Gibson’s $1,000 Collector’s Edition PAF Pickups: Are They Worth It?
In this video, we delve into Gibson’s 1959 Humbucker Collector’s Edition Series 2 pickups, priced at $1,000 per set. These pickups aim to replicate the iconic PAF (“Patent Applied For”) humbuckers found in 1959 Les Paul guitars. But with the inherent variations in original PAFs, can a definitive replica truly be achieved?
What to Expect:
• Historical Context: I touch on the PAF pickups.
• Recreation Challenges: A discussion on the inconsistencies in original PAFs, such as varied magnet types and winding techniques, and how these affect the authenticity of modern replicas.
• Sound Test: A comprehensive audio comparison between the BOTH Series 2 and Series 1 Collector’s Edition pickups, highlighting similarities and differences in tone and response.
• Value Analysis: An examination of the $1,000 price tag—who might benefit from this investment and whether it’s justified for the average guitarist.
Join me as I critically assess whether Gibson’s latest offering lives up to the hype and meets the expectations of guitar enthusiasts, historians, and audiophiles alike.
Engage with Us:
If you found this analysis insightful, please like, comment, and subscribe for more in-depth gear reviews and discussions. Share your thoughts below—would you invest in these pickups? Let’s discuss!
#Gibson #PAFPickups #LesPaul #GuitarReview #VintageTone #GuitarHistory #Audiophile
—-
Table of Contents:
00:00 – Intro
00:58 – The Pickups
01:52 – The Price
05:44 – The Readings
07:03 – What’s the deal with PAFs?
09:07 – Sound Test
21:02 – The Conclusion
—
LINKS
Gibsons $1000 Humbuckers in a $400 Guitar! -https://youtu.be/FbHnPxxkX1I
The Almost Ultimate ’61 SG Deep Dive
—
Equipment used to make this video:
Sony FX30 Cinema Camera
https://amzn.to/3YSwGjJ
Sony ZV-1F Vlog Camera
https://amzn.to/3K3BJW5
Focusrite Scarlett Solo
https://amzn.to/3AYrbXf
Zoom F2 Field Mic
https://amzn.to/3wzN90P
Rode RodeLink Lav Microphone
https://amzn.to/3KhZN89
Protektor Bunny Ear Leather Neck Rest
https://amzn.to/3xV6dax
Guitar Cork Neck Rest
https://amzn.to/3UB5W3J
Music Nomad String Cutter
https://amzn.to/4ae4ZnP
Ernie Ball Guitar Mat
https://amzn.to/3WDuAng
Music Nomad Fretboard F-One Conditioner
https://amzn.to/3WGs0g3
Guitar Scale
https://amzn.to/3UKDAEy
Suction Cup Plate Remover
https://amzn.to/3wmGVl1
Crenova Multimeter
https://amzn.to/3UWTgpx
Klein Magnetic Angle Finder
https://amzn.to/3WCuU5v
**Some of the links are from companies from which Company Grip will earn an affiliate commission. These help to support the channel at no cost to you.
#Gibsons #Collectors #Edition #PAF #Pickups #Worth
Originally posted by UCe5Xy66w0PfAdqs3te7WYvw at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qWkZFU9JII
Extraordinary performance.
Extraordinary video. Very educational. Thanks ???? a lot.
I see that Mark Agnisi guy or whatever his name is in a leather jacket every time I see these pickups.
I'll stick with the Seymour Duncan Skinnerburst pickups I installed in my 2014 R8.
Series 1 Clean
Bridge 10:31
Middle 10:46
Neck 11:02
Series 2 Clean
Bridge 11:16
Middle 11:30
Neck 11:44
I think both sets sound great but I have a Charvel DS-1 Pro Stock mahogany body with mahogany neck thru with a set of Gibson 57 classic 57 super pickups and while I’m not a pro I don’t hear a $800 difference in the pickups
There's a sucker born every minute.
