Description
The PBF-49 is Bartolini’s take on the neck-position half of its Vintage Pair, built in collaboration with veteran guitar builder and repairman Ed Reynolds. Rather than chasing modern hot-output specs, it dials back to the character of early humbuckers: neck winds sitting around 7.5K-ohm that keep the low end tight and articulate instead of woolly, while the top end stays sweet and open rather than clipped.
- Standard PAF shape, dual-coil design
- Gold plated cover
- Width: 1.52″ / 39mm, Length: 2.75″ / 70mm
- Epoxy cast construction to kill microphonics and stray feedback
- Designed as the neck pickup in the PBF Vintage Pair (paired with the PBF-51 bridge)
Bill Bartolini and Ed Reynolds — a Chicago-scene guitar builder from the ’70s and ’80s now working out of Austin, Texas — developed the PBF line to distill the best qualities of classic humbucker tone rather than reinvent it. The PBF-49 leans into clarity and definition on the low strings while retaining that vintage sweetness up top, making it a natural fit for players who find newer humbuckers too dark, too hot, or too one-dimensional.
The gold cover gives it a clean, traditional look that suits a ’59-style Les Paul, a semi-hollow archtop, or even a heavier solid body where you want to soften the edges without losing definition. If your playing calls for a neck pickup that speaks clearly under gain and stays articulate clean, the PBF-49 is built for exactly that job.
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