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: F Spaced
Color: Cream
Cover: None
