Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

[JammerMatt]

For leads, would it be sort of a ballsy-smooth yet articulate tone? Sorta Compressed? Colorful and warm?

For rhythm would you say it is well-balanced, yet ballsy, smooth and warm?

That's what this new Custom in my Soloist sounds like. It's not raging and trying to break out of it's cage like a Distortion or maybe a JB. However, it's a solid sound, real articulate, colorful and warm. I want to call it pretty.

Oh, BTW, I'm talking overdriven tones.

-Matt

 

[Jeffrec]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

You're best off listening to Clapton on the Bluesbreakers album; Peter Green in early Fleetwood Mac; Early Allman Bros.; Paul Kossoff with Free; and more recently, Gary Moore.. Although they all sound different, there's some commonality to the warmth, midrange, and "openess".

Then when you're done, get a set of Antiquity humbuckers or Seth Lovers:smokin:

Jeff

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

You're best off listening to Clapton on the Bluesbreakers album; Peter Green in early Fleetwood Mac; Early Allman Bros.; Paul Kossoff with Free; and more recently, Gary Moore.. Although they all sound different, there's some commonality to the warmth, midrange, and "openess".

Then when you're done, get a set of Antiquity humbuckers or Seth Lovers:smokin:

Jeff

Exactly! A picture (or a listen) is worth a thousand words. Other great paf style pickups in the Duncan line would be the a5 59's and a2 Pearly Gates...although it seems to me that the a2 Seth Lover's and a2 Antiquitys get closest to the tone of most of the pafs I've owned. You have to remember that in the 50's Gibson experimented with magnets, etc. so not all pafs from the 50's sound the same, although most of them seem to have been like the Seths. Lew

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Angus Young is all PAF tone? All he's ever had are PAF's pickups in his SG's right?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Clapton with the Bluesbreakers
Clapton with Cream (Fresh Cream)
ZZ Top's First Album
Led Zep II
Jeff Beck Truth
The Bluesbreakers with Peter Green
Those are albums that come to mind when somebody says PAF tone

 

[DI_IORIO]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Lew and jeffrec said it all, those are the best examples of PAF tones
I was just listening to Fleetwood Mac's Blues Collection and..how sweet Peter Green's tone was..
Mick Ralphs (Bad Company) and early Rossington/Collins (Lynyrd Skynyrd) had great PAF tones too in my opinion
I'm glad you liked your new Custom!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Angus Young is all PAF tone? All he's ever had are PAF's pickups in his SG's right?

Paf's would've been mostly alnico 2 50's pickups. By the early 60's Gibson had switched to alnico 5 pickups and the Duncan 59's would be alot like the pickups used by Clapton or Angus in thier 60's SGs. Lew

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

If you want to hear some really kick butt paf tone, listen to TRUTH by Jeff Beck. Those are some great pafs in the Les Paul Beck used for that album. Lew

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

If you want to hear some really kick butt paf tone, listen to TRUTH by Jeff Beck. Those are some great pafs in the Les Paul Beck used for that album. Lew

Thats the truth (no pun intended!)...Jeff recorded the whole record with a 58 (I belive) LP, a pair of AC-30's a fuzz and a wah...

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Paf's would've been mostly alnico 2 50's pickups. By the early 60's Gibson had switched to alnico 5 pickups and the Duncan 59's would be alot like the pickups used by Clapton or Angus in thier 60's SGs. Lew

Perhaps I should had asked if Angus is PAF-ish, if not true PAF.

Gibson continued to call their pickups PAF's at least to the end of the 1960's, even though they changed the magnets and the number of windings, right? Let me see if I can find the site that I'm thinking of with that info. Gibson is kinda responsible for blurring the definition of true PAF by changing the PAF instead of locking the specifications.

If what this website says is true...PAF History...Gibson was still experimenting with the PAF and they took a while to settle on a rigid specifications for the PAF. How much that affected the tone of a "true" PAF tone from the 50's to late 60's you guys would know better than me.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Gibson applied for a patent on the new Humbucking pickup in 1955 they started building them in late 1956 to be fitted to the 1957 Gibson line, they placed a sticker on the back of th epickup that read Patent Applied For, the name of the pickup was actually P-490. From 57 until around 1960 gibson used whatever magnets that had (be it Alnico 2, 3, 4, or 5) and all the windings were different due to the larg amount of handwork that was involved. By 1960 Gibson had started using alnico 5 as a standard. The first structural change came in 1961, thay made the magnet a little shorter...PAF magnets were 2 1/4 inches long...Melody Maker pickups used magnets that were 2 1/8 long so by shortening the magnet in ALL their pickups to 2 1/8 they cold just buy one magnet. The Patent office granted Gibson a patent number in 1962 so the PAF stickers were discontinued and the bottom plates were stamped the PAT#...those pickups are often refered as to PAT# pickups.

