Description
DiMarzio didn’t just clone a late-50s PAF, they took Larry DiMarzio’s personal 1959 cherry sunburst Les Paul, pulled it apart, and reverse-engineered what made it sound so alive. The result is the PAF 36th Anniversary set, paired here in black plastic as DP103BK (neck) and DP223BK (bridge), bundled with a free set of D’Addario EXL116 Medium Top/Heavy Bottom strings.
Both pickups use a deliberately weak magnetic field, letting the strings ring out longer while keeping the attack focused rather than mushy. That’s the trick behind vintage PAFs that go clean-to-crunch off pick attack alone, and DiMarzio chased it precisely: computer-controlled winders lay down 42-gauge custom-coated wire for a tightly consistent frequency response, then each coil is wax-dipped to kill squeal and microphonics. Nickel-silver covers with a more magnetically transparent plating than the originals round it out.
The DP103BK Neck model is smooth without going muddy, and works just as well in the bridge if you want that vibe there instead. The DP223BK Bridge is the hotter partner — voiced for set-neck 24 3/4″ scale guitars but equally at home in trem-loaded bolt-ons, with low-end punch, midrange clarity, and highs that stay smooth rather than harsh. Wired 4-conductor (1-conductor optional), it splits cleanly to a bright, musical single-coil tone rather than anything thin or sterile.
- Neck (DP103BK): Alnico 5 magnet, 250mV output, 7.31 kOhm DC resistance
- Bridge (DP223BK): Alnico 5 magnet, 285mV output, 8.60 kOhm DC resistance
- Wiring: 4-conductor (1-conductor optional)
- Bridge patent: 5,399,802 & 5,908,998, introduced 2008
- Includes free D’Addario EXL116 Medium Top/Heavy Bottom string set
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