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Pure P.A.F. ®
$150.00 – $300.00
Lindy’s favorite humbucker. Clean and articulate with very good note separation. The parts used look like real P.A.F.’s and the tone is as close as we can get. The Pure P.A.F. is clearer and cleaner than our Modern P.A.F., but beefier than our P-92.
PURE P.A.F.: PURE 50’S TONE, MODERNIZED.
The Lindy Fralin Pure P.A.F. humbucker is our best-selling traditional humbucker. We based this model on the specifications of the original 50’s Gibson® P.A.F. pickups. Our Pure P.A.F. humbucker is clean, articulate, and bright. This pickup will give you a clear, vintage tone that’s articulate and dynamic. The Pure P.A.F has a lower output, which is more dynamic and expressive than higher output pickups. Lindy’s passion for the sound of vintage 50’s humbuckers led us down the road to design and create the Pure P.A.F. It’s by far our most authentic-sounding traditional humbucker.
PURE P.A.F. FEATURES:
- Our Best-Selling Humbucker – low output, vintage tone
- Original Gibson PAF® specifications: low output, with modern clarity
- Clean and clear, smooth grind and a sharp attack
- USA-made Alnico 2 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
Due to supplier issues, we are discontinuing Jet Black Nickel covers until further notice. We’ll keep you updated when black comes back!
PURE P.A.F. SOUND:
Clear and articulate. The Pure P.A.F. will stay clean and won’t break up as early as modern humbuckers. Don’t let the term “vintage” fool you – you’ll find that it’s loud and versatile enough to play with modern-voiced pickups. Built with AlNicCo II and 42-gauge plain enamel wire, the Pure P.A.F. pickup is a gateway to instant vintage tone. When playing without distortion, you’ll find that this pickup sings what you put into it: it’s dynamic and warm. With distortion, you’ll find that the grind is nice and smooth. Expect a pronounced pick attack, pure-sounding plain strings, and bright wound strings.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. When Lindy set out to design this pickup, he wanted it to be as close to the originals as possible. Pure P.A.F.’s consist of USA-Made Butyrate bobbins, baseplates, magnets, and wire. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Doing this gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone.
Finally, we assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand. Hand assembling pickups allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. After assembly, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup, and prevent microphonics.
Faqs:
- What’s the difference between this model and the Modern P.A.F.? The Pure P.A.F. has fewer turns per coil and uses a slightly weaker magnet, giving this pickup a clearer and more articulate tone than the Modern P.A.F. In a nutshell, this pickup has a clearer midrange and snappier highs than the Modern P.A.F.
- Can you Coil Tap this model? Yep! Choose 3-Conductor Lead and use our diagrams here. You may want to use a Partial Tap Resistor as this is a medium-output humbucker.
- Which Lead should I choose? If you have a Gibson style instrument with separate volume pots for each pickup, go with the Gibson Shielded Braided lead. Fender style instruments or players with coil-tapping or phase reversing needs, go with 3-Conductor. If you want the maximum options, go with 4-Conductor.
- Which Output should I choose? Our most popular set is our 7.8K neck and our 8.2K bridge. If you want a stronger and darker tone, go with a higher output. If you want a clearer and more open tone, go with a lower output.
- Which String Spacing should I choose? Gibson-style instruments use 49.2mm on the neck and bridge. Fender-style instruments use a 52mm Bridge and a 50mm neck.
Choosing the Spacing:
- 49.2mm: Choose this for Gibson Standard Spacing
- 50mm: Fender Neck Spacing
- 52mm: Fender Bridge Spacing
CHOOSING THE LEAD:
- Gibson® Braided Shielded: Most popular. Use this if you have no special requirements (Coil tapping, Phase Reverse, or Series / Parallel). Do not choose this lead if you’re current pickups are wired into a switch first.
- 3-Conductor With Shield: Use this if you have Coil Tapping or Phase Reverse needs.
- 4-Conductor With Shield: Use this if you have Coil Tapping, Phase Reverse, Series or Parallel needs.
TECHNICAL INFO:
Materials:
Pure P.A.F.s are wound with 42-Gauge Plain Enamel Wire. They use USA-Made Alnico 2 Magnets and USA-Made Steel Screws. We use Nickel-Silver Baseplates and Covers. Like the originals, we use Butyrate bobbins.
Resistance Readings:
We offer two main sets of Pure P.A.F.s – a Stock Set and an Underwound set. The Stock set reads 7.8K in the Neck and 8.2K in the Bridge. The Underwound set reads 7.5K in the Neck and 8K in the Bridge. We compensate for the outputs, and all sets have matched volume.
We're all about building trust with our customers. That's why we don't moderate our reviews. What you see is what we get!
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Tom Killion (verified owner) –
Excellent Pickups!
