As per the title, I have a McCarty from way back with the original pickups in. It's dark, the neck especially so. It appears to have a rosewood neck too, which may contribute towards the darkness.
So.....how to brighten it up a bit? I play, badly, bluesy stuff mainly although I am always tempted by country twang, which my CE24 does extremely well. The CE24 has a VHII at the bridge and a Jazz at the neck, which works pretty well, although I still find the bridge a bit jangly.
I quite fancy a set of humbucker size P90s in it, or some combination including a P90 in the neck. Don't suggest a JB as I just got rid of one of those in the CE24 as I hated it beyond reason. I also have a Sheraton with Stormy Mondays in it, which I like but may be too subtle for the MCCarty, and an LP with Classic 57/57+, which I also like but is not the most dynamic combination. Any thoughts?
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The obvious choice would be 57/08s, wired with the partial tap that PRS use on their latest guitars.
If you are looking at a P90 in a humbucker casing then the Bare Knuckle Mississippi Queen or Nantuckets are worth looking at
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@Keefy good point about the treble bleed capacitor. Unlike the PRS Customs, the McCarty doesn't have one. It shouldn't make a difference at full volume, but if the OP does play with the volume backed off, that will be part of the reason it sounds darker compared to a Custom.
Good call by @handsomerik , curious what results you will get whichever way you go.
The rosewood necked version does sound different to the standard one. It has a lovely warm sound, with a lot going on in the low mids, but it really doesn't cut through in the same way.