? Alright let’s review this puppy. Seymour Duncan describes this pickup as a late 50’s vintage correct P.A.F. with full and bright distorted tones and smooth sustain. So this sounds pretty good, very much like the old P.A.F’s that are highly regarded. Let’s go over the specs first. This is the bridge pickup in black open coils and has an output of 8.13k and a resonance peak of 6.00khz. with Alnico 5 magnets. The pickup is potted also to allow for high volume levels with no feedback. Basically that means it’s a medium output pickup like those used in the old Gibson Les Pauls and ES-335’s and is a bit brighter in the top end. Very nice! The ‘59 is very well built of high quality materials and has many features that the great P.A.F’s had, again very nice!

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? I installed it in my Les Paul and it’s a direct replacement, with a single conductor lead wire for fast installation, Excellent! The ‘59 can also be had with 4 conductor wiring for splitting coils and in covered versions or zebra coils. O.K. so let’s move on. Well how does she sound? Well I turned on the distortion and let her rip. I was impressed immediately with the “openness’ of the sound. Pretty much like taking a blanket off the guitar, you just hear more of everything. The output was strong and clear with a “rawer” type aggressive rock tone. Great lows and highs but with a mid scoop for sure. I like the mid scoop, some players don’t, but it’s slight and by boosting the mids on your amp about one notch you can really even it out.

The tone just sounds like those great old classic rock tones of Zeppelin or Cream. Smooth with a bit of a raw edge, perfect for rockers. The best for?me though was this baby just?nails the early Van Halen tone. Incredible in being versatile and with a modern high gain amp it sounds great. ??I did however get?a bit of harshness if I set the pickup too high to the strings but backing off slightly fixed that problem. So it sounded great in overdrive mode but less spectacular in clean mode. This puppy is made for rockin’ but not the pretty stuff. ?I did compare it to a real P.A.F. in a friends ES-345 and was amazed at how close these two sounded! Virtually identical in sound,? Seymour just NAILS the real deal P.A.F. with the ’59. ?I later hooked this baby up to my Epi 335 and had the same great results.

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??Here’s a history lesson to help you out. ?In the older Gibson guitars there were actually 2 types of ?P.A.F. magnets. Alnico 2 or Alnico 5, so what’s the difference? Alnico 2 magnets were used on the earliest versions and have more mids and are real smooth whereas Alnico 5 magnets are more aggressive with stronger lows and highs??but less mids.? Alnico 5’s are preferred for classic and modern rockers and the Alnico 2’s are for the guys that like their sound smoother and softer.

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?So what’s the verdict? ?Well Seymour Duncan’s descriptions are right on. This is a great pickup and very versatile for all the rockers minus the metal guys. It just doesn’t do that Dimebag thing. If you’re looking for the vintage or modern pop/rock tones this will definately fit the bill. These can be had for $69 and are a real bargain. A very cheap way to improve your guitar for very little dough!

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Guitar Guru