I own a 1979 Gibson Kalamazoo Les Paul that I bought new nearly 41 yrs ago. It was time for a pickup upgrade and I called and spoke with Lindy who showed a caring and helpful attitude. My guitar sounds better now than it did when I purchased it. If your guitar needs new pickups you have to check out the Fralin Line…I assure you…you will not be disappointed. Thanks, Lindy, Tim Killion
Bruce Bradley (verified owner) –
Exceptional
Full disclosure, I’m a novice guitarist. So why would anyone listen to my opinion? If I can appreciate these pickups, imagine how much you would. String definition is top-notch with beautiful vintage humbucker tone. The cleans are so very detailed and the dirty tones are just as good. There is no midrange spike to make them harsh or piercing. This is the fourth set of pickups I’ve gotten from Lindy and I’m getting more. You don’t have to listen to the opinion of a novice, but you should.
Jason Vernier (verified owner) –
I couldn’t be happier with the Pure P.A.F. humbucker! It’s everything I had hoped for and more! Thank you!
Brandon Ellis (verified owner) –
Sounds great! Great pickup, great customer service.
Alberto Arregui (verified owner) –
SWEET
Put 7.8k neck/8.2k bridge in a Gibson 2012 ES-339. Third different pup set I’ve had in it, and these are the keepers. The cleans are the cleanest, and the overdriven tones are much better than I expected. The pinch harmonics leap out effortlessly. The slightly scooped quack sound is incredible. These are incredibly refined humbuckers. Kudos.
Robert Jernigan (verified owner) –
Humbucker tone at all volume levels clear single coil with minimal noise when split awesome combination with split rails in HSS configuration
Chad Indermill (verified owner) –
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Rodolfo Pacheco (verified owner) –
Amazing set of pickups. I replaced humbuckers on a blacktop Tele and the sound is amazing. Powerful and soulful pickups, they turned my Tele into my number one. Fralin pickups have a soul…I’m serious..will purchase again when the situation arises…
Peter Warren (verified owner) –
Very happy with Pure PAF pickups.
I am delighted with the Pure PAF humbuckers from Lindy Fralin. I installed them on my Hagstrom Viking, an ES-335 style guitar. It’s quite well built but suffers from a muddy, poor-quality tone. The Pure PAFs were the perfect choice for this guitar. It now sounds as good or better than any Gibson ES-335 I’ve ever played. I don’t know how Lindy does it, but these PUPs are both fat and really clear, at the same time. I couldn’t be happier. Highly recommended.
Keith Reed (verified owner) –
Absolutely worth it. I tried many different pickups before landing with these. It took really just one strum and I made that mean impressed frown face. They’re so inspiring. The first pickup I’ve played on that when I really dig in it actually punches back at me. Perfect EQ balance. Amazing.
Keith Wood (verified owner) –
Amazing pickup! Amazing all-around experience, to ally and delivery time. Always a pleasure, thanks to Lindy and his staff!
Jala Tass (verified owner) –
Unreal Bridge PAF!
I have tried Lollar, Wolfetone, Electric City, Sheptone, and these win hands-down! Every time I have used different brands or Bridge humbucker pickups the tone has been insanely off on my Gibson ES-333. The Pure PAF is never harsh or dull. It is SO dynamic and the perfect EQ. Honestly, my mind is blown. I had ventured off and tried different PAF’s and came back to these, and I will never bother with others again.
Tom –
Wow! I put a pair of Pure PAF’s in a 1990 Orville Les Paul. Its a gorgeous instrument and plays great but it lacked something in its tone. After replacing the originals which were blah. I tried a set of Iron Gear, Tesla Sharks from a UK builder. Not bad but they had a bit of a coarse breakup and were a little noisy. Then I tried a pair of Gibson 57s. The 57 in the neck and a 57+ in the bridge. Much better. After a year or so, I decided to try the Pure PAF’s. I feel like the guitar came to life. Super nice cleans and a really smooth breakup coming out of a Marshal amp. Just love it!!
Gillespie Cargill (verified owner) –
Got them in just in time for a gig. Got multiple compliments on my tone from other musicians and people in attendance. They sound great. I will be a repeat customer. Our other guitarist played my guitar for 10 minutes and decided to order some.
John Lowther (verified owner) –
Clean and Clear!
Great sounding PAF’s. Clean and crisp. Very versatile.
Bob Helfant (verified owner) –
They sound beautiful as do all your pickups. They are not quite balanced in volume and I make up for that by putting the bridge pickup a little closer to the strings.
Brian Dunn (verified owner) –
Best pickups ever
I am a luthier and decided to make my own semi hollow 335 style guitar. I put all high end wiring and decided to use Fralin pickups. I was very happy with the performance of these pickups, the tone is incredible and I highly recommend them.
