With sadness, Iāve decided to sell my beloved PRS 594 McCarty . I donāt use her enough as the neck radius (C shape) is too thick for my small hands. Heard a lot of people say the same thing.
It hurts when playing between my thumb and index finger and I find I do battle to do thumb muting. I use my Squire way more as itās more comfortable and easier to play.
Thinking of replacing her with a Fender Strat (Jimi Hendrix edition) - one of my favourite guitarists, long side Eric C and SRV. Love the Bluesā¦Cannot sell one and not buy something to replace it with LOLā¦
Tried a few Fender Stratās at my local guitar store and they felt comfortable and easier on the hand.
I also tried 12" fingerboard radius and I didnāt see much of a difference between that and a 9.5" but suppose Iād tried so many by then
They unfortunately didnāt have the Jimi version in stock but might be get it in for me to look at first before purchasing. They did say they would replace the strings with 10-38ās Jimi style.
Question - Any one own a Jimi Hendrix Strat and thoughts on the guitar? - the reviews seem positive.
Just my opinion but personally donāt believe in buying signature series guitars. Your paying more for something that has a famous name on it. Thatās not going to make that guitar sound better or play better.
Best thing is to go and try different guitars at a shop they are all going to feel/play a little different. If you try the one on display and get the same model from the back thatās never been out of the box there is a chance itās is not going to feel/play the same as the display.
Be sure to listen to the difference in a Hendrix vs standard. The tonal difference Iād expect is a more mellow string 1 graduating to brighter string 6. This is due to the flipped angle on the bridge pickup. Make sure this is what you want.
I agree that signature models tend to be more costly, but I am also quite fond of the sound from my Tremonti SE.
I heard they were nice and have that certain tone from back then. This is the info that I read about this new series. When I was briefly thinking about it.
They has the American Vintage 65 pickups with the reversed Bridge pickup. Thats what gives that old school tone. Also there is the reverse headstock and a Slightly wider neck. Also comes with cool vintage tuners.
Strats are good guitars, but unless you are a black-belt Hendrix nerd or attracted to headstocks installed āthe wrong wayā, then I think a run-of-the-mill normal model will do for you (or anyone, for that matter).
Itās interesting to research the setup favoured by particular players (hereās an article you might find interesting), but most of the time the lengths people go to recreate particular setups, tones and equipment collection seems to me a case of copycat syndrome.
I have a PRS Core model with the Pattern Thin neck as well as a Fender Strat. The neck on the PRS is easier to play than the Fender and I have shorter fingers than most. As a result, I play it far more more often than the Strat.
I do love PRSās, the build quality is so good. Yes, they have the Silver Sky which is a take on the Strat at the price of the Fender Playerās series.
The PRS Core series is a little out of my budget, they do have the new SE Custom 24 Quilt which comes with a āwide thinā neck which I think is the same as the Pattern Thin (I thin they changed the names)
@Jozsef
Interesting article, thank you
Yes, Iām no close to playing like Hendrix or Clapton, but I try LOL and I do agree that yes, I can get a cheaper Fender or other guitar makes e.g. Players series/PRS Silver Sky etc. and get very similar sounds to the guitarists I enjoy trying to emulate but the guitar needs to make you happy inside as well
I have both the SE McCarty 594 and the SE Silver Sky (growing case of gear acquisition syndrome). Love them both, but yes the neck on the McCarty is noticeably thicker. Fortunately I have pretty big hands so it hasnāt really bothered me and I enjoy bouncing back and forth between the two. The McCarty was an absolute steal at $649 USD as well. I think Sweetwater was clearing the last of their faded blue colorways right at the time I was looking for one, and I couldnāt help myself.
If you love PRS, Iād say go play a silver sky in a store somewhere and see how you feel about it, I really enjoy mine. Itās lighter and significantly more ergonomic than the McCarty, and still priced competitively. On the other hand, I find that my fatherās Mexican Strat is inexplicably slippery for my fretting fingers, and it put me off a bit the first few times I played it as my fingers were sliding all over the place trying to hold stretchy chords. Iāve been forcing myself to borrow and play it though and it has felt better with some additional practice. I guess itās the lacquered fretboard, but something about it just didnāt jive with me. Of course, you may like that, so who knows.
As others have said, I would definitely head to a physical store somewhere and try out everything you are considering, as the guitar that looks beautiful to you online might not feel as nice or evoke the same response in person!
Thank you all for the replies and advice
Decided to use common sense and look at the PRS Silver Sky and other variations on the Strat, so Iām going to have to make a trip to Vienna (large music store) at some point as my local music shop mainly only sells Fender. I want to get a overall feel of what is out there and what is comfortable for my hands and inspires me.
you may want to look at Ibanez for neck shape as well since you are back to shopping. I have the SEW761 with a super thin shape. I really like to pick that one up. It is not tonally the same as I hear from other peopleās Strat, but I do like the way it sounds. Dimensions are on the Ibanez site and they have a nice format to show all the dimensions so once you hold a couple you can start to make some educated guesses about the size range you like.
Iām really happy with my late 1990ās American Standard Strat. The neck is a nice compromise between too chunky and too shallow and the satin finish is very comfortable to play. Like you, I had really wanted an Eric Clapton model at the time but found it a bit expensive but in hindsight Iām more than happy with my decision to get an American Standard (black of course). I guess that when Eric Clapton was buying his Stratocaster there werenāt any Eric Clapton models to choose from at the time anyway.
Youāll have a hard time finding someone else with an artist specific series guitar on a small forum like this one.
If you want to see what one would feel like, look up the neck profile and try a strat with the same neck profile. Fender have their guitarās neck profiles on the spec page.
On what guitar go getā¦ buy the one you love. Donāt settle for one youāre not in love with. If youāre in love with a Jimi Hendrix strat, do it!
It is quite some money so buy a guitar using your head not with your heart! I.e. since you found you have a some issues with your hand this is important then so go a try out a neck shape that is good for you!!! Strats from Fender comes in may shapes and there are copies equally good.
I guess your PRS was a SE model and they are different in many ways from the parent PRS model.
The Silver Sky has a 8.5 inch radius vs the prents 7.25 an so on ! Try a do not buy until you feel comfortable :Noisy old singel coils from the days gone by is not an advantage ! The Hendrix model has a reveresed stock and bridge āsure you want that ??? Blues on a Strat - yes it is possible but block the trem like the EC strat! Use 9-42 strings Strat std or similar not special Hendrix set up!
Good hunting
This I agree with, play as many guitars as you can, then buy the one you love. So many times Iāve walked into a shop āknowingā what I did or didnāt want then fell in love with something unexpected. One of the things I mean by ānot a head thingā is donāt get caught up in the spec sheets comparing neck shapes and sizes - play them and youāll know.
Donāt take emotion out of the equation though, if you donāt love it, you wonāt play it however good it is.
Iām going to visit the large guitar store in Vienna this week and just try everything to see what feels comfortable, easy to play and enjoyable. Not going to look at brand but what is good for me and take it from there.
Sensible thing to do, never buy a guitar on reputation, go try several out spend some time with them and unless one of them grabs your heart strings walk away - you need it to tell you that you belong together!
. I donāt use her enough as the neck radius (C shape) is too thick for my small hands. Heard a lot of people say the same thing.
