Foolproof P.A.F.'s? The Pickup Design That Refuses to Sound Bad?

Are P.A.F. pickups foolproof? Why do so many P.A.F.-style humbuckers sound good—even inexpensive ones—while only a few sound truly great? In this episode of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge, Jon Gundry and Matthew Quail take on one of the most interesting tone debates yet.

We break down why the original P.A.F. humbucker design is so musically forgiving, how “good” is easy to achieve, and why the final leap to exceptional tone lives in the fine details most players never hear—or think about.

🎙️ Episode Segments

📬 Viewer Mailbox

Listener questions and comments.

🎸 Pickups of the Week

Jon and Matthew demo and discuss the ThroBak Koss-301 MXV post-repair-spec P.A.F. reproduction pickups, exploring:

• Why this spec exists
• What separates it from typical P.A.F. builds
• How subtle construction details affect feel, response, and harmonic complexity

⚔️ The Guitargument + Cool Down

“P.A.F. Pickups Are Foolproof”
We debate both sides:

• Why the P.A.F. design almost guarantees good tone

• Why great P.A.F. pickups are still rare

• Where the line between good and great actually lives

Then cooler heads prevail as we bring it all back to real-world playing and listening.

🧠 Rorschach Riffs

Matthew challenges Jon — and the audience — with short snippets of famous guitar riffs. Can you name them before Jon does?

🎶 Matthew’s Musical Musings

Matthew wraps the show with stories of memorable celebrity sightings at past NAMM shows, reflecting on how the industry—and the show itself—has changed over the years.

🔍 Topics Covered

P.A.F. pickups
Humbucker design
Vintage pickup tone
Good vs great guitar pickups
Pickup winding and materials
NAMM show memories
Guitar tone myths
Aftermarket pickups
ThroBak P.A.F. reproduction pickups

If you’ve ever wondered:

• Why cheap P.A.F. pickups can sound shockingly good

• Whether boutique pickups are worth it

• Or what really separates “close enough” from nailed it…this episode is for you.

👉 Upgrade your tone with ThroBak Pickups: https://www.throbak.com/

👍 Like, subscribe, and comment with your take: Is NAMM 2026 worth it — or are you sitting this one out?

0:00:00 Intro
0:01:19 ThroBak Mailbox
0:05:30 Pickups of the Week
0:14:38 Hear ThroBak Koss-301 MXV "Sam Li" spec P.A.F. repros in a Gibson 1960 Historic Reissue Les Paul
0:24:10 The Guitargument: Are P.A.F. pickups foolproof?
0:30:52 The Cool Down
0:42:22 Rorschach