PAF bobbins

[truetone]

does anybody have a couple or even one original Paf bobbin they would sell?

[Possum]

....

buy a burstbucker pickup and rip it apart, they are pretty close....

[Sam Lee Guy]

Possumhopper, you have much to learn before you leave temple! To get PAF bobbins, buy PAF and rip it apart, then they better than pretty close. Better still, do not rip apart but dismantle carfully.

Truetone, why you want PAF bobbin?

[truetone]

I want to compare them to whats out there right now and possibly cast my own. I've heard that the ones out there are too clean of a casting.

I figure I'll just wait and watch ebay for a broke paf, would never what to take a good one apart.

[Spence]

Confucious he say, get one of those Engrish PAF fakes young Glasshopper.

[truetone]

are the fakes as accurate, I know I'm splitting hairs but thats what I do.

[Spence]

they're moulded from original bobbins. What more could you want?

[JGundry]

All Parts bobbins are pretty much dead on for spacing to a PAF bobbin. But the coil former is taller and wider than a PAF bobbin. Well constructed though. They are what I prefer.

Guitar Jones bobbins are not quite right for spacing but the coil former size and construction is closer to a PAF bobbin. But that have that weird cutout on the ends of the bobbins which I don't like.

[Possum]

...

its super rare to ever find them on Ebay, I did score a slug bobbin complete with wire and slugs once, paid about $100 for it, but it was listed in a wrong category and was suspicious whether it was real or not, turned out it was. Thats from at least 3 years of constant looking. Generally if anyone has parts they assemble them and try to pass off as a real deal PAF for big bucks. Its doubtful you'll find a clean one for casting and you'll need both sides of course, best thing to do is find a patent sticker one from very early 60's , expect to pay about $1500 for one. I scored a '62 for $400 just recently because it had a changed baseplate and the photos were all out of focus, scared everyone away. Turns out it was in a Gibson test guitar at the factory where they made the Lab Series amps back when. Of course I immediately ripped it apart with pliers, flinging parts everywhere and ripped up the coils with a cheese grater, I didn't learn a thing from it, so I bought one of those "authentic PAF tone" pickups off ebay for $65 dollars and when I use my POD and my Vox emulating amp and my Variax, it sounds exactly like AC/DC from a hearing impaired standoint. It rocks.... :-)

[soundmasterg]

Of course I immediately ripped it apart with pliers, flinging parts everywhere and ripped up the coils with a cheese grater, I didn't learn a thing from it, so I bought one of those "authentic PAF tone" pickups off ebay for $65 dollars and when I use my POD and my Vox emulating amp and my Variax, it sounds exactly like AC/DC from a hearing impaired standoint. It rocks.... :-)

I know the real story......I was over and he has it in a glass case with spotlights and all hermatically sealed against dust. I tried to touch it and he pulled a gun out and said just try it! So I went back home and touched my Rickenbacker pickups a lot to make up for feeling so rejected.

Next time I'll just smash the case and run!!

greg

[Spence]

One day all the fuss will die down. We all know what rocks and what doesn't and a lot of PAFs don't rock. But so many people bang on about how no one's ever nailed a true PAF tone the price of originals stays high regardless of whether they are good or plain shit.
setting aside any issues I may have with Jon Gundry; let's say he gets his Leesona-wound PAF replicas on the market and everyone starts saying they nail the original tone. Will the originals,regardless of condition or tone remain expensive? Let's hope not. All this hype is driven by the people hoarding all this vintage gear not by the common man who would like to own it.

[truetone]

honestly I dont see the allure, but I'm intrested in checking out the originals.

[David Schwab]

honestly I dont see the allure, but I'm intrested in checking out the originals.

I'm seeing two kinds of players, the ones that think they want/need something based on hype, whether that's PAF's, true-bypass, or whatever, and the people who really know the difference.

You get the same thing with bass players who think they want "vintage" this-and-that, but don't really have a clue what that means! It's all alnico this and that and "vintage" sounding pickups. People were shocked over at the TalkBass forum when someone posted a link to some audio files of classic Motown tracks with mostly everything removed but the bass. The whole romantic view of Jamerson playing an Ampeg B-15 (actually a B-12) miked up and stuff was dashed to the rocks when you can hear it's a DI recording with very dead sounding strings/foam mute.

I see over at TalkBass, people who have only been playing like 5 years, but have owned 30 basses! That's just crazy. I pick a bass or guitar up and I like it or don't. Everyone is concerned with resale value, because they haven't a clue how to pick a good instrument. Or they buy cheap crap and complain. I have one customer that spends his money on cheap Fender and Squire Jazz Basses, and then swaps out all the hardware and electronics, but neglects things like properly leveled frets.

People who don't know any better get funny ideas in their heads, and then the insecurities crop up and they think "if only I had (insert your gear), I could be a great player, and get all the chicks!"

Like Spence said, this will all die down.. we are in some "vintage" craze at the moment.

We live in a reality TV world my friends, and I'm convinced the collective IQ of the world (the US in particular) is rapidly diminishing. We are all Devo!

[truetone]

I've been making guitars for some time now, and now I mostly do replica vintage(hence the need for original bobbins). I've come to find more than anything else is the quality thats being noticed and everyone thinks it because its 50 years old. You go into the local GC your not going to get what you will from a custom builder. The parts I replicate on my guitars is strictly cosmetic, kinda the icing on the cake. Makes it funner for me. You just wont be able to go into the local guitar shop and pick up a guitar like mine...yet