PAF Pro + ??? (in a mahogany LP guitar) for moderate distortion/overdrive blues/rock styles?

[JBerto]

Hi guys!

I've recently bought a LP - shape, mahogany body, HH guitar, and I'm going to swap it stock neck humbucker for a DiMarzio PAF Pro that I've also bought.

So, the question now to keep improving that guitar would be:
What Bridge pickup would works well with that PAF Pro in the neck in that king of guitar (mahogany, LP shape)?

I've another guitar that I use for "clean" tones, so I'm going to use this new guitar for songs with some distortion/overdrive. What I usually going to play with this goes from "crunchy vintage blues" to "modern hard rock", so I need a "versatile mix", of humbuckers, "balanced" (not to "fat", not too "bright" in that mahogany LP) and that performs well in those different kind of styles that imply some distortion/overdrive, and good for soloing and rhythm section of songs too.

In that guitar and for that kind of music styles, What Bridge SD humbucker do you think would be a good match for that PAF Pro in the neck?

Thanks!

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

Are you fully locked into using the PAF Pro in the neck? The reason I ask is because it's fairly high output, which means that in turn you need a high output bridge humbucker to balance it, and that in turn gives a bridge pickup which is not well suited for blues.

It might work better in the bridge but it's also pretty bright. A bright bridge might be what you want in a mahogany short scale guitar, though?

If you were to swap it for something like the Bluesbucker or AirClassic in the neck then you could use a standard PAF type such as the SD Pearly Gates or 59 in the bridge if as you say you want a Duncan humbucker for the bridge. Or you could use something like the DiMarzio Bluesbucker or Airclassic neck with the PAF Pro in the bridge.

If you stay with the PAF Pro in the neck then your probably going to need the Duncan Custom or the 59/Custom hybrid from Duncan at very least, if you want a Duncan bridge humbucker.

 

[JBerto]

Are you fully locked into using the PAF Pro in the neck? The reason I ask is because it's fairly high output, which means that in turn you need a high output bridge humbucker to balance it, and that in turn gives a bridge pickup which is not well suited for blues.

It might work better in the bridge but it's also pretty bright. A bright bridge might be what you want in a mahogany short scale guitar, though?

If you were to swap it for something like the Bluesbucker or AirClassic in the neck then you could use a standard PAF type such as the SD Pearly Gates or 59 in the bridge if as you say you want a Duncan humbucker for the bridge. Or you could use something like the DiMarzio Bluesbucker or Airclassic neck with the PAF Pro in the bridge.

If you stay with the PAF Pro in the neck then your probably going to need the Duncan Custom or the 59/Custom hybrid from Duncan at very least, if you want a Duncan bridge humbucker.

Thanks!

Well, then I've 2 options here:

I already have a DiMarzio PAF 36th in another guitar that I don't use too often, so I can use that 36th in this LP neck, and the PAF Pro in the bridge (this is the cheapest option, cause I already own both pickups)

or

I can buy that 59/Custom Hybrid and use it in the bridge, and the PAF Pro in the neck.


What do you think will be better for that kind of guitar and music styles, or both suit well for that?

 

[AdrianDSL]

Either Custom or JB might take you there where you want. Both take magnet swaps very well. The JB can sound muddy in a dark guitar, or very harsh in other, but in the "right" guitar it's hard to beat. If you like that upper mid honky tone JB has, I love how mine "sing" with UOA5 and A8 magnets in mahogany LTD. The Custom sounds more balanced, flatter EQ with tighter low end and can do a lot very well.

 

[anitoli]

PAF Pro neck, Super Distortion bridge.

 

[ampeq]

I think I would go with a ToneZone in the bridge. I have a LP Std. with a PAF in the neck and Super Distortion in the bridge and it’s an awesome guitar. I also have an E2 Eclipse with a ToneZone in the bridge and a Breed in the neck. Excellent rock or blues guitar. DiMarzio will let you send back the pickup if you don’t like it and trade it for a different one. Once you try one you can use their numbering system to find what you want.
Is there a maple top on the LP or is it all mahogany like a Black Beauty one?

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

Thanks!

