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
Tonal Graph for Pure P.A.F.:
The tone graph below for our Pure P.A.F. features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Soft & Round
Sound Clips for Pure P.A.F.:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
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.
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:
Select This Lead If...
- You are wiring a set of pickups to a Gibson® Style Instrument, like a Les Paul or 335.
Avoid This Lead If...
- You need Coil Splitting
- You are purchasing a Single Pickup
- You need to Reverse the Phase
3-Conductor Lead:
Select This Lead If...
- You need Coil Splitting
- You are purchasing a Single Pickup (You can reverse the phase)
- You are wiring pickup(s) to a Blade Switch, like a Fender-Style instrument.
4-Conductor Lead
Select This Lead If...
- You need Series / Parallel Wiring
Avoid This Lead If...
- You have limited space in the wiring cavity (wire can be bulky).
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
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.
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.
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.
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!
Love the pickups!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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”!