DiMarzio PAF Classic

Passive low/medium output humbucker; supplied with nickel cover installed.

The PAF Classic replaced a DiMarzio PAF Pro in an '83 Ibanez RS315 Roadstar II (basically Strat-shaped single 'bucker guitar with bolt-on maple neck; flat figured maple top on basswood body; Ibz "Hard Rock'r" non-locking wang bar.

I never bonded with the PAF Pro, which sounded to "clinical" for my tastes.

As mentioned above, as humbuckers go, this is definitely on the low side. It's in the bridge position, and is the guitar's only pickup. It gets played through a variety of amps, most often a Fender Pro Jr. and a Trace Elliot Velocette 1x10", but also a Boogie Maverick 1x12", a tweed Deluxe, and Custom Vibrolux Reverb. FX include an MXR Dyna Comp, MESA V-Twin preamp pedal, Seymour Duncan Twin Tube Classic, Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, Super Fuzz, and Micro Vibe, plus various tremolos and delays.

I am mostly a single-coil, Strat/Tele player. Other humbuckers I have experience with (beside stock Gibson 490s) are Duncan '59s and JBs, a PRS Deep Dish, and DiMarzio Super Distortions, PAFs, FREDs, and the aforementioned PAF Pro. Prior to acquiring the PAF Classic, my two favorite 'buckers were the Duncan '59 and DiMarzio FRED.

For my tastes, the PAF Classic eclipses any modern humbucker I've ever used. The sheer musicality and responsiveness of this pickup is something to hear, I'll tell ya. I really shines on clean settings. Others have used the adjective "sweet", and I will too. It's very well balanced and doesn't emphasize any one frequency band at the expense of the others. Other words that come to mind are woody and crisp. I have been playing for 40 years, mostly rock, pop, blues, some country, and fingerstyle, and throughout that time have considered humbuckers good for crunchy and distorted hard rock sounds and little else. The PAF Classic has forced me to radically change that opinion. I guess you can tell that I love this pickup; never before would I describe a humbucker as "sparkly", but it applies to the Classic. Clean, semi-clean, crunch, singing - it does all these sounds as well as I could hope.

Not only would I replace it if circumstances forced me to, but I'm tempted to put them in most of my other humbucker guitars. I do really like the FRED, with its unique voice, but the Classic is, to my mind, much more versatile. I can't think of a type of music for which this pickup wouldn't be excellent. I love the fact that unlike 95% of all other aftermarket humbuckers, it comes in a nice nickel cover - lending it a "classic" look.

Admittedly, I'm much more at home on and familiar with single-coils, but for me, this is the ne plus ultra of humbuckers.

Standard PAF type Pickup . 4 conductor wiring. wax potted , anico5 mags.

ESP Xtone PS-1 , bridge , neck , replaced stock ESP alnico hot humbuckers. ESP pickups werent bad but just not that dynamic and a bit muddy.

PAF output , fender hot rod deluxe , pignose v60r. Tone is balanced and very sweet. Much more sustain than the ESP pickups , very smooth and clear. Both Pups in parallel sound amazing. Slightly compressed sound. My favorite PAF style Pup.

For $59 each these are great pups. Even for more $. Like em much better than the Duncan Paf types. Been playing a long time. Play rock , blues , jazz , funk etc.

DP195 (bridge position) Passive "PAF' style humbucker, Alnico 5 magnet, nickel cover, 4 conductor wiring, double wax-potted so noise is non-existant.

This one came (non-stock) on a high end lawsuit era MIJ Les Paul

Like most mass produced PAF approximations, this one seems quite a bit hotter than the real thing. It has the fluid punchiness of Duncan's '59 model, but with more mids giving it more bite. Sounds GREAT when overdriven through a Marshall-style tube amp, but sadly falls short when played clean. As the pickup is pretty high output, I find the clean sound muddy, dull and uninspiring when compared to more vintage output boutique offerings like WCR Goodwoods or even Duncan Antiquities which are airier and more complex sounding (though neither crunch as satisfyingly or with as much balls IMO).
The PAF Classic can growl with the best of them, but a PAF should ideally be able to twang too!

I ultimately opted for versatility and vintage vibe, so I replaced the PAF Classic with an Antiquity. I would gladly have left it in if I exclusively played in a hard rock style, however. In a Les Paul I found this pickup to be absolutely perfect for the late 80s sleaze rock sound (think G'n'R, The Cult, Steve Jones, Zodiac Mindwarp, Hanoi Rocks, Sea Hags etc), so if that's your bag, dig out your old bandanna, squeeze into your old leathers and set the JCM 800 to stun
To my ears it represents a good sonic compromise between the powerful modern Gibson pickups (eg 498T) and the vintage style. It has the chunkiness but with a warmer, woodier & more musical voice. If you want the nearest possible approximation of an actual PAF however, keep looking.