Well, then I've 2 options here:

I already have a DiMarzio PAF 36th in another guitar that I don't use too often, so I can use that 36th in this LP neck, and the PAF Pro in the bridge (this is the cheapest option, cause I already own both pickups)

or

I can buy that 59/Custom Hybrid and use it in the bridge, and the PAF Pro in the neck.


What do you think will be better for that kind of guitar and music styles, or both suit well for that?

Those options could work well.

Is the 36th the bridge wind? The 36th Bridge is not as much output as the PAF Pro but it's close, You might be able work it so you get both those great picking dynamics for blues from the 36th in the bridge and the clarity in the neck from PAF Pro by adjusting pickup heights. You have several combinations to experiment with and that will tell you more than we can.

All the pickups mentioned so far in this thread will rock hard in either position.

 

[ibmorjamn]

Hi guys!

I've recently bought a LP - shape, mahogany body, HH guitar, and I'm going to swap it stock neck humbucker for a DiMarzio PAF Pro that I've also bought.

So, the question now to keep improving that guitar would be:
What Bridge pickup would works well with that PAF Pro in the neck in that king of guitar (mahogany, LP shape)?

I've another guitar that I use for "clean" tones, so I'm going to use this new guitar for songs with some distortion/overdrive. What I usually going to play with this goes from "crunchy vintage blues" to "modern hard rock", so I need a "versatile mix", of humbuckers, "balanced" (not to "fat", not too "bright" in that mahogany LP) and that performs well in those different kind of styles that imply some distortion/overdrive, and good for soloing and rhythm section of songs too.

In that guitar and for that kind of music styles, What Bridge SD humbucker do you think would be a good match for that PAF Pro in the neck?

Thanks!

I have a answer that might not be popular but I have had few of the pickups mentioned. I don’t know why I don’t care for the 36th that much or the JB. Custom is good.
I think what you are describing for your style is the stock Les Paul studio set. I love them.
490R and 498T. Mean to clean with the volume. I prefer the bridge more.

 

[Delete!!]

I just purchased a 36 PAF/Super Distortion combo for my LP Classic……..DiMarzio also recommended the Dark Matter 2 bridge for a higher output (but not over the top) sound that would mix well with a PAF style neck.

I also wanted to try the PAF Pro in the bridge but decided against it (would probably be too bright for my taste).

 

[gregr]

DiMarzio DP165 The Breed Neck in the bridge.

/end thread

 

[axe4me]

 

[gregr]

The PAF Pro is nothing like a PAF.

Based on the music you play you aren’t going to want a ceramic magnet, nor an A8. So kick the Duncan Custom off of the list. 59/Custom hybrid will be too weak. A Custom 5 will also be too weak. The best Duncan has to offer is the original A5 Parallel Axis. Trem spaced and looks funny but will work just fine in a Les Paul. Maybe a JB. I’m not a fan unless it has an A2 in it which would be too weak for a PAF Pro in the neck.

But again, my previous post. BNIB. It is a tried and true combination.

PAF Pro in the bridge? Give it a try. Garbage in that position if you ask me. Awesome in the neck though.

Lastly, ignore resistance figures, *especially* with DiMarzios.

 

[JBerto]

I think I would go with a ToneZone in the bridge.

Wouldn't be the ToneZone too "dark" in a Mahogany guitar?

Is there a maple top on the LP or is it all mahogany like a Black Beauty one?

My LP-shape guitar is mahogany body and neck, maple top, and pau ferro fingerboard.


For what I'm reading, the "winner combo" for this kind of guitar and those "music styles" (from blues to hard rock, with some distortion/overdrive, but nothing too "extreme") seems to be:
DiMarzio PAF Pro (neck) + Seymour Duncan 59/Custom hybrid (bridge).

 

[axe4me]

Recommend this................



I have this in my Gibson Memphis ES 335 Studio.

 

[GregM]

I was expecting everyone to say sd, so I'm with anatoli, sd!

 

[dptone5]

I love DiMarzio pickups, but for my LP, I finally settled on Seymour Duncan. Have a '59 in the neck and Custom 5 in the bridge. Really like this combination.

When I had DiMarzio's in the LP, my best combination was a 36th Anniversary in the neck and an Air Zone in the bridge. That was a cool pickup.

