Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

veil

veil

New member
Hi! I'm looking to switch the bridge humbucker in my Big Apple Strat, pictured here:

100_1821.jpg


A Dimarzio Super Distortion is in there now; I installed it in around 2001 or 2002 when I was playing a lot of metal and hard rock. These days, I play mostly low-gain or clean stuff, so I don't need that kind of output anymore. Moreover, a friend brought over her '78 ES-175 the other day for me to fix up a bit, and the stock bridge humbucker on it sounded incredible. It was really clear and kind of twangy. Compared to the bass/mid overload my Super Distortion has, it was a breath of fresh air. Perfect balance of warmth and clarity. I thought I'd have to go to P-90s or something to get that sound, but turns out I just need to stop using hot pickups. Durrr.

Anyway, I'm looking to get that sound. I imagine it's just a PAF-style humbucker, but Duncan makes a few, so I thought I'd ask to see what you guys thought I should use. Basically I'm just looking for a clear, bright, vintage-output sound. I use a Twin Reverb, if that helps.

Please let me know if there's other info I'm neglecting to share!

Thank you!
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

You can't just use any PAF because your tremolo block will hole out the bottom too much. A PAF that sound right for you in a fixed bridge Gibson will be too thin for your taste in the trem guitar.

Try the Pearly Gator first, that one has the right low-mid push to come out right there.
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

veil said:
Moreover, a friend brought over her '78 ES-175 the other day for me to fix up a bit, and the stock bridge humbucker on it sounded incredible. It was really clear and kind of twangy. Compared to the bass/mid overload my Super Distortion has, it was a breath of fresh air. Perfect balance of warmth and clarity.
Click to expand...

So that was probably an alnico 5 Gibson humbucker. Nothing really special - just the standard humbucking pickup they were making at that time. I'm going to guess that it was what we call a T-Top. Under the nickel cover, the plastic bobbin is engraved with a "T". Again, just the standard humbucker Gibson offered in the 70's, and nothing really mysterious or special.

Closest to it would be the bridge model Duncan 59B or Jazz Bridge model. Both are alnico 5 pickups but the Jazz is wound to be a little clearer and articulate. I'd probably go for the 59B myself.

But you gotta know there's no way your Strat will sound like an ES-175 - even if you took the pickup out of that ES-175 and put it in your Strat. Right?

Lew
 
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Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Haha, yeah I know it my guitar won't magically turn into a hollow-body, but that's okay. I'm just trying to approximate the bridge pickup sound, which sounds like it should be fairly simple! Incidentally, that's a '59 in the neck, the sound of which I love.
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

The pickups that were in the E-175 were Gibson T-Top´s.
The closest´s thing Seymour Duncan has to offer is the SH-2b & SH-2n.
Yes the Jazz pickups:)
I´ve talked a few times with Mr Frank Falbo (very kind and helpfull) at Seymour Duncan about PAF pickups and T-Top´s and the Jazz is a good choice if you like the T-Top´s.
The T-Tops ranged from 7,25kOhm to 7,75kOhm were 7,5kOhm were the main target at Gibson.

The Gibson 490R is almost the exact same pickup as the T-Top but it´s wax potted and have Alnico 2 magnet otherwise it´s the same.
So if you can get your hands on a Alnico 5 short magnet and change the magnet in a 490R you would have a T-Top.

Here´s a link to a clean clip i made with my T-Top replicas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZGai7LfkKQ

Forgot that you have the tremspacing.
Maybe a TB-2 would be easier for you?
 
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Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

SwedishHumbucker said:
The pickups that were in the E-175 were Gibson T-Top´s.
The closest´s thing Seymour Duncan has to offer is the SH-2b & SH-2n.
Yes the Jazz pickups:)
I´ve talked a few times with Mr Frank Falbo (very kind and helpfull) at Seymour Duncan about PAF pickups and T-Top´s and the Jazz is a good choice if you like the T-Top´s.
The T-Tops ranged from 7,25kOhm to 7,75kOhm were 7,5kOhm were the main target at Gibson.

The Gibson 490R is almost the exact same pickup as the T-Top but it´s wax potted and have Alnico 2 magnet otherwise it´s the same.
So if you can get your hands on a Alnico 5 short magnet and change the magnet in a 490R you would have a T-Top.