Selectable passive PAF classics

I put two of these is my Deluxe Fender Strat as I had heard good things about them and was looking for a versatile setup as a rythm player. I have these wired with push/pull pots so that I can switch between single and double coil. That coupled with the 3 way switch (Back / Back and Front / Front) gives you tons of options.

We play country, blues and rock. I could not be more pleased with the sound I get from these pickups, a Boss BD2 with Keeley mod and my Fender Blues Junior. Fat warm defined overdrive for Allman's, Skynard and Cow Punk, pull the knob on the bridge fret and go to single coil for the poppin' telecaster twang, go to the front pickup for the Les Paul lead sound, they sound great in every position.

I am a lead singer and rythm player. I have been playing guitar since I was a kid, but never really focused on it, so I am now a gutar junkie without the real skills. That being said, I have gotten compliments on my tone as there are a few times I play lead riffs in our shows, or play the intro to a rockin song and the rest of the time when I am not playing banjo or accoustic, I am playing rythm with the back pickup and it fills in niceley behind our real guitar player. He plays a tele with an ampeg amp and has a great tone, but has said he loves my setup and my sound. So, I am not an expert, but a some folks I think are pretty close have said they love the sound.

Passive humbucker

Gibson CS-336 Semi-hollowbody, both neck and bridge. Replacing Duncan Antiquities, which replaced stock 57 Classics. Changed most recently because Antiquities were sounded ratty one-dimensional - hugely disappointing. Originally changed from the 57 Classics because, even with good value capacitors, there was too much treble loss when turning the guitar volume down.

Also had a set of these pickups in a Les Paul Standard, and was equally pleased.

Relatively low, PAF output.

Using with an assortment of Fender tube amps, clean, slightly overdriven or more overdriven with either a TS808 Tube Screamer or a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, or sometimes both.

Tone is warm yet articulate on the bottom, extraordinarily sweet on the top. Has the warm characteristics of a Gibson Classic 57, but none of the muddiness, has the clarity of Burstbuckers, but none of the harshness. Exceptionally well balanced.

Very cool pickups for emotional, dynamic playing, they do a damn good job of reflecting playing styles ranging from soft and soulful, to all out screaming.

I play styles ranging from Blues to Fusion, Southern Rock to Funk. If I played just one style, I'd be thrilled with these pickups, but I haven't found a style yet that stumps them. A few amp setting changes, a different right hand technique, and you can take these pickups from Duane Allman to Larry Carlton, Billy Gibbons to Lowell George.

Yes, would replace if lost or stolen.

I've been playing 36 years, own different guitars, amps, too much to list, way TMI.

These have a very unique sound, so I cannot compare them to any hand made boutique pickups that I've owned/played owned/played, many of which have their own equally unique sound. However, these Dimarzios are better sounding and have a wider, more versatile value than ANY stock, mass produced pickup I've ever played, period. End of story.

Footnote: My past experience with Dimarzio brand pickups has been TERRIBLE. Other models have sounded waaay over-the-top, not subtle or dynamic. Imagine my surprise the first time I installed a set.

HB
ouput 200

Chinese made "coxx"SG copy. Replacing stock pickups.
Neck in a gibson 57 classic
This chinese made guitar (my first guitar) had a good tone played unplugged and i tjought it deserved trying better pickups. i was right.

Low out put, but reacts very well to distortion
Bedrock 50w, also used to have an orange
It's p??rfectly balanced, let the instrument's sound shine
I have it in the bridge
I use it to play rock and roll and stuff that need that classic paf tone.

