There’s a reason the finest original PAFs have become the benchmark against which almost every humbucker is judged.
The great ones aren’t dark, congested or excessively powerful. They’re remarkably open, clear and dynamic, with a woody character, sparkling top end and an almost single-coil-like ability to let the natural voice of the guitar shine through.
The Eternal PAF Replica Humbucker Set is the result of years of research, winding experience and hands-on work with genuine vintage Gibson pickups. The aim was simple: to recreate the character of an exceptional late-1950s PAF as faithfully as possible - not just its resistance reading, but its feel, response and extraordinary harmonic complexity.
The result is a wonderfully expressive, moderate-output humbucker with warmth where you want it, clarity where you need it and the touch sensitivity that makes a great vintage pickup feel genuinely alive.
More than just a resistance reading
PAFs varied considerably, and simply winding a pair of coils to a particular DC resistance doesn't recreate what makes the originals special.
Materials matter. Construction matters. Magnet choice, coil geometry and winding pattern matter.
Most importantly, the relationship between all of those things matters.
Our PAF Replicas use 42 AWG Plain Enamel copper wire wound onto butyrate bobbins, combined with sandcast Alnico magnets, nickel-silver baseplates, maple spacers and vintage-correct fillister-head pole screws.
The coils are individually wound using patterns refined through years of studying, repairing and playing genuine vintage pickups. Rather than chasing output, the emphasis is on openness, harmonic detail and dynamic response.
Unpotted - deliberately
Like the originals, our PAF Replicas are not wax potted.
That is an important part of their character.
Allowing the coils and nickel covers to remain naturally responsive gives the pickup an airy, three-dimensional quality and a subtle degree of microphonic interaction with the guitar and amplifier.
Turn up a good valve amp and they begin to breathe, bloom and ease naturally into musical feedback in a way that heavily potted modern humbuckers often cannot.
It’s one of those characteristics that is difficult to describe on a specification sheet — but very easy to feel when you play one.
The sound
Neck: Warm and woody without becoming woolly. Chords remain articulate, while single notes have a wonderfully vocal quality.
Bridge: Clear, punchy and harmonically rich, with plenty of bite when you dig in and a sweet, singing top end when pushed.
Together: Open, complex and beautifully balanced, with exceptional note separation and that unmistakable hollow, almost acoustic quality associated with a really good vintage humbucker set.
Roll back the guitar volume and they clean up beautifully. Turn the amp up and they become increasingly expressive rather than simply louder.
Tonal character
- Lows: Warm, rounded and articulate
- Mids: Open, woody and harmonically complex
- Highs: Clear, sweet and singing
- Output: Vintage/moderate
- Response: Exceptionally dynamic and touch-sensitive
Vintage-correct construction
- Butyrate bobbins
- 42 AWG Plain Enamel copper wire
- Individually hand-wound coils
- Sandcast Alnico magnets
- Vintage-correct fillister-head pole screws
- Nickel-silver baseplates
- Maple spacers
- Unpotted nickel covers
- Vintage-style braided single-conductor lead wire
- Matched neck and bridge set
- Available naturally finished or hand-aged
Specifications
DC Resistance: Typically approx. 7k–7.5kΩ*
Magnets: Sandcast Alnico 2 or Alnico 5
Coil Wire: 42 AWG Plain Enamel
Bobbin Material: Butyrate
Baseplates: Nickel silver
Spacers: Maple
Pole Screws: Fillister head
Covers: Nickel, unpotted
Potting: None
*DC resistance varies naturally with winding and ambient temperature and should be regarded as a guide rather than a measure of output or tone.
A PAF should let the guitar speak
Seth Lover’s original humbucker was conceived as a way of eliminating unwanted hum without sacrificing the musical qualities guitarists loved in the pickups that came before it.
That philosophy sits at the heart of the Eternal PAF Replica.
Rather than imposing its own character on the instrument, a great PAF seems to reveal more of the guitar underneath it — the resonance of the timber, the attack of the pick and the smallest changes in your touch.
That’s what we wanted to capture.
Open. Woody. Clear. Dynamic.
And when you turn the amp up, just a little bit unruly.
Exactly as a great PAF should be.
Trademark Notice: Eternal Guitars is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Gibson Brands, Inc. Gibson® and other Gibson trademarks are the property of their respective owners. References to Gibson and historic PAF (“Patent Applied For”) pickups are used solely to describe the historical inspiration, compatibility and intended tonal characteristics of this product.
