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For an affordable PAF, I would also consider the Stew Mac Golden Age PAF. I put two Alnico II's in my telecaster and it has tamed the tele twang alot - Very midsy but still clear and articulate. About $50 each.
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04-20-2014 07:50 AM
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I'll leave the full explanation to people who are more knowledgeable about these things than I am but Resistance is not a true indicator of the output level of a pickup.
Originally Posted by Jerzy
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Yes, resistance or impedance isn't really a good indication of the probable sound of a pickup. It's just marketing jargon, the highest resistance pickups are selling like hot cakes at the moment to metal players. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Agreed.I just corrected someone's else post saying it's 7.75
BTW.I love that pickup(neck).
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Just to clarify about the "hot" pickups,
from what I read around it means for sure a higher output level but this is achieved using more winding,
which produces more bass and mids and less treble.
Anyway I have a Lollar Imperial Standard in one of my guitars. To me it is a wonderful pickup, which gives
great clarity and string definition and, if needed, a nice warm sound.
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The Imperial is not my favorite PAF but it is a fine pickup. In fact, there are a whole bunch of really good candidates in this particular category and the difference between the good ones is not really all that big so everyone should be able find one that is very close to their ideal without all that much trouble. Originally Posted by Jazz_175
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I am not a pickup expert at all but I've of those listed I've used the 36th Annys and the Fralins.
I loved the 36th's in the two guitars I've had them in. Super pickup and I think really special in 25.5" scale length guitars.
I also liked the Fralins.
I would toss another name in the mix....Manlius. I have his Landmark PAF's in an Ibanez semihollow and it may be my favorite humbucker tone yet at least in a semi-hollow and this scale length.
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I've got a Dimarzio 36th in the neck of an Ibanez AFJ85. I like the pick up a lot, but I still don't love everything about the tones from the guitar. I'm a big fan of Gibson 57's too -- hard to beat IMO. I have a burstbucker equipped Midtown custom that sounds just fabulous too. Another humbucker I really like that doesn't seem to pop up on jazz radar is Seymour Duncan Slash alnico II -- nice smokey thick jazz tones (and I'm sure they rock like crazy too!)
One humbucker I've been disappointed in is the Seth Lover-- too darn clear and bright to fit my jazz sound. I won't go there again, despite all the raves out there in forum-land.
One humbucker I'm curious about is the Seymour Duncan Jazz/JB set -- especially the new antiquities set. I've read lots of bad about the Jazz neck pickup, but I've heard a couple of guitars that have me thinking otherwise . . .
So many humbuckers, so little time. . . must be time for me to practice
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I've tried many humbuckers but my personal favorite is the Bill Lawrence L-90. It has the right combination of warmth and clarity (not sterile sounding at all) and works very well for pretty much any style.
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I can concur on Manilus Pickups after owning a couple sets of PAF"s fantastic,toneful,clear,articulate,warm are all words I'd use to describe them! As good as any original PAF's or after market humbuckers available, and at a extremely reasonable price as well!
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Just talking to someone this morning about getting some pickups for my '99 ES-175 to me the guitar is too dark sounding. He said no need to spend a lot on pickup the difference in the boutique PUPs and SD is slim to none. He said for low cost good sound the SD 59 is good choice. For a bit more to consider the Seth Lover, and he said don't let the name throw you the Pearly Gates.
The SD 59 I'm familiar with has anyone used a SD Seth Lover or SD Pearly Gates PUPs in a Jazz guitar?
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If you want to increase clarity on a budget, check the Di Marzio 36th.
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I'm sure some Heritage owners must have used a Seth Lover. I believe that's one of their standard pickups. Originally Posted by docbop
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Listening to little bits of clean samples I can find that's the pickup I'm leaning toward. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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A lot of people like it but keep in mind that it's an unspotted pickup so it's gong to amplify finger noise and any contact with your pick or nails will be audible. For some people that's a non-issue (and some people prefer the sound of an unpotted pickup). For others (including me), that can be troublesome.
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Potting does not prevent nor palliate noises produced by physical contact with the p'up. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
That's not what potting does. It prevents and/or palliates, to a certain degree, the p'up to uncontrollably squeal/feedback when used with a lot of gain.