I've been playing for 5 years and own 8 guitars, tried EMG's and a lot of different dimarzio's (i own the EVO2, Super Distortion, Paf pro, SH1, and all EG's)
I usually play rock or metal and like to have different sounds avalaible that inspires me to play different things depending on my mood.
This Sg was almost dead, i had stopped playing it after getting an LTD Ex and then a jem.
One day a guy came home to try a pedal i was selling. He was one of these old-school rock-a-billy guys, pretty cool, looked like a cross between elvis and a harley davidson fan.
He saw this guitar in a corner and started playing.
What's that he asked me ? - oh leave it it's a cheap Sg bla bola....
No no, this guitar looks pretty good he said. Look you just have to adjust the string height a little.
I had this orange amp i loved but i couldn't get the sound i wanted out of it with the jem and LTD.
He plugged the cheap Sg copy in the orange and started playing.
OH MY GOD ^^
He told me: that's a great guitar you've got here, you should just change the pickups. I had this Paf classic in the LTD so i decided to swap it and buy EMG's for the LTD.
I still remember the day i plugged it into my orange with the paf classic on.
My best friend and drummer said: come on you're gonna plug that not shit into...
... and then OH MY GOD
Orange + this = the absolute rock and roll experience ^^
That feeling that you've got the best fuckin TONE one earth you know...
Since then, all my guitar rythm tracks have been recorded with the Sg copy and this awesome Paf classic pickup. I mean for every song i try a bunch of guitars bit i always end up recording rythm tracks with my Coxx, it makes every power chord sound like "come on, Jimmy page is a begginer and Guns and roses play on a 10w Peavey..."
I'm very ofetn being asked about my tone by people, sounds like: hey your song isn't bad, but how did you record this AWESOME guitar tone that Roars ?
have to say the gibson 57 in the neck sounds quite muddy.
To conclude, i'll say: if you have a good warm mahogamy guitar and a cool boutique tube amp but don't get this "better than the original" sound when playing whole lotta love or smells like teen spirit, sell this crappy muddy lazy gibson pickup you have and get a paf classic. Also heard that the breed RULES.

Passive Humbuckers

2000 Epiphone Dot Semi-Hollow and a 2003 Epiphone Les Paul.
(both neck and bridge)

Replacing stock Epiphone pickups

Needed better tone than originals. Stock PUs were a bit muddy.

Mid level classic humbucker (PAF) output
Vox AC15, Vox AC30, Marshall & Fender (Tweed & Twin)
A well balanced pickup. The highs are higer and the lows are lower (clearer) than stock Epiphone PUs.

Would certainly buy this PU again if lost or stolen.

I have replaced stock PUs before with various Duncan products before and I have to say that the DiMarzios sounds equally as good but for much less money.

Pickup features: Full-Size Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: With nickel plated covers and four-wire configuration.

Model of guitar or bass: Ibanez AS-80 Semi-Hollow (Made in Korea)
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Generic.
Other pickups on guitar: Replaced both with the DiMarizios.
Artists using this pickup: A lot more would if they tried them.
You musical style(s): Blues-based rock, pop and jazz; CCM, etc. I enjoy most styles.
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were not Ibanez Super 58's as specified, and had no dynamics and limited tonal range. In other words, they were awful. I bought the guitar used.

Perceived output level: Medium, and slightly more than vintage PAF types.
Tone: Very articulate and balanced.
Sonic evaluation: I've got an '83 Ibanez AS-200, much the same guitar as the one played by John Schofield. I've always loved the Super 58 pickups in that guitar as they are real dynamic, full-range and yet punchy. Prior to trying these DiMarzios, those were my favorite full-size humbuckers, and I've tried other DiMarzios, Gibsons, Carvins, Andersons, Duncans, etc. These PAF Classics are wonderful pickups and I'd say they are now my favorites of this type of pickup. Some PAF styles I've used previously were muddy and undefined in the neck position and some had a real spike in the upper mids in the lead position (that's OK if you're using it with single coils in the neck and mid, but not a real good tonal match with a full-size neck humbucker). These are balanced, punchy, and dynamic. The neck pickup produces warmth without mud. The lead pickup produces enough fullness and punch for most any type of lead work. Those are my impressions of these pickups in this guitar anyway. I think they'd be good in most guitars that require a set of full-size humbuckers as they don't over-empahsize any part of tonal range. That allows the guitars own characteristics to affect the tone. Now if you've got a guitar that's a "dog" unplugged, then no pickups will turn the guitar into a tonal wonder. I use a Mesa/Boogie .50 Caliber tube amp as my primary amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Any style. If you want to slam the front-end of an amplifier, use a booster or overdrive pedal, not overwound pickups.

Comments: My only beef with these pickups is the length of the lead wires for the neck pickup. I'd love for one of the DiMarzio folks to have to install the neck pickup into a large semi-hollow guitar with no back access. With guitars such as those (and my Ibanez) you have to do the wiring of the controls outside of the guitar body. The neck pickup easily needs another three to four inches of lead wires and I had to splice the leads with additional wire so I could install that pickup. That did not make me real happy and it shouldn't be so on a brand new pickup. I hope DiMarzio will realize that these just might be installed into guitars other than a Les Paul style (no offense to Les Paul players as those are great guitars) with an access plate over the control area. That was short-sighted (pun intended).

