The Paul Reed Smith McCarty solid-body electric guitar is named after ex-Gibson president Ted McCarty, one of the most important designers in electric guitar history. This is a premium instrument of the highest quality that can play a wide range of music ranging from jazz to hard rock. 

The McCarty was introduced in 1994 and its mahogany body is thicker than the run-of-the-mill PRS. Equipped with a maple top, the instrument provides bright tones and excellent sustain. The 25” mahogany “wide/fat” neck has a rosewood fingerboard and 22 large frets and a massive heel joining the body. The neck is slower than a Strat but still fast. Access all the way up the neck is fine.

The hardware is of the top quality you would expect at this price: vintage style tuners deployed on the characteristic PRS headstock along with a one-piece PRS stoptail bridge. The guitar holds its tune well.  A cool added feature is that the tone pot is a push-pull that will cut the inside coils of the humbucking pickups to deliver a single-coil sound.

With the volume controls dialed down you get silky smooth, clean jazz tones. The neck pick-up is ideal for country and rock rhythm. Pushed, the bridge pick up gives a nice growl and stinging leads. The tapped-single coil sound is very crisp and thoroughly clean.