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PAF Alternatives?

RocknRollShakeUp

Active member
Joined
Jul 7, 2006
Messages
766
All the one's mentioned above, and I'll add monty's pickups PAF's that are also highly rated, esp. for the "fat tele" type of vintage PAF tones.

I personally think that with a good reissue guitar and a good quality PAF reproduction set that gives you the type of basic PAF tone you like, lower wind brighter and clearer, vs higher wind fatter and more output, etc. you'll be at least 90% there, and then you can move on and not worry about it. Then you can just keep focusing on perfecting your playing, which is what it will come down to anyway, unless you are already a master.
 

Elmore

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,853
All the one's mentioned above, and I'll add monty's pickups PAF's that are also highly rated, esp. for the "fat tele" type of vintage PAF tones.

I personally think that with a good reissue guitar and a good quality PAF reproduction set that gives you the type of basic PAF tone you like, lower wind brighter and clearer, vs higher wind fatter and more output, etc. you'll be at least 90% there, and then you can move on and not worry about it. Then you can just keep focusing on perfecting your playing, which is what it will come down to anyway, unless you are already a master.

Yes. Don’t worry about the extra 10%. Focus on being able to hold someone’s attention with your playing. Great point.
 

ourmaninthenorth

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
Rather like much in life, what on a given day may be the best thing since sliced bread, on another day is considered as much junk.

I've lost count of how many times I've sold the greatest guitar I've ever owned.....

Enjoy the trip.

:##
 

Skydogfan81

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
910
OK, I'll bite. For me, the DC reading is the #1 most important spec there is. But I'm in a different boat than most... allow me to explain.

With very few exceptions I pretty much only acquire Wizz pickups nowadays. They ring truest to original PAFs to my ear (especially those made with vintage wire and/or vintage mags). For the 20+ sets of Wizzes I have, the wind pattern is perfect to my ear and that pattern remains consistent every time Alex winds a set of pickups. This is the exact same wind pattern BK used in his OTPG pups which to my ear were the absolute best. The wire, spacers, baseplates, magnets, polepieces, etc. are all exactly the same (or as close as humanly possible) in every Wizz set as well, so the only thing changing is the DC (mags change, but those can easily be swapped out). In seeking to clone the pups on my favorite bursts the only variable Alex has to worry about when winding is the DC. The Jimmy Page Set has an 8.9 in the neck while the Duane Allman Layla Set has a 6.9 in the neck. All else being equal, and acknowledging that 99% of those original tones were in the fingers, if I want to get my Skydog on, the 6.9 running through my Allman rig gets me much closer than the 8.9 running through the same rig. The Beano set, with a 7.8 is closer to the 'standard' and when played side by side these three neck pups are unique and each have different capabilities... all based primarily on that DC reading.

Psychological and subjective? Perhaps, but isn't everything? :salude

Aleksander recommended that I get a Fillmore neck and a Hot 'Lanta bridge. I was thinking about getting his regular wind with A5's. Please let me know your thoughts.
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
Aleksander recommended that I get a Fillmore neck and a Hot 'Lanta bridge. I was thinking about getting his regular wind with A5's. Please let me know your thoughts.

The Fillmore neck (6.97 A3) is really nice... being low wound it is quite articulate if not a little unforgiving... the 'Lanta bridge OTOH (8.70 A5) is far at the hot end of the spectrum so, to my ear, putting them together with A5s is something much more reminiscent of Pre '73 Jimmy Page than Duane Allman. I really love the Fillmore set as is (and have a set of those wound with old wire in my Aged Allman Sig) and while the 'Lanta stuff that's available doesn't really float my boat as much as the Fillmore/Layla stuff that's available Duane found something enlightening in them and who am I to argue with genius? Exactly what tone(s) are you chasing? Wizz has a couple other Sig sets in the making and there may be something closer if you can define exactly what you are after.
 

DvnLesPaul

All Access/Backstage Pass
Joined
Sep 17, 2002
Messages
816
I'm pretty sold on the Throbaks right now, but, I've been here long enough to remember the Timbucker craze.
 

metropolis

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
390
All the one's mentioned above, and I'll add monty's pickups PAF's that are also highly rated, esp. for the "fat tele" type of vintage PAF tones.

Pleased to see these get a mention. Matt (the owner) has done plenty of work on guitars for me and he's a pleasure to deal with.

He's just posted on Instagram that today is 20% off using the BLACKFRIDAY code on the payment page. A great time to finally pick some up for my Les Paul.
 
Joined
Aug 8, 2001
Messages
62
When I studied EE, we never used DCR as a
the measurement of an inductor. ('nother name for a coil)
Only time DCR was considered, was to determine the insertion loss of a serial inductor.
DCR is a static measurement.
When a pickup is part of the whole guitar/amp/strings/fingers operating system,
there is a whole lot more going on that you'll measure with an ohm-meter,
as so many of the well-informed folks commenting on this thread have pointed out.
I could wire a resistor of precisely (pick your favorite PAF resistance) into a guitar, it would measure perfectly,
but the sound might be a bit of a disappointment.
 

