Paf Joe - teach me

[hwiho2002]

From the specs I assumed it's a very bright pickup with sharp attack, but from what I've read it's actually pretty smooth and has dull/subdued pick attack. Is this true?

Always looking for a smooth pickup without sharpness for the neck position, but they're always eq'd too bassy and thick so they don't balance well with the bridge.

[alex1fly]

Isn't there a capacitor mod that reduces the bass in neck pickups? Like you put a cap between the pickup's hot lead and wherever that wire is going. Someone more knowledgeable will hopefully confirm this. Seems like a game changer.

[jeremy]

thats it right there, put a cap between the hot lead and switch or pot or whatever

[hwiho2002]

I know about adding a resistor between the hot and ground to tame the highs, but I didn't realize you can add a cap in series to add highs. What values do ppl typically use?

So theoretically I could take a dark, smooth neck pickup and add brightness with a cap without it becoming too ice picky?

[Aceman]

Man - I could not keep up with Satch's tones. The PAF, the PAF Pro, the PAF Joe, the Mo'Joe, I'm probably missing a few too.

[Drak]

Fred, Satchur8, & Satch Track I think rounds it out.

Joe says: 'DiMarzio pickups will make you ROCK!'

[hwiho2002]

So anyone use a paf joe in the neck?

[Anficht]

I had a PAF Joe for two days or so (it's been a few years when I bought it). I also found that the pick attack was subdued and dull. Could not bond with that pickup at all. The description on DiMarzio's site was very interesting and I was sure I would love that pickup. But no, no matter what height adjustments, raising/lowering poles - the pickup totally sucked (IMHO!). So I sent t back and went with a PAF 35th or whatever it's called. Much better!

[hwiho2002]

I think that's what I'm looking for, a bright pickup that won't overpower the bridge pickup, but not bright to the point that's its shrill and ice picky.

[Mincer]

How does it differ from the Jazz?

[hwiho2002]

The joe has a dc res of 8.26k, so I would imagine it's more similar to the jazz bridge. Dimarzios description of it being "tubular" makes me think it would have more mids.

[Mr. B]

"Bright pickup with sharp attack" describes the Humbucker from Hell, not the PAF Joe. The Paf Joe does have a more rounded warm tone, but it is not flabby and bloated in the bottom end like the PAF Pro is in the neck. Be sure to install the PAF Joe with the cable exit toward the upper horn of the guitar. Installing it with the cable exit toward the output jack can turn it into a mud-bomb.

The Jazz feels stiff and sterile compared to the PAF Joe, but I guess the output it similar. I do not hear the PAF Joe as having puffed up mids. It seems like a pretty balanced, rounded, slightly warm PAF type pickup. The "rounding off" is not like an A2 pickup where it simply lacks some highs and lows and has honky mids. Its just like a balanced A5 pickup where the sharp tone edges have been sanded off.

What guitar are you putting it in and what will be in the bridge with it?

[hwiho2002]

I currently have the breed bridge model in the bridge with a paf 36th bridge model in the neck. Sorry if I wasn't clear, but I was looking for something bright WITHOUT sharp attack.

I was gonna keep the breed and try a paf joe in the neck, but I tried exchanging the screw poles on the 36th with the hex ones on the breed, and I think that fixed the issue for me. But now I don't like the breed in the bridge lol. Gonna try a tone zone in the bridge now.

Its a ridiculously bright, snappy guitar. Swamp ash strat, and all maple neck with stainless steel frets. Tone zone should be fine for it.

[Aceman]

Fred, Satchur8, & Satch Track I think rounds it out.

Joe says: 'DiMarzio pickups will make you ROCK!'

Joe ROCKS. He apparently can't find a DiMarzio he is happy with for more than a hot minute! LOL

[hwiho2002]

Joe ROCKS. He apparently can't find a DiMarzio he is happy with for more than a hot minute! LOL

Seems to be a trend with dimarzio guys. Petrucci has the liquifire, crunch lab, illuminators, sonic ecstasys, rainmaker, dreamcatcher.