The McCarty Prototypes | From The Archives | PRS Guitars

In this episode of From The Archives, we explore the story of the first McCarty prototype and how it came to be. With a surprise guest visit from David Grissom, what more could you ask for?
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[@cjswhirled4669]

I was fortunate and got to tour the old factory in Annapolis back in ‘94 and was given the tour by Paul himself. At the end of the tour Paul asked me if I had any questions and I asked him about this Les Paul looking PRS I saw David play on the Letterman show the night before. He smiled and pulled out a case and showed me that McCarty prototype and I got to play it. He told me how I could purchase one and explained that if I purchase one of the first 100 I’d get a specially signed control plate cover with Ted’s signature. I raced to Chuck Levins and plunked down a downpayment and got one of the first 100. Great Memories 😁

[@prsguitars]

What a fantastic memory, Cory! Thank you for sharing!

[@cjswhirled4669]

PRS Guitars well thank you for building such an awesome guitar, still have it to this day 😁

[@honkytonkinson9787]

That's a cool story and bet it's a cooler guitar!

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

I grew up a Gibson Les Paul guy. My dad’s ebony Les Paul Custom made sure of that. At the risk of heresy, I declare that the Mccarty 594 is the finest Les Paul made. Yeah…I SAID IT! Mine is an absolutely amazing instrument. Thank you, Paul and everyone at PRS. Damn fine work!

[@308jh]

I feel exactly the same. I've owned several LPs over the years, but the first time I played my McCarty 594 SC I knew I had something truly special. Amazing instrument!

[@_RLP]

I'm not a PRS guy, but I've always admired the build quality and the finishes Paul puts in his guitars. Overall, they're great instruments and the company is lead by a great guy. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@ThePandaProcrastinates]

These From the Archives videos are great! I love hearing the stories. Hopefully, you guys can get back to them once things come back to normal. Thank you!

[@prsguitars]

We will! Thanks for the love ThePanda.

[@turdferguson9942]

I always liked how Paul showed so much gratitude and appreciation for McCarty and think that he deserves far more credit than he has gotten especially compared to Leo. All those amazing guitars, concepts and techniques he came up with while running Gibson as well as owning Bigsby for a time. Truly a pioneer in the electric guitar world and it's crazy how far ahead of his time he was with stuff like the Explorer and Flying V.

[@Terryomalleyonline]

I have a 2006 P90 McCarty. Amazing....again just ONE dot marker at 12th fret. Keeps you on your toes. What a beast of a guitar!

[@jcoulter43]

I agree with everyone's comments, I LOVE these archive videos. I also love my '16 McCarty 10-top in Blue Crab Blue my wife bought me for our 25th Anniversary. It's definitely a "never sell it" piece of playable art. Keep up the great work Paul and PRS!

[@TavisAllen]

I'm glad to see the word "playable" in your comment!

[@joshuadavison267]

McCarty's are, in my opinion, the finest instruments ever made. I've had a couple (presently a '17 in faded whale blue) and they are all phenomenal.

[@mcqueen7584]

@JTheGuitarPlayer I've never played a prs but I'm thinking about playing one of the import ones to see the difference. In many forums they say even the lower cost ones blow out of the water gibsons and fenders of the same price range. I'm torn between a Mccarthy and the Paul's guitar model, any advice fellas? Thanks!

[@isaiahmarquez9717]

I just got a Mccarty 594 and I am amazed. Finest instrument I have ever had the pleasure of playing. I’ve always been a Gibson Les Paul guy but PRS has made me a believer in their guitars.

[@anvil777]

That’s probably the most beautiful guitar I saw, that 92’ prototype, just wow

[@prsguitars]

It was even more stunning to see in person.

[@fuzzatface]

This is the kind of McCarty model I love. I Hope It comes back!

[@MrPrincepop]

Love these videos of past PRS guitars.

[@prsguitars]

More to come!

[@nuttynut54]

I was happy to find one of thes in a LEFTY version in the late 90's ..after seeing them in the Guitar magazine, best purchase ever

[@creationinspired200]

Ive had my 594 core for about 2 years and just yesterday picked up a beautiful custom 22 core from 1994! couldnt be happier 😮❤❤❤

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

These videos are wonderful.

[@tylerdobson1356]

need more from the vaults.. such a rich history ..

[@prsguitars]

Don't fret, more is on the way!

[@f7viivvgiv]

Wow,I'm speechless,PRS is Great and I love PRS guitars😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@WhaleBluePRS]

I have a '98 McCarty in McCartyburst with a one-piece top. It's completely stock and it might just be the one PRS guitar I kept if I had to keep only one. (I also have a '95 Custom 24 - 2012 SE Singlecut Trem - 2016 HB II - 2018 Silver Sky) I have to tell ya, those original McCarty pickups are fantastic. I understand why someone would WANT to change these pickups but I'll never understand how someone can claim they NEED to. I can't imagine changing them, not even for 57/08s.Thank you Paul Reed Smith, David Grissom and Ted McCarty. You have all brought me many, many hours of rewarding guitar experience with my McCarty!

