PAF Pickups Explained: What Are They and Why Are They So Legendary?
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- PAF or Patent Applied For pickups are the original unobtainium of the guitar pickup world. These legendary pickups are as desired as they are mysterious. So what are PAFs really? And why are they so revered? We talk to Joshua Spataro from Righteous Sound Pickups to get the full scoop on the PAF.
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Have you ever played a real set of PAFs? What did you think? Worth the hype or nah?
nah.
I have a three sets in each of my three guitars. They're all over the place in terms of output and touch sensitivity, so much so that I can (and do) absolutely love one set, like the other, and dislike the third set. Anyone who is interested in getting an original PAF set would be wise to play through a set before dropping the crazy 1000s on them. Another surprise to me was how much my harness and pots changed the sound. Worth chasing the dragon, as long as you are being systematic about how you're working towards that final tone (otherwise you'll spend tons of money and might never inch closer towards your goal).
yes and yes..but has to be a good set tho ..shit ones are shits
Yes I have many sets. Many collectors over the years have had some good sets and some really bad sets. I will find the actual article Joshua from HomeWrecker Pickups did. He picked up many sets in 2000 that were in a bargain bin. Joshua being an engineer tested them for years before designing for others. The article shows the metallurgical analysis carried out. Proving so much disinformation out there. BB who was a business partner of Will Boggs (WB pickups) deleted Joshua’s article he posted out of kindness. I guess wrong group of corksniffers right?
I remember clearly they were not happy. At the time he was high rank at ESP next to Todd doing artist repairs and builds, production managing LTD line. And at night winding for others, gigging or sessions really putting his balanced sets together.
J Hernandez from ESP/HomeWrecker was ridiculed for posting the most accurate PAF results. Basically saying in good heart, sorry not scatterwound, machine wound, didn’t always stop at 5000 so you had wonderful mismatches and other contraptions. Plus they used whatever magnet grade alnico 2345 that was available, and if they ran out whatever was the next box was up. Also he named two particular alloys, and a 3rd he didn’t like. And all the new wire is much brighter because of the lead and benzene being removed. For RoHS reasons.
But he wasn’t trying to recreate the PAF, he made Valentina. Which was if something from that time was consistent. And would be tomorrow’s classic. McSwain guitars are using these sets. I’ll have to summon Mr. J Hernandez, I know they are rebranding and about to release an entirely new site with complete blog, lessons from what he learned from masters at ESP Japan. I help solder humbuckers for him, Erika, Cristina. Who ran the online store with the Esp parts. So I’m usually answering the questions when people ask! He’s a badass player and top tier modification artist. Why would he wind pickups all day? You order their prompt. With existing volume.
I bring this up because we saw many people’s true colors come out. And HomeWrecker doesn’t bs, business built upon integrity. I’m sure if you email their site, he would be more than happy to send you the break down of what was found.
We will get someone to direct or edit how the metallurgical analysis happened, simply he melted the bad sounding ones.
I know the record label deleted the last UA-cam. Which had 100s of videos well edited from ESP days and South America tours and clinics he did in Spanish/Portugués So get enough people, he might knock it out in one swoop.
I saw someone put info up just to be informative, and all I saw was blues lawyers, and will Boggs (defaulted on investors, quite a story) all come after Joshua for being informative. What was his response?
Why should I continue with the new proprietary winder and tech with the pickups? Betcha they will be nice once they see over the years all this wire I stocked on. And I thought germanium was worth a lot! He’s not wrong. game, then see endorsements and accolades.
I developed these so I can solve my own problem. But if the real players just backordered having my back on this, I’ll deliver before tour. He did. And swept indie music channel awards. Designed for solo dallas SD-71 as well
I’d say besides Throbak #HomewreckerPickups #JHernandez is the only one on par with John Gundry who he highly respects for his research. Real recognizes real. When Hernandez hits the throttle on this rebranding finalization. From what I know is, there’s a vintage line, and germanium he’s finally releasing.
