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Thoughts on the "best" PAF reproduction


kim2288

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I'm interested in your thoughts on who you think makes the best replicate of a PAF. There's a slew of handwinders out there, all claiming to reproduce the PAF faithfully, but we all know it's all about the sound. I'm planning to gut my LP for all new electronics, starting with the PUs. They're just OK; I need them to sing. The guitar itself is too good of a player to replace it with another and its quite a looker, too. Those flame tops!...

So who has the real tone monster...any thoughts?

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For me it would be the BB Pros or '57 Classics for real PAF sounds. I've heard things about SD's and a few other big name manufacturers but haven't tried them myself.

If you are looking at other manufacturers I'd consider the toneriders or BG pickups, I've heard great things about both. The thing about the PAF sound to me is that it is a sound based upon variations in windings so basically they weren't consistent to begin with. Which PAF sound is the one that is being targeted for which pickup? For me I want something a little bit loose in the bottom end without sounding thuddy or muddy, some good mids and tighter around the high end without being shrill.

The BB Pros were exactly what I was looking for, but others can't stand them. I hate the 490R/498T pickups and others love them. Its going to really come down to what your definition of a good PAF sound is in the end. Listen to some of the clips on the tonerider and BG websites and try to concentrate on the harmonic overtones and coloring rather than the amps. I hate the fact they recorded all of their clips through amps that I will probably never be able to afford. They sound amazing most of the time though.

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Not talking about specifics, but my fave PAF type 'buckers always seem to be those that a bit microphonic. Both the standard Pups in my '06 Tokai love rock and the original Pups in an old '70s "Pearl" LPC copy I have sound wonderful, but can get squealy in high volume/high gain situations.

Funnily enough, my favourite Gibson 'buckers are an old (80's or earlier) PAF type pair that I currently have fitted to a Eoi G400...they are a little microphonic too, but they all seem to have that warm creamy feel to them, more so than pretty much anything else I have got.

Does anyone know if wax potting the pickups actually chamges the sound of them?

:thu:

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... The thing about the PAF sound to me is that it is a sound based upon variations in windings so basically they weren't consistent to begin with. ....


We have a Winner!! :) ... the original Gibby PAF was all over the place, some sounded sweet and others not so much.
For a great sounding HB, I'd highly recommend checking out some of the BG-Pups offerings.

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No PAF can really be an exact copy because of the variations in winding that the originals all had. That said, I believe a lot of the appeal comes from the fact that they weren't wax potted. My favorite sounding PAF type humbucker (so far) are Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers. Fralin Unbuckers are a little nicer if you plan on splitting them and doing stuff like Jimmy Page wiring in your guitar. PAF style pickups really shine at the neck position. At the bridge they are o.k. but lack the mid hump that you need there sometimes. I have a Schaller humbucker that I pulled out of a Heritage hollowbody that I love at the bridge. I don't know the exact model number of it though....wish I did.

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Best is really subjective, especially when dealing with the variations in construction that are mentioned above.

 

Are you looking for an authentic repro (materials, construction, etc.)?

 

How much $$$?

 

The modern PAF clone that had the best tonal complexity and touch responsiveness to my ears was the Tom Holmes, but these will run you more than $600 for a pair. They weren't cheap to start with, but when Holmes put PU winding on the back burner the price went way up. Another high priced (but in production) option is Wagner; great PU's designed to nail some famous recorded tones.

 

If you want authentic in a mass-produced PU, you'll have a hard time beating the Seymour Duncan Seth Lovers. Scatter-wound, unpotted, AlNiCo II mags. It's about as authentic you can get from a assembly line piece. They run around $75-100 per PU. A few pesos more can also buy you Gibson's most authentic made versions the Burstbucker 1's and 2's, they run around $100-130 per PU.

 

These are all great choices but I'm going to recommend going another route. For about the same cost or slightly more than the Seth Lovers or Burstbucker 1/2, you can get a set handwound to *your* tastes and specs. You describe the gear you use and the tones you want and they wind to match. Many of the handwinders even offer a guarantee to rewind if they don't nail your tone the first time. Look into Manlius, High Order, and JS Moore. All have great reputations, all are custom-order, and are competitive to the big mass produced boys on prices.

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Given few of us have actually played/owned an actual PAF pickup, who can really say how close they are to the real thing?


For whatever it's worth, I really like Lollar's humbuckers in that vintage HB class.

 

 

Me. Worked the Vintage guitar thing since the early '80s.

Wanna A/B real PAFs w/a great set of repros?

Brauer Studio Rentals ( North Hollywood CA ) will let you do just that-

repros are Sheptones (yes, I bought a set...) Close as you're gonna get.

Here's the kicker though-might not be what you're looking for:confused:

 

need them to sing.=More of a function of the guitar/amp.

Pickups can only do so much.

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I tried a few different PAF types before switching out the PU's in an LP I have. I bought a pair of Gibson '57's (neck & bridge) and have been very pleased. The 57's are evenly wound, compared to the BB Pro (or BB or 490/498's) uneven windings. To my ear they have a silky snarly thing going on. Check out the difference for yourself. To that extent, the 57's are not really quite PAF clones. But they are cool.

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The thing about the PAF sound to me is that it is a sound based upon variations in windings so basically they weren't consistent to begin with.

Right. (As someone already pointed out.) That, plus the un(wax)potted construction and AlNiCo 2 mags.

 

The PAF sound was really a basket of similar sounds, rather than a particular, specific, single thing. And the microphonic character, from non wax potting, also created or allowed variation. Both between pickups and in the same pickup over time. (The microphonic characteristic sometimes got more intense over time, or simply changed.)

 

And (IMO) the specific guitar the pickups are mounted in makes a big difference. (I know some players don't agree with this.) So -- when I selected the pickups for my LP, I was really groping in the dark a bit. I was very happy with how they sounded after I installed them, but they sounded different in my guitar than they did in other LP's at the shop. (What I mean is that I played a couple of LP's that had the same model of pickups installed, to estimate what they might be like in my guitar.)

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