Modern P.A.F.
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.
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True PAF Tone, Modern Output
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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
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.
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Modern P.A.F..
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading (Stock): | 8K |
| Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock): | 9K |
| 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 |
Sizing
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:
2-Conductor Lead:
3-Conductor Lead:
4-Conductor Lead
Modern P.A.F. Questions And Answers:
Have a question about our Modern P.A.F.? Ask it here. Your Question will be publically visible.
If you want to ask a Private Question, please contact us through our Contact Us Form.
If you have multiple questions, please call us at (804) 358-2699.
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Hey guys, do you guys do a Modern PAF Bridge with 8k output? Thank you.
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Q Hey guys, do you guys do a Modern PAF Bridge with 8k output? Thank you.A
Hey Wilson, Yes, we do under Bridge Outputs, select 8K.
What spacing for a PRS Custom 24? Should 3 or 4 conductor be selected?
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Q What spacing for a PRS Custom 24? Should 3 or 4 conductor be selected?A
Hey Neil, Generally, PRS guitars are 50mm in the Bridge and 49.2mm in the Neck. I recommend 3-Conductor lead.
Are these pick ups potted?
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Q Are these pick ups potted?A Hey Bill, yes - all of our pickups are wax-potted in Paraffin wax.
I recently bought a Les Paul Standard 60's which has Burstbucker 61R/61T pups. I like the 61R in the neck but i do not like the 61T for playing chords. It just doesnt sound balanced when i play chords and is a little thin and glassy with the highs. They are both Alinco V and I believe they are both roughly 7.5k to 8k'ish and sound good in the middle position. I want to replace the 61T bridge pickup with something that has some balls that will go ...
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Q I recently bought a Les Paul Standard 60's which has Burstbucker 61R/61T pups. I like the 61R in ...... Read moreA
Hey Darren, I'd definitely recommend our Modern P.A.F. for this. Coming in at 9K, and Alnico 4, you'll get a smoother response with less harsh treble than the Burstbucker.
What Spacing should I choose?
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Q What Spacing should I choose?A Gibson style instruments use 49.2mm on the neck and bridge. Fender style instruments use a 52mm Bridge and a 50mm neck.
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I got set of Modern PAFs few weeks ago, and I really enjoy it. A lot of musical harmonics, and does not feel “fuzzy” with high gain and note separation is great. The only problem (though really minor) was that when it came, the bridge pickup had wrong wires. Had to go through few trial and erros to find the which wire was which. Must been a hindsight at QC.
I upgraded from a stock pair of neck and bridge cheap pickups on a Dean guitar to the Fraulin modern PAF based off a recommendation from my local luthier with his knowledge of my playing style. I gravitate towards clean and crunch, up to medium gain/distortion type sounds, with corresponding amps and effects. These pickups have been nothing but amazing for my playing. I can roll back the volume and tone knobs to get a clear and warm, but not muddy, sound. Contrastingly I can roll up the volume and brighten the tone to get a bright but not thin or harsh crunch to medium distortion sound out of even cleaner amps like Fender Twins and great crunch sound profiles on Vox and Big Pig-style digital amp sims. HIghly recommend for anyone that wants a pickup that can allow for a lot of versatility and tone shaping. If you don’t have a four-knob guitar, recommend modifying yours to have 2×2 pots for even more custom shaping of tone and maximum versatility across the pickups.
I chose the modern PAF set after consultation with Lindy.
Standard wind set with Ryan nickel covers to replace a custom buckers in a custom shop Les Paul.
I loved the stock pick ups in the Les Paul Tonalli, however, they were not waxed potted and when I used game and volume together, they squealed terribly.
The modern PAF set has many of the qualities that I love about the custom buckers, minus the squeal.
Great Blues, blues rock, Classic rock to more modern tones are all in there! They clean up well with picking dynamic and volume part adjustments. Highly recommended!
These are great pickups! I’ve used these in my builds for years now, and I think they are about the best platform available. Not as compressed as alnico 2 magnet pickups, but still sweet and present in the mids, unlike many alinico 5 magnet pickups. Broad frequency response that’s voiced evenly….
What’s not to like?
Great pick ups. Able to get a creamier vintage sound at lower levels but also able to get a crunchier metal sound at higher volume and gain. Also able to get a cleaner sound with a bite.