The product sells well since it’s a lot of restore work they fly him out directly for. Can’t blame a player to keep getting that session money, and other hustles. But the ladies running things said he knows it’s time to release and make use of the NOS wire bought in Silicon Valley.
I’ve got Joshua’s first set of his R-Tops. I will NEVER sell them. They are just so good. Incredible
That is too dang cool!
People really overlook the potentiometers, the pots in the old bursts were reading 600k to 700k... that really contributed to the sound. Also look into rewind electric, james from rewind still has some of the old 50s wire gibson used to make those pafs... that old wire does make a huge difference.
I have a SD Pearly Gates in the bridge, and a SD Jazz in the neck, and that combo sounds amazing. I know there's a lot of newer pickup builders but if I ever want to mod a guitar the first brand I go to is Seymour Duncan, have not encountered a bad pickup from them.
I have played and owned electric guitars for 50 years. I only recently mod’ed any. One guitar got Lollars and one got Duncan/Lover PAFs. I thought the Duncans were phenomenal, easily amongst the best I ever heard. There were a number of sounds I associated with great PAFs and the Duncans got them all.
Which model did you get - Seth Lover or Pearly Gates or...?
It says in my comment that they are Duncan/Lover PAFs. Unlike another commenter, I had heard a set of Duncan bass pickups and was unimpressed. So, I was even more thrilled about how perfect the PAFs are.
I recently started getting into modding too. I was heavily on the fence with the Duncan Seth Lovers, but ended up going with the Retrospec'd Antiquity. I really like them so far. I would love to try the Seth Lovers though
The absolute best Clone you can get is from Srephen's Designed Pickups. The guy that winds these has literally cloned the old P.A.F in every detail imaginable! all the way
down to the old wire ,materials for the pole pieces and dimensions of the bobbins. He is the professor of the P.A.F clone. They are very expensive though.
If your looking for a great pickup Rightious sound is the only way to go! If your looking for some killer strings…. Stringjoy is probably the best in my opinion! Great string made in nashville by real people. This video is the best of everything! Ryan is so good at presenting things.
Great video, I found it super interesting. Joshua definitely knows his onions.
The best PAF replicas out there IMO (apart from mine) are Stephens Designed pickups by Dave Stephens. He has New old stock wire from the 50s
I have three Tokai "Les Paul's" and absolutely love them! All from different era's and all great. I'm a total Tokai fanboy! Now it's time for a Tokai Strat...
9636 Lane Oval
Great video.
As you said, the patent number actually issued Gibson wasn't even for the pickup! Another interesting factoid, Ray Butts at Gretsch proved he had the idea for a humbucking pickup before Seth Lover, so even though Gibson filed for a patent before Gretsch, the patent office gave Gretsch an earlier patent number than Gibson (maybe that is partially the reason Gibson didn't bother using the patent number issued for their pickup?). In truth, other inventors had made humbucking pickups before either Butts or Lover. Interesting video - I'll check-out his RAF pickups. I have a set of the infamous Dave Stephens (SDpickups - "Stephen's design") about 15+ years ago, before his prices and wait time became insane. Every type of pickup he made me sound great, and I especially love his P-90 set in my LP Special, have his humbuckers in another LP Special (I don't like having a maple cap). I have other guitars with Epiphone humbuckers, however, and they need upgrading. Cheers!!
Glad someone mentioned Dave Stephens he has been a mentor of mine, he's shared a huge amount of information with me, my pickups improved in leaps and bounds based on his advice, he has researched every aspect of the PAF right down to the compound ratios of the metals and the resonant frequencies of each individual part. I cant thank him enough, if your lucky enough to actually own a set of his pickups you have a quality product.
I've just recently had the Seymour Duncan Green Magic set fitted to one of my Heritage H-150's, so a variation on a PAF and different again from the SD '59's that Heritage fit as standard, i still have those in my other H-150. The '59 is Alnico 5 and the GM Alnico 2 so even aside from the phase part of the equation the GM sounds more PAF to me whereas the '59 is essentially a 'modern' PAF, both are fabulous in their different ways.
