Gibson Pickup Shop Unveils P.A.F. Reissue Humbuckers Built From 3D Scans of Originals

The Gibson Pickup Shop has released four year-specific P.A.F. Reissue Sets, developed using 3D scanning of original late-1950s humbuckers. The 1957-1960 sets are designed to reproduce the dimensions, materials, appearance and tone of Gibson’s original pickups.

Jared Brandon, Pickup Product Manager at Gibson, said: “The original P.A.F. humbuckers have inspired generations of players because they do more than reproduce sound. They respond to the player.”

He added: “With the 1957-1960 P.A.F. Reissue Sets, we have recreated four distinct voices from that historic era, giving guitarists the clarity, harmonic complexity, and dynamic feel that made these pickups legendary.” Each set is packaged as a pair.

3D Scans Behind P.A.F. Reissues

Gibson says each set was developed through extensive research, 3D scanning, scientific analysis, reverse engineering of vintage examples and archive specifications. The sets are built to the same standards as the Gibson 1959 Collector’s Edition Humbucker Sets.

Every pickup is wound on vintage Gibson coil-winding machines using 42 AWG plain enamel wire. The sets use vintage-correct butyrate bobbins, maple spacers, steel slugs and keeper bars, and True Historic nickel covers.

All four sets feature two-conductor wiring, unbalanced coils, unpotted construction, Patent Applied For decals and baseplate tooling marks. The 1957, 1958 and 1960 sets use Double Vintage Black bobbins, while the 1959 set uses Double Vintage White.

Gibson used different grades of Alnico magnets and varying wire turn counts during the original Patent Applied For era. Those variations gave individual vintage pickups distinctive tonal personalities and added to the fascination surrounding them.

Original P.A.F. pickups remain among the most sought-after vintage guitar components. Gibson says the new sets bring that sound to guitarists without the search for scarce vintage examples.

The Patent Applied For decals on the undersides of the pickups earned the P.A.F. nickname, though they were not on the very first units. The humbucker reached Gibson electric guitars in early 1957, after debuting on Gibson pedal steels in late 1956.

The sets come without the Lifton cases, individual serialization and mounting rings included with the Collector’s Edition sets. They are sold worldwide through authorized Gibson dealers, Gibson Garage locations in Nashville, London and Miami, and Gibson.com.

Four P.A.F. Reissue Tonal Profiles

Each set pairs a specific grade of long, rough-cast Alnico magnet with its own wire turn count. Gibson describes the 1957 set, built with Alnico 5, as the most aggressive and modern-feeling, with tight lows and a bright top end.

The 1958 set uses Alnico 4 and is billed as the most balanced and versatile, with even bass and treble. The 1959 set uses Alnico 3 and aims for an open, woody tone with sweet, airy highs and a pronounced midrange.

The 1960 set uses Alnico 2 and is called the smoothest and warmest of the four. It offers rounded lows, gently rolled-off highs and the softest attack, with slight natural compression.

Average DC resistance readings for the treble and rhythm pickups are 8.1 k ohms and 7.5 k ohms for 1957, and 8.3 k ohms and 7.6 k ohms for 1958. The 1959 set reads 8.1 k ohms and 7.7 k ohms, while the 1960 set reads 8.6 k ohms and 8.0 k ohms.