It's definitely the pickups, I also think you should upgrade the bridge, as I have learned the one piece nonadjustable stop tail creates A Slight slurry Tone effect.
I have a 2009 limited edition Ted DC 245. I've transformed it into the best guitar I've ever owned.
Factory set up was nice, The 5708's were good And really found them to be pretty nice, except I found a Pearly Gates swap exposed the 5708's Weakness they can have flubby power chords.
I've also owned about 20 Gibson Les Paul's many years ago, I went down the PAF rabbit hole. Experimenting with about 20 different sets. Alnico II is susceptible to flubbiness. Alnico 5, can get too Harsh. I've always struggled I can get the top 3 strings dialed in control harshness, then the bottom 3 strings are then flubby unsatisfying. Get the bottom 3 strings tight and great then the top 3 strings cut your throat with harshness.
After 15 years I finally tried the bareknuckle mule, alnico IV magnets, it was life-changing for me, finally all 6 strings, Sounded the way they're supposed to sound, crisp even tone. on every string, harmonics are available, the fantastic blooming harmonics on power chords is astounding in my opinion. I was also stupidly only putting PRS pickups in the PRS guitars.... finally put the bareknuckle mules in that McCarty, it's the Les Paul I've been looking for for 15 years, The bareknuckle mules are 1 of the highest rated, highly reviewed PAF's, very few haters. The only reason I didn't try them earlier was in the past it took 3 weeks to ship from the UK. But now you can get them overnighted.
Here it is in stockArrival, good, Very good...... but I was with you, why don't I like the sound of it?
I also had a core Mira for several years, I upgraded to the Mann made 2300 bridge, I sold that one because the neck didn't fit my hand just didn't quite fit. So I started looking at other stop tail wraparound bridge.
So the 2nd piece of the puzzle is the John Mann, mann-made bridge 2300, The individual saddles isolate the strings to keep it from getting blurry tone wise.
It's an automatic upgrade for many of the folks here. PRS's is equally good individual brass saddles intonatable, . So those are my recommendations bareknuckle pickups alnico IV,
I also decided on the uncovered versions, I did put them in other guitars, and I like the extra crisp attack with no cover,
it actually will transform the guitar, (new bridge and new Bare Knuckles) I've let a couple of friends play it the sustain is simply astounding with the new bridge everybody now wants that guitar from me. It's also part of Ted McCarty and Paul DNA in the guitar, It's an extremely high quality guitar,
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