Hey guys, Derek Duncan here. It seems like there are quite a few conspiracy theories floating around as to why we did not have a model represented in the PAF (err, P.A.F.) roundup in Guitar Player. Let me first say that there is no bad blood between Duncan and GP. There are no issues with advertising or social media or anything of that sort.
As many of you know my Dad has been dedicated to creating and recreating PAFs since before they were vintage or worth thousands of dollars. He set out to make great-sounding pickups, and history has always been a part of everything he enjoys, from guitars to Morse code machines. He has interviews with Seth Lover from the '70s, and when he set out to make his versions of a PAF he went out and had the bobbin mold made by the same injection molding company who made the originals. In the early ‘80s we even bought the actual Leesona winder from Gibson that wound the PAFs in the Gibson factory in the ‘50s and ‘60s. This was before any of that mattered in the mind of customers or became a marketing tool, but it was what was proven to make a great pickup. Our Antiquity line was created by my dad in the early 90s to bring those regretfully modded vintage guitars back closer to their vintage roots, and not because it was boutique.
When it came down to selecting only one PAF model for the roundup, we couldn’t come to a consensus and we didn’t feel we had anything as far as a “new and exciting” version to showcase. With a dozen or so PAF era models in our lineup, it can be difficult to find “the one."
We sincerely appreciate all of the passion being displayed over this topic. I’m sure 38 years ago Cathy and Seymour never would have imagined that so many people would share the love for pickups that they had.