Paul Sobolewski (verified owner) –
Absolutely love these pickups! They have tone for days. They are very balanced on the output as you turn the volume up or down. Keep up the good work!
Jeffrey Bryant (verified owner) –
The pure P.A.F. pickups were easy to wire-up and sound fantastic! My neck pickup has great clarity that was lacking before. JB.
James Ryan (verified owner) –
I absolutely love the PAF in the neck position of my Les Paul but to be honest the bridge position was far too bright for my taste so I ended up putting the originals back. I was reluctant to write this review because I absolutely adore your pickups and have them in multiple guitars of mine and in the past, you have all been incredibly gracious when it came to switching things out. I would imagine an actual PAF probably sounded very similar in the bridge of a 50s Les Paul but I guess my mind was expecting something else. Thank you and I will always be a life long patron of Fralin pickups.
Tyler Delsack – Fralin Pickups (store manager) –
Hey James,
Let me know if you would like to exchange the bridge for something a little thicker-sounding! We can definitely accommodate you, we want you to be happy with your tone.
Tyler
Jeff Castille (verified owner) –
1991 PRS CE24 upgrade
Your pickups made this guitar awesome!
John Kral –
5/9/2019…Please see my review in the Mini Humbucker section for more details.
I had a Pure PAF installed in the bridge position of my new Michael Kelly “1955” Series Tele to replace the junk pups that were in this really fine
instrument for the price…this was an experiment…OMG !! The tone is undescribable ! The voices, articulation, depth, versatility…WOW!!!
Made a “lady” out of this cute, well made, but blah sounding instrument…
Thank you, Lindy…
Calne WA (verified owner) –
“**Man Plays Guitar, Immediately Calls Police!!!**”
… to join the class action lawsuit against all those big name brands claiming “clear” sounding pickups.
Feel like you’re missing that last 5 or 10% of cleanliness? Here ya go!!
Put a set in an old Ibby AK95 and I now have every jazz tone I’ve ever wanted–or heard!!
Takes two days for Fralin’s to wake up. When they do, you should be sitting down.
I’m overwhelmed with tone… beautiful, luscious, clean tone. At times I feel like a stick of warm butter.
And, I don’t mind telling you how, after about 10 minutes, I caught myself thinking: “Have I always been this good?”
Prob’ly not…. (lol).
Phil Corsi (verified owner) –
This pickup in the bridge position (8.2K) is the perfect complement to the Hum Canceling P90 (Stock output Neck) I put in the neck on my semi-hollow Dot. The tone is pure bliss! I can’t say enough about what Lindy’s pickups have done to transform my guitar or about the quality of customer service I received. Truly, this is a first class operation in every aspect. Much respect, Mr. Fralin. Much respect.
George Judge (verified owner) –
Nice warmth! Rich and warm and a great mix with the High Output Tele Bridge and 500k pots.
James Adler (verified owner) –
The tone I was looking for!
Replaced the stock Epi bridge pickup with Fralin Pure PAF 8.2 on my ’01 Korean Epi LP. Articulation and dynamics in spades now. Very satisfied with tonal ranges I’m getting with the Pure PAF. Great classic rock sounds.
James Dollar (verified owner) –
Absolutely stunning! Love them!!!!! Pure Bliss!
Trevor Ahlfield (verified owner) –
Perfect and Powerful. Went for the underwound set (7.5K / 8K). I put them in a Derek Trucks SG, and man, these things sound great. Clear and articulate with great balance. I primarily play single coils, so these, even under wound, still pack plenty of punch for what I do. Great stuff, as usual.
Lorne Haylock (verified owner) –
Words can’t describe tone! I love the tone I’ve got from adding Lindy Fralin Pure P.A.F.s to my McCarty 594.
Sheldon Krongard (verified owner) –
Another perfect Score.
At first I was unsure about the PAF’s. My experience with Fralin pickups was exclusively with Fender guitars and I have been ecstatic with the sound of my Strat and Tele. I was also unsure I installed them correctly. First tine I did an installation. Thought the bridge pickup did not have as much gain as the neck but I tested them with a multimeter and everything was spot on. It took a little while to play and get use to them having spent most of my playing on Fenders. I LOVE THESE PICKUPS NOW! Exactly what I wanted for my Les Paul. Warm, sweet midrange, balanced without being too “hot”. Beautiful for clean playing. What I have discovered with the PAF’s is that if I select both pickups and drop the volume on the neck pickup by one or two, I get an amazing, perfect lead tone, not too midrange, but not as much treble as just the bridge alone. Just enough for solos.
Never worked with my last set of pickups.
My Les Paul has once again become my go to guitar.
Excellent!
