Favorite PAF style pickups

braintheory said:
Most of them do squeal, but it also depends a lot on what amp and guitar you’re using them with and gate. The 72 at volume is also a much harder amp to tame than others for noise IME. I don’t have a good answer yet for that one. The Dirty Fingers and Schaller Blade specifically are not classic rock pickups to me, but the others yes

Fwiw, any clips I’ve sent privately playing metal riffs were using these unpotted vintage low output pickups. Some had squeal, but I also didn’t use any gate or anything else I could’ve done to work on noise reduction out of laziness just making quick and dirty phone clips. I think we also forgot that most guy’s heroes here used these since they were the only choices back then like Sykes playing DF’s through a mark iii coli (that’s gotta be noisy af lol)
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If you ever watch old video of Sykes with WS, the Rio show he's constantly on his vol control to battle the feedback. Definitely a thing with the DF....although, ironically the DF does very well with my amps vs any of the other unpotted pups I've had like the Schaller, BL stuff...
 
Racerxrated said:
If you ever watch old video of Sykes with WS, the Rio show he's constantly on his vol control to battle the feedback. Definitely a thing with the DF....although, ironically the DF does very well with my amps vs any of the other unpotted pups I've had like the Schaller, BL stuff...
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It might be because those are brighter than the DF’s, yielding stronger squeal, but also if they’re in different guitars it could be that. I find my vintage guitars tend to be noisier no matter what pickups I use in them, but the Marchione’s are quiet with most pickups besides maybe the Supertrons and the Tao’s do pretty well there too. Maybe it’s something about their electronics, not sure
 
braintheory said:
It might be because those are brighter than the DF’s, yielding stronger squeal, but also if they’re in different guitars it could be that. I find my vintage guitars tend to be noisier no matter what pickups I use in them, but the Marchione’s are quiet with most pickups besides maybe the Supertrons and the Tao’s do pretty well there too. Maybe it’s something about their electronics, not sure
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Sykes was playing Shaw DFs that came stock in his 78 LP custom; mine is a DF from 81..measures at 16.5k I think....both of my DFs are the best at not squealing too much vs the Schaller, BLs..
 
Racerxrated said:
Sykes was playing Shaw DFs that came stock in his 78 LP custom; mine is a DF from 81..measures at 16.5k I think....both of my DFs are the best at not squealing too much vs the Schaller, BLs..
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My guess would be brightness. My least noisy unpotted pickups (in my guitars at least) have been the PAF’s, whether it’s the real Gibson 50’s ones, Japanese or Tone Specific. I’d think it’s probably because of their more rolled off highs. My most squealie are Gretsch Supertrons, Guild’s, Hofner’s and mini-humbuckers. All really bright, trebly, sharp, snarly pickups. My personal favorites in sound though. I don’t remember the BL L100’s being noisy, but it’s been a while since I last used them

I find squeal tends to come out most from volume, gain or treble as some of the main variables. 2/3 being big factors with the 72. I think that’s why the Blueface and Recto’s are some of my quietest amps since they’re darker
 
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Racerxrated said:
Sykes was playing Shaw DFs that came stock in his 78 LP custom; mine is a DF from 81..measures at 16.5k I think....both of my DFs are the best at not squealing too much vs the Schaller, BLs..
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Typo I meant the L100’s I don’t remember being noisy. They’re also I believe Alnico rather than ceramic like most of their other models
 
Racerxrated said:
If you ever watch old video of Sykes with WS, the Rio show he's constantly on his vol control to battle the feedback. Definitely a thing with the DF....although, ironically the DF does very well with my amps vs any of the other unpotted pups I've had like the Schaller, BL stuff...
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He has it set really low in the pickup ring too. Not very close to the strings at all
 
Honestly I really like the Dimarzio
Duplantier Fortitude
It’s like a 36th anniversary but with a bit more chunk in lows and a bit less upper mid bite
It is a really nice clear pickup
It’s around 9.k I want to say

The new Nolly PolyPaf is interesting too
 
grimmchaos said:
I have one Les Paul Custom that has had multiple pickups in it over the last 4 years I’ve owned it - MJ wound JB, Duncan Distortion, Tonenerd Roxy, Tonenerd Psykes… stock 498T, 500T. Also has had a Godwood bridge, Wolfetone Marshallhead, and Wolfetone Timber Wolf. I’ve never been totally satisfied, tho many of them sound great.