[@realgoodmind]

Can't wait for the Paul solo builds to be seen

[@prsguitars]

We cannot wait to show them off, Jared.

[@rowbags3017]

It's fascinating to see the roots of the DGT! A Core model has always been beyond my means, but I've got a Gold Top SE on the way, so I'm excited to be able to experience at least a bit of the DNA/vibe that goes with this classic model. Thanks to PRS and David Grissom for making it available. 😎👍

[@AlanW]

Am loving these videos, please keep em coming!

[@TVoltG]

My first PRS was a McCarty back in 2004. Loved it to the core. I miss that guitar still.

[@metalmulisha0143]

Love the colour of Dave's prototype and the fretboard almost looks like ebony

[@BAMozzy69]

I love my McCarty 594 and want to add the Hollowbody 594 to my collection - which also includes the 509, Cu24 and HBii. I love the Archives show! I have loved PRS guitars since I saw my first one back in the late 80's and they were always my 'dream' guitar - now I own 4 and I feel lucky to have been in a position to buy and play such wonderfully crafted quality instruments. The Archives show us how a lot of the models today have come from, how all the experiments and testing that PRS have done, the attention to detail from those experimental instruments to become such refined instruments made foe release. I can't wait to see more from the archives...

[@sammuniz5360]

Wow!! That tone is supreme!

[@mark7166]

I've always loved the McCarty and DGT lines. Must get one of them some day...

[@citizenparker]

I remember in '96, being an 18 year old freshman in college and reading about the McCarty model in whatever guitar magazine and just wanting one so bad. 9 or 10 years later, I finally got one (a few other PRS models went through my hand before that and a few others remain) and to me it is "my guitar". It is the one I go to most of the time and the one I enjoy playing the most.

[@prsguitars]

Too cool, thanks for sharing your PRS story with us, Eric!

[@SystemsAnalyst]

I remember the years when medium internet connection speed first came to Indonesia. It was somewhere in 1999 or 2000, during my high school years where I managed to learn and play some of Santana's 'easy' solos and at the time Santana already using McCarty model everywhere anywhere. I like the McCarty model a lot at that time as I found it is a blend of the Les Paul and the Stratocaster. As a high-schooler, I was so excited at that time when I found the PRS Guitars' website as offered a free info pack to be sent via post. And there you go I typed my home address in Jakarta, Indonesia, and after a week I received a high-quality PRS guitar information pack printed in a glossy-photo paper which includes and some stickers and posters. Up until today, I have not yet decided to purchase a PRS guitar for my amateur guitar playing, however, I have borrowed and played the McCarty guitar several times in Indonesia (not many people here want to lend their PRS to amateur guitarists) and I found guitar always offers an effortless playing, light and balanced weight distribution - 'a Les Paul that resonates more'. I should have followed this channel earlier.

[@DannyBeardsley]

Fantastic video 🙏 Thanks for sharing. I had no idea Marc actually played his part building PRS guitars. Very cool!

[@Hazardteam]

Beautiful guitar.

[@Djarra]

Back in '93 when I was still a teenage I got to play a prototype of the McCarty at the London Guitar Show. Literally just looking at the booth when it wasn't too crowded and some guy with an American accent said "Do you wanna try this new thing?" it was Paul himself. Still have a signed booklet.

[@jlagrassa]

Great video... love watching this type of stuff! I still have my 2000 Dark Cherry Burst McCarty I bought new back then it's such a gem of a guitar.

[@mlusiak]

Yes, I was waiting for this! :)

[@koski666]

My McCarty looks almost identical as the prototype, but with a rosewood neck...awesome instrument!

[@bizlawprofessor]

There's probably only one guitar I've sold that I wish I hadn't -- it was a late 90s McCarty. More so than a 87 CU24 in Vintage Yellow and (but only closely) to an original Modern Eagle. These are wonderful videos! Thanks for the memories!

[@MrDrewseph]

So thaaat's what it sounds like when it's dialed in properly. Delicious! Brian, please do your demos like this

[@9wenwilson210]

this is great!! love Paul

[@ajg4286]

love the archive videos and love my us custom 24

[@WhaleBluePRS]

I have a '98 McCarty with one-piece top in McCartyburst. I've posted a few videos with it. It's one of the few guitars I've owned that I never altered except for Schaller strap-locks, which I put on everything. Oh, and I paid $999.99, brand new. It was a loss-leader in a sale and I was blessed to be the one to get it. It's a perfect guitar for whatever I use it for.

[@aidanB.]