PS: Is there a way to install a blender pot like you guys rigged when I bought an entire pre-wired Strat pickguard for the LP? That would put the LP over the top!
Emilio Bagnoli (verified owner) –
The best!!
Matt McCarthy –
Great pick-ups, not too much output.
Mark Vincent (verified owner) –
I bought a set of the Pure PAF’s (7.5 neck, 8.0 bridge) and it’s the best guitar-related purchase I’ve ever made. They’re worth every single penny. I put mine in a Gibson Standard ‘61 and it’s now one of my favorite guitars. If you’re on the fence about these pickups, do yourself a favor and just get them. You’ll be glad you did.
The craftsmanship is impeccable and if we’re all going to be honest with ourselves, the pickups are arguably the most important part of an electric guitar, so if you want to change your tone for the better, start with some quality pickups. There’s a reason Fralin has so many awesome reviews—because they kick serious ace!
Don’t be scared, buy some!
Michael McAlister (verified owner) –
Very well made. Exactly as they should be.
Joseph Donaghy (verified owner) –
Everything I Had Hoped For!
I just installed a pair of Pure P.A.F.s in my Ibanez AS73 (335 style, made in China). Its feel was always great, acoustically it sings, but amplified or recorded it sounded like someone had placed a blanket over the speakers.
My goodness. After installing the Pure P.A.F.s and a new wiring harness, it became a monster tone machine. The warmth, clarify, string separation are the best I’ve ever heard, and there is some kind of magical, audio pixie dust that floats on the highs that I just can’t get over. I’ve never played a guitar with “real” PAFs so I can’t compare them, but it?s hard to imagine anything sounding better. I can’t wait to start laying down some tracks with this beast. Mahalo (thanks!) Lindy and crew!
Bob Cho (verified owner) –
Exactly what I wanted!
These pickups are everything I wanted and more. I picked up a D’Angelico EX-SS hollow body recently. I loved everything about the guitar except the pickups. They were muddy and not very versatile. After I installed the Pure PAF pickups, it was like wiping off your glasses when they are dirty. Suddenly, the guitar came alive and I could hear and feel what the guitar was capable of. Couldn’t be happier with my purchase.
Brian Murphy (verified owner) –
See my review of Lindy’s DynaSonic. I had Lindy wind the Pure PAF slightly under so that the volume level would more closely match the DynaSonic. They are both in a Tele Style body with this pickup in the Neck Position. I use the DynaSonic for the Jangle/Chime music and the Pure PAF for leads like The Guess Who’s “No Time”. The combination is very versatile and the middle position of N/B combo shines as well.
Scott Steele (verified owner) –
American Telecaster HH
I always liked playing this American Telecaster, but the stock humbuckers were muddy, compared to custom shop guitars. I was hesitant to spend the money on Fralin humbuckers for this guitar, especially because I didn’t know how much it would really improve it.
I took a long time deciding which humbuckers to go with and finally ordered the Pure P.A.F. set, along with a new control plate with 500K pots.
I’m happy to say it worked out perfectly. This guitar sounds completely different. I can hear every string now, even with lots of gain from the amp. It’s tone is warm and bold. The overall sound is articulate. It’s a basic American Tele that sounds more like a custom shop.
It’s also important to mention that the Fralin people helped me all along the way. They run a first class shop and won’t let you go it alone, if you ask for guidance.
David Alexander (verified owner) –
Outstanding service and pickups!
I ordered a set of Pure PAFs for Gibson Les Paul Classic. I loved the neck and playability of the guitar, but the Gibson stock pickups were unacceptable. I called Fralin and they help me pick out the pickups based on the sound I was aiming for. They nailed it! The pickups are so clean and I basically have a brand new guitar. Great service and great pickups. Thanks!
Tony Albertson (verified owner) –
Cleans up mushy low end exactly the sound I was looking for out of the guitar I put them in. Lindy is a good guy, great listener and gracious with his time.
Eric Montizambert (verified owner) –
Love the Fralin Pure P.A.F. tone!
Lindy Fralin was gracious to spend a lot of time discussing with me which humbucker pickups would work best for my playing style in my Gibson Les Paul Standard 2016 T (which offers coil splits, bridge tone bypass, and an out-of-phase option). When I explained that I play mostly rhythm guitar in my 60s-70s classic rock cover band, Lindy recommended the 4-conductor Pure P.A.F. humbucker pickups with a 7.5k neck pickup and an 8.5k bridge pickup. He was absolutely correct! The pickups are very clean sounding and very airy, woody, and articulate, with great note separation. I told him I wanted clean sounding pickups that would work well with all of my effects pedals and the Pure P.A.F pickups deliver! I highly recommend them. (I also have Fralin Modern P.A.F. pickups in my Heritage 535 and Fralin Stock Tele pickups in one of my Fender Telecasters—Fralin pickups rule!)
