PRS Guitars Wildwood Wood Library McCarty 594

The Wonders of the Wood Library

In a corner on the second floor of the PRS factory, there is a place that contains infinite potential for six-string savagery. Though it may look like a few racks filled with wood (not an uncommon sight in a guitar factory), reverent guitar players the world over speak its name in hushed tones: the Wood Library.

Essentially, the Wood Library is where PRS hands the reins over to Wildwood when it comes to picking wood. They allow us to customize their core line of electrics with whatever woods we want. We hand-select different tops, fingerboards, and bodies to create guitars that are totally unique to Wildwood. Once we pick the wood, our friends at PRS use their wizard-like powers of lutherie and obsessive attention to detail to turn them into some of the coolest instruments we've ever laid eyes on.

You might find, say, a CE 24 with a quilted maple top a semi-hollow McCarty 594 with an artist-grade top and a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard, or an SC-594 with a solid Indian rosewood neck and a flamed maple 10-top. The sky is the limit within the Wood Library, and we are always switching things up to create exciting and unique experiences for our customers, so be sure to check back regularly for delightful new offerings. We invite you to browse through our selection of Wildwood-exclusive Wood Library instruments and find one that inspires you.

Paul and Ted's Excellent Adventure

In the 1980s, Paul Reed Smith’s obsession with golden-era vintage guitars led him to the U.S. Patent Office, where he combed the records for clues about what made those old guitars so inspiring. One name kept popping up over and over on these old patents: Ted McCarty. Paul did a bit more digging and found that Ted McCarty was Gibson’s president from 1950 to 1966. During that time, he used his considerable engineering experience to help develop dozens of innovative designs that shaped the electric guitar into what it is today. Over the course of the McCarty era, Gibson went from selling 5,000 instruments a year to 100,000 a year.

Ted clearly knew a thing or two about building guitars and about running a guitar company. So, Paul decided to reach out to Ted and ask for an interview so he could pick his brain a little. Ted obliged him, and that interview blossomed into a decades-long friendship. They became such good buddies that Paul decided to honor Ted by designing a guitar using all of the tips and techniques he’d gleaned from their conversations. Naturally, he named the guitar after his friend. The PRS McCarty had arrived.

Ever since its birth in 1994, the McCarty model has inspired countless players with its blend of vintage tone and modern playability. It’s also a fitting tribute to Ted McCarty and his friendship with Paul Reed Smith. Throughout the years, Paul’s tireless drive to innovate has produced several delectable additions to the McCarty line: the McCarty 594, the McCarty SC-594, and the McCarty 594 Hollowbody II. After all, you can’t rest on your laurels when you’ve named a guitar after one of the greatest six-string innovators ever to live! We believe that each model combines the best qualities of old and new in one art museum-worthy package.

Wildwood Guitars is proud to showcase the fruit of Paul and Ted’s excellent adventure: the PRS McCarty. The McCarty’s excellence is a testament to the powers of collaboration and friendship. It’s proof that when two brilliant people who enjoy one another’s company roll up their sleeves and get to work, magnificent things happen. We invite you to try out this fabulous 594 and see how it inspires you. Be forewarned: once you take one for a spin, you’ll be hooked for a long, long time.