• DP103 PAF Vintage 1950's Humbucker Pickup, Cream

• F-Spaced, Wide String Spacing

• Alnico 5 Magnets, Four Conductor Wire

• Made in USA

This is the F-Spaced version of the DP103 pickup for Floyd Rose and other wide-spaced tremelo bridges. The string spacing is just over 2 inches from E to E on center. All other dimensions are the same as the standard spaced pickup.

Here are the characteristics that make a great vintage humbucker: a soft magnetic field, sweet tone, perfect balance between warmth and clarity, the ability to go from clean to distorted by pick attack alone. For DiMarzio's PAF® Neck pickup they wanted to continue in the path of pioneers such as Seth Lover (designer of the original Patent Applied For humbucker) and create pickups that combine all of the characteristics of great vintage humbuckers.

These pickups are not merely clones. DiMarzio re-engineered the PAF using their patented technology and Larry DiMarzio's own 1959 cherry sunburst Les Paul® as the reference. Larry's Les Paul has a uniquely amazing sound and it's not only due to the pickups - it's the total fusion of many elements of the guitar itself.

Although the pickups have a weak magnetic field, the sound is well defined - almost like a single-coil. DiMarzio duplicated the weaker magnetic field in order to allow the strings to vibrate longer, as well as focus and articulate the attack and output. DiMarzio uses computer-controlled winders to consistently layer the 42-gauge custom-coated wire, achieving the exact frequency response they want. Then it's dipped in DiMarzio's custom formula to eliminate squeal and microphonics.

The PAF Neck pickup is smooth but not muddy. It performs equally well in the neck or bridge, just as the best humbuckers from the 50s did. Recommended for all positions. Note: F-Spaced pickups are most often used in the bridge position.

There is no reference standard for the sound of a humbucker from the 1950s. All of them had variations in output and tone, and these differences could be quite large. Recently, DiMarzio focused their research on making pickups with warm highs and bright lows. This combination is only found in their favorite vintage humbuckers, and it's really good for a pickup intended for both the neck and bridge positions. It allows the bass strings in the neck position to avoid muddiness, and the treble strings in the bridge position to be warm and not brittle.