Thomas Opper (verified owner) –
Warm, Sweet and Clear! Not dark or muddy. Warm, sweet and clear humbuckers.
Don Lessnau (verified owner) –
Excellent! Lovely, warm and clean. Like butter on popcorn. Love those AlNiCo 2 magnets.
Christopher Godwin (verified owner) –
My Herirage 150 came with Duncan Vintage ‘59s, which were good but just not quite hot enough. I installed the standard “hot” set of Pure PAFs ind they did the trick. Great vintage tone and just the right growl when wide-open.
One thing though: the pickup covers were just a little big for the pickup body routes so I had to re-solder the sides of the covers while squeezing them with a pair of pliers so that they’d fit inside the routes. Once I did that they dropped into place no problem.
All in all the Pure PAFs were a fine investment.
Matt Boren (verified owner) –
I have to say that yes, Lindy you are correct in that saying the pure paf pickup you engineered is as close as you can get. Well what that means to me is not only thru the design and engineering phase did you come as close as you could get, but you actually ended up equaling the best original paf’s and then took it a step further in that they are better than the best, so yes, you went further than they did, and I couldn’t be happier…I’m completely blown away every time I play them in my R8 Les paul. ?
Jason Whiting (verified owner) –
These pickups are amazing!!! Before buying I called to discuss the options on Pure PAFs and was pleasantly surprised to get a call back by Lindy himself! We spoke for about 15 minutes discussing the various options and how they would affect tone. I had recently purchased a used Heritage H575, and it’s tone was very dark. I decided on the Pure PAFs with the neck at 7.5 in hopes of hearing more of the acoustic properties of the archtop. After ordering and putting in these Pure PAFs, the guitar has come alive. It’s tone is now balanced, and it sounds incredible.
Nice work to Lindy and everyone at Fralin Pickups!!
Babak Khodabandeh (verified owner) –
It’s alive!! A true Frankenstein story. After gutting my guitar and putting it under a white sheet. A flash of light hit and all of a sudden it started playing itself. No human necessary. What an investment!
James Lanier (verified owner) –
Great replacement for stock pickups!
I replaced the stock pickups on my 18-year-old G&L ASAT Deluxe with Lindy’s Pure PAF set. A perfect choice. Original pups were Duncan ’59 and JB combination. They were decent enough, but the JB bridge pickup was a “one-trick” pony. It did one thing extremely well, but nothing else was satisfying to my ears. With Lindy’s PAF’s I immediately noticed the broader frequency response of neck pickup. Better low-end and no more artificial upper-mid bump. But the really shocking thing is the incredible increase in dynamic range — particularly in the bridge pickup. Now I know what a PAF is supposed to sound like! Especially since my G&L ASAT Deluxe is mahogany body with maple cap. And with a rare ebony fretboard, in many respects it should be voiced a lot like the Les Paul Custom. Now it is, and I could not possibly be happier with the switch. Also, a personal thanks to Lindy Fralin. He answered my original phone call to inquire about pickups, and he courteously guided me thru everything to consider, options, etc. If I could give a “ten star” rating I would! Thanks again, James
lloydwarren (verified owner) –
I wanted to let you know how unbelievably happy I am with my latest purchase from you. I recently purchased a PRS CE 24 that had their standard 85/15 humbuckers in it. Many people like these. Not me. I have many Fralin’s, so I talked to Lindy and he suggested the Pure PAF’s. I ordered them with the nickel covers. I took the guitar to the PRS dealer here and they seemed skeptical to swap out “PRS pickups” until I told them they were Fralin’s. They had told me it would take a week, but he said he wanted to hear the Fralin’s in the PRS so he’d get it done quicker. I’m not kidding. He called the next day to tell me it was done and that it “sounded amazing!”…and…”looked great too”. Not making this up.
He wasn’t kidding. These pickups brought this guitar to life. The clarity and tone and warmth they bring to the guitar is amazing. It’s like a brand new instrument. Even the single coil option sounds better. These pickups have brought out the tone wood and snap of the guitar. It’s unbelievable. Before, the neck pickup was almost unusable with gain. Now, even with gain the neck sounds warm, but clear. These may be the best PAF’s I’ve ever heard.
Dirk Mautes –
I put these pickups into my 1984 and my 1990 Tokai Love Rocks, the difference between the stock pickups and the Pure PAFs is impressive. Much nicer tone, better clarity, beautiful highs, perfect mids and enough lows. I play them through a Soldano, and it just sounds amazing. They are definitely a huge improvement and beat the stock pickups by far.
TJ Fletcher (verified owner) –
Sounds good! Replaced my stock pickups from my 1980 ES-347. Sounds clean. I’m happy.
