Description
Some humbuckers chase specs. The PAF 59 chases a memory — specifically, the sound of Larry DiMarzio’s personal 1959 Les Paul, which he used as the blueprint when designing this pickup. Rather than reverse-engineering a spec sheet, DiMarzio built this one by ear, aiming to recreate the touch-sensitive, slightly loose, endlessly musical breakup that made original PAFs legendary in the first place.
The heart of that tone is in the coils: 42 AWG plain enamel wire, scatter-wound and left undipped, just like the pickups it’s modeled on. That undipped construction matters — it lets the coils resonate a little more freely, which shows up as extra air and harmonic complexity, especially when you dig in with an overdriven amp. In the neck position, that translates to a smooth, vocal midrange with plenty of sustain and none of the mud that plagues lesser vintage-style ‘buckers.
Construction-wise, DiMarzio kept things period-correct where it counts: Double Cream butyrate bobbins sit on a long-leg nickel/silver base plate, mirroring the build of the pickups it’s honoring. You get the look and feel of a genuine late-’50s PAF, minus the wear, the microphonics, and the collector-grade price tag. This particular version comes finished in Relic White, giving it a lightly aged, road-worn cosmetic to match a vintage-style build.
- Modeled on Larry DiMarzio’s own ’59 Les Paul pickups
- 42 AWG undipped, scatter-wound plain enamel wire coils
- Double Cream butyrate bobbins
- Long-leg nickel/silver base plate
- Designed for neck position
- Relic White finish
If you’ve been hunting for that elusive vintage PAF character without gambling on a fragile 60-year-old original, the PAF 59 is built for exactly that job.
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