hold up very well. I never gig without a backup only because the fear of popping a string.

I delt with them over the phone and they were pretty cool in ordering a gig bag.

I've playing for 23 years and giging off and on. As far as other gear, I have a Mesa Boogie Mark II-C, Sovtek Tube Midget(50Watts), a River R55/Los-lobottom, Marshall tsl601, Trace Elliot Acoustic Amp (50Watts), Tom Anderson Cobra-S with the Acoustic LR-Baggs pickup, PRS Custom 24, Guild S300-D, Ovation Acoustic, and too many floor pedals that I don't even use anymore because these guitars sound so good without them.

Features are simple, elegant and easy to grasp. A beautiful maple top with mahogany neck and back-cherry stain. The guitar is so light yet comfortable, I am turned off by heavy guitars like some great les pauls. The finish is first rate, with a very smooth and easy playing rosewood fingerboard. Great access to upper registers!The bridge is a simple stoptail that adds sustain. The guitar holds its tuning very well and I'm less likely to break strings than playing my Fender Big Apple Srat. The scale is right between fender and gibson-25".

The sound is what attracted me to this guitar. I had played the regular McCarty and found it a bit thin. But the fullness in middle position and deep gutsy first position blew me away!I have grown to love the snarly third position as well-great for certain solos. The soapbar pickups are especially rich and creamy, and combined with the fine woods and craftmanship...this guitar is a winner. I recently purchased a Yamaha DG-80 amplifier after being disappointed with Line 6 Flextone. The Yamaha holds its own with many tube amps, and sounds good with the PRS.

The guitar was very well set up when I purchased it-and the action and overall feel of this guitar is simply incredible. I know I sound like a PRS rep-but I'm not. Mr. Paul Reed Smith simply knows how to make guitars. Damn good guitars. All controls feel tight and smooth.

It has held up well my six months of owning it. I polish and clean it all the time- because I simply love looking at this guitar at times.

I have called the company to let them know how much I loved my purchase, plus I had some questions that were readily answered. The employees seem to have pride for their product.

I have been playing guitar for 30 years and electric guitars on and off. This is clearly the most amazing guitar I have played and owned, and it has opened me up to the beauty and tones of other fine guitars. I am simply becoming a guitar fanatic, playing alot,reading all kinds of books and thanking the lord for my fingers. I have played nearly all of the models of PRS and I'm looking foward to purchasing the hollowbody at some point.

Solid mahogony body,(no maple top), mahogony wide fat neck, 2 Duncan designed P-90 pickups, wrap-around bridge/tailpiece, Kluson type machines. Glassy cherry finish, Think LP Special 1960

I play a wide variety of music from light jazz to blues, oldies, classic rock, and the occasional country tune, this guitar seems capible of covering most of these styles well. For amplification I use a Yamaha T100C w/ 90 watt Celestian speaker, no effects except for slapback echo,(for rockibilly tones). My only complaint and its a small one is I wish the guitar had dual volume controls, in order to blend the output of the middle position better. That might make this guitar perfect, maybe even an 11.

Hey,it's a PRS, every one I have ever seen has been a looker. My biggest worry was intonation as I use Ernie Ball Power Slinkys. I thought I might have a problem as the bridge/tailpiece does not offer alot of fine tuning. I was wrong I didnot have to adjust anything, the E strings were within 2 cents, and the other strings feel in accordingly

Solid. The finish seems a little thin, of course that's what makes it so pretty to look at, but I've never seem a PRS that has had any major finish wear through with normal use and normal care. I love the large strap buttons, any body who has dropped a Les Paul can attest to that. I see no need for a back up, no problem gigging with it

I havn't had to deal with the company, so I can't answer for sure. I have a great dealer though, Elderly Music in Lansing, Mi. I'm sure they could handle anything that comes up

I have beeen playing for 30 odd years and have owned just about anything you can think of, Fender, Gibson, Ric, Gretsch, PRS, and this ranks right up there with the best of them. It reminds me of the '59 LP special I once had. If stolan or destroyed(God forbid) I'd have to get another, either that or replace it with a McCarty with a maple top, for looks only. In fact, that might be my next major purchase, I have looked at and played many Gibson Historic Les Pauls, and while beautiful guitars the PRS models are every bit their equal at about half the cost. Who could say no.

1999 McCarty Soapbar. One-piece mahogany body with maple top, one-piece mahogany wide/fat neck with rosewood fingerboard, stop tailpiece, Kluson-style tuners, and two Seymour Duncan-designed P-90 pickups. Ocean Turquoise opaque finish with maple "scraped" binding -- think '57 Chevy Bel Air. A stunning guitar but not in the usual overly (to my taste) flamey or quilty way of PRS transparent finishes.
PRS design stop tailpiece has only two small intonation adjustment set screws, so saddles can't be intonated individually. Deduction for that. A relatively simple guitar, very well done

Superb sounding guitar. Tight bass, sparkly highs esp. in the middle pickup position. The bridge position is a little nasally, but not in a bad way. The neck position is HUGE. Very high output compared to other guitars I have (similar to G&L ASATs, higher output than my Les Paul w/ Duncan Antiquities, for ex.). As one review said, much more articulate than any humbucker, but bigger sounding than other single coils.
I play blues/swing and some jazzy blues and this can do that all, plus can do some country twang on the bridge position (though not Tele sparkly): it's very versatile. I use it with a Clark Beaufort (Tweed Deluxe), Blues Jr., Vibrolux Reverb (64), Dr. Z Carmen Ghia, and a silver Fender Bandmaster Reverb converted to a blackface Super circuit.
Very well defined tone and string separation, with clarity. As one review noted, very "acoustic" sounding esp. in the middle pickup position.
I give it a "10" for doing what it does so well. Not a jack of all trades, if flexibility was included I'd give it a "9".

Superb setup, the best I've seen perhaps. Low action, no buzzes, plays "like buttah" as they say. Pickups well adjusted, no flaws I can see at all. Intonation perfect. Action a little low for my taste but the setup's so perfect I've left it as is.
The only guitar I own on which .09s sound full enough to keep, which gives more ease in bending and contributes to playability.

Seems very reliable, but like many PRSs, I am sure the finish will show the wear and tear, esp. the solid turquoise finish on this one. Strap button on the upper bout was loosely attached and pulled nearly free the first jam I went to with it. Had I not noticed, potential disaster. I refilled & redrilled the hole myself, now it's fine. I would gig it without a backup on reliability grounds, but on sonic grounds I'd take another guitar to use along with this, probably.

Have not dealt with PRS.

played for 33+ years. Own an old Gibson ES-125TC, newer ES-135, 175, and Les Paul Classic; old Strat; newer Fender Calif. Strat & Tele; Fender Danny Gatton Tele; 2 G&L ASATs, a G&L S-500, Legacy, etc.... a few guitars.
This is probably overall the finest playing, best made guitar I have. I am not a PRS fan in general. I find them to be well made, but "too pretty" in general and I don't really care for the sound of most of their humbucker equipped guitars. But this is a perfect blend of good, but different looks, great tone, and great quality construction. I love the playability and the tone. I wish it didn't look So good, there are some places I would not take it to gig. If stolen, I might -- but might not -- get another, because I got this one for what I consider a steal of a price, in mint condition.
I chose it over the PRS Custom 22 Soapbar because the 3 pickup version (a) did not sound better, (b) cost more, (c) did not look better, and (d) the middle [3d] soapbar pickup got in the way of my picking. No question this was the one to get.
My "10" rating here is based on the great price I got for it. For the usual street price of ~$1500-1550, I'd give it an "8" or a "7" probably. They are expensive.