Richard Hetland (verified owner) –
The tone quest stops here!
Over the years I’ve had the good fortune of playing some real nice vintage guitars, thankfully. It’s hard for me to imagine a P.A.F. style humbucker that could sound any better than this one. You can stop looking now, and start playing. Thank you, Mr. Fralin and crew!
Michael Loffredo (verified owner) –
Awesome!
These pickups are awesome. I put them in my LP Custom and can’t put it down. I highly recommend them!
Jeffrey Whitehead (verified owner) –
The Pure P.A.F. brings that classic HB tone that rings like a bell, then cuts through with incredible clarity in overdrive. I love to install it with a pot to adjust coil tapping, giving the player a broad range of tone: http://www.charleston.guitars/
Fredrik Svensson (verified owner) –
Totally Tonal Triumph- Not much to say. Bigger, warmer and more responsive than many HBs I´ve tried over the years.
Steve Heckman (verified owner) –
Turned my Epi Les Paul into a fire breather! I recently ripped out the wiring, pots, switches, jacks and pick ups on my epiphone. Put a jonesy blues 21 tone rig in there along with pure pafs 8.5k bridge and 7.5k in neck. Both with albino 4 mags…………. my guitar now has everything and more of what was lacking. These pure pafs are so clear and articulate on the cleans and the magic really happens when you hit them with overdrive and gain. Greasy quacky with all the bottom end bang and top end Kerrang.
Joe Siracusa (verified owner) –
Pure P.A.F installed in an Eastman El Rey
I recently installed a Fralin Pure P.A.F in my Eastman El Rey and it is everything I had hoped it would be. The pickup is warm sounding, articulate and extremely responsive to my playing style. Since the pickup upgrade, I have used the guitar on a couple of recent gigs and find that my playing is more expressive and free-flowing. I primarily play straight ahead jazz using archtops and have been playing for approximately 45 years. This pickup makes the little Eastman sound like a larger archtop without the inherent feedback issues of a full size carved instrument. Will be purchasing additional Fralin Pure P.A.F pickups in the near future
Jon Staton (verified owner) –
Gentlemen, I just wanted to write to let you know how happy I am with the new pickup. I’ve had a Fralin Unbucker in the neck of my custom 22 for years, and it’s been great. I love the single cool tone so much that I basically use it exclusively split. The humbucker I had in the bridge didn’t pair well with the split unbucker (too middy), so I decided to try the pure PAF 8.2 in the bridge. Amazing. It has such a subtle mid push compared to the split unbucker that the cleans are beautifully open with no annoying midrange honk/muddiness. Running the paf and split unbucker together sounds like a good tele in the middle position. The prs is bright, so I run 25Ok pots, which pair great with the two fralins. It’s great dirty as well. I like more of a smooth Mesa, two rock type dirty sound which sounds great with the split unbucker. The paf is great here as well, as the midds don’t muddy up the sound, and all the notes come thru beautifully. Thanks for a great product! Jon Staton
Donald Meyer (verified owner) –
Absolutely Fantastic! Amazing tone, better than I imagined. Thank you Luke for deciphering my cryptic note with the order and walking me through the wiring options I was looking for. I paired a four wire Pure P.A.F. in the neck, with an overwound High Output Telecaster bridge pickup in a semi-hollow Thinline body. I wired them up with a 5 way “super switch” (thanks again Luke) with 500K Ohm pots and a .02 Capacitor. First off the full neck pickup sings with a clean sustain that puts my Gibsons to shame. Next position is the screw coil alone and it’s sweet and smooth. The middle position is both pickups full on and the added bite of the overwound bridge pickup makes solos cut through even the thickest live mixes. The next position is the screw coil and the bridge pickup out of phase but hum canceling for a super usable tone. Not quite the Peter Green tone but still super pleasing. And the coup de grace, the bridge pickup alone, absolutely killer rock and blues tone for days! This was my second set of Fralin pickups. I got started on a Blues Special Telecaster replacement set, I’ll never put another brand of pickups in a guitar. Thanks again!
Dean Vusikas –
I bought a Pair of these Pure PAFs over a year ago from Lindy. I was looking for some AlnicoII magnet pickups that had a warm sounding Neck and special Bridge tone , and after speaking to Lindy decided on an overwound pair of these.
WOW ! These pickups were exactly what I was looking for in tone !
I had them installed in a beautiful All Solid Woods ES 335 type Carvin made Semi Hollow body that was sitting in a closet for 7 years because the stock pickups were so poor to my ears.
With the edition of these PAFs the guitar is now perfect , exactly what I was looking for. The Neck pickup holds it’s tone even with the tone knob turned all the way down , it doesn’t get muddy. That is a hard quality to achieve in a neck pickup. So the Neck pup has a great Jazz and Blues tone and very versatile with the tone knob.
