Modern P.A.F.

  • Hum-Cancelling
  • Thick & Versatile
  • Traditional Appearance
  • Modern Output
(52 genuine reviews)

$160$320

The Modern P.A.F. is our Pure P.A.F. on steroids. It’s great for more modern styles of music that need a little more output and power. The Modern P.A.F. features a thicker midrange with a quick and even breakup.

 

PRODUCT OPTIONS:

Lead Time

A Lead Time of 3-4 Weeks is just an estimate. Lead Times are subject to change depending on the current shop capacity and size of the order. We will always try to complete your order quicker than the stated lead time.

Select Options Above To Display Add-Ons

Humbucker Cover

Further customize the look of your pickups by adding a USA-Made Nickel Silver cover.

Lead Length

You may need long leads if you have an Archtop guitar, like an ES-335. Check this box below, and we’ll give you some extra lead length.

Partial Split Resistor

Coil Splitting? Grab one (or two) of our Partial Split Resistors. They will give you a stronger single coil tone when split. Installation Instructions Here

Gold Screws

Check here if you want to include Gold Pole Pieces & Mounting Screws for your pickups. Not necessary if buying gold covers.

SPEED UP YOUR ORDER

Since you're buying a single pickup, we might need more information from you. To avoid unnecessary delays in your order, please choose one of the options below:


Notice

Due to the nature of Raw Nickel, Raw Nickel may contain slight cosemetic defects or abrasions.

Recommendation

We recommend using 2-Conductor With Shield Lead when purchasing a single pickup. 2-Conductor lead allows you to reverse the phase should you have phase issues. Learn About Lead Choice

Notice

While we do our best to match double-white bobbins, there may be subtle differences in color due to different dye lots from the manufacturer.


True PAF Tone, Modern Output

Want to learn more about our Modern P.A.F.? Here's all the information you'll need:

Modern P.A.F. FEATURES:

The Fralin Modern P.A.F. is the second best-selling humbucker we make. We took the specifications of the 50’s Gibson® P.A.F. pickups and added more power and output. We designed the Modern P.A.F. as a stronger, thicker, and warmer version of our Pure P.A.F. This pickup is for those looking for traditional tone only a little thicker and darker. With more turns and stronger magnets, the Modern P.A.F. will break up sooner and sound warmer and beefier than our Pure P.A.F.

  • Our Second-Best-Selling Humbucker – low output, vintage tone
  • Thick, strong while still bright. Features an early, smooth breakup
  • Modernized Gibson PAF® specifications: medium output, with modern clarity and power
  • USA-made Alnico 4 Magnets for vintage tonal balance and output
  • Compensated Overwound Bridge for even volume across all pickups
  • Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
  • Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
  • 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects

Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Modern P.A.F.’s consist of USA-Made bobbins, baseplates, magnets, and wire. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. This gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone.

We assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand. Making pickups this way allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. After assembly, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.

Sound

Tonal Graph for Modern P.A.F.:

The tone graph below for our Modern P.A.F. features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.

HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Dynamic & Full


Sound Clips for Modern P.A.F.:
About this Sound Clip:

All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.

Thick, strong, yet clear. Expect loud, warm tones with darker treble strings and woolier bass strings. With distortion, this model will break up faster than our Pure P.A.F. and has a smooth and buttery grind. You’ll hear a pronounced midrange, smooth high-end and attack. AlNicCo IV magnets and Plain Enamel wire give the Modern P.A.F. a perfect balance of modern and vintage tone.

Clean tones are warm, round, and full. Single notes have a larger footprint, while bass strings sound bouncy and rich. You’ll be able to get warm jazzy tones out of this pickup with ease. Dirty tones will sound creamier and smoother than our Pure P.A.F, with a smoother attack.

Sizing

Humbucker Dimensions

 

Humbucker Lead Color Codes

See below for our Humbucker Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.

Gibson Braided Lead:

Gibson Braided Lead
Gibson Braided Lead - Use on Gibson-Style Instruments only, where each pickup has it's own respective volume and tone pot.
Select This Lead If...
  • You are wiring a set of pickups to a Gibson® Style Instrument, like a Les Paul or 335.
Avoid This Lead If...
  • You need Coil Splitting
  • You are purchasing a Single Pickup
  • You need to Reverse the Phase

3-Conductor Lead:

3 Conductor Lead Fralin Pickups
3-Conductor Lead - Select this lead if wiring to a Blade Switch, need coil-splitting, or if buying a single pickup. This lead allows you to reverse the phase and coil split.
Select This Lead If...
  • You need Coil Splitting
  • You are purchasing a Single Pickup (You can reverse the phase)
  • You are wiring pickup(s) to a Blade Switch, like a Fender-Style instrument.

4-Conductor Lead

4 Conductor Lead Fralin Pickups
4-Conductor Lead - Only select this lead if you need Series / Parallel wiring. This lead allows you to reverse the phase, wire in series / parallel, and coil split.
Select This Lead If...
  • You need Series / Parallel Wiring
Avoid This Lead If...
  • You have limited space in the wiring cavity (wire can be bulky).

Tech Specs

See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Modern P.A.F..

SPECIFICATION VALUE
Neck Ohm Reading (Stock):8K 1
Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock):9K 1
Neck Polarity:Reversible with 3-Conductor or 4-Conductor Lead
Bridge Polarity:Reversible with 3-Conductor or 4-Conductor Lead
Magnet:USA-Made Alnico 4
Wire:USA-Made 42-Gauge Plain Enamel
Cover Material:Nickel Silver
Baseplate Material:Nickel Silver
Baseplate Leg Depth:6mm
Slug / Pole Piece Material:Steel
Bobbin Material:ABS Plastic
Recommended Pot Value:500K
Recommended Cap Value:0.02mfd 2

More Information:

1 Ohm Readings can vary due to a multitude of factors, including ambient temperature, multimeter calibration, different wire batches, and other factors. Due to this, ohm readings are approximate. Learn more about Ohm Readings here.


2 We recommend a 0.02mfd Cap Value on most guitar and bass pickups. The exception is a Magic Cap, which Lindy prefers on the Bridge Pickup of Fender® guitars only. Learn More about Caps Here.


Modern P.A.F. FAQ's

General FAQs

Here are quick answers to common questions we get:

  • What Ohm Readings does your Modern P.A.F. have?

    Navigate to our Tech Specs tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.

  • Will this pickup fit my instrument?

    Check our "Sizing" tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions.

  • Is your Lead Time of 3-4 Weeks accurate?

    It really depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to underpromise and overdeliver.

  • What pickup height do you recommend setting your Modern P.A.F.s to?

    Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. Measure by holding the corresponding side down at its highest fret and measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.

GET IT PREWIRED

Get our Modern P.A.F. prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:

CUSTOMER REVIEWS

52 Genuine Reviews for Modern P.A.F.

  1. Jan
    Verified Buyer

    Well, so much depends on the guitar that it would be unfair to say anything bad. Now I know that I would prefer alnico V vs alnico IV for my round and warm but middy sounding Schecter PT. But this pickup has everything What can be expected from Fralin pickups – great harmonics, complexity, clarity. There are no bad pickups from Fralin.

  2. Dave
    Verified Buyer

    Installed a Modern PAF (9k) in the bridge of my American Strat alongside some blues specials in the middle and neck, did the Suhr HSS wiring with a partial split for position 2 and this strat came alive! Such a full sound that still has the strat character and now a guitar I can pickup for any style of music. Gave this guitar the feel I was missing. Thank you Lindy

More Reviews:

Add a review

Leave a review for our Modern P.A.F.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My cart
Your cart is empty.

Looks like you haven't made a choice yet.