 

[Guitar Toad]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

So, when a guy in 2006 asks for what does PAF mean, is he asking for the original PAF tones from 1955-56, or is he more likely asking about PAT tones. Does any humbucker from Gibson 1955-1975 get labeled a PAF, rightly or wrongly? I'm sure that I use PAF wrongly

Does the term PAF get over-used and mis-used? Sorry, JammerMatt, I'm probably hijacking. I wonder the same thing that you asked about regarding the PAF. I keep out now.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

A PAF is any Gibson humbucking pickup made from 1957 until 1962. Most people that are looking for a PAF tone know that there are lots of different PAF tones and they are more specific about them...Look at Lew as an example, Eric Clapton recorded both the Beano album and Fresh Cream with 50's Les Pauls...but they were 2 different LP's and had different PAF's in them...Lew likes the Fresh Cream tone better than the Beano tone mostly because the Beano was recorded with a 1960 LP that used Alnico 5 pickups while Fresh Cream was done on an older LP that more than likely used Alnico II pickups...both are PAF tones but both are very different tones if you listen to them.

 

[LesPaulRules]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Many good examples of PAF tone already given.

To me, the live version of "Since I've Been Loving You" off the "Song Remains the Same" is the ultimate PAF tone. (100 watt Marshall Super Leads don't exactly hurt either.)

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Many good examples of PAF tone already given.

To me, the live version of "Since I've Been Loving You" off the "Song Remains the Same" is the ultimate PAF tone. (100 watt Marshall Super Leads don't exactly hurt either.)

yup...AWESOME tone for sure :smokin:

 

[JeffB]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

To me, the live version of "Since I've Been Loving You" off the "Song Remains the Same" is the ultimate PAF tone. (100 watt Marshall Super Leads don't exactly hurt either.)

I would agree on that track...def one of the most classic PAF sounds to my ears.

AFAIC, even though technically Most of the A5 mag pups WERE pat# pups...it's still a PAF "tone".

These days except among Gibson freaks/collectors, I would tend to say the term is more a description of a general output level and EQ...A5s are just as much PAF tone to me as A2s...or even the A3 and A4 pups I've heard.

Gary Moore's 59 to me is *the* A2 tone. Angus is A5. Then you've got even winds and mismatched winds (which is the Jimmy Page/Rev Gibbons type sound).

Too many variations to give one defining answer. At times I prefer the even wind A5 sound...other times the A2 mismatched wind. And I love the mismatched A5 wind in BB pros too.

They all sound good.

On that note..having had more Duncan customs in the birdge of my axes than any other pup besides PAF styles, I would not agree that the Custom is "PAF" toned. NOt that it's bad, but they are not similar in EQ or output. Custom has compressed highs, a rolloff in lowest bass frequencies, emphasis on low mids, ceramic mag and high output. Compared to a DD though, I could see why you might say it's sweeter and more PAF like. DD is a harsh pickup , IMO.

 

[JammerMatt]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

So, when a guy in 2006 asks for what does PAF mean, is he asking for the original PAF tones from 1955-56, or is he more likely asking about PAT tones. Does any humbucker from Gibson 1955-1975 get labeled a PAF, rightly or wrongly? I'm sure that I use PAF wrongly

Does the term PAF get over-used and mis-used? Sorry, JammerMatt, I'm probably hijacking. I wonder the same thing that you asked about regarding the PAF. I keep out now.

No, a valid question. I guess what I was asking, and it's a tough question, is: "is this the PAF tone I hear about?" If so, I like it. Not sure it's what I want in this rig, but I'll play around with it for awhile. One thing is for sure, it's the sound I want in my Les Paul. It just happens to live in my Jackson.

:laugh2:

Great responses all - I'll have to go check out some of those recordings. Thanks for the input guys. Guys, you're a font of knowledge as usual.

 

[Nightburst]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Would my Gibson minibuckers classify as 'PAF'? They should be very close though reading around 6K and I think the neck one is A2 because it's really smooth and has clear bass with no mud.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Led Zep II

I'm pretty sure JP was still using the Tele for most of that one. I don't think he started using the Les Paul much until LZ3.

I could be wrong, but that's what I was told.

 

[gripweed]

Re: Can anyone describe "PAF Tone"?

Gibson applied for a patent on the new Humbucking pickup in 1955 they started building them in late 1956 to be fitted to the 1957 Gibson line, they placed a sticker on the back of th epickup that read Patent Applied For, the name of the pickup was actually P-490. From 57 until around 1960 gibson used whatever magnets that had (be it Alnico 2, 3, 4, or 5) and all the windings were different due to the larg amount of handwork that was involved. By 1960 Gibson had started using alnico 5 as a standard. The first structural change came in 1961, thay made the magnet a little shorter...PAF magnets were 2 1/4 inches long...Melody Maker pickups used magnets that were 2 1/8 long so by shortening the magnet in ALL their pickups to 2 1/8 they cold just buy one magnet. The Patent office granted Gibson a patent number in 1962 so the PAF stickers were discontinued and the bottom plates were stamped the PAT#...those pickups are often refered as to PAT# pickups.

Where do the Gibson T-tops fit in this equation?