Dimarzio PAF PRO?

[MortenP]

Anybody here familiar with using a PAF pro in the bridge position?

[Inazone]

Sure am. I use one in a mahogany Hamer Californian and also in a basswood Jackson Dinky. What do you want to know?

[MortenP]

How does it sound? Is it any good for hard rock/metal?
And how would it sound in a maple body?

[jcm800x]

I've used them for years in the bridge, mainly LP's. They sound very tight, not too bright and medium output. Not a good choice if you want high output but a nice flat sounding pup.

[ccs]

Great pup but not for metal IMO.I tried a few times but it ended up back in the neck position where I feel they excell.
I did run one series/single/parallel once and the single tone out of it was killer.

[Monster Joe]

I like a PAF PRo in a bright guitar.
In a "dark" sounding guitar they sound like mud, but in a bright guitar they take out the harshness and really come alive.
Not high output, as stated, but plenty for most styles.
They were on the original JEM series if I'm not mistaken and I think those were the best sounding RG-type guitar ever.

[MortenP]

So how would it sound in a maple body?

[circle of the tyrants]

As the name suggests, it pretty much sounds like a "Patent Applied For" era Gibby pickup, maybe a little hotter.

jcm800x is right, it's a medium output p-up, best suited for a classic rock type of tone.

[Monster Joe]

So how would it sound in a maple body?

I think it should work nicely. I have one in a Carvin, which is a maple neck-through with alder wings and it works great for that guitar.

[John]

The original Ibanez PGM-100 came with a PAF Pro in the bridge position and quite possibly the neck position too - I can't remember for sure. What I do remember is that it is a great sounding pickup that delivers a good warm, dark tone but with definition. IMO ...a really nice sounding pickup.

- John

p.s. I've sent a quote into Jackson for a new guitar with this very pickup in the bridge position. Still awaiting a reply.

[MortenP]

Thanks a lot for the input guys, I'm gonna try it out in a couple of my guitars as soon as I get the darn thing..

[Inazone]

I'm going to disagree that it's not good for metal, although it depends on the context. I haven't used it in a "bright" guitar made of maple, only mahogany or ash, but I'm playing melodic death metal. Live, I *love* the sound of the PAF Pro through a high-gain amp. At those volumes, I don't need the pickup to drive the amp for more gain. The PAF Pro has a pretty distinctive tone compared to the hotter passive pickups (Duncan Distortion, Invader) or actives (EMG) that I've compared it to, especially for leads. For strictly rhythm purposes or for recording, my decision would depend a lot on what the other guitarist is using. It's a pretty transparent pickup with a slightly vocal sound to it, which is why I like it for leads, but it'd be great for hard rock rhythms that require some "chunk" as well.

Even though they are voiced totally different, the Steve's Special is another favorite of mine. As with the PAF Pro, it has a very unique tone that stands out from other pickups, although it is higher output.