Gibson PAF limited edition

That box is fucking killer, though.

Honestly, though... if someone can sell expensive PAF copies, it would be Gibson. I mean, they made them in the first place. I'm sure people will buy them. Lots of people value "vintage authentic".

I have zero interest in them, honestly. For me, as far PAF's, it's A5, or I'm not interested at all. If I'm wanting a low wind humbucker, I want bright, wide, and spanky. Basically, if I want a PAF-type, for me, It's Duncan '59, and no need for anything else.
 
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Well, the 59 sounds different than the Antiquity and the Seth Lover (who designed the first PAF). Every actual PAF is unique- they don't sound the same.
 
I think for the die-hard 'Gotta' be Gibson' folks-and there are many out there-this will be a way to sniff corks at a higher level, without going to boutique makers.

I look forward to the second model, which is even more completely totally accurately vintage, however. And the one after that. :)

Larry
 
Mincer said:
Well, the 59 sounds different than the Antiquity and the Seth Lover (who designed the first PAF). Every actual PAF is unique- they don't sound the same.
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I understand. It's just that I like '59's, but not Seths.

But I also understand I'm not the target demographic to those Gibson PAF's. Or the Seths.

I'm just adding to the discussion. I'm not planning to buy these Gibson PAF's, or Seth's, or any other vintage wind for that matter anytime soon. I've got my PAF-y needs set now with the Fluence Classics.
 
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ThroBak certainly has all the vintage P.A.F. variants well-covered for less than that.

Personally, with a box of magnets and a few Duncans I have been able to get almost any PAF tone I've wanted so far. And there is still more to explore - I haven't even had all the PAFs Duncan offers yet.
 
A4 mags? the original PAFs had those?

a nod to mismatched coils.

rex rocker, I like your style. for me it's A2 but I'd go for a 59n.
 
esandes said:
A4 mags? the original PAFs had those?

a nod to mismatched coils.

rex rocker, I like your style. for me it's A2 but I'd go for a 59n.
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I think they originally used whatever magnets they had on hand. They eventually went to just A5.
 
I had a 1959 ES335 that had killer PAF's in it. When I first heard it and brought it home to play, I used to say the pickups were made by god. They were THAT good... to my liking of course. And that's part of the difference too. Everyone likes PAF's for different reasons. For me they had a compression and tone that was just to die for. And the wood of the guitar itself helped bring out that sound. That's why I spent a lot of cash for the guitar. So that is my baseline for anyone who claims that their PAF's are a recreation of the real thing. I bought "ThroBak SLE-101 Plus P.A.F. Repro"...not bad but not as good, and Wizz "Premium Clone PAF Pickup Set"... also a good emulation but not as good. So I say it is impossible to recreate PAF pickups for all the reasons everyone else has mentioned. In those days of golden Gibson, there were a lot of variables that made PAF tone what it was. And I don't see that AI or any kind of digital processing can recreate that tone. Or if they do, it's by chance. Just my opinion.
 
just watch the price of Seth Lover's set skyrocket now...the true original PAF except for the mismatched coil spec.
 
I have one Seth Lover only and it's in the drawer cause I have no guitar to put in it which is at the same level, it's so good that I have remorse to waste it in it, I'm waiting for the right one.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
I understand. It's just that I like '59's, but not Seths.

But I also understand I'm not the target demographic to those Gibson PAF's. Or the Seths.

I'm just adding to the discussion. I'm not planning to buy these Gibson PAF's, or Seth's, or any other vintage wind for that matter anytime soon. I've got my PAF-y needs set now with the Fluence Classics.
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Wish you could've tried others than the '59. The '59 is to PAF's what McDonalds is to a burger. It's not bad, but there is better in town. The Seth Lover is what I'd say, is FiveGuys to burgers. A LOT better.

SD's PAF offerings, such as the Seth, Antiquity, the Peter Frampton, the Candy set, are on a whole different level. I'd rather have 1 guitar with a PAF set (LP, obviously), than 20 guitars with Fluences.
 
esandes said:
just watch the price of Seth Lover's set skyrocket now...the true original PAF except for the mismatched coil spec.
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PAF's weren't spec'd to have mismatched coils, they had because the machines were calibrated horribly. Seth Lover designed the SH55 to be what HE wanted the original PAF to be, so they're not technically a PAF, but... they kinda are.
 
orpheo said:
Wish you could've tried others than the '59. The '59 is to PAF's what McDonalds is to a burger. It's not bad, but there is better in town. The Seth Lover is what I'd say, is FiveGuys to burgers. A LOT better.

SD's PAF offerings, such as the Seth, Antiquity, the Peter Frampton, the Candy set, are on a whole different level. I'd rather have 1 guitar with a PAF set (LP, obviously), than 20 guitars with Fluences.
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Meh - I'll stick with Pearly Gates. Rev Billy G. Approved. Have Mercy!
 
orpheo said:
Wish you could've tried others than the '59. The '59 is to PAF's what McDonalds is to a burger. It's not bad, but there is better in town. The Seth Lover is what I'd say, is FiveGuys to burgers. A LOT better.
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I don't really agree. I've tried other Duncan PAF-types. I've tried the WLH, the Pearly, the Pearly +, The Slash (not sure if you consider that one a PAF-type?). But I've also tried the Burstbucker 2, 3, and Pro. The DiMarzio 36th Anni too.

What I've come to learn is I by far prefer A5 over 2 in the bridge position, and a pickup that's slightly overwound. And while the WLH, the BB Pro, and DiMarzio 36th Anni have been good too, the Duncan '59 is just the all-around "better" pickup for me for the wide soundstage, the sizzling highs that react to hard pick attack in a twangy way, the solid and immediate bottom-end, and most importantly, the vintage output that's not hot, but that does not feel weak either.

Keep in mind, though, I'm not using any PAF-type to play soulful blues, arena rock, or whatever the more "traditional" applications for a PAF-type are.

JMO.
 
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Rex_Rocker said:
I don't really agree. I've tried other Duncan PAF-types. I've tried the WLH, the Pearly, the Pearly +, The Slash (not sure if you consider that one a PAF-type?). But I've also tried the Burstbucker 2, 3, and Pro. The DiMarzio 36th Anni too.

What I've come to learn is I by far prefer A5 over 2 in the bridge position, and a pickup that's slightly overwound. And while the WLH, the BB Pro, and DiMarzio 36th Anni have been good too, the Duncan '59 is just the all-around "better" pickup for me for the wide soundstage, the sizzling highs that react to hard pick attack in a twangy way, the solid and immediate bottom-end, and most importantly, the vintage output that's not hot, but that does not feel weak either.

Keep in mind, though, I'm not using any PAF-type to play soulful blues, arena rock, or whatever the more "traditional" applications for a PAF-type are.

JMO.
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I understand your point. The Pearly, WLH, Slash, and 36th anniv aren't really PAF's. They're based on those but not really PAF's. I also believe that many PAF's didn't have alnico II but weaker alnico 5, as well as 3's and 4's. The 2 is fairly "modern" approach to get to a certain kind of tone and attack.

I don't play blues. At all. I play 80ies glamrock and heavy metal. But my attack is already quite 'bright', because of the picks I use and how i pick, so to me, a2's soften that high a bit and add a bit more fluidity in the leads so Alnico2 is not an issue for me. A5, degaussed preferably, is still my favorite but I think that wind, coil geometry, gauge, insulation, matters more.
 
Threads like this make me wonder if it's time to start disregarding more opinions. Not that any of them are wrong, it's just you can only read so many "GIBBONS DID WHAT?!?!" threads before they all start to wear away at your psyche.
 
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