Pure P.A.F.
The Ultimate PAF Replacement
$160 – $320
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:
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.
Sound Samples for Pure P.A.F.:
Compare 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.:
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:
Gibson-Style instruments
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
3-Conductor Lead:
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
4-Conductor Lead:
Phase Reversible
Series Parallel Wiring
Coil Splitting
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 |
More Information:
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
Covered Humbucker
Uncovered Humbucker
Pure P.A.F. FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Pure P.A.F. have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
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Will this pickup fit my instrument?
Check our "Sizing" tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions.
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Is your Lead Time of 3-4 Weeks accurate?
It really depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to underpromise and overdeliver.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Pure P.A.F.s to?
Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. Measure by holding the corresponding side down at its highest fret and measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
Get It Prewired
Get our Pure P.A.F. prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
Customer Reviews
228 Genuine Reviews for Pure P.A.F.
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Replaced the burstbuckers that came stock in my 2022 50’s Les Paul standard with pure P.A.F’s, could not believe the difference, music to my ears. Neck pickup is clear, not muddy like the stock pickup and for the first time that I can remember the bridge pickup is balanced quite nicely with the neck pickup.
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Hello, this is Jody. I am J M Lovett Guitars. I just ordered another set of PAF,s (Order 100048). I have been tasked to restore a flying “V” for guitarist Davey Johnstone of Elton John. The reason I am writing is to express my appreciation to such a fine product the team at Fralin produce and can only think of one pickup brand that holds the magic of tone. The director of guitars and amps at Guitar Center head office. I have rewired his third Gibson with Fralin’s. He loves them! Again please express my gratitude to the team for a fine product. I believe an instrument is a gateway to the soul and you have one of the key ingredients. Thank you again, Jody.
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I got a pair of the Pure PAF’s to upgrade an Epiphone Flying V, and they sound excellent. I’m a Strat person and the Humbuckers means all my pedal board settings need big adjustments. But from my brief experience playing live with the pickups, well they have this bite and sound that is so distinctive of Gibson guitars, and I’ve LOVING IT. Thank you for the aged nickel recommendation too which I think looks fantastic.
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The best PAF no bs pickup on the market! You want the classic PAF tones of the 50’s and 60’s this is it!!!
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I received a guitar last year with a set of these in it. They were different from what I was used to (had less gain) and I wasn’t sure how I felt but I love the guitar so I stuck with them. I began to find that I could get nice tones out of these at any volume level set on my guitar. In a way I dove into the reverse of gain. So I grew up a little and found in these beautiful low gain tone (rather than Volume at 10 most of the time). I enjoy setting up a decent gain setting on the amp and them slowly rolling these in to 6-7 on my volume knob. I set that as my sweet spot and increase/decrease as needed. They’re great at full volume as well. I ordered another set that I should have soon. They’re priced well and sound good. If you want more gain try the Modern PAFs with more mid punch ( I have those as well but I still love these).
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I recently purchased Lindys old school PAF’s for my 90’s LP custom. They are nothing short of amazing. Amazing tone and also sound great at lower volumes with the 50’s wiring that I installed at the same time. I weighed many different options and brands and feel like I made the best choice, the price point was also better than others I looked at.
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I am a 50 yr professional guitarist.In that time I have used many different pickups from many manufacturers with varied results.I am also one of the few who have used several original instruments with p.a.f. and early patent # pickups so I do know what there supposed to sound like. The thing is not many of those were really exceptional.The best sounding one I had was a 1958 flying V that was very close to perfect.(boy do I wish I still had that one!) I recently got a 1975 ibanez rocket roll sr.that is very close to the 58 except in the tone dept.After doing some research and listening to way too many sound bites I decided that the pure p.a.f.was going to be the best choice,so I contacted Fralin pickups and Lindy and his staff turned out to be incredible folks and pointed me exactly to the sound I was looking for.The pure PAF is so touch sensitive you probably won’t need an OD pedal,just ride your volume knob for everything from lush sparkling cleans to 110% dirt.These pickups are as close to the best original paf’s as you’re going to find, superb quality,good price,excellent service and prompt delivery.I will be back for more.Thanks Lindy and co. MC
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Great sounding pickup and excellent service from the Fralin team in recommending a great combo of this Pure PAF in the bridge blade pickup in the neck for my Smitty T style guitar. Highly recommended!
