P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

dvadneau

dvadneau

New member
Wha??

http://www.ebay.com/itm/230851901249

Current bid is at $212.50.

I don't get it.

I mean, they're really nice pickups. I had an older one from the 80's that was nice, reading in the normal range of 7.8K. I have another that's 8.3K from the 70's, just a tad hotter. It's got the square tabs and braided shielding along with 2 conductors - different braiding from what SD currently uses.

Is it the box? It's the box, isn't it? Damn, I wish I had the box.
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

Essentially yes its the box. Uninstalled, untouched since the 70s...thats pretty nifty.
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

How can you demostrate that the pickup is from the 70s? ... the box might be, but the pickup?.
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

Never installed items that are still in the box command high bucks no almost no matter what the item is because there are always a few guys that might want it and all it takes is for more than one of them to find the auction!
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

the guy who invented fire said:
Never installed items that are still in the box command high bucks no almost no matter what the item is because there are always a few guys that might want it and all it takes is for more than one of them to find the auction!
Click to expand...

True. In this case though, it's not a sealed box. A sealed box would give you some assurance the pickup was not just placed in an older box.

Still, pretty silly. Unless you get one that is oddly out of spec you could get any PAF (pre-36th) and it'd be the same.

crguti said:
How can you demostrate that the pickup is from the 70s? ... the box might be, but the pickup?.
Click to expand...

There are indicators, same as for SD pickups.

The one in the listing does not have square tabs, but does have the 2 conductor lead. I had one exactly like that (more worn) and assumed it was from the 80s, because it didn't have the square tabs.

Here's what I've come to understand so far. I'm not sure the exact dates or even years for each of these but the indicators of age are:

Stamp: "DIMARZIO (newline) PICKUPS" - these are from the early 70's. Newer pickups right up until now have "DIMARZIO PICKUPS (newline) MADE IN U.S.A."

Legs: Square tabs originally. At some point they changed to the triangular tabs we see now. I originally thought this was done in the 80's, but I think this was done in the mid to late 70's.

Wire: As I mentioned, originally the PAF had a 2 conductor (black, white) lead with a braided shield. Later it was a 2 conductor (black, white, plus bare) lead in a plastic sheathing. Later still it was the 4 conductor (plus bare) with plastic sheathing, same as SD.

Baseplate: For the PAF the baseplate changed from brass in 2008 for the 36th Anniversary version.

Here's a pic of the one I sold last year:

DZ_DP103_PAF_80s_cream_combo.jpg



I still have my square-tabbed, braided shield PAF:

img_4404.jpg
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

NOS or not its a dimarzio PAF and should not be worth no more than $100 for the novelty of it.:cool:
you can get a NOS gibson pickup and they always go for more $$$ than dimarzio
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

bidding ended at $274.99 with 19 bids, but it doesn't say that it was sold.

it also does not say that Reserve Not Met ?

what ?
 
Re: P.A.F. ... wait, no DiMarzio PAF ... WTF?

I had one from the 80's and one a little older and they sounded about the same, although the older one was hotter. It reads 8.4K, where the newer one was closer to current specs: 7.6K.

It retains the character with just a bit more hair.

I don't know for certain yet, but I would guess the newer 36th might sound a little different, in a good way. I have a 36th bridge and I love it. The older ones had brass baseplates, where the 36ths don't. I doubt they sound identical, although I could be wrong.
 
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