Best PAF pickups

[rene495]

Who do you think makes the best 1959 PAFs?

[dc007]

Gibson did in 1959

There are a LOT of boutique winders out there today that do fabulous jobs. Problem is they are not cheap but when you see what real PAF pups are bringing that makes them look a little more reasonable. PAF has become a buzz word in guitar circles with most people referencing guitar tones from the 60's through the 80's that they associate with PAF tone. So now that we have my sermon out of the way ..............Will list the ones I have experience with

1. Wolfetone Legends....Affordable, and very good 'old' tone type humbucker. These are what I finally stopped searching on.

2. Sheptone Blue Sky.....Alnico IV magnets...more of a dryer sound but very musical. A tie as my second favorite with Wolftone Dr. Vintage. Took those out of my R9 and they now reside in the SG.

3. Wolfetone Dr. Vintage....an exact type wind from Wolfetone designed to make a new guitar sound old. These are very PAFish although some will call them bright and thin. Real Paf's were a little on the bright/thin side but once you get a Marshall Super Lead cooking they start sounding pretty good.

4. Dimarizio 36th Anniverysary......does not resemble a PAF in design but sure does a good job of sounding like one for not much money at all.

There are LOT's of good discussion over at the Les Paul forum. I got a lot of good ideas there when I started my search.

[HammeroftheGods25]

Glad to see you mentioned the dimarzios. gonna get those when I have the money. are they good for lower gain as well?

[MikeGarveyBlues]

There's a lot of good PAF replicas out there. I've got the Bare Knuckle Mule Set which i'm liking now i've mainly sorted the microphonics issue.

Seymour Duncan do different variations on the theme as do many boutique winders...

Don't think there's many pup makers who don't.

Problem with the authentic PAF's is that they varied greatly so there's no definative version of what a great PAF is.

[kaicho8888]

"Patent Applied For" Gibson humbuckers are alway deemed desireable. Is there a defining sound for PAF or is this just a method of pickup build pre '62? To this day, I have no idea what a PAF should sound like. I've got PAF's stickers on some PU and they vary in sound... Of course I only have a few PAF's to compare and they're installed in different guitars.

I also have "Patent No." PU on mid '60's. However, I don't know if it's the PU or the guitar itself that makes the difference...or the inconsistencies in making PU's.

So what IS the sound of a PAF anyways?

[dc007]

When I think PAF tone

Early ZZ Top
Allman Brothers
Free
Peter Green
Early Eric Clapton......

[Ross6860]

I've been playing the pickup shuffle for the last few weeks. So I'll give what I know.think. I read a lot before I bought anything.

Describing a pickup is like describing wine. Sweet, warm, harsh, bright, dark, what the hell do those words even mean? I like Cabernet, my wife says it tastes like cat piss. She like German Whites, I think they are a little too sweet.

A pickup I think is too bright, you may find just right. I also think it matters what kind of guitar you are putting it in. The same pickup in a ten-pound LP with a maple top may sound different in a 7 pound all mahogany SG. Now throw in pots, caps, vintage or modern wiring, and you'll go crazy.

First. Read the above posts. There is no such thing as a strict "PAF". Gibson's QC wasn't very good back then. Records show they used every Alnico alloy from 2 to 5 at some point. They didn't wind to a specific number of turns. They wound "until they were full". If the winder was reading his PLayboy instead of watching the machine, you get an "overwound" pickup. It was an accident, not a conscious act. They didn't even specify a bridge or neck pickup, they were interchangeable back then. In general PAFs run in the range of low to mid 7k ohms and are wound with 42 gauge enamel-coated wire, typically with A2 or A5 magnets (but not always).

The builders claim to have reverse engineered the PAF. Some may have improved it. Most make a range of PAFs. Some even let you specify the DC resistance (roughly equates to turns), wire size, magnet type, etc. Like swapping tubes you can spend a lot of money chasing your tail.

For the record, I'm not chasing anyone's specific tone. Looking for my tone.

Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan make good stuff, by reputation (I own neither). SD Antiquities may be worth a look.

As we speak, I'm installing a set of Wolfetone Marshallheads in my 01 LP Std. This is on the higher end of the PAFish scale (8.3k and 8.8k). I'll comment when I can get to play them.

I have a set of Skatterbrane Yangbranes in my 01 LP Classic. Skatterbrane makes a wide range of humbuckers, most in the PAF vein. I think like these so far, but no definitive judgement. I've only had them for a week or so. These are in the high 7k low 8k range.

I have a set of Sheptone ABs on order. Again, comments when they are installed.

The real "find" so far is from a local winder near Columbus, Ohio. $135 with covers for a pair of humbuckers. Brandonwound is the company, Jared Brandon is the winder. These are currently in my Epi LP Trad Pro, and I think they are staying put. I like them enough to have decided to keep the guitar. These are in the high 7k range and wound with vintage wire, but not vintage spec PAF wire. They are also on NOS bobbins (clear polycarbonate bobbins, at that). I find them warm, and sweet compared to a Gibson 490r/498t set, or the EPi set that came out of the guitar. FWIW this guitar does not have a maple cap, all mahogany.

Jared will wind whatever you want, you call him and tell him what you're after. Custom pups are $190 a set with nickel covers. The ones I bought were stock items, hence the lower price.

I have a 57 Classic set, 57 Classic & Classic Plus, 490r/498t, a questionable PAF set, Carvin C22s, plus the others I mentioned. If you have any questions about these send me a PM, I've written way too much already

[HammeroftheGods25]

Originally Posted by kaicho8888

"Patent Applied For" Gibson humbuckers are alway deemed desireable. Is there a defining sound for PAF or is this just a method of pickup build pre '62? To this day, I have no idea what a PAF should sound like. I've got PAF's stickers on some PU and they vary in sound... Of course I only have a few PAF's to compare and they're installed in different guitars.

I also have "Patent No." PU on mid '60's. However, I don't know if it's the PU or the guitar itself that makes the difference...or the inconsistencies in making PU's.

So what IS the sound of a PAF anyways?

I always say the best humbuckers (IMHO PAFs) sound more like singe coils. Bright, yet fat, very "hollow." I like to say they sound "squeezy" but no one knows what that means. they sound sweet too but again, what does that really mean?

For some reason duane and dickey got a slightly different PAF tone. Theres a swell after the pick attack. can't describe it more than that. I'm sure you guys know what I mean.

Even though jimmy page probably had paf's in his les paul he didn't have what I would call a paf tone, live or in the studio. his tone always sounds quacky to me. a bridge paf can have a healthy amount of honk and quack, but not to much. theres low end there too.

[rene495]

I knew this would of been a good thread. I'm tired of spending all my money on pickups and not getting that real 59 tone. Who do yall think makes the best 59 as close sounding as the real deal and not their own version of them

[rene495]

With so many people making their own version of a paf I just want to find the closest thing to the real deal and not have to spend $600 On a set. I think I'd pay $250 Max. What happens if I don't like the tone after a month then im stuck with them.