Anyone using PAF-types for Metal?

Rex Rocker

Rex Rocker

Well-known member
I guess this thread is a follow-up to the Kirk Hammet one.

I just rediscovered my love for PAF-types. I'm using Fishy Classics right now, and I love how sizzly and open the top-end is without going all scratchy like single coils. I love how scooped the lower midrange is for tightness too.

I do think the whole "more clarity and dynamics" thing is way overblown, though. Especially since you have to raise the gain for them not to feel super weak and dry compared to something stronger. I personally enjoy the different EQ voicing more, TBH.

I have phases. I haven't sold my Fishman Moderns, KSE's, 500T's, or Black Winters, but I'm enjoying these right now. I used to have an Ibanez RGA121 that had a Duncan '59 Trembucker and a DiMarzio PAF 36th Anni that sounded great as well. I've had good luck with DiMarzio PAF Pros as well.

Anybody else using these? Recommendations? Interesting pickups to look at?
 
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I more often use lower output pickups myself in metal, but I think because of the popular (on here) current made pickups marketed as being like PAF’s I think guys might be getting the wrong idea of what PAF’s really sound like. Real ‘50’s Gibson PAF’s are not at all sizzly, very tight or scooped in the low mids, quite the opposite IME, although the Gretsch PAF’s can be more like that. I’ve been through 6 real Gibson ‘50’s PAF’s, lucky to own 1 of them now. They all sounded very midrangey, fat/thick low mids, chewy, very warm/rich, nice growl, round highs, round low end that isn’t the tightest but can still work for metal if the rest of your rig is well dialed in around them. What really makes them special is their next level complexity/richness in tone and vocal/human-like way the notes connect on single note lines and of course that raw, organic sound that you don’t get in pickups made in the last 30 years or so. For more modern leaning styles of metal I wouldn’t choose PAF’s myself

I love how 3D and nuanced real PAF’s sound, they are unrivaled there IME, but I overall enjoy more the ‘60’s humbuckers that sound more tight, bright and aggressive, but sometimes also lower output than PAF’s. Those actually sound kinda like what you described. My personal favorites are the ‘60’s Gretsch Supertrons, ‘60’s Guild Humbuckers, ‘60’s Epiphone mini-humbuckers and ‘60’s Hofner Humbuckers. The ‘70’s Bill Lawrence L6’s are also excellent. These more aggressive ‘60’s pickups can get scratchy if not dialed in well though unlike PAF’s that don’t get that way IME, but they are incredibly inspiring to play. Just need a good gate with them too from the unpotted noise LOL, but well worth their weight in gold imo from the sound and feel they get

For recent made stuff, Tone Specific’s are the only non-vintage pickups I use. I especially like the Virtuoso and Bloombucker sets. I’ve mostly tried it all at this point and the other recent made stuff is IME way too bland/sterile/vanilla for me in tone and feel

I love plenty of hot pickups too like vintage Dirty Fingers, Bill Lawrence’s, mighty mites and even ‘80’s emgs
 
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I have Bareknuckle Mules in my Y2KV and though I play more rock than metal, they can chug just fine.
 
My SG has some cheap GFS “hot 59” I think they are called that is my best sounding guitar, my strat has a Duncan 78’ that is great, my ltd has Duncan alinco 2’s, all of them are great
 
Yes. A few years ago I bought a used Gibson SG. It came with a set of SD Seth Lovers. I had no idea what they were when I bought the guitar, but I liked how they sounded right away. I typically always used higher output pickups before like the SH-5 Custom which is around 14k IIRC. I imagine I got used to using higher output pickups because I started out using lower gain amps, and was trying to drive the front end to get enough drive. Anyway, the Seth just sounds fantastic. Yes, it's a little cleaner, but it's thick and girthy and has a really nice grunt to it. It definitely sounds bigger than the SH-5s that I've been using for years.

Since I liked the Seth Lovers so much, I've been on a mission to see what other PAF style pickups are similar to the Seths. I got a set of Tonerider Alnico II Classics, a set of GFS Alnico IIs, a set of SD High Voltage, a Wolfetone Marshallhead II paired with a Dr Vintage. I haven't gotten very far yet. I tried the Toneriders. They are similar but not as thick. A bit less gain. The GFS pickups were a big surprise. Cheapest of the bunch by far, and they sound really good.

I've decided that I like using lower gain pickups and using more gain from the amp (with a boost of course).
 
I’ve been using a 59/Custom hybrid lately for metal and it works great! I’m about to install a JB soon and see how that works and I’ve also used a TB-5 Custom which is a great pickup!
 