The Bridge pickup is also stellar. Very crisp , clean high end Blues and Rock tone with no shrillness , and again lots of range with the Tone knob.
I compared these pickups with the Duncan Seth Lovers and I have to say my Fralin overwound pair are better sounding to me in the Neck and Bridge. More warm , clean range in the neck and more clarity and personlity in the Bridge.
As always , very happy with my Fralin pickups and the customer service is The Best !!
Thanks Lindy and the Fralin family.
Dean
Gary Bonadio (verified owner) –
Just finished Upgrading my Epi 339 with a set of your Pure PAF Humbuckers, Emerson CTS Pots, a Bone Nut and a Graphtech Resomax Bridge.
I am completely blown away by the sound of this guitar and I find it difficult at times to put it down .The articulation ….the clarity…the balance and the tone is just amazing. I’m a chord-melody guy and always reached for my D’Angelico arch top for that style of play, but now my inexpensive Epi is filled with body, warmth and clarity that I never thought I could get with a Semi Hollow body Guitar. I don’t believe that a $3000 Gibson 339 has anything over this Epi. Do yourself a huge favor and pick up a set of these PAFs
Thank you Lindy & Tyler for the great work.
Steve Husting –
I put a set of these into a Dot beater and all of the sudden I was doing a teenage girl imitation – OMG! OMG! – they turned the cheap beater into a seriously good-sounding guitar. I’m ashamed to say the high-end stuff hasn’t been getting much playing time any more. I liked it so much I went ahead and replaced all the other junk on the guitar with decent stuff. Now I have the most expensive cheap Dot in the world.
And I’ve never really been a humbucker guy. But I sure do like these.
Jordan James (verified owner) –
I was looking for replacement pickups for an old Les Paul. Being a full-time session guitarist, I have been thankful to have many incredible guitars and pickups in my hands over the years; including several magical example late 50’s PAF’s. A good friend suggested I reach out to Lindy and I called to discuss what I was looking for. The phone call was awesome – the attention to the detail and depth of knowledge in helping find the tonality I had in mind was second to none.
I ordered a customized set to my desired specs and the results were outstanding.
The pickups brought new life to a very sentimental instrument. Gorgeous cleans to very musical overdrive when pushed, excellent note separation while retaining midrange complexity, excellent note bloom and responsiveness – all the buzz words you hear about but don’t always find.
The pickups enhanced everything great about the guitar and brought it to full potential. It’s now one of the most inspiring tools I have in the lineup.
You cannot go wrong with the Pure PAF.
Chris Hagerty (verified owner) –
I built a Les-Paul inspired Telecaster with 24.75″ scale and two of these pure PAF pickups with 50 and 52mm spacing for neck and bridge, respectively. They sound really great and they look beautiful.
I ordered zebras with chrome covers to have an option for cover-no-cover. The covers were soldered in place as received so I left them alone.
This detail should be shown on the options, to be clear. I am happy with the covered look in any case.
It was not clear to me which end of the pickup is up but I guessed that screws are up based on views on the site and views of guitars.
This should also be detailed without ambiguity. Minor complaints overall. The items themselves look great and sound great.
Brian Baker –
My Les Paul Classic turned sixteen this year and wanted new pickups as a present. I bought the 7.5/8 set and could not be more pleased. The pups are capable of a very clean tone from which to build on. I play the guitar through a made in Britain Marshall DSL 50. The red channel’s first stage now pumps out pure classic rock. Sweet singing overdrive. The neck puts out chords without a hint of mud while the bridge has just the right amount of bite. My review is overdue, to say the least,(got them on 3/28/17) but I wanted to wait for the honeymoon period to expire. Makes for a more sincere review. These pickups have given my guitar the voice I wish it had to start with.
Kevin Sweeney (verified owner) –
I had 57 Classics in my Gibson SG 61 Reissue. The bridge pickup was okay but it just seemed lacking of any definition or pick attack. After talking with Lindy, I decided to go for a Pure PAF with an ALNICO 5 magnet (as I like brighter pickups). It has much more character and definition now. The clarity and pick attack are superb. I paired it with a Fralin Bluesbucker in the neck. They make a great pair by the way.
Thanks to Lindy and his crew for the great craftsmanship and customer service. Highly recommended.
H.A. (verified owner) –
I think most of us guitar players are “Tone Chasers”.
Amps, pedals, guitars….and PICKUPS of course!
Not a cheap or easy journey sometimes.
And we all know that feeling when you finally hit it….it’s a feeling only guitar players understand.
After installing a Pure PAF in the bridge of my 335…the perfect tone alarm sounded!
What a great moment hahaha!
I would recommend these pickups to anyone! Fantastic!