P.T. Barnum
1200 Guitar and 1000 pickups? MNS
I’m a greater believer in a good guitar being greater than the sum of it’s parts. If you take a component like humbuckers that you think sound the best thing ever from one guitar and put them in another you can be really disappointed in the result because the magic doesn’t move with the PuP’s. Some guitars we like to tweak but when it comes to PuP’s I’ve been disappointed with both sensibly priced and more expensive boutique PuP’s. Patience to get the right guitar in the first place is the key I guess. Unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to play guitars of interest before taking the plunge. You’ve got to become confident with the returns process.
It’s all part of the joy and mostly frustration in my experience if you go tone hunting PuP’s ????
With ya on the idea of making something new that looks beat up… Just can't hang with that idea. Go buy a new, beautiful, highly crafted piece…. take it home… open it and play the hell out of it for the next 40 years and you'll have the "holy grail"… and if you take really good care of it, it won't look like somebody's old rusted out car when you take it out 40 years later. Well, 'cept for that checkered finish… lol… Love my original '65 SG Standard. I've had it since it was new!
Considering that almost no high profile Gibson artist uses Gibson pickups, I do not know if to admire their balls, or despise this complete rip-off of brand-blinded jerks who almost deserve it. As the original PAF winding machines belong to PRS since over a decade, and PAF replicas like those by Throbak can't possibly be bested, and even the much cheaper 'Spirit of '59' pups by Amber have convinced absolutely everyone in blind tests compared to original-original '59 bursts… One has to be the dimmest bulb in the room to buy these.
But if you absolutely have to… I recommend also getting Gibson's mafia-priced Bumblebee caps – they do absolutely nothing for the sound (unless they are bleeding = defective), but you will feel more complete 😉
Still, great demo. Sticking with my Throbaks and PRS 57/08 sets – both sound better.
PT Barnum was right.
I kinda wanted them, but after watching some videos I don't really see the point in going from Custombuckers to this. I was talking to a luthier who also makes pickups, he said this is all just bullshit marketing.
57 vs Seth lovers vs……-hehe
great video by you, another scam by gibson
Pickups in the 50s and 60s were wildly inconsistent in build quality, materials, and performance. In fact, pickups didn't have any sort of consistency till Larry DiMarzio released the Super Distortion in the early 70s, and not long after Seymour Duncan produced the JB. It's not too big a stretch to say that more players can tell a JB from a Super Distortion from an EMG 81 then tell an alnico 2 PAF from 1957 from an alnico 3 PAF from 1957. The general idea of the PAF tone is sweet, warm, not too much output, allowing the tone of the wood to shine through. And the woods Gibson was working with in the early days of their electrics was mahogany and occasionally Koa which was used for some Explorers, Vs and Nationals. Good demo. All the pickups sounded great. Love the SG.
Dang dude,… now I wanna buy the series 2 and mix match with series 1.
I ask this respectfully but could a person hear any difference in these pickups if there was a drum track with this mixed at a normal drum track volume. ( The guitar is very hot in these mixes)
Could a person hear the difference if the guitar was in a room with a noisy air conditioner?
Could they hear the difference in a bar over normal conversation and clanking beer mugs?
Heck could they hear the difference in a reasonably quiet coffee shop gig with just a vocal and acoustic guitar in the mix?
I love guitar. I love inviting folks up on stage to sit in.
I have loved being an authorized service center for multiple guitar brands but I experience so much hype when in my experience only 5% of my guitar customers can even actually play guitar.
They mostly just buy and dream.
It seems a huge disservice to them.
No one really talks about this.
I feel sorry for the guys who spend zillions of bucks but literally can't even come up on stage and make it through a basic 12bar blues progression and that is by far most guitar owners.
Are we abusing folks by not being honest with them and saying, " man! You dont need 1000$ pickups, you need to learn to actually play".