 

[gregr]

+1 on Custom 5 and 59. Custom 2 and 59 is also good. In the middle position, however, the 59 set can’t be beat.

The PAF Pro is much hotter than a 59N. The Custom 5 and a 59N pair perfectly. The Custom 5 is noticeably hotter than a 59/C5 hybrid. You do the math. Of all the 59/C5 recommendations, who here has actually tried one with a PAF Pro in the neck?

BNIB:
https://www.marshallforum.com/threads/dimarzio-breed-neck-in-bridge.66305/

https://www.jemsite.com/threads/done-breed-neck-in-bridge.40996/

The Breed™ Neck
DP165

If you’re a fan of Steve Vai, you’ve probably seen him playing an Ibanez® Jem guitar with the word “Pogo” taped on the face. Steve wanted one of his instruments to have a fat, classic humbucker sound to contrast with the hotter, screaming Evolution®-equipped guitars. These are the pickups we developed for him. The neck pickup is a bit louder and fatter-sounding than the PAF Pro® pickups that Steve used on his earliest Jems. The bridge pickup is not as hot as the Evolution®, but it’s got a warm and punchy mid-range coupled with a fat low end that rolls off before it can get muddy. Harmonics are easy to get, and the 4-conductor wiring enables cool “notch tone” coil-splitting.

Recommended For

Neck position in bolt-on trem guitars, bridge position in set-neck fixed-bridge instruments.

Tech Talk

The Breed™ is a bit louder and fatter-sounding than the PAF Pro® pickups that Steve used on his earliest Jems. As a neck pickup, it has more than enough power to balance with high-output bridge pickups: it will work with The Tone Zone®, Super Distortion®, and Evolution® as well as The Breed™ Bridge Model. In the bridge position, it has a very warm, hot PAF® tone — really smooth, with nice harmonics.

Specs

Wiring: 4 Conductor
Magnet: Alnico 5
Output mV: 325
DC Resistance: 10.39 Kohm
Year of Introduction: 1997
Patent: n/a

 

[ibmorjamn]

This is an example of said les paul studio.Intro Main is bridge pickup, Second solo is neck pickup

 

[ampeq]

Wouldn't be the ToneZone too "dark" in a Mahogany guitar?


My LP-shape guitar is mahogany body and neck, maple top, and pau ferro fingerboard.


For what I'm reading, the "winner combo" for this kind of guitar and those "music styles" (from blues to hard rock, with some distortion/overdrive, but nothing too "extreme") seems to be:
DiMarzio PAF Pro (neck) + Seymour Duncan 59/Custom hybrid (bridge).

I have an ESP E2 Eclipse, new the pups were weak and blah. So I tried a couple set's that were ok until I tried this. I put a Breed in the neck, and a ToneZone in the bridge to give the guitar a little more balls and warmth. Now this guitar is a screamer! It's a thin light guitar so it needed a little warmth, but these are still bright and crisp or can be very laid back. I also changed the pots which helped. Great combo for blues / rock. My LP has, and has been this way sense 1979, a PAF in the neck and SD in the bridge. I've had nothing but compliments on the tone of that guitar from the day I put them in. You can call DiMarzio to get an idea of what works, but remember that it's "his" idea, might not be yours.

 

[gregr]

I have a ‘76 Custom with T-Tops which I decided to update with a facelift. I opted for a reverse zebra 490R based on the notion that it’s basically a T-Top but potted with an A2 magnet (which I planned on swapping out for a rough A5). I put the unmodified 490R in there and couldn’t take it out fast enough. I hadn’t played the guitar for almost a decade and came to terms with the fact that I really don’t care for T-Tops. There’s a 59 in there now and it isn’t going anywhere. There should have been one in there all along. I swapped out the T-Top in the bridge for an SH-5 Custom some 35 years ago. It’s now been replaced with a hybrid that I built.

Anyway I digress. The topic is supposed to be about choosing a bridge pickup to go with a PAF Pro in the neck, not about sharing our favorite pet pickups.

My EBMM Silhouette had a pair of PAF Pros in it. I swapped out the one in the bridge for a Breed Neck and called it done.