Here are the characteristics
that make a great vintage humbucker: a soft magnetic field, sweet tone,
perfect balance between warmth and clarity, the ability to go from
clean to distorted by pick attack alone.
For our PAF 36th
Anniversary Neck we wanted to continue in the path of pioneers such as
Seth Lover (designer of the original Patent Applied For humbucker) and
create pickups that combine all of the characteristics of great vintage
humbuckers. These pickups are not merely clones. We re-engineered the
PAF using our patented technology and Larry DiMarzio’s own 1959 cherry
sunburst Gibson Les Paul as the reference. Larry’s Gibson Les Paul has a
uniquely amazing sound and it’s not only due to the pickups - it’s the
total fusion of many elements of the guitar itself.
Although the
pickups have a weak magnetic field, the sound is well defined: almost
like a single-coil. We duplicated the weaker magnetic field in order to
allow the strings to vibrate longer, as well as focus and articulate
the attack and output. We use computer-controlled winders to
consistently layer the 42-gauge custom-coated wire, achieving the exact
frequency response we want. Then it’s dipped in our custom formula to
eliminate squeal and microphonics.
The cover is made from
nickel-silver and our new plating makes it more magnetically
transparent than the originals. The PAF 36th Anniversary Neck is smooth
but not muddy. It performs equally well in the neck or bridge, just as
the best humbuckers from the 50s did.
There is no reference
standard for the sound of a humbucker from the 1950s. All of them had
variations in output and tone, and these differences could be quite
large. Recently, we have focused our research on making pickups with
warm highs and bright lows. This combination is only found in our
favorite vintage humbuckers, and it’s really good for a pickup intended
for both the neck and bridge positions. It allows the bass strings in
the neck position to avoid muddiness, and the treble strings in the
bridge position to be warm and not brittle.
Recommended For: All positions
Quick Connect: No
Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5
Resistance: 7.31 Kohm
Year of Introduction: 2008
Pole Pieces: Nickel
Spacing: Standard
Cover: None