Here´s a link to a clean clip i made with my T-Top replicas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZGai7LfkKQ

Forgot that you have the tremspacing.
Maybe a TB-2 would be easier for you?
Click to expand...

So anybody looking for a Randy Rhoads tone should go for the Jazz model?
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

...as a reference, the stock Fender Lonestar Strat features the SD Pearly Gates Plus at the bridge and 2 Texas Specials at the middle and neck. They cut one coil in position 2 (middle and bridge), stock wiring.

The Pearly Gates Plus is a good bridge pickup clean and with some distortion, plenty of guts. I like mine a lot!
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Interesting... never knew that about the Jazz pups.
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Hmm interesting stuff. I didn't know that about the Jazz pickups either.

So far, I'm pretty sold on the idea of another '59 in the bridge. It sounds it'll be a great, standard, balanced PAF sound. I'll need to get the TB-59, I guess, because I have F-spacing or whatsit?
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Yeah get the trembucker. Do you want a traditional PAF or do you want something a little hotter and with balls still? The Custom line does that well. Just somethin to think about. Custom 8.... lol...
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Blackdog said:
...SD Pearly Gates Plus at the bridge ... stock wiring.

The Pearly Gates Plus is a good bridge pickup clean and with some distortion, plenty of guts. I like mine a lot!
Click to expand...

+1 Whatever happened to the original bridge PU? Reinstate it. It'll do exactly what you say that you require. :)
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

Yeah the stock pickup in the Big Apple strat is the Pearly Gates is definitley near, just a tad hotter
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

SwedishHumbucker said:
The pickups that were in the E-175 were Gibson T-Top´s.
The closest´s thing Seymour Duncan has to offer is the SH-2b & SH-2n.
Yes the Jazz pickups:)
I´ve talked a few times with Mr Frank Falbo (very kind and helpfull) at Seymour Duncan about PAF pickups and T-Top´s and the Jazz is a good choice if you like the T-Top´s.
The T-Tops ranged from 7,25kOhm to 7,75kOhm were 7,5kOhm were the main target at Gibson.

The Gibson 490R is almost the exact same pickup as the T-Top but it´s wax potted and have Alnico 2 magnet otherwise it´s the same.
So if you can get your hands on a Alnico 5 short magnet and change the magnet in a 490R you would have a T-Top.

Here´s a link to a clean clip i made with my T-Top replicas http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZGai7LfkKQ

Forgot that you have the tremspacing.
Maybe a TB-2 would be easier for you?
Click to expand...

so you mean to say i turned the 490 set in my SG into a set of t-tops? sweet/groovy/radical/cool:cool2:
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

I'll go out on a limb and recommend the Blues Sarenceno Trembucker (PATB-3?).
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

I wish I still had that Pearly Gates Plus! I ended up putting it in the bridge position of a different guitar and later sold that guitar to a friend. Sucks.

Anyway, MF gave me some kind of $50 coupon that I want to use to get it. But MF is terrible at stocking trembuckers, it seems. Other than looking weird, does using a non F-spaced pickup when you're supposed to cause any audible difference?
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

veil said:
I wish I still had that Pearly Gates Plus! I ended up putting it in the bridge position of a different guitar and later sold that guitar to a friend. Sucks.

Anyway, MF gave me some kind of $50 coupon that I want to use to get it. But MF is terrible at stocking trembuckers, it seems. Other than looking weird, does using a non F-spaced pickup when you're supposed to cause any audible difference?
Click to expand...

the E strings sit over the poles differently depending on the spacing. if it's normal spaced, then a trem-equipped guitar will have a very slight volume drop on them. trem-spaced pickups fix that.
 
Re: Hello, friends! I need advice about PAF humbuckers!

First to the question at hand - 59.

Now back to this T-top stuff....A Jazz = T-top's??? Not doubting the Falbo. But My ears don't hear them that way. I think A2P honestly. At least the rippin' Sweet Child tone coming out of the neck of my 79LP says so. Then again, I'll also say T-tops vary. My bridge T-top just sucked period.

490 A5 = T-top? Fascinating. This topic deserves a whole thread...
 
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