I bought a Godwood neck and bridge set off Reverb a few months ago and threw the bridge in my parts guitar. I have had the Godwood neck sitting on my desk staring at me. For the hell of it, I emailed Jim - he told me it’s similar to a Darkburst. I threw it in the bridge of the Les Paul and took it to rehearsal tonight. Will need to spend more time, but right now in the honeymoon period it’s the happiest I’ve been with the sound. I think the neck is around 8.4k and Alnico 5, tho it plays a lot hotter than the output dictates. I might need to try a Darkburst next.
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Hmm, interesting. A Godwood neck in the bridge.
 
I've said it for years, Jim Wagner Pickups makes all the PAF variations. I have three sets of original PAF's in my 61 SG/LP Standard, my 59 replica and another guitar. I put Crossroads in my other 61 SG Std...same tone. I tried Throbak's, I threw those on eBay. Email Jim, he'll dial you in. His G90 pickups slay original P90's as well, by the way. https://www.jimwagnerpickups.com/
 
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Trevor said:
BKP Black Dog, barky too the point that it feels hotter than it actually is, around 9k. It’s very dynamic and full sounding, love it for higher gain applications.
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I might be concerned about those in an LP though they have a lot of mids and lows a bit darker
In the wrong guitar I think they could get muddy
 
You can't go wrong with ThroBak SLE-101 Plus' or Doyle Coils True Clones The Doil Coils are unpotted and can get a little squealy at higher gains, but amazing dynamics. Wizz Pageys and Greenys are great too.
 
I’ve had motor city pickups 2nd degree black belt, detroiter, Seymour Duncan hybrid, BKP mule, fralin modern PAF, dimarzio fortitude and dimarzio 36th anniversary. The stand out was probably the fralin and the mcp, however the Duncan hybrid is awesome as well. There’s a lot of over lap with these pups and I love the slightly overwound PAF sound but some hit a bit harder than others and that’s what I really liked about the fralin and the mcp.
 
endofall said:
I’ve had motor city pickups 2nd degree black belt, detroiter, Seymour Duncan hybrid, BKP mule, fralin modern PAF, dimarzio fortitude and dimarzio 36th anniversary. The stand out was probably the fralin and the mcp, however the Duncan hybrid is awesome as well. There’s a lot of over lap with these pups and I love the slightly overwound PAF sound but some hit a bit harder than others and that’s what I really liked about the fralin and the mcp.
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Which was the standout - detroiter or black belt?
 
Scumback Speakers said:
I've said it for years, Jim Wagner Pickups makes all the PAF variations. I have three sets of original PAF's in my 61 SG/LP Standard, my 59 replica and another guitar. I put Crossroads in my other 61 SG Std...same tone. I tried Throbak's, I threw those on eBay. Email Jim, he'll dial you in. His G90 pickups slay original P90's as well, by the way. https://www.jimwagnerpickups.com/
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Crossroads, good to know. Quite enjoying a set wound by ToneNerd in my LP Classic atm. But if I ever wanna go down that road with something new, I'm going Crossroads.

G90s? Ah man. Just got a Tele with p90s. Loooove that sound. Must try.
 
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Bxlxaxkxe said:
Which was the standout - detroiter or black belt?
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Sorry I should have made that clearer. The 2nd degree was the one that I preferred more. The one I had was uncovered in a Les Paul and was absolutely awesome. The detroiter is great as well but I preferred the 2nd degree.
 
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