What the real deal with PAF's?

[roadrunner]

PAF' and stuff

I've been fortunate over the course of my playing career to have played and owned LP's with PAF's, also 335's, 345's and '55's. I'm very familiar with their sound. Recently, prompted by reading about all the magnet swapping with Antiquities and assorted Gibson pickups I took the plunge. I installed the magnets from a new Gibson P90 in an older set of Antiquities that I was never too fond of... a very magical thing happened; I now have a set of pickups in one of my R9's that sound as good as any PAF I've ever heard... period. The quest for "the tone" ends with this combination. This is a great forum and I am thankful to all who have shared their trials and tribulations.

 

[fl_799]

Hey...I FOUND THE PAF TONE! They are hiding in Ibanez guitars and I think they are called AH-1 or something like that!

In all seriousiness, has a forum member tried to wind their own pickups using the proper wire gauge with correct covering (formular?)? I know Seymour Duncan started by modding record players to to this early in his career. I would suppose that the uneven winding, tightness of the winding, and number of turns are as equally important to the tone of the PAF as the composition of the magnet. I agree that the old PAF tone is a tough one to get...I've owned a few before they became collectable but why nobody has really nailed the tone is beyond me. I am enjoying Frailn's today. A PAF clone?...no but I love the way they sound in my r8.

I can volunteer a pair of garbage '57 classics if anyone is interested in the name of science and tone! I just get to keep the finished "holy grail" when the experiment is over!

 

[GastonG]

Re: PAF' and stuff

I took the plunge. I installed the magnets from a new Gibson P90 in an older set of Antiquities that I was never too fond of... a very magical thing happened; I now have a set of pickups in one of my R9's that sound as good as any PAF I've ever heard... period. The quest for "the tone" ends with this combination. This is a great forum and I am thankful to all who have shared their trials and tribulations.

Told ya!
Same with me, the quest for "THE TONE" ended with this combination...
Just wait and see till EdA try this combination in his aged 40th!

Gaston

 

[toni]

Hey Roadrunner,

Welcome aboard !
I am very happy you enjoy this Great Tone.
That's why we wrote numerous post on
...back in the 80's, Gaston recorded with a Quebec artist named "Plume" with his old Burst #90910 (BTW you can see "her" in The Beauty of the Burst, Beautifull lightweight guitar).
Since that time he bought numerous guitars and pickups and he was always running after "that kind of Rich Breathy Tone" and never went even near of it.
BUT...Believe it or not, his "new" Historic with moded Antiquity's is in the same ballpark qualitywise, really, believe me, i heard it.
If you doubt, ask Gaston himself !

thanks again Big Al !

 

[darkburst]

60burst -

I haven't found anything offensive about your posts. I appreciate the feedback on pickups from those that own real PAF's, even if I do disagree with some of the posts stating that the magnet swap is a waste of time and money. Your opinions are valuable on this subject, please don't quit stating them.

Same to everybody, please keep offering your opinions. There seems to be benefit, at least to some.

 

[60burst]

Darkburst, I appreciate the support, I really do.
We are buddies again. We just misunderstood each other. shit happens. I need to learn to express myself better. Just ask my wife.
Now about these damn pickups..............:dude

 

[Sean]

Before you dismiss the Alnico II completely, I suggest you might try one (in my case, from a C57) in a neck Antiquity. For me, it added a lot of clarity, while the pickup is still very clearly a bass-sounding pickup.

The Alnico V definitely works better in the bridge though....

 

[EdA]

Well thats cool that Roadrunner found a great pickup, certainly has me more interested in doing this test. The P90 magnet Ill be receiving sometime next week. I wont do the test until after the 13th because I have a gig that night and I dont want to take a chance of screwing up my old Centralabs right before the gig.

Plaintop, Im not sure what you mean that by me doing this test isnt the best way to go. Im not sure why me using other old parts like the pots and caps has anything to do with it. My primary goal is to put an Antiquity with a P90 V in my guitar and compare it to the sound of my PAFs. 2 different pickups tested in the same guitar will answer the question of how they compare to one another. Did you think I was going to compare them in different guitars? 'Splain yourself!

 

[toni]

Ed,
i agree, all things beeing equal, you'll be able to do a fair comparo.
first, make sure it is a real Gibson....and then, Go for it ! :wail:

BTW, we could not meet our friend Dan in Montreal today, he's always working...
maybe next week we'll be able to play his 3 old Bursts and our 4 Historics side by side, just hope he'll be at home...

 

[plaintop]

Ed I didn't mean to come off harsh it must be the tone of this thread. :lol You are going to hear a different tone than some guy with an R8 and CTS pots. I just wanted everyone to keep that in mind. However, all things aside I think you will be a great resource in the determination and final resolve as to wether this modification sounds like an original PAF.

 

[EdA]

Nah, I didnt think you were coming across harsh. I was confused what you were getting at... I see now that what youre talking about is how my guitar with the antiquity would compare to other reissues, yeah thats cool, that makes sense. The older pots and caps as you say open up the guitar more. But for Antiquity vs PAF tests it will be a good comparison. You know even if I didnt have the old parts, comparing two guitars side by side would never be apples to apples anyway. Ive owned over 20 historics and played probably a 100 and they all sound different, sometimes drastically with the same pickup taken from one to another. Even more than the difference from pots and caps...

 

[darkburst]

EdA -
Sent you a couple emails but haven't heard back. Looks like they must have gone to your work email address. Don't know if you can check that on the weekend or not. They were in regards to the P-90 magnet.

 

[Mojojojo]

'57 Classics with Alnico V

Has anybody tried putting Alnico V magnets in the 57 Classics? It is interesting to note that a few people have commented that they liked the 57 Classics better than stock Antiquities. Perhaps a modded 57 Classic would be killer too - they come stock with Alnico II magnets, as I'm sure most know.

My new Goldtop sounds killer with the stock pickups, so I'm tempted to try modding them with magnets before I go the Antiquity route. Normally these pickups are the first to go, but this guitar sounds good already, so who knows.

 

[EdA]

Hey Darkburst, you must have sent them to my office, unfortunately I cant get those from home and wont be there until Monday. Heres the home email:

eda@optonline.net

 

[toni]

Mojo,

I did put the two alnico V in Classic 57's in my 58 Historic tonight,
,,,well, a definitive improvement over stock Classic 57, warmer, i would say 50% better, but still very far from moded Antiquitys.
moded Classic 57 do NOT have the double tone, and do not have that woody breathy...
they are very usable, more than many new pickups, but they do NOT have the Magik...
...and as you know, to my ears, moded Antiquitys (Gibson's alnico V), have the Magik.

 

[toni]

Darkburst, Ed,
you have mail

 

[McMad]

Mojo,

I did put the two alnico V in Classic 57's in my 58 Historic tonight,
.

Well, I opened up the junk mail and out fell the Musicians' Friend catalogue. The pickup section lists the Gibson "Angus Young" model with the Alnico V magnet and some hype about vintage sound with over the top, etc. Does this PU compare with the Antiquity mod in any way? Anyone out there used one of these? It does come with 4 wires instead of braided, so a minus to me.

Regards,

McMad