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These pickups are exactly what I was looking for. My stock Les Paul pickups (2010 Les Paul Traditional) sounded very “flubby” on the bottom and unbalanced overall. The Pure PAF’s gave me the clarity I wanted without sounding thin or harsh. These are the best sounding Humbuckers I’ve played. Thank You!
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Lovely sounding pickup, excellent technical support!
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There is one constant in the guitar world. If you buy Lindy Fralin pickups, you have bought the best. I am not sure how to put this but the Clarity, amazing versatile tone ” just with onboard volume and tone controls” allows me to travel without pedals and last is quality control is that every pickup is going to meet or exceed all of Lindy’s descriptions. You may think that Fralin pickups does not have a giant assortment of pickups. He does not make 20 different PAF Humbuckers. He does not make 20 different Telecaster pickups. WHY? Because his pickups will do all that the “20” will do. If you are in doubt, just call Lindy and he will take all the time you need to assure that you will get the right pickup. I only use Fralin products. PERIOD.
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Got a pair of Pure PAF’s for my ’61SG Standard. Replaced factory Burstbuckers which sounded good..but now it sounds incredible. They are very clear with all the highs you would ever need. As a matter of fact, I find myself keeping my tone pot around 3! And still plenty of highs. Also being a PAF you would think they can’t scream, think again. They have all the gain you should need. I can’t say enough about how great they are. They clean up incredibly well. By far the most versatile and best sounding SG I have heard. I did have Lindy reverse the neck pickup magnet so I get a nice quacky and bright sound on the middle position, ala Peter Green. Super awesome mod. Makes the SG so versatile for what usually is not. Never selling this guitar. I would also recommend a whole new pot setup from Emerson. Just amazing.
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These are fabulous pickups! Clear and transparent and very responsive to the touch. Warm and hi-fi sounding with the volume and attack down and plenty aggressive when I dig in. I am extremely happy with them! Thanks!
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Love the pickups!
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Pure PAF is my go to set, they have beautiful tone and are so versatile. I play a lot of different kinds of music : Soul, Blues , Country, Rockabilly, Rock and Roll. They are everything you want them to be, they react to my hands very well, they work and react exactly how they are supposed to without sounding brittle or wonky. It’s very difficult to make a nice sounding neck pickup, these sound nice and full, very usable, the-bridge pickup is very nice sounding, without being trebly or ice pick sounding. Pure PAF let’s you hear the warmth of the woods and the amp, I build my own guitars and these serve my purpose better than anything I’ve ever used.
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I have the Pure PAF’s in my ES-335. I spoke with Lindy on the phone about the sound I was looking for and he steered me in the right direction. He recommended a set of pickups with these Jimmy Page specs that he’d come across. They are a bit lower wind than his standard pickups. They work great in my guitar – pristinely clean when I need them to be and when overdriven they have a clarity and sweet grind that cuts through in the best kind of way. Overall, I’d say the clarity of these pickups is what sets them apart from other PAF-leaning pickups.
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phenomenal pickups.!!
Building a custom project… will send pics when complete -
Great balance and tone! I put these in a Gibson Firebrand Les Paul, wanting a more original sound. I replaced a 59-Jazz HB’er (neck) and a Dimarzio HB in the bridge. I couldn’t me more happy, because now this sings!
I am a big fan of Lindy’s pickups. I have replaced the original Fender’s in several of my Telecasters as well. You will not be disappointed!
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Ordered a Custom Shop HSS Stratocaster with a fairly hot humbucker in the bridge position. I was struggling with the bridge tone (cocked-wah) and even tried a few pickup swaps. The folks at Tone Tailors in Lititz PA encouraged me to reach out to Lindy Fralin. I personally spoke with Lindy twice and his thoughtful and analytical approach, paired with the amazing products his company produces, solved the problem. Lindy recommended a lower output, vintage, Pure PAF humbucker and it is absolutely perfect in this guitar. He also recommended pairing the Pure PAF with two Blues Special’s for the neck and middle positions. Ordered the pickups through Tone Tailors and they solved the tone issue I was having and made this Strat come alive. Thank you Lindy for time, help, and for the awesome pickups!
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This pickup is absolutely astounding. Crystal clear and incredibly articulate. I Took the stock pickups out of my PRS Custom 24 and put this in the bridge and a P90 humbucker in the neck. PRS pickups are too hot, muddy, and lifeless. This is my second pair of Fralin pickups. The cliche is one hundred percent true. These brought the guitar to life. Playing through a Friedman BE 50. The Fralin motto couldn’t possibly be more apt: “Discover what you’ve been missing”!
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