Zentar

New member
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
830
When I studied EE, we never used DCR as a
the measurement of an inductor. ('nother name for a coil)
Only time DCR was considered, was to determine the insertion loss of a serial inductor.
DCR is a static measurement.
When a pickup is part of the whole guitar/amp/strings/fingers operating system,
there is a whole lot more going on that you'll measure with an ohm-meter,
as so many of the well-informed folks commenting on this thread have pointed out.
I could wire a resistor of precisely (pick your favorite PAF resistance) into a guitar, it would measure perfectly,
but the sound might be a bit of a disappointment.

I studied EE too and I never measured in a lab the DCR of a coil either. All I needed to know id there was no output was if it was open. Yea DCR is a static measurement just like an A5 magnet. A5 is a static measurement but I won't use a paf unless it has A5 mags. Pafs from the 50s used A2,A3, A5. Foe instance A2 has a low, mellow output and not good for R&R. I would not know what magnet a pickup has unless someone told me or it was written on the box.

"insertion loss of a seriel inductor"......lol! Keep blowing that smoke bro.
 

metropolis

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2018
Messages
390
Pleased to see these get a mention. Matt (the owner) has done plenty of work on guitars for me and he's a pleasure to deal with.

He's just posted on Instagram that today is 20% off using the BLACKFRIDAY code on the payment page. A great time to finally pick some up for my Les Paul.

I've got the Montys PAFs fitted now and they sound fantastic, I couldn't be happier. Really bright and articulate and some lovely harmonics being brought out. I honestly wasn't expecting this big a change from the Burstbuckers / Bareknuckles that were in here before but they're superb.
 

garywright

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 17, 2002
Messages
15,582
the two best pafs repros are ;
1) rs/fralin true 60s
and
B) 2007 Dr. Vintage w/no covers.
( the reason these are the best is they are the ones i have for sale )
funny how things like that work :hee
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
Learn how to roll your own like I did!
paf5b.jpg
 

Skydogfan81

Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2006
Messages
910
I recently swap out the A5's in my WB's for RC Short A2's and then RC UO A5's. I really like the UO A5's.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
I studied EE too and I never measured in a lab the DCR of a coil either. All I needed to know id there was no output was if it was open. Yea DCR is a static measurement just like an A5 magnet. A5 is a static measurement but I won't use a paf unless it has A5 mags. Pafs from the 50s used A2,A3, A5. Foe instance A2 has a low, mellow output and not good for R&R. I would not know what magnet a pickup has unless someone told me or it was written on the box.

"insertion loss of a seriel inductor"......lol! Keep blowing that smoke bro.

What kind of study? A5 is not a static measurement. It is a specific ratio of metals used in an alloy of aluminium nickle and colbalt. The gauss strength varies depending upon charge, age and environmental variables.

You have yet to explain how dcr measurements equal a definite tone or power.

Whom is the smoke blower in this thread?
 

duaneflowers

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 13, 2013
Messages
2,522
I see the Wizz store is closed until June? I wonder why?

Alex closes the store periodically to catch up on backorders... they are still available through his distributors and the shop will reopen at the end of the month (or sooner if he gets all current orders shipped out). :salude
 

KDunn99

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2018
Messages
27
OK, I'll bite. For me, the DC reading is the #1 most important spec there is. But I'm in a different boat than most... allow me to explain.

With very few exceptions I pretty much only acquire Wizz pickups nowadays. They ring truest to original PAFs to my ear (especially those made with vintage wire and/or vintage mags). For the 20+ sets of Wizzes I have, the wind pattern is perfect to my ear and that pattern remains consistent every time Alex winds a set of pickups. This is the exact same wind pattern BK used in his OTPG pups which to my ear were the absolute best. The wire, spacers, baseplates, magnets, polepieces, etc. are all exactly the same (or as close as humanly possible) in every Wizz set as well, so the only thing changing is the DC (mags change, but those can easily be swapped out). In seeking to clone the pups on my favorite bursts the only variable Alex has to worry about when winding is the DC. The Jimmy Page Set has an 8.9 in the neck while the Duane Allman Layla Set has a 6.9 in the neck. All else being equal, and acknowledging that 99% of those original tones were in the fingers, if I want to get my Skydog on, the 6.9 running through my Allman rig gets me much closer than the 8.9 running through the same rig. The Beano set, with a 7.8 is closer to the 'standard' and when played side by side these three neck pups are unique and each have different capabilities... all based primarily on that DC reading.

Psychological and subjective? Perhaps, but isn't everything? :salude


I'm curious... How the hell is jimmy's neck pickup so clear and strat-like (NO COIL TAPS) at that high of an output? And I can't find anything about a Wizz Jimmy Page set even existing... I'd love to know what the bridge reading is. I've been chasing the mid-70's middle position quack for too damn long
 
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