Which PAF replicas?

designerseye88

So I have nailed it down to 3

1. Mojo PAF's
2. Monty's PAF's
3. OX4 PAF's

Any advice on which now you think would be best for as close to an original 59 PAF? 

Danielsguitars

I've had mojos vintage paf and montys up against a real 58 and it's sitting hairs 

It's down to your personal flavour of paf

I just put a set of mojos low wind pafs in a current build and they are fantastic to me and clear as a bell, pretty close to perfect for my taste 

thegummy

Something I've learned is that there is no specific classic PAF tone because they weren't precisely mass produced, they were hand wound and varied widely.

They didn't even use the same type of magnets, it was just whatever Gibson could source the cheapest.

So pearly gates is trying to replicate the specific pickup that gibbons has but could sound quite different to a random other PAF.

Danielsguitars

thegummy said:

Something I've learned is that there is no specific classic PAF tone because they weren't precisely mass produced, they were hand wound and varied widely.

They didn't even use the same type of magnets, it was just whatever Gibson could source the cheapest.

So pearly gates is trying to replicate the specific pickup that gibbons has but could sound quite different to a random other PAF.

Agreed, they were a business and built to a price

Also your guitar will sound different to another, the hardware makes a difference, overall lots of small things make it sound the way it does

MattP

Tonally, they’re all wonderful, but if it’s as close to a PAF as possible you want, it has to be the mojos. The other two use the more modern, squarer edged pickup covers that don’t look quite right. Mojo use, or at least used DMCs; I have a set of those covers on some old Shed’s and they look fantastic.

Schnozz

I like Shed PAFs

jimmyguitar

Wizz for the prize! Mojo's a close 2nd
http://www.wizz-pickups.net

p90fool

thegummy said:

Something I've learned is that there is no specific classic PAF tone because they weren't precisely mass produced, they were hand wound and varied widely.

They didn't even use the same type of magnets, it was just whatever Gibson could source the cheapest.

So pearly gates is trying to replicate the specific pickup that gibbons has but could sound quite different to a random other PAF.

Exactly, the reason the whole replica industry exists is because it's a moving target, so a thousand manufacturers can all claim to be the closest. 

All the good quality ones are wound pretty much the same way with the same materials, you'd be better off figuring which magnet type suit you and your guitar best, that's probably the biggest variable. 

RiftAmps

My favourites are the Monty’s, with Mojo a close second. All of the OX4s that I’ve tried have been hit or miss.

ToneControl

thegummy said:

Something I've learned is that there is no specific classic PAF tone because they weren't precisely mass produced, they were hand wound and varied widely.

They didn't even use the same type of magnets, it was just whatever Gibson could source the cheapest.

So pearly gates is trying to replicate the specific pickup that gibbons has but could sound quite different to a random other PAF.

and none of them sound exactly like they did the year they were made

mburekenge

Haven't tried the others but very happy with the montys in my r7.

ellwood

I have Mojos and OX4s. Have always been a big fan of low wind OX4s. The Mojos were in a Tokai that arrived and are superb

guitars4you

RiftAmps said:

My favourites are the Monty’s, with Mojo a close second. All of the OX4s that I’ve tried have been hit or miss.

do the Monty's and Mojo have a similar/same voice by design or do they have a different voice - I have never heard both side by side - I ask this on the basis that a number of original PAFs were voiced differently, almost by default, with an adhoc variance of 'ingredients' at times and a winding method that was certainly 'not consistent' - granted that is part of the character of an original paf - but when you are building a replica then which one is your template

Danielsguitars

when I build a LP it's chasing the real 58 I get access too, it's my only benchmark, when it's just the guitar it's the unplugged tone then amplified tone

The montys and mojos sounds slightly different to me and that's in the same guitar with all the same parts but the montys didn't balance in the middle as well and i didnt like the neck pickup as much 

Mojos new covers on his pafs are bloody superb replicas, he has them custom made now, they're better than dmc now

ourmaninthenorth

I've played a lot of PAF's, the latest set a fortnight ago. Quite candidly, I've had to be told  on every single occasion what they are. I doubt my ability to pick them out in a blind test with other contemporary offerings. 

I shall report to the hair shirt department immediately, if not sooner. 

hotpickups

So many variables to take into account. Which is why I've given up in trying to replace any pickups in my guitar/s. The guitars I have now are high end anyway and I trust the luthier or brand to choose what is suitable for their guitar. Since taking that decision it's freed up so much of the ongoing so called tone search and just get on with playing.

Skipped

p90fool said:

 you'd be better off figuring which magnet type suit you and your guitar best, that's probably the biggest variable. 

Very much agree with this.

Antiquities in a 1950s Gibson Les Paul - with the original wiring intact - sound very close indeed to me. They are within the range that people expect from real PAFs.
So........ if the OP owns a 1950s Gibson Les Paul, that needs pickups right now, Antiquities are a very good bet.

But how many people are going to try that?

If the OP doesn't own a Gibson humbucker guitar from that era, then I would want to understand the question that he is asking. The sound we are discussing is a combination of the guitar and the pickups. If you have seen the Vintage Bench Test (1960 GIbson Les Paul) in the current Guitar Magazine, you may have noticed the following:
"All the 1950s and very early 1960s Gibson solidbodies that we've played sound intriguing when played unplugged and this instrument is no exception."
"This is easily one of the finest electric guitars we’ve ever played."
"We suspect that it would take months or even years to truly get to know this guitar, and it’s difficult to imagine a more inspiring musical instrument."

As p90fool has said, the best pickup match for the guitar owned by the OP depends on the guitar, and the OP's tastes.

RiftAmps

guitars4you said:

RiftAmps said:

My favourites are the Monty’s, with Mojo a close second. All of the OX4s that I’ve tried have been hit or miss.

do the Monty's and Mojo have a similar/same voice by design or do they have a different voice - I have never heard both side by side - I ask this on the basis that a number of original PAFs were voiced differently, almost by default, with an adhoc variance of 'ingredients' at times and a winding method that was certainly 'not consistent' - granted that is part of the character of an original paf - but when you are building a replica then which one is your template

No, they have a different voice. My statement is not based on how close they are to original PAFs (or a particular example), but how good they are as pickups in their own right. I have not played a wide enough sample group of original PAFs to make that kind of statement 

Of the OX4s that I have tried, the good ones were exceptionally good but the others not so much.

When it came down to the tone that I was searching for and how I wanted the pickup to respond, the Monty's won.

guitars4you

This is the quote I acquired a few years ago from a 'Tone Quest' report - an interview with a few leading pick up builders - sorry but I can't find the link now but it was a serious in depth chat and test - the conclusion was

The truth is, no one may ever be capable of reproducing

the exact tone, dynamic and vocal character, clarity, bloom

and rich harmonics found in a great set of PAFs, which were,

afterall, essentially happy accidents created by the convergence

of extremely varied and largely undocumented materials

and components, assembled by relatively unskilled factory

workers laboring with flexible specifications and imprecise

equipment

John_A

Deacci Vintage zero
Greco Dry-Z
Peter Florence Voodoo
Bare Knuckle stormy Monday
Mojo

Ive tried lots, but certainly not all.

Out of all the ones I've tried, these are my personal favourites, but as others have said, the differences are subtle and the guitar makes all the difference, a pair of any of the above won't turn an Epiphone in to a '57 LP
 

zepp76

Check out the new House of Tone Tru PAFs, just to put another spanner in the works! They got 10/10 in The guitar magazine (I know that doesn't mean much to some).