Muscular verstile PAF bridge

IMENATOR

IMENATOR

Well-known member
I am looking for a versatile muscular PAF vibe. I want it to play classic 70s rock and 80s high gain. I really like the JB sound in my Charvel but it is a bit too hot and not that much PAF really. Maybe somthing Seymour Duncan would describe as medium output?

I had already tried the Full Shred set which is absolutely killer for crystal clear cleans and high gain with "crunch channel cranked" but the problem is when you roll the volume back for mild crunch it does not have that sweet sound that PAFs and single coils have (I guees its reduced lows and mids are part of that) when you roll back the volume. On the other hand imho the Jazz neck does a great job when rolling back the volume knob, the Jazz is more versatile than the Full Shred (which is very specialized for high gain) so I will use the Jazz in the neck this time.

These are the options available to buy for me in stores, both sound like muscular PAFs but almost everyone just demos with high gain. The Demon is famous fir split coil sound. The Perpetual Burn sounded more like a rock machine to me \m/

* Perpetual Burn Trembucker
* Screaming Demon SH-12

What would you choose and why?

The guitar is a MIM Strat alder body with... nah no such thing as tone wood. But I do play in the crunch channel of the amp cranked which is very versatile and open sounding while using the correct humbucker it can sound very hard rock or classic metal and cleans up nice when rolling back the volume knob. I still have not decided if it goes to be an HH or HSH configuration.
 
I might look at the Custom family, too. They aren't as hot as the JB, and both the Custom & Custom 5 have a 'PAF-type' EQ going on. If you don't want anything that hot, also look at the Whole Lotta Humbucker and Saturday Night Special.
 
Mincer said:
I might look at the Custom family, too. They aren't as hot as the JB, and both the Custom & Custom 5 have a 'PAF-type' EQ going on. If you don't want anything that hot, also look at the Whole Lotta Humbucker and Saturday Night Special.
Click to expand...

I completely forgot about those too. Those sound even more vintage PAF to me and WLH sounds very beefy for a vintage PAF. Any comments on the two I mentioned? Those two have a nice price discount too :)
 
A buddy of mine rocked the WLH bridge in his strat-style shredstick and it did a great job. I thought it sounded better in that axe than it did in my LP.
 
The JB is such a unique pup. I truly believe the PB is one amazing all around pickup.
I would be curious what you would think of A2 or UA5 or even RC5 magnet in the JB. Changes it so much, especially with a treble bleed on a volume pot.

The Demon is great, and can be very bright. I dig the magnets mentioned above in it for more old school PAF on roids sound/feel
 
No mods options. Looking for opinions on Screaming Demon and Perpetual Burn. I guess these are not PAF to rest of you :)
 
What about the '78? Or does it not have enough output?

I like the Demon, although haven't used one in a long time. It is bright, kinda scooped in the mids, and has a tight "knock" in the low end, like a good Marshall 4-12 cabinet (that's the best I can come up with).

I haven't tried the PB, on paper it looks like another one I would like though.
 
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IMENATOR said:
I completely forgot about those too. Those sound even more vintage PAF to me and WLH sounds very beefy for a vintage PAF. Any comments on the two I mentioned? Those two have a nice price discount too :)
Click to expand...

Well, they have a slightly different EQ, so pick the EQ your guitar needs or that you like.
 
paf is 59 or seth or antiquity. the pb or demon is not a paf in any way. i think a sh5 custom or c5 would be a great option for you. less output and a more "classic" sound than the jb but more output and a bit more aggressive than a paf type pup
 
PATB-3 or '59. I used to play Death Metal on a Dean Cadillac with the '59, and other styles (mainly rock subgenres) as well.

To me, that is "muscular".
 
Holy crap!!!!

Is there any sensible reason the 59/Custom Hybrid has not been mentioned?
- 59 coil (actual PAF style)
- Custom Coil (Still PAF ish)
- More power than any mortal PAF, so "Muscular"
- Less power than the Customs - which are like "Power Lifter" outrageously muscular.


I get the Custom reccs. But there is muscular and then there super hot to the point of "Yeah....PAF" but not really....
 
IMENATOR said:
No mods options. Looking for opinions on Screaming Demon and Perpetual Burn. I guess these are not PAF to rest of you :)
Click to expand...

Neither is really remotely PAF-ish. Demon is more of a modern voicing without being high output. PB is more JB-lite. I'm sure either could do what you want, but it's impossible for any of us to know if you'll be happy with it. PB is hotter with more mids than the Demon and a little less articulation. I love the Demon for what it is, haven't played the PD very much. Hope that helps in some way,
 
Of the two the OP can get a discount on, I'd pick the Perpetual Burn because it sings nicely for leads.
I prefer the PB to the JB since it's not so over-the-top aggressive and IMO it has better cleanup.
Still, it's not at all PAF-ish.

The Demon is bright & tight and doesn't feel the least bit vintagey.
Though its EQ might seem like some PAF types, its character and feel are 100% modern.

For in a superStrat the Custom Custom is a great choice, rich in the mids and it cleans up well
Significantly hotter than vintage output though.

I concur with the rec for the Hybrid, too. Great pickup with some PAF qualities.
But for me when it comes to a muscular PAF the first Duncan that comes to mind is the Brobucker.

Rio Grande BBQ is another good one that's beefy yet still pretty PAF-ish in character.
I have the BBQ in a McNaught and it's never going anywhere.
Fat enough to do quite well in a Fender scale guitar IMO.
 
The demon is not what I would call muscular.
it has a tight nice deep low end which isn’t too dominant, but there is nothing really full sounding about it.
it really shines on a high gain setup to open everything up. It can work for a crunch setup, but definitely will not sound fat or muscular at all this way.

i love it for my 3rd channel rhythm tones in a very huge sounding LP. In the crunch channel not so much.

you’re better of with the hybrid or something else…
 
OK, so you're looking for "a versatile muscular PAF".

The accepted definition of the Custom line is "PAF on steroids". "Steroids" = muscle. I think what you are looking for is a C5 (the Custom with its ceramic magnet is too bright and brittle). It is definitely a muscular PAF and extremely versatile. Does crunch well and cleans up nicely when rolling down the volume, and it retains that full rich tone as you roll it back. It even splits very well to give a muscular Strat sound. You can't do much better than that.

Yes, the Demon is great. I love the Demon, especially in the neck, but it's not what I would really call PAFish.

I don't have any experience with the Perpetual Burn so I can't comment on that.

The C/59 is also a great recommendation. It is definitely in the "muscular PAF" range. IMO it's a bit brighter than the C5, but it also does everything that you're asking for.

So my recommendations would be:
1) C5
2) C/59
3) Possibly the Demon
 
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