Re: Aceman's Official Which PAF? Thread
Cool.
The way I think of it is:
'59: Blocky mule kick. Cold sounding, with a severe lack of mids. That lack of midrange makes it a horrible neck pickup, being both muddy and clattery at the same time. But it's a good bridge pickup if you want lots of thick and clear crunch. Good pickup if you want lots of beef, and have the right amp to give it some much needed mids without accentuating the already-strong high end and low end. These are good pickups if you like to use lots of gain.
Jazz: An anemic version of the '59's basic tonal character...but that's a good thing. A much better pickup than the '59 IMHO, as although it is still cold, at least it isn't also beefy like the '59. Thus, it is easier to adjust the e.q. to suit. Probably the best stock A5 P.A.F. bridge pickup S.D. makes.
A2P: Beautiful and warm with low gain, thick and swampy with high gain. One of the best bridge humbuckers made by anyone. Nice and fat and grinding, but without being shrill. This is a ripping and nasty set when pushed, and a clean and beautiful set when played sweetly. Probably the most versatile S.D. P.A.F. If I had only one 2xHB guitar, these are the pickups I would have in it...and my amp would be 40-50W to match these pickups perfectly. (They need some headroom, but not too much).
PG: The perfect blend of '59 and A2P - all the good characteristics of each, while leaving behind the bad. Like putting an A2P through a nicely set up overdrive and e.q. pedal. Probably the most evil sounding S.D. P.A.F. They are both thick and clear. Almost perfect e.q. balance between B/M/T. However, they can get too distorted and lose their magic if you use lots of gain. These are better suited to pushing a clean, low-gain amp into distortion than they are to feeding an amp that will then have its gain significantly boosted at the pre-amp. These are up there with the A2P in terms of versatility, but a few clicks nastier.
Seth: Hard to describe...but awesome. Warm, yet clear. Very dynamic and responsive. Sweet sounding. Great for mild natural overdrive. Amazing neck, but overly warm bridge. Can get mushy with lots of gain. Again, better for sending a clean amp into overdrive than in an amp designed for high gain.
IMO, the best sounding S.D. P.A.F. set is a Seth neck with a PGN in the bridge position.
My overall take is that the A5 pickups are extremely weak in comparison to the A2 offerings. The A5 pickups seem to be okay for the bridge spot in some uses, but absolutely horrid in the neck spot. They are too top and bottom heavy, and a pain in the ass to match to any bridge pickup. I wouldn't lose any sleep if the A5 P.A.F.s were discontinued...but it would suck if any of the A2 ones were.