Pretty good video,
The magnets were whatever they had in-stock. They were a different formula back then than. Most of the magnets now are made in China vs. the made in U.S.A. back in the `50's-`60's. They got magnets from 4 or 5 different foundries/manufactures. They were trying to make a pickup that sounded like a P-90's but without hum. I've played alot of PAF's over the last 50 years. I've played some that were great and some that weren't great..
7106 Yazmin Divide
I have been playing on and off for 15 years and I feel like a complete guitar noob just listening to this.
0409 Carmen Knoll
Emie Plain
The reason no can make a PAF like the ones from the 1950's is because the wire that was used stoped being a long time ago. All winder can do today is try to copy sound. Like old wood made those Les Pauls go along time ago to and that is why the custom shop Les Pauls do not even come close to sounding the real ones.
You can still buy 42AWG plain enamel copper magnet wire just like what was used in PAFs, it's a pretty standard product used in many industries, there would be no reason to discontinue it.
Dominger pickups make the best humbuckers around I'd say.
I use wizz PAF
Great pu's also Give "8Bomb custom workshop" a look at. He has a channel here on YT. incredible stuff.
He build 59 guitars from scratch as well.
Does Joshua Spataro have a youtube channel ?
Yes, but it's not active. You should encourage him to jump into the YT game! ua-cam.com/channels/GHceAKjd3iWD9OwtkTgxQA.html
Rhoda Mountains
Gonna make a PAF! ok....which one? Uh, "like this one I pulled out of my guitars...."
Josh
We like him too!
Did someone say "fetish?"
I am a fan of CHEAP p/u's. There are some amazing p/u's that don't cost a fortune. Like Gibson a name on something doesn't mean shit most of the time.
machine that the wire no longer around. Why some winder will say that have some old wire. Why no PAF sound like the real ones. T Tops still be made
I made a T-top sounding pickup by taking a Gibson 490R (7.5K) i had laying around and swapping
the magnet to a short bar roughcast A5. Sounds great! very page sounding.
2927 Viva Rue
Stephens Designed pickups makes bes PAF
Lexi Drive
Pee ay and eff. 🌈 reading rainbow!
Was not jus the PAF it was also the very old woods used to build thoes Les Pauls. Wire is long gone so is that old wood. Why Gibson can never real Les paul just a cheap copy way over priced.
The wire is still readily available
Righteous Sound makes great PAFs, but they're FAR from the only vendor offering great PAFs today. Planet Tone Pickups makes a 1959 Heritage pickup that walks all over the Seymour Duncan 59, for example, as well as several other PAF variants. I've heard great things about Lindy Fralin's Unbucker and have personal experience with DiMarzio's 36th Anniversary PAF bridge pickup, which sounds really good in my 335-style archtop. The challenge for guitarists is to learn as much as possible about pickups, reading user reviews and finding a cooperative pickup winder to create the PAF that meets their needs. I enjoy working with Jose from Planet Tone. Nice guy and really knows his stuff. That's also true of Jason Lollar at Lollar Pickups, T.V. Jones at T.V. Jones Pickups, and the aforementioned Lindy Fralin. There are many other reputable pickup winders today. It's a buyer's market right now.
Of course, there are a lot of great pickup companies these days and a lot of great takes on the PAF. This isn't paid promo for RS or anything, Joshua is just a friend with a lot of knowledge in the subject.
I’m glad you mentioned Jose at Planet Tone. They have SO many great options and variants. PAF, Hi Gain, Single Coil, P90, and any other flavor you can think of. I recently put a set of Planet Tone “Legacy’s” (A5 bridge, A2 Neck) on my Les Paul Traditional Pro. Night and Day difference from the original Gibson 57 Classics.
Shameless plug....I make a set of "Artesian" PAF replicas made in South Australia, they will be on the next episode of the Doug and Pat show....as long as Doug and Pat are still alive by then.