Pickup features: Bucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Chambered tele
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: Seth Lover, Armstrong Filtertron, GFS Dream 180 WCR Goodwood
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Hot T
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Blues, CC, Pop, country, Ambient, atmospheric stylings
Reason for pickup change: Does one need a good reason for changing pickups?

Perceived output level: A bit hotter than the Seth & Armstrong, lower than the Goodwood.
Tone: Pretty darned balanced & sweet
Sonic evaluation: Use with a several solid state amps and a nice botique super copy.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: Nice sounding pickup. Warm, full, articulate. Plays well with the VV Hot T in the bridge....giving perhaps the best two pickup tone I've yet to experience with various pickups combos in this gutiar. I do belive I still prefer the Seth and the Armstrong for their wonderful, woody, vintage tone, but the Dimarzio is a damn fine pickup. The Goodwood was just a bit too much for this guitar. Another thing about the Dimarzio is how good it sounds in single coil and parallel mode. The various wiring options are a plus if needed. The pickup was wired for single coil operation when it first arrived. It was a bit noisey, but it sure sounded good! A quick re-wire and set up to keep it in phase with the bridge VV and it was good to go. Honsetly...this is a fine pickup.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Not Sure

Model of guitar or bass: Hamer Studio Custom
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Duncan '59 neck and JB Bridge
Other pickups on guitar: both were switched
Artists using this pickup: Many session guitarists
You musical style(s): All styles
Reason for pickup change: '59 sounded great, JB wasn't bad, but a little brittle and over the top. Plus curiosity sometimes kills the cat, but in this case it did not. It actually gave him another 9 lives.

Perceived output level: A little less than the '59s, Way less than the JB. Somewhere between a '59 and Seth Lover in terms of output.
Tone: Extremely balanced in all spectors. Very nice job Dimarzio
Sonic evaluation: Using my Hamer Studio Custom through a Rivera Fandango or Pro Jr. or truthfully, any freaking amp I wish to plug into, this guitar sounds great. Take your favorite Les Paul sound of old and this is what this guitar now sounds like. I'm very please with the sound of both pickups. Especially the bridge that sounds nice and smooth on the clean side of an amp. Whereas many bridge humbuckers have that pronounced mid-range that's hard to hide on a clean amp. The neck pickup is also smooth without being too bassy or overly punchy. I feel these pickups really allow the natural acoustics of the guitar to shine through. No coloration here folks. Just a great sounding PAF style pickup. I like these much better than Seymour Antiquites, and like them as well as the '59s, Seth Lovers and Gibson '57 Classics. In fact, these pickups edge the above mentioned out due to their extremely balanced output. Not quite as warm as the Seths, but much more articulate and still just as smooth. I also really like Rio Grande humbuckers, but I feel while they advertise them as PAF hot, I think they are in a different category for guitarists needing more punch and drive. For the PAF sound, Dimarzio did a nice job here.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: As I mentioned above, I play all types. Jazz, Country, Rock, Blues and more. The good thing about a PAF style pickup is it blends nicely for subtle musical styles. However, if you need to turn it up, want crunch and distortion, these can do that as well. Maybe not as quickly as a hot-rodded pickup, but you can just turn the gain up a bit and/or step on a pedal and you are there. Much harder to do gonig the other way with a distortion pickup and trying to smooth it out and clean it up.

Comments: Lost or stolen I would definitely replace and would be happy putting these in any of my dual humbucker guitars. I have to admit, I've never been a huge Dimarzio fan and absolutely hate the names of some of their pickups. (ie. Virtual Vintage, Air Bucker, etc.) I also have never cared for the fact they use ultra skimpy pickup wiring for soldering. One cut of the exacto knife too hard, and your wire goes flying across the room. Nonetheless, I had heard too many great things about the Classic to not want to at least try them. A guy who sets up guitars and, in my opinion, has a great ear and taste for pickups, spoke highly of these. So, out went the stock pickups in my Hamer and in went the Classics. As good as the '59 sounded in the neck, I actually like these a bit better. In addition, I like the nickle covers over the un-covered pickups. I see what Hamer is trying to do, but I don't need to look like Eric Clapton, I'm just trying to nail some of his earlier tones.
In closing, if you need an aggressive style pickup with a hint of PAF, the Rio Grandes are hard to beat. If you need a smoother, more balanced PAF style humbucker, these guys are a really really good choice. Plus, they are the best value of anything out there. Most pickups in this price range don't have the nickle covers.