Give me the series 1 just have a certain thing that I preferred
❤ I really enjoyed the video. Excellent job I'm very entertaining production. By the way I've got some lyrics for you if you're interested
"A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted" …
Very nice video. Thx for your efforts.
Funny but my custom engraved hammer with abalone inlays and exotic wood handle does not change the fact that I am in no way a carpenter.
I play honky tonks and do a bit of session work. ( 45+ years at it)
I use a 155$ Grote 335-ish thang and a 89$ Grote strat with 33$ worth of Alnicos in it.
What a joy it would be to out play a guy on stage who's pickups cost more than my whole rig.
Play what ya want but recognize the biz is mostly hype.
Gibson spent over 100 million dollars in print and media advertising alone last year.
Thats gonna make a 35$ magnet and wires cost a whole lot more.
Nice gift box…lol
I'm happy to see you test these collectors parts. They look nice????
I have the series 1. I’m not rich by any means and yeah they’re pricey but I absolutely have zero buyer’s remorse. They are absolutely amazing pickups!
Gonna buy these strictly for the pickup “Lifton” style case.
The Chinese are reverse engineering them as we speak, they'll be out for Christmas at $80
It would be interesting to hear these vs the custombuckers. Great review, they sound great but not sure they sound $1000 great…
Custom Buckers all the way ! No need for a pickup Case ???
Would love a shootout between these, the SD’s and a set of Ron Ellis
$1,000 for some damn pickups????????????????? Collectors will buy anything
Thanks For Sharing ????????????????✌️
You should try Amber Pickups Spirit of 59.
Is the positions of pickups on Les Paul and SG are the same ? I don't think so. But it is very important to produce this "Gold" thone of 59" or may be only the illusions.
They sound good. They have something special.
Well I've been playing Gibson's for about 40 years now and to me they sound weak and like crap and thin. Now if you want a good deal come over to my house and you can go through any of my Gibson's sitting here and if you want to give me a thousand to pick up LOL or whatever I saw some for 5K for that was some knock yourself out. And I were glad we just put some DiMarzios in these like I usually do. But I guess you guys are collectors I've been playing guitar for 45 years. The Ex-Lead guitarist from a band called Dark Moon. Excuse the literacy I was talking to my phone and like usual it just changed a bunch of stuff right when I hit post.
You're driven sound and style is so reminiscent of Al Stewart circa Last Days Of The Century / 24 Parrots etc. At times even a bit, or maybe a lot like mid 70's Fleetwood Mac. Most youtube channels are just the usual awful metal that gets really fatiguing really quickly. I will be subscribing if only for that reason. Thanks man, you do indeed rock !
The money grab ,how dumb can you be to buy this nonsense ????????
If there would be a way for you to do a shoot-out with a pair of throw back pu and seth lovers and gibsons series 2
Tone plastic… oh sweet baby Jesus… the Emperors New Clothes in full effect…
Series 2 sounds better for me, more "vintage", Alnico II rules
Thanks for your efforts here. Very useful info! And you're right…every couple of years Gibson releases a new humbucker that they claim is the closest thing to original PAF sound. It's all marketing BS, and they've cried wolf too many times to be taken seriously.
Awesome video! For me, Series 1 are way more balanced. Series 2 sound find on the bridge, but lack clarity in Middle and Neck positions.
I can't say I feel bad for this dude or any other dip shit that buys this over priced shit! I can't wait for Gibson to go the way of danelectro, ampeg, ect.
Two words
Gibson
Sux
We all know that tone is in the plectrum…fingers….tone is in the Tonewoods(™)…action…tone is in the string gauge…. nitrocellulose….copyright law suit…body shape….Agnesi glassy stare of death…
Another rip off from Gibson
How to "relic" a blue guitar…????
Maybe the extra cost is because they didn't have to wax pot.
You need one hell of a guitar to spend $1,000 on some pickups that cost Gibson $150 to make.
When someone says "collector" I hear "a fool an their money are easily parted".
Not worth $500 let alone $1,000.