With just a week left before the annual winter NAMM show kicks off out in Anaheim this year, big and boutique brands alike have been making exciting announcements about the new gear we can expect to see this year.
Today, guitar brand Paul Reed Smith is getting in on the action, presenting three brand-new PRS S2 McCarty 594 guitars: the S2 McCarty 594, the S2 McCarty 594 Singlecut, and the S2 McCarty 594 Thinline. This is the first time the company has offered a McCarty model—named after Ted McCarty, the former Gibson executive who became a mentor and collaborator to Paul Reed Smith—outside of its private stock and core lines, offering more affordable, mid-level options to players.
"The PRS S2 Series was created to offer a new style, both sonically and aesthetically, that still maintained PRS’s DNA," Jim Cullen, the director of sales at PRS Guitars, says. "It has been an exciting journey growing this series of instruments, and we are proud to bring two of our most beloved models into the S2 world. The Thinline is the icing on the cake: an all-new model that is handsome, dynamic, and a ton of fun to play.”
Each of the three models feature mahogany necks, 22 frets, with bound rosewood fretboards and the PRS zinc two-piece bridge and vintage-style tuners. The 594 and 594 Singlecut are maple-topped with a Pattern Vintage neck shape, while the 594 Thinline features a thinner, all-mahogany, one-piece body and Pattern Thin neck shape.
On the tone-side of things, the new S2 McCarty family features 58/15 "S" pickups, which can achieve both authentic humbucking thickness and more nuanced single-coil precision at the player's discretion, and dual volume and push/pull tone controls.
The S2 McCarthy models are available for pre-order now, right here on Reverb. Discover all vintage, used, and new PRS gear on Reverb here.