Custom 24 Pickup questions

[Al Touchet]

I have a 2018 Custom 24 with 85/15 pickups and the 5 way selector. I also have a 2022 McCarty (not 594) with 58/15LT pickups. Here’s my dilemma: I love the sound of the McCarty in Humbucker mode for Classic Rock, but I’m not crazy about the split sounds on this guitar. On the Custom 24, I love the single coil sounds in positions 2 & 4 but not as crazy about the full humbucking sounds of the 85/15’s.
If I change the pickups in the Custom 24 to 58/15LT’s, I’m sure the single coil sounds in positions 2 & 4 will be wimpy and thin sounding, right? Has anyone done this and are this split sounds still good and useable? Thanks!

 

[BrianC]

It's ok to go away from PRS pups as well. I have 5 core, 4 are CU24's. I prefer Suhr Aldrich pups they give me the best of both.

 

[Lewguitar]

When you switch to "single coil" does one coil of the pickup turn completely off? Or is one coil fully on and the other only partially off?

I don't know when PRS started doing what's called a "partial split" but that's a way of splitting the coils so that both coils remain fully on and the other coil is only partially on. Just enough to beef up the sound so it doesn't sound too thin.

You might be able to wire the McCarty pickups for the new "partial split" method, if they come with 4 conductor cable.

It's simple. It involves using a resistor to ground, instead of a solid wire to ground to turn one coil off.