Duncan 59 & Dimarzio Virtual PAF. Has anyone compared these?

[Mike M.]

I think these two pickups are fairly close in terms of output, but as far as sound has anybody actually compared these two pickups? If so how do they differ/compare with each other. I have a V-PAF in my Strat and the one thing I like a lot is that while the highs are very clear they also have some punch to them. I'm thinking about trying a 59 so any info would be great. My Strat has a maple/rosewood neck and a standard Strat trem.

[BluesJunkie]

Re: Duncan 59 & Dimarzio Virtual PAF. Has anyone compared these?

I've tried both neck models.

First of all, I didn't like the VPAFs in my Les Paul. They were bland and sterile and seemed to be missing something. I put them in an alder tele copy, and they worked much better. The '59, on the other hand, sounds great in the Les Paul. (Haven't tried it in anything else.)

The '59 has the classic PAF sound with the cool hollow, woody tone.

The Virtual PAF has slightly more output and sounds like a modern copy of the PAF sound.

I'm not very good at pickup reviews, but if you have specific questions, maybe I can help.

[BluesJunkie]

Re: Duncan 59 & Dimarzio Virtual PAF. Has anyone compared these?

I just noticed you said you like the clear highs and punch of the VPAFs.

The '59 also has clear highs. However, the VPAFs seem to have more punch. The '59 is more thick and meaty. (Of course, I have it in a Les Paul.) To me the '59 sounds scooped with the emphasis on the lows and highs. The VPAF has a more even e.q. with a slight emphasis on the mids.

[Metalman_666]

Re: Duncan 59 & Dimarzio Virtual PAF. Has anyone compared these?

maybe i'm making things up, but I thought I heard that dimarzio wasn't very good at making a pup that's transparent to the sound of your guitar's wood..

[ranalli]

Re: Duncan 59 & Dimarzio Virtual PAF. Has anyone compared these?

maybe i'm making things up, but I thought I heard that dimarzio wasn't very good at making a pup that's transparent to the sound of your guitar's wood..

Not true in the least. Some of their pickups are like that but some of the more flatly EQ'd ones such as the PAF Pro are great for letting your guitar shine through IMO.