New guitar - PRS McCarty Korina (Brazilian!)

Another recent addition to the ol' guitar collection is a 2007 Paul Reed Smith McCarty Korina model. This, like the 513 Mahogany and Mira, was one of the formally announced models at 2008 NAMM, even though some McCarty Korina's shipped prior to that. From a construction standpoint, it's basically the same as the now-discontinued McCarty Standard... carved body (slightly thicker than the PRS Customs), 22 fret wide-fat neck profile, PRS stop tailpiece, vintage tuners, and McCarty electronics package (2 covered McCarty pickups + 3-way switch + volume + tone + push-pull coil-split switch). The primary difference is that it is carved out of korina (obviously) instead of mahogany, which gives a slightly brighter tone and somewhat lighter weight. Also worthy of note is that the first ~500 McCarty Korinas were produced with Brazilian rosewood fretboards (vs., Indian rosewood), so this particular McKorina is equipped with the BRW fretboard. And, of course, it's finished in vintage natural with bird inlays. Can't forget about the birds...

So I've gotta start by saying... I've heard a lot of people rant & rave about Brazilian rosewood fretboards & necks over the years, and never knew if any of the hype was justified (or if it was simply a matter of folks thinking "I spent $xxx more for a guitar with Brazilian rosewood, so I've got to talk it up to make myself feel better"). Well, after playing the guitar for a whopping 5 minutes, I'd say the hype is well deserved... BRW has the smoothness of ebony with the warmth of Indian rosewood. Slides, vibratos, bends are effortless, and there is less loss of sustain when doing so. It plays like the whole fretboard has been greased down. Very cool! After playing the guitar for 30 minutes, I was already plotting... "If I sold all the PRSi I have now, how many could I buy with BRW fretboards/necks?" But that's a topic for another day...

As always, pictures are in order...





--B