Pure P.A.F.
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:
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
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.
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 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock): | 8K |
| 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 |
**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
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:
Notice:
Have a question about our Pure 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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I’m thinking about installing a humbucker in neck position of my Fender Vintera Tele for a jazz Tele. Maybe the Pure PAF?
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Q I’m thinking about installing a humbucker in neck position of my Fender Vintera Tele for a jazz T...... Read moreA
Hey Rod, the Pure P.A.F. makes a great pickup for Jazz guitar.
currently have a Seth Lover 2 conductor (neck) which sounds out of phase with Telecaster Blues special (bridge)..will Pure P.A.F. (neck) matchup with Blues Special (bridge)? suggestions? thanks.
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Q currently have a Seth Lover 2 conductor (neck) which sounds out of phase with Telecaster Blues sp...... Read moreA
Hey Dan, yes, our pickups are designed to work together and will be in phase. When in doubt, I recommend selecting the 3-Conductor Lead instead of Gibson Lead on this Pure P.A.F. to be able to reverse the phase down the road if you need to.
Can I request a slight overwind to a Pure PAF (8k & 9k) or get a Modern PAF with an Alnico 2 magnet, instead of Alnico 4? Thanks!
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Q Can I request a slight overwind to a Pure PAF (8k & 9k) or get a Modern PAF with an Alnico 2 ...... Read moreA
Hey Scott, yes, due to the bobbin size constraints, I'd recommend going with a Modern P.A.F and request the Alnico 2 magnet. - Tyler
Hello team! I’m building an SSH configured “strat”. I’ll be using the Blues Specials along with a stock wound Pure PAF. Do you think there will be too great a volume shift between neck/middle (at 6.3k) and the PAF (at 8k)?
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Q Hello team! I’m building an SSH configured “strat”. I’ll be using the Blues Specials along with a...... Read moreA
Hey Kylie, there will be a volume difference between the single coil and the humbucker - that's to be expected. That said, I believe you've picked out the best combination to mitigate that effect. Overwinding your Single Coils and getting a low-wind Pure P.A.F. will certainly balance more.
Hi, I have an Epiphone archtop (Joe Pass Emperor) and looking for a classic and full warm jazz tone for the neck (Pure PAF stock?), and maybe something more Gretsch-like or twangy in the bridge. I like to keep my tones clean. I would guess the Pure PAF stock bridge is designed to be the perfect match for the PAF neck, and can do the job great, but could one your filtertron-type or twangmaster-type bridge pickups be a nice balanced complement with...
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Q Hi, I have an Epiphone archtop (Joe Pass Emperor) and looking for a classic and full warm jazz to...... Read moreA
Hey Jason, I'd recommend going with a 7.5K (stock) or 7.8K (slightly overwind) version of our Pure P.A.F for the neck Jazz tone. This will give you a clean yet warm tone perfect for jazz. Regarding the Bridge, I'd recommend going with the Pure P.A.F. to complement the neck. You'll get a bright, twangy tone as the Pure P.A.F.'s are low-wind humbuckers. Furthermore, you can fine-tune the tone by adjusting the pickup height or the string balance....
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Absolutely love my new Pure PAFs in my Heritage 535. Completely change my relationship with my guitar and is giving me all the clarity, volume and tone I dreamed it could have!
I just wanted to thank Lindy and staff for your superior products. I just recently purchased your Pure PAFs for my (rewired) 2008 LP Std, and also have your Steel Pole 42s in a 2007 AS Tele, your P-92s in an Epi Dot, and your Jazz pickups in a MIM J-Bass. They have all made each guitar sound the best it can (better than I imagined it could), and I am so grateful for your expertise. Thanks so much.