Seem like cool people too…….The search is over….gonna load up my Strat with the Blues specials now…….
Ron Collier –
Lindy has installed his Pure PAF pickup sets in several of my Epiphone Les Pauls (Standard Pro, Juniors, Specials). In every case dramatic sonic improvements were heard. To my ears my Epiphones now sound better than equivalent Gibson Les Pauls, at least the ones I have played. Lindy has done other work on my guitars such as special wiring, new pots, setups, etc. His work is always done right the first time. He has performed work on over a dozen of my instruments and I have yet to encounter any problems with any of his work. In addition he is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He has freely given me very helpful advice that has greatly expanded my understanding of how guitars work and what can be done to improve their sound. I now consider him a friend.
Thorsten (verified owner) –
Put a set of Pure P.A.F. (7.8/8.2) in my ’82 Les Paul Heritage Series. Already sounding good, original PUs and some other “classic” replacements never seemed quite capable of converting the guitar’s great acoustic properties into electric signal (always a bit muted like listening through a closed door). The Guitar has really opened up now, neck PU gives a swet & balanced tone, bridge PU is well defined and articulate. Feels like hearing what the guitar is really capable of for the first time, glad I bought ’em. Thanks to Lindy & the whole team an Fralin Pickups!
Chaz –
Hands down my favorite PAF style pickup. I have tried these in may different guitars from vintage Gibson’s to inexpensive imports and the Pure PAF’s have dramatically improved tone in all. Absolutely no mud here… just clear and pure vintage PAF chime. Cannot recommend them more. Bravo Lindy!
Steve (verified owner) –
HOLY MOLEY these Pure P.A.F. pickups sound amazing! After researching the forums and shootout videos I noticed Fralin Pure P.A.F.s were consistently at the top of people’s lists. Warning-the reviews and online videos just can’t capture the tone and fullness coming from my amp right now. Clean, articulate, balanced and extremely responsive are just a few words that come to mind. Seriously, I was thinking about selling my Gibson es-347 because I was tired of fighting my amp to dial in the tone I wanted. But I really love the way it feels in my hands so I decided to swap out the pickups – so glad I did. I jacked straight into the amp and strummed an open E chord that buckled my knees…THIS was the lush tone I’d been searching for.
I’m not famous…just another gigging sideman but whether you have hundreds or thousands of dollars wrapped up in your gear please don’t overlook what Fralin Pure P.A.F. pickups will do for your tonequest.
Peace,
Matt McGowan (verified owner) –
I received my Pure PAF pickups a few weeks ago and had them installed by Harry Eibert. When i picked up my Les Paul, Harry said he thought my set of pickups were some of the best he’s heard in a long time. Well…, the Les Paul in which they were installed was my backup…..Not any more! They sound fantastic. They are full, round and with just enough bite for commanding leads. I want Lindy to know how happy I am with the purchase and congratulate him on his good work.
I bought a set of hum cancelling P90s in 2010 and am very happy with them. So, I thought maybe a new set of pickups could help my old horse guitar. It certainly did, and now the old horse is in the main stable. Thanks again
Cheers,
Matt
Bruce (verified owner) –
excellent advise and super fast service – GREAT pickup!
thank you very much – keep up the fine work!
Bruce – guitar player for Modzilla, a Philadelphia legend for over a decade
Ben Mueller (verified owner) –
I upgraded an old Mexican Strat I had with a Pure PAF in the bridge, and a couple of Vintage Hots in the middle and neck positions. This thing totally sings now. Nice and glassy, but still with a nice bottom end. Before the upgrade, I felt like I could only really use the bridge or bridge mid setting on the guitar. The mid and neck pickups by themselves were too muddy. But now, every pickup position offers tone as clear as a bell. So much more versatile than it was before. Thanks guys!
Ting-Rong, Chang. (verified owner) –
Amazing pickups!!
Replaced a set of P.A.F (Neck 7.5k & Bridge 8k) in my ES-335.
The sound is really awesome…
more clear, more chime, more singing, more sensitive!!
After I heard this P.A.F’s sound…
I think…I really have to order a P.A.F(Neck 7.8k & Bridge 8.2k) for my Les Paul Standard too!!
Can’t wait!!
Steve Gambrell –
I just put a set of these in a 2011 Les Paul Traditional–I replaced a set of Gibson’s ’57 Classics–My favorite pickups. But I put the Pure PAFs in–8.2K in the bridge, 7.8K in the neck–Sounds like Classic ’57s with a 4-barrel! The guitar used to scream–But the Pure PAFs allow it to sing–I like singing much more than screaming.
Are the Fralins expensive? Sorta, yeah. But how do you put a dollar sign on tone? If you can’t get your tone, you don’t play as well. I’ll spend a few more bucks, to get a little closer to the tone I hear.