Here are my 3, although the Pheonix is now back at the original owners and the light blue one is up for sale (although it looks like I may be keeping it)
not a Mcnaught ( awesome guitars) Thorn's are also the exact DC specs your after.
the only real difference is that
a) Mcnaught uses the longer neck tenon and Ron uses the shorter one
B) Mcnaught are more handmade work while Thorn uses some CNC. Quality is pretty equal i think.. Thorn's tend to be a little less money too, both of mine were under $2600
true..Ron Thorn "wait list" has definately increased as of late, it's all those guys ordering 2 or 3 of them at a time , with the new singlecut model he announced he took a mess of new orders for them too last week
My #1 guitar since I got it 3 1/2 years ago is a chambered McNaught with Rios. It is one of my alltime favorite guitars in 42 years of playing. The neck is one of the absolute nicest playing necks I've ever played and it cuts through the mix incredibly without any harshness.
Thanks, Marty. Thats the kind of stuff I need. Great stuff from the others McNaught owners as well, but keep those opinions coming. I'll probably (happily) end up with one soon. AC
2 Doublecuts, 1 singlecut, 1 Orion, and 1Phoenix. All of them are equipped with the Rio P/U's. I ordered the Orion with a Wagner Darburst in the bridge, and 2 SR singlecoils in the neck and middle positons.
My Mcnaughts are very consistent, reliable guitars. I gig all 5 of mine on a regualr basis, and they cut through the mix extremely well.The workmanship, playability, and tone are top notch. The amount of sustain that these guitars have just floors me. I also like the soft V neck carve that all 5 of mine are equipped with. The Dave's are also great guys to work with, and were very helpful throughout the build process.
The Thorn doublecuts are also exceptional guitars, (I own a P90 equipped Thorn doublecut as well) You will have a longer build time with Thorn, but it would be worth it in the end.
I should add that I have never liked the feel of "V" shaped necks, preferring round, fat neck carves but the "soft V" neck on my McNaught feels and plays great.
Thanks, guys. I'm buying that tasty McNaught hollow double cut w/Rios. It sounds sooooo creamy, but the thing that surprised me the most (and based on other attempts at this I initially saw it as extraneous) was the AWESOME coil split sounds! Wow! Veeerrry Strat-like when split, especially on the neck. The sustain, of course, was unreal. Overall a very dynamic, rich sounding, and surpirsingly versatile piece. I'll forward pix when it's in my greedy little hands. Regards, AC
Just picked up this 2004 VSC that is in dead mint brand new shape. I've purchased factory direct new guitars that have more tiny minor issues than this does.