Seths and PAF '59's

[ItsaBass]

Firstly, I use both Duncan and DiMarzio pickups, and that is not gonna change. So let's not "go there." This is not about general brand choice, or what you think of Larry DiMarzio. I'm just talking about two pickup models compared to each other on their merits, that is all.

I am a long time lover of Seths. But the PAF '59's really catch my eye as well. Any thoughts on them from those here who have used them?

Based on specs, I'm imagining a bit beefier, less clear, and more treble attenuated variant of a PAF reproduction, vs. a Seth...which is not necessarily a bad thing. I have Seths in a few Gibson-style guitars already, and the PAF '59's could go in my G&L Ascari (kind of a PRS-type thing) to give me a different PAF flavor.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

The Seths to me were too dark and wooly. I thought Joe Pass had come up in here.

The PAF '59s are the best "vintage" pickup DiMarzio has done. Similar to the WLH set really, like different flavors of chocolate.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

Thanks, Chris.

What amps do you use, and do you use outboard effects or a lot of gain? I ask because I rely on Seths to give me a clean, clear tone with my very low headroom amps. Out of all the Duncan PAF variants (and I have tried them all, though not all in matched pairs) they are by far the cleanest and clearest to me. I don't use any outboard effects, and I hit pretty hard through low headroom amps, so I need lower output pickups. That said, I've got some higher power amps as well, and that's what I had in mind for the PAF '59's.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

i was surprised the 36th ann paf has hidden slugs in the bobbins , at least the bridge pup, dont have a neck to check. wonder if the 59 paf does as well? i find the seth neck can be a bit dark in some guitars but perfect in others. never found the bridge to be dark or wooly

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

i was surprised the 36th ann paf has hidden slugs in the bobbins , at least the bridge pup, dont have a neck to check. wonder if the 59 paf does as well? i find the seth neck can be a bit dark in some guitars but perfect in others. never found the bridge to be dark or wooly

Do you mean that the adjustable pole pieces thread in to tapped metal studs, instead of right into the bobbin?

 

[Ayrton]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

I normally play straight into my '72 Superlead (only an MV). I have just enough gain where I can clean it up by rolling back the volume.

I typically prefer A5 based pickups, but the Antiquities work for me. I had hoped the Seths would be close to the Ants, but to me, the Seths were just too muddy.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

FWIW, I am having some underwound Seths made at the moment, for my extremely dark sounding Dean Z. The bridge pickup is going to be a Seth neck wind, and the neck pickup is going to be underwound from there. So probably a 7.3–7.4 K bridge and 6.6–6.7 K neck. But that's only because this particular guitar is extremely muddy.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

Do you mean that the adjustable pole pieces thread in to tapped metal studs, instead of right into the bobbin?

no, i mean if you look at the underside of the bobbin there are three slugs between the normal poles. E AoDoGoB E with o representing the slugs. i was suprised to find em, but there they were

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

i was surprised the 36th ann paf has hidden slugs in the bobbins , at least the bridge pup, dont have a neck to check. wonder if the 59 paf does as well? i find the seth neck can be a bit dark in some guitars but perfect in others. never found the bridge to be dark or wooly

That's their Virtual Vintage technology. Here's a picture of it:



Notice the extra black screws.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

these looked like stud pole pieces rather than the allen heads in that pic but same idea

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

Different models likely do it differently, but all it does is increase inductance.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

The PAF '59 is more along the lines of a Gibson repro (the only DiMarzio that is, really), so it probably doesn't have those. Seems like the PAF '59 is aimed at the Seth...but it's wound hotter, and uses a partially demagnetized A5 instead of an A2 (depending on the amount of degaussing, it could be pretty much the same thing as an A2). Interesting use of those hidden poles, though.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Seths and PAF '59's

Finally got a set of these Dimarzio 59 PAF's and have had a few days to play them. I have the Uncovered versions, so keep that in mind. So far, I have only tried them in my SG. They are very similar to Duncan 59's since that is what I'm sure they were meant to compete with. Overall, they do feel like a tightened up set of Duncan 59's.

The neck pickup is very similar to the Duncan 59, but may be a tiny bit clearer, and has a little less bass. Maybe a little tighter in the bass end, and a little less warm and round. These sound like slight tweaks, not big differences. Like taking a Duncan 59 neck and tweaking it a hair toward a Duncan Jazz neck.

The bridge feels a little further away from the Duncan version. It has a focused, present, and clear tone, maybe not as "fuzzy" as the Duncan with higher gain. Not saying that is good or bad. I love the fuzziness of the Duncan 59, this is just a bit clearer with gain. Maybe not as open and airy sounding when played clean. The EQ numbers from Dimarzio made it sound like it was going to have a lot more mids than the Duncan, but I didn't really hear that much difference. What I do hear is treble that has been pulled back a bit. If you really like the bright treble bite of the Duncan 59, it is not as abundant in the Dimarzio bridge. Then again, if you find the Duncan 59 to have too much biting treble, this EQ might work for you. Still has tight bass. Still has that A5 magnet character. May be a tiny bit more aggressive than the Duncans, but not much. Definitely still a vintage output pickup. Like taking a Duncan 59 bridge and tweaking it a tiny bit toward a Whole Lotta Humbucker Bridge.