Pure P.A.F.
The Ultimate PAF Replacement
Experience what a humbucker should really sound like and get inspired by the Pure P.A.F’s beautiful tone. Lindy’s favorite humbucker, the Pure P.A.F. is a 50’s P.A.F. clone, using real Butyrate Bobbins and all USA-Made parts. Featuring a clean, clear tone with incredible versatility and dynamics and expertly crafted using 100% USA-Made materials, we guarantee the Pure P.A.F. will inspire you for years to come.
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Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
The Ultimate In Vintage PAF Tone
Want to learn more about our Pure P.A.F.? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Are you ready to cut through in the mix? The Lindy Fralin-designed Pure P.A.F. is our best-selling humbucker. Based on the specifications of the original 50’s Gibson® P.A.F. pickups, this model features a clean, articulate tone that’s incredibly versatile.
The Pure P.A.F. is a lower output humbucker, which is more dynamic and expressive than higher output pickups. It’s more articulate and cleaner than our Modern P.A.F., but beefier than our P-92. 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., and it’s easy to see why – this pickup sounds incredible.
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
Sound & Video
How does it sound? Clean and articulate!
The Pure P.A.F. stays clean and features a late break-up and a smooth grind. This pickup is perfect if you’re trying to restore life to your guitar. Don’t let the term “vintage” fool you – you’ll find that it’s loud and versatile enough to play with modern-voiced pickups; it just features more clarity than modern humbuckers.
Built with USA-Made 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. Highs are accentuated with a medium attack. With distortion, you’ll find that the grind is nice and smooth.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. When Lindy designed 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, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Doing this gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone, reminiscent of the early Gibson Humbuckers.
Finally, we assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand, which allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. After assembly, we wax-pot the pickup to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Sound Samples for Pure P.A.F.:
Additional Outputs
We have 2 outputs of our Pure P.A.F.. Compare them below.
About these Sound Clips:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Pure P.A.F.:
The tonal graph below for our Pure P.A.F. features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Soft & Round
Videos for Pure P.A.F.:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Pure P.A.F..
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading (Stock): | 7.5K 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock): | 8K 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 2 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge Plain Enamel |
| Bobbin Material: | USA-Made Butyrate |
| Baseplate Material: | Nickel Silver |
| Cover Material: | Nickel Silver |
| Slug / Pole Piece Material: | Steel |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K* |
| Baseplate Leg Depth: | 6mm |
| Recommended Cap Value: | 0.02mfd 2 |
Additional Technical Info:
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.
* You can experiment with pot values for a different tone. This pickup will sound dark and warm on 250K pots
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
This is a Hum Cancelling Pickup.
If you're buying a set from us, all pickups will work together seamlessly. If you're buying a single pickup, all you need to worry about is Coil Direction.
To ensure your pickup will work, make sure you select multiple leads (2-Conductor, 3-Conductor, or 4-Conductor if available), or the 3-Wire modification so you can reverse the coil direction, if need be.
Lead Options
See below for our Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead
Gibson-Style instruments
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
3-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
4-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Series Parallel Wiring
Coil Splitting
Covered Humbucker
Uncovered Humbucker
Featured Artists
These artists trust their tone to our Pure P.A.F.
Ben PlattInikoBig Stuff
"Fralin has absolutely breathed new life into every guitar I own. These are some of the most dynamic and reliable pickups I have played and will continue to be a part of my sound for years to come."
Great Southern ReunionLee Roy ParnellSkydog
“The first time I ever tried Fralin pickups, it was as if somebody removed a heavy blanket from in front of my amp. I could hear all the detail and articulation that I had been missing before; like hearing my guitar in Hi-Def. Amazing. Fralin pickups have had a permanent place in my tone arsenal ever since. Thanks Lindy!"
Moga Family Band
"I am always in search of quality. So glad that I found Fralin. Their attention to detail and quality is something that makes you feel confident and proud to have in your guitar. The sonic difference is obvious"
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
268 Genuine Reviews for Pure P.A.F.
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I installed the Fralin Pure PAF in the neck position of my 60s vibe tele project guitar. There was a night and day difference between the stock pup and the Pure PAF. I could not be more impressed, and happy with the decision. Additionally, it pairs well with the blues special I put in the bridge. I’m a fan!
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I have dropped off my Les Paul with the Fralin PAF’s to my local guitar luthier, but I haven’t got it back yet. Stay tuned.
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I installed my new Pure P.A.F. (bridge at 8.2K) in a PRS McCarty with an old Gibson T-Top (7.55K) in the neck position. The Pure P.A.F. gives just the right amount of extra bite and punch over the T-Top. It is a good match for me, as the Pure P.A.F. has a lot of clarity and note seperation, a good alternative voice to the wooly T-Top!
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This is the second set of humbuckers I’ve purchased from Fralin in addition to several sets of single coils and P-90’s. Like all the others, they do not dissapoint. I installed these in a 60’s Gibson Les Paul Re-issue and the tonal difference from the stock pickups is quite noticeable. Exceptional clarity and brightness, nice breakup tone and no muddiness with even high overdive and distortion levels. I can’t reccommend these PAF’s highly enough!
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Great customer service,got exactly everything I needed to install fralins on my Gibson,the tone is fantastic as advertised!!
E.Ferguson Nashville Tn. -
I mostly play single-coil Telecaster-style guitars, where the neck pickup has a strong midrange without being muddy, and the bridge is a bit louder and punchier. I wanted to get a similar feel using humbuckers, so I reached out to the Fralin team. They quickly recommended a stock Pure PAF for the neck and a stock Modern PAF for the bridge—and they nailed it.
The Pure PAF neck pickup has that classic Alnico II character that’s hard to put into words. It’s not muddy at all, and it has way more clarity than other PAF-style humbuckers I’ve tried. It even blooms nicely with just a touch of natural compression when you dig in.
The Modern PAF bridge is a perfect match. It’s not too bright or compressed, with just the right amount of mids and low-end. It growls with overdrive but also holds up beautifully when played clean.
Overall, I’m really happy with this set and would definitely recommend Fralin pickups.
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I bought a Duesenberg Fairytail lap steel with Duesenberg’s own pickups. Pretty much unplayable for me. With the Fralin’sI feel like a pro. I get great tone, even volume across all the strings and great clarity. My guitar sings. I love them. They were recommended by Troy Brenningmeyer who is a well established lap steel/dobro player and instructor online. He didn’t steer me wrong.
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Great clarity and articulation.
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