HTH,
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Potting will palliate such noises by decreasing the movement of the pickup cover when it is struck. If the pickup magnet sees less movement of metal, it will produce a weaker current in the coil etc. Originally Posted by LtKojak
I would appreciate if someone corrects me if this reasoning is wrong.
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Originally Posted by LtKojak
I agree with that description more about dealing with loose windings in the coils.
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From Lindy Fralin .... Originally Posted by LtKojak
Microphonics is that squealing or knocking sound you hear when you tap on a pickup.
From the Sweetwater site
Potting is a different matter. If your pickups (humbuckers or single coils) squeal, shriek and make a loud (and annoying) whistling noise that sounds a lot like a cheap mic feeding back, or if you touch the metal cover on a humbucker and hear a loud bang or pop, you might want to consider having the pickups potted.
If you disagree with that, I would suggest taking it up with the authors because I;m going walking with my wife.Last edited by Jim Soloway; 11-01-2014 at 02:17 PM.
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Potting is done to keep the coil wires in place and prevent the pickup from going microphonic, if the metal pickup cover comes into contact with the pole piece screws and coils slugs it can cause feedback from the vibration, the wax prevents the coils from vibrating.
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If this PAF clone type stuff interests you, I would recommend biting the bullet and buying one or two early Patent # pickups (purple enamel wire, double-black leads) and deciding for yourself. If you buy correctly (do your research!), you won't lose your money if you want to sell them. To me - it's an itch I have to scratch or else go through the rest of my life wondering.
It took me years before I finally decided to spend the dough and see for myself. I've tried dozens of boutique pickups, followed the "boutique winder wars" of 2008-2010 (mylespaul.com and music-electronics-forum.com). Very educational (and entertaining) to be on the sidelines as winders argued with each other.
To me, a good PAF compared to a clone is like a vacuum tube from the 40s-60s vs a new production tube. The older tube has a warmth, roundness, complexity, and musicality that newer tubes don't. New tubes are harsh and brittle to me - cleans are strident and have less overtones. When I hear a recording from the 60s, 70s with an ES-175, that warm yet clear, fat chime to me is heavily coming from the PAF.
I wouldn't pay more than $1100-1200 for an early patent # though (you might have to wait to find that price). Gold covered patent numbers usually retain the PAF construction later into the 60s.
Even just playing a PAF-equipped guitar for a session is probably not enough to get a good handle on PAFs because 1) PAFs are all over the place in their individual characteristics and 2) the guitar makes a pretty big difference for PAFs. My first PAF experience was a 58 goldtop years ago ($100k guitar at the time!) and it was underwhelming to say the least. It biased my opinion on all the 'hype' for a few years.
Somebody mentioned Manlius - I think he's close, but I've had limited experience. The set I have (custom Hot Rod 59s - degaussed magnet from 2010) - have some of the chime and response/feel, but are bright. I think one way to think of the warmth of a PAF: in the bridge the tone is still relatively fat when clean/low volume - shouldn't sound tinny or hurt your ears.
The closest I've heard/played are Will Boggs (WB) VTP - not the VTPH. Unfortunately, he ripped off a bunch of people so he's not around anymore.
That said, I have a pair of never installed Throbak PG102s with the "NOS" wire and a set of Lindy Fralin Pschebilly's ready for install ... I have to take out my early patent #s from my LP though. Might be a while before that happens...
PS I agree that DC resistance for a PU is like stereotypes for people - not good enough to use as a basis for any conclusions, particularly since that reading varies wildly with the temperature the PU is at when the reading is takenLast edited by HeyNow; 11-01-2014 at 04:04 PM.
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Absolutely true and it bothers me a little that the non-technical buying public has been mislead into thinking that DC resistance is a valuable indicator of performance or quality. It isn't. Originally Posted by Jim Soloway
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Is alinco 3 always better than alinco V PAF? or alinco II is the best?
Any recommendation for black cover PAF humbucker? No Kent Armstrong 12 poles. Thanks
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DiMarzio and Bare Knuckle both offer black covers.
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