The term PAF stands for Patent Applied For, which is a decal that Gibson affixed to the bottom of their humbuckers in the late '50's and early '60's. The term PAF has become a generic term for all Gibson humbuckers, which can lead to confusion and misinformation.

There were 3 eras of original Patent Applied For pickups:

#1 Pre-PAF decal version: These were the early ones, as used in some '57 Goldtops

#2 The 1st PAF decal version: These were used in the '58-'60 Bursts, some were all black bobbins, some had one black and one cream bobbin, or both cream bobbins. These pickups varied a lot in output due to the inconsistant winding techniques used by Gibson at the time

#3 The 2nd PAF decal version: These were made when Gibson switched over to a different type of winding machine with an automatic shut off when a certain amount of winds were on the bobbins. These are more consistant in output. Around this time Gibson changed the magnet size, they wanted to standardize the size so they could use the same magnet in all their pickups, like the P-90 and Melody Maker pickups.

'Bumblebee' is a term used for the old black Sprague paper-in-oil molded caps. They used stripes to designate the values of the capacitors, they looked like bumblebee stripes.

This was the designation inside of the humbucking pickup rings that Gibson used, these will have the 'legs' inside for the screw holes.




50's Vs. Historic Parts

The Volute was extra wood that was on the back of the neck behind the truss rod nut location, this was used to beef up this area, as this was the weakest part of the neck.  

Older wrap tailpieces and stop tailpieces were made of an aluminum alloy, which made them very light in weight. They were difficult to manufacture and plate, therefore later these were made of a different, but heavier, material. The old lightweight tailpieces are 2-3 ounces lighter than a heavy alloy one.

The 'Gold' finish is actually bronze powder mixed in with clear lacquer, then sprayed onto the guitar. When you see a goldtop with 'green' areas, this actually is the bronze
powder in the lacquer oxidizing. 

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What is a "pancake" body?

In the '70's, Gibson decided to laminate bodies together using two pieces of thinner mahogany with a thin middle laminate. Hence the term 'Pancake' body.

The old celluloid material Gibson used in the old days was much different in many ways than the material used presently. The grain pattern in the old inlay material usually had a much less mottled appearance than its modern counterpart, and the color differed slightly. The older inlay material was also much thinner in thickness than the modern material. The old inlay material was also prone to shrinkage, as is evident on old Gibson guitars.

The material used on older Gibson side dots was of a translucent tortiseshell-colored material. The color varied from dot to dot depending on where it was cut in the material.

Centralab was the manufacturer that made potentiometers for Gibson in the old days, they had a very smooth taper that many players desire.

Centralab 500K ohm Pot ~ Up Close

The braided wire that Gibson used was a cloth covered wire inner core with a braided shield over it. On Gibson guitars, the inner wire was the hot or positive wire, and the braided shield was used as ground or negative.

The bottom line is that there are nine (9) weight relief holes in production LP Standards, and seventeen (17) in the Class 5 Les Paul, and there is a difference between "dynamic sound chambers" and "weight relief holes".
1.The Les Paul Class 5 is the only Custom Shop model Les Paul that has weight relief holes (17 of them).

2: The Historic 58' & 59' Les Paul's DO NOT have weight relief holes (the lightest mahogany available is used for these guitars).

3: None of the Custom Shop Historic Reissue Les Paul Goldtop models have weight relief holes.

4: The Les Paul Elegant has the dynamic sound chambers, not weight relief holes. The Les Paul Class 5 has the weight relief holes, and not dynamic sound chambers.

5: Gibson U.S.A. does drill weight relief holes in their Les Paul models. They drill 9 holes, versus 17 for the Les Paul Class 5.
According to Gibson, they have done extensive testing and as long as the holes are not near the bridge or tailpiece (which would affect sustain), they do not have an adverse impact on tone.