Decades ago when I was playing out 4-nights a week, I was using EMGs exclusively and running Mesa Mark IIIs. When I got 'reborn' a while back, I went down the passive pickup rabbit hole - with countless magnet swaps. I now really like lower output pickups. My current favorites are the Whole Lotta Humbucker and the 59/Custom Hybrid. While I readily agree that low to mid output passives requite more 'sauce' at the amp the a super hot passive or an active, I am really digging the dynamics that lower output pickups provide - the volume knob on the guitar now as real meaning, where it used to be basically a light-switch. And even through a goosed up amp, the lower output pickups respond more noticeably to pick attack and left hand attack. Its a whole new world and I could never see myself going back to active pickups or super-high-output passives.
 
Used to use them in my old 02 LP Classic, Antiquity neck, Seth Lover and Burtbucker 3 bridge.
Great for clean to metal. Their open airy sound, picking feel and dynamic response provide a great base to add gain on top of. They never get murky or overly compressed like some higher output pups. Always remain articulate. I will be getting a ToneNerd set for my LP, and more than likely 335. And yes, I will play the brutalz thru both guitars. :)
 
I played the Fishman Classic in someone else’s guitar once. It definitely hits harder and is more immediate than the other passive PAF-style pickups I’ve played, but I really dug it. It made me want to slap some in one of my guitars. But yeah, I’ve been digging stuff in the PAF camp lately as well too.

I’ve never played a real PAF. Probably the closest on paper is the OX4 low wind. Fantastic pickups with great tone, bounce, and feel. They’re unpotted and definitely have a lively, vintage character to them. I did find them to get squealy with serious volume and modern levels of gain imo. Oh, and also the Gibson 57 Classic. Not bad, but I found them to fall apart too much with gain and volume.

Other than that, the PAF style pickups I’ve played have all been beefed up or modernized takes on them. In that category, i’ve played the MCP Detroiter, 2nd Degree Belt, TWreck, Nasty Nasty, & WCR Icebucker. All of those are easily capable of churning out killer metal tones. I’ve grown particularly fond of the 2nd degree.

I will say that I feel like these lower output pickups are perhaps more sensitive to the guitar they are put in. Some of the above pickups I’ve had in guitars where they felt under-gained and/or a little sluggish. Basically NOT what you want for a metal tone lol. Then in another guitar they’re spot on. You could really say the same thing about any pickup and guitar combination, but it just seems prevalent with lower output pickups.
 
The Duncan Candy, a copy of a PAF from a 60 burst is a cool pickup for heavy music. You definitely have to turn the gain up a bit more than usual, but they are clear and defined. Have some good balls and are pretty tight. The Knaggs Stevens that come with the bare knuckle pups that aren’t rebel yells are also pretty awesome. Similar to the mule I guess.
 
I always used "moderately hot" pickups in my guitars: Duncan S-Deco, Custom 5, Gibson 498t's....sometimes hotter stuff, but had a revelation when I tried a friend's Les Paul equipped with a set of Custom Shop '78 pickups. Absolutely loved the attack and clarity, so I got some myself and pretty well just play PAF-ish pickups now. Favorites include the Duncan '78's, WLH, Bareknuckle Mules and Black Dogs and PRS 57/08's and 58/15's.

That said, most of my metal is thrash oriented or skate punk and I typically don't go below drop C.
 
Been through so many, but Wolfetone Marshallheads have easily been the best pups I’ve used!
There’s some kinda sparkly top end I can’t describe
 
Devilinside said:
Been through so many, but Wolfetone Marshallheads have easily been the best pups I’ve used!
There’s some kinda sparkly top end I can’t describe
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I've wondered about those... can those be ordered potted? I kinda sorta hate microphonic pickups, LOL.
 
I like using lower output pickups with high gain amps. Kind of offsets everything in a sense.
I like higher output PU’s too if they are voiced a certain way.
 
Marshallheads, SD Sat Night Specials, Motor City 2nd degree black belts are all in that vintage med/hot range and so far have sounded good through nearly every amp. I know they use different magnets (A5, A4, A2 I think) but they are all in that 8-9 range. I've found the underwounds just sound too bright and thin.
 
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chris lykins said:
Marshallheads, SD Sat Night Specials, Motor City 2nd degree black belts are all in that vintage med/hot range and so far have sounded good through nearly every amp. I know they use different magnets (A5, A4, A2 I think) but they are all in that 8-9 range. I've found the underwounds just sound too bright and thin.
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And dry!
 
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