"Hot rodded" PAF recommendations

I just put a set of tried & true DiMarzios in my '02 Standard a couple of days ago, Super D bridge 36th Anniversary neck. I made a quick recording of the Super D after I finished installing them. I intended to use the 36 anny for the rhythm part but the Super D was too much fun to resist.

Warts & all quick slapped together tone tester

 
LP Freak said:
I just discovered another hot rodded PAF. Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Special. It’s about 10k and sounds great with a little or a lot of gain behind it and stays uncompressed when you push it. It cleans up really well with the guitars volume too.
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Agree. I like them in a 335 that was a little on the thin side before the pickup change
 
I'm currently leaning towards Friedman classic plus. Any other humbuckers similar to this one?
 
Kyrpajyra said:
According to the clips and description of VHII I think it might be a bit spiky and strident for my taste.
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Duncan 78 model, not strident at all yet has nice high end sparkle and low end is tight, nice harmonics, dynamics, plays and feels higher output than 9K. I would imagine this pickup would sound great into a higher gain amp as well. The amp in my clip is a 69 Marshall NOS build which is stock with a Lar/Mar PPIMV with a PEC pot. Clip is an in the room zoom totally dry into the amp with a Clinch EP-PRE and Boss Ge-7 with a flat boost of 5DB in the mids and cutting some lows and highs a bit not much at all. The zep is only a Clinch EP-PRE no Boss GE-7.
 
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PDC said:
Much love for the Duncan Whole Lotta Humbucker SH/TB - 18.

Equal love for the Duncan 59/Custom Hybrid SH/TB - 16.
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I have that 59/Custom hybrid in my SG custom. Sounds great in there.

The Whole Lotta Humbucker is in my old Epiphone USA Crestwood. Sounds really good too.
 
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LP Freak said:
I just discovered another hot rodded PAF. Seymour Duncan Saturday Night Special. It’s about 10k and sounds great with a little or a lot of gain behind it and stays uncompressed when you push it. It cleans up really well with the guitars volume too.
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I just picked one of these up too. I haven't installed it yet, but I'm hoping I dig it a little more than the Custom (which I like a lot).
 
I would also consider the DiMarzio PAF Pro and Breed Neck (in the bridge). Kinda like a modernized PAF-type (PAF Pro) and an overwound version (Breed Neck).
 
RevDrucifer said:
I’ll definitely follow this thread as I’m considering pickups for the two LP’s I’ve got coming in.

I’m a HUGE fan of the Dimarzio PAF Pros that came in all the 90’s JEMs before the Evolutions, I’m actually going to take the Evolutions out of my JEM and put PAF Pros in, much warmer and a bigger bottom end.

Not sure how many of these are PAF-flavored, outside of the PAF Pro, but this is a pretty good demo Micheal Nielsen did-


The Wolftone’s were recommended to me by someone on another forum to drop into the LP’s, I’ve never even heard of them until 2 days ago.
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That’s my old guitar.

Best hot rod PAF is the second degree black belts. Not very forgiving to play on but they sound really, really good. Very tight and articulate. That’s what I think.
 
I think a Screamin Demon would also fall into this category, yet I have a love/hate relationship with that pickup. With the right guitar and the right amp, it sounds fantastic. But it's also very easy for it to sound like mud.
 
tonedover said:
Did u look at the Pearly Gates ? My fav PAF style pup
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I had PG on my Epi SG back in 2014-2015~ and while it was a good pickup, the low end was kinda loose. It was good for the 70s sound that i was going for but I'm aiming now for the late 80s/early 90s stuff so Alnico V pickups would probably suit it better.
 
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