You also got a plain control plate cover to preserve Mr McCarty's signature. A thoughtful addition by PRS. I love mine. The guitar's not bad either! 😉

[@sheercerebralpower]

I just bought a 2nd hand McCarty from 2000. I a/b‘d it with my genuine bursts…..it is soundwise absolutely up to par, weight wise identical to my really light 60)but ergonomically easier to play. Well done PRS. Now this is my 3rd(SSky, CU24,McCarty)…..go to studio/live guitar…..

[@steinsmusicphotos]

My 1998 McCarty is still one of my fav!!

[@andyinwards2119]

For all the guitar company’s avoiding the words ‘Les Paul’ and ‘Stratocaster’ I almost spat out my coffee when Paul stuttered for a moment and then just came and said “Les Paul”

[@TheRocknrolla12]

Beautiful Guitar...

[@raymartinez5339]

Working hard to get me a prs guitar. Eyeing the retro Santana model. The thought of having one gives me motivation to keep grinding

[@malcolmadams2105]

Love the Santana headstocks. Oh!”

[@mattgarcia440]

Cool stuff !!!

[@malcolmadams2105]

I have a McCarty 2 2003 same color as the first one showed.

[@telemaster]

Love this archives series! ❤️

[@coreyclark6505]

I’ve had my McCarty since 2001-ish. I got a hellified deal on it on eBay and it’s been by far my favorite that I’ve had since. Sure, I flirt with others... but I always come back.

[@stewartkeyes2511]

I have a 1994 McCarty Standard in all gold, not a gold top. The standard is without the maple cap. It is an outstanding guitar!! My wife thinks it sounds like early Billy Gibbons, and she's right! It's a bit rare being all gold and a full mahogany body. I've never seen another like it.

[@corneliuscrewe8165]

Love those original series McCarty’s.

[@liorauf]

Amazing!!!

[@JosephKang]

I love my McCarty II slim hollowbody!

[@Barry_Poe]

I can't believe they let him play that without taking that jacket off! Both sounded and looked great.

[@MrPrincebass99]

I have an ‘01 McCarty with the wide-fat neck, and Duncans. Zebra ‘59 in the neck, and a zebra Custom Hybrid in the bridge. Two volumes, a toggle, and no tone knob. It screams.

[@timarnold1024]

Love my 25th Anniversary McCarty! The Narrowfield pickups sound great, especially the bridge. If you get the chance then try one. It feels perfect when standing. Very balanced.

[@mcflotty]

Man, I’m just a guy that loves guitar. I’ll never be famous but I have a history I’m proud of, that I won’t go in to lol. In 2005 i was in my mid 30’s and the most I ever paid for a guitar (I played professionally) was about $1,200.00. I fell in love with a 20th Anniversary McCarty in a store in Greenwich Ct. I think it was around 3K then. Somewhere in that ballpark. It has (not had) moon inlays and I was in love. I had a wife, two kids and struggled to justify this purchase as the rock star dreams had passed by this point. I kept going into this store and playing it and hoping the manager or someone would take a sine to me and find a way to drop the price lol. I purchased that guitar. It’s been my hero and life partner since then. There isn’t a single thing I can pick apart on it. The wife of the time is gone, but the guitar is still with me. Loyal as a Labrador. In 2021, I purchased a single cut McCarty 594 and though total different holds the same place in my heart. If I had fame and notoriety you couldn’t make me a signature guitar because it already exists. The quality of this company is so over the top I don’t even know how to properly articulate my feelings but I think Paul said it best. It’s like a high class drug. If you sit on the couch and play it (paraphrasing) you don’t feel any pain and you don’t have a hangover. Though I have guitars from all the manufacturers that matter, the PRS shines above them all in every measurable way. And I bought that guitar not knowing a single thing about Ted, but now that I do, I feel even better about my loyalty to you. Thank you very much for giving me the one thing in my life that never lets me down and always makes me happy.

[@FoundryStreetJason]

I have a 2000 McCarty and it is absolutly the best guitar I have ever played or owned.

[@Svantebolos]

Nice series

[@joaquinvildoza762]

QUE BELLEEEEEZA AMIGO PABLOOOOO

[@nicolasgamond5658]

I have one of the very first '94 McCarty signed by Ted (#19/100). It looks exactly the same as the one from the archives except mine has birds inlays. My favorite instrument.

[@swede7160]

Great video!I love my DGT.

[@johnk3195]

Love my 07 Smokeburst McCarty. She’s a lifer for me.

[@RiotBadger]

Would love an ‘archives’ around the Singlecut development and subsequent clusterfuck of a lawsuit!

[@ml-ed4sc]

the artist series ii was 22 frets with that same stop tail. came out a year before the mccarty was released.

[@anotherstart1]

Best guitars made today! Hands down best quality regardless of price point. The SE line is better than Gibson USA guitars, and NO finish issues

[@poppy149]

I am ready to rock🎸✊

[@bluesborn]

My '99 McCarty looks quite close to the prototype although my c.m top isn't as nice. The striping isn't as tight and defined as this one but I have always dug a more understated PRS anyway and the moons instead of birds conform nicely to that vibe. I got mine used a few years ago and was sold from the moment I picked it up. At just over 7lbs it's the lightest PRS I've owned and I suspect the nicest sounding as well.

[@samz9121]

My dream guitar is a SC McCarty Hollowbody spec'd to the nines. I pray I'll be able to afford one in the years to come.

[@BarqB]

One of these days Alice, One of these days, Im gonna have a McCarty

[@frednance3988]

I remember this

[@jaymax3201]

Im ready✊

[@scottmatheson2390]

The McCarty is my muse and my baby

[@brentmarcum1806]

My baby is a 97 McCarty in royal blue, all stock and only comes out for special occasions. The only guitar I have owned that is a keeper out of about 20 or so

[@lucasheidenreich7861]

Love my McCarty!

[@Rolli6669]

So when are you guys going to do your version of the flying v. I would love to see PRS contours on a classic flying v shape with the PRS headstock.

[@greenchilaquiles]

What color is this and why can't I find a modern McCarty in the same color?

[@LPCustom3]

I played that 1st guitar that David brought at NAMM in 1992!! It was amazing! I got to play it before he did.. Sorry David..

[@tonechaser7174]

Anyone else wanna see them open every case in there, or just me ?

[@Reverendtiger]

Do the EVH prototype!!

[@icezydrift]

One day my friend, one day.

[@jasonsapp792]

I have 3 McCarty's and each are keepers...well all of my PRS qualify as keepers in my mind

[@roncollins6259]

Just traded my prized S.G. standerd and some cash. It Was the best S.G. I ever played for a 1997 McCarty. The P.R.S. was that good. Serious mojo.

[@michaelshiller7713]

Paul's ear for tone: 4:35 plays the guitar unplugged and says "nice mid range"

[@kbkman7742]

I am glad they chose to make 22 fret models

[@riccovrea841]

I wish Paul would remake the Mccarty as it was and offer a trem model

[@iklimhunianrumahbordil9375]

best binding is wothout binding

[@camilolym]

👑❤️‍🔥♾

[@grantcindrich]

The dragon video destroys all of these facts, which video is a better reference?

[@maximeclement5566]

quel tiran de corde à l'origine ?

[@Eric_In_SF]

Oops, sorry DG, that 94 sounds just a little bit better than the 92. A little more dynamic and punchy. Could just be hotter pick ups

[@iklimhunianrumahbordil9375]

thats the prototype of prs se

[@matt_phistopheles]

"It still has the single dot at the 12th fret"- When did this change? My beloved '97 McCarty still has the single dot at the 12th fret and that's the only negative point I've ever found on this guitar in all these years (that says a lot I guess).

[@jaketurner3890]

I also have a '97 McCarty same one dot 12th fret side marker. I've seen them as late as early 2000's models.

[@Djarra]

I think the single dot was a nod to Martin. Who also only ever use one. Personally I prefer it, although I'm happier with none whatsoever.

[@hughsnyder891]

IMHO you have to be Duane Allman to sound like him . Derek Trucks does a great job but he’s himself which is a good thing 😊

[@Jedlmind]

Please bring back the moons on the McCartys.

[@gregs8685]

Webster I second that. I have a 2004 McCarty in dark cherry burst, with moons. It actually looks very similar to David’s McCarty in this video. It is a fantastic guitar and the moons I think are perfect for it. Anything more flashy would ruin it for me; I think the birds take attention away from the overall aesthetic of the guitars. If they started offering the new McCarty 594 with moons I’d be very tempted to add one.

[@bluessticker7812]

Andai saja aku bisa dapatkan gitar ini Ya Allah... Rabbighfirlii = Ya Tuhanku ampunilah aku Warhamnii = dan sayangi aku Wajburnii = dan tutuplah aib-aibku Warfa'nii = dan angkatlah derajatku Warzuqnii = dan berilah aku rezeki Wahdinii = dan berilah aku petunjuk Wa'aafinii = dan sehatkanlah aku Wa'fuannii = dan maafkanlah aku Salam dari Kebumen -Jawa Tengah - Indonesia🇮🇩

[@adrianplaysguitar]

SE McCarty for 2020!!

[@eduardorosariol9222]

When are we going to see a legit multifoil???

[@jerryx2000]

I love it when old guitars looking like brand new. Not like all the aged horseshit's nowadays. This is my SE maple: kzbin.info/www/bejne/h4aqooB8Zah5mtU

[@mrnorbotron3308]

Neck is too wide and fat, pretty uncomfortable.