Maybe the 3 is the one I remember being marketed that way. Does anyone remember why the poles were designed that way? I always thought it was to 'hear' wildly vibrating strings when divebombing.
IIRC, it was to reduce string pull, as well as produce a more even magnetic field. Same idea as a Precision Bass pickup, but tweaked for guitar. Coil geometry (the coil shape changed because of the outer polepieces resulting in a more rectangular pickup shape than most other pickups).
It has some benefits for divebombing, but it has them in general, too.
It's really frustrating that guitarists are so reactionary, they sound amazing, and are ridiculously fun to play, ridiculously responsive to pick articulation and volume/tone adjustments at the guitar. It'd be nice if there were a wider variety of them, as A5 hot '59, higher output Custom 5, and gonzo metal growlier Distortion aren't what everyone is looking for.
PATB-1b is pretty similar to a Custom 5, only with a bit hotter output and harmonics that make it as fun for soloing as a JB.
PATB-3b is like a brobucker that didn't lose the high end when overwound.
I'd love to see a Parallel Axis Sentient, for another neck pickup option. Debating just going with the standard Sentient, but there's a number of good arguments for a Parallel Axis in the neck (particularly reduced string pull and thick lower mids without farting out).
