Pure P.A.F.
$160.00 – $320.00
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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The Ultimate In Vintage PAF Tone
Want to learn more about our Pure P.A.F.? Here's all the information you'll need:
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
Overview
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.
Sound
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.
Video
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.
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Pure P.A.F..
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading (Stock): | 7.8K |
| Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock): | 8.2K |
| 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 |
* You can experiment with pot values for a different tone. This pickup will sound dark and warm on 250K pots
Looking for humbucker wiring codes? You can find them here.
Options
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:Â Use this if you have Coil Tapping, Phase Reverse, Series or Parallel needs.
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
Pure P.A.F. Questions And Answers:
Have a question about our Pure P.A.F.? Leave it here! We will answer your question within 24 hours.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
137 reviews for Pure P.A.F.
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Just the very best. Full stop. I used to replace everything with Duncan Antiquities, and don’t get me wrong, those pickups are great. But I tried the Fralin Pure PAFs just out of boredom more than anything else, and man!, am I glad that I did.
I’ve put them in everything from my Paulie and my Sheraton to my Eastman jazzbox. They’re just the best. Clarity, with an almost horn-like midrange. The bridge pickup growls just enough, without losing the complexity and articulation.
I honestly think that they’re the best PAF-style pickup on the market.
Hello all at Fralin pickups. A bit of a reverse question about the pure PAFs. I have a stock set in a Gibson les Paul style and I think they are fantastic! Love the tone. Just picked up a 335 style guitar, and wanted to go with lower output / different flavor and was interested in the Psychebilly humbuckers you make for RS guitars. How would they do in a 335 for low output tone in your opinion. Are they alnico III or II I emailed RS and nobody got back to me. Thanks much
Hey Brian, as it turns out, we’re not 100% sure what they do at RS. We ship them humbuckers and they alter them a touch. I would assume all would be good, but I would follow up with RS to see what they do exactly.
I have a PRS McCarty Archtop II with Piezo. That is volume, tone and blend. In 2019, I took this to the PRS factory and they drilled 2 holes and put in 2 mini toggle switches. They installed 57/08 pickups (split coil). I want to replace the 57/08 with Pure PAF and still get the split. I spoke with Luke on the phone. He recommended this. Can someone help me pick out the correct specs and parts? My authorized PRS tech will install this for me.
Hey Steve, I would recommend getting the Stock Output of Pure P.A.F.s. I would check your string spacing by using our guide here. As far as coil-splitting goes, you would need 3-Conductor With Shield Lead, and I would recommend purchasing two Partial Split Resistors (7K) and following our guide on how to install it here.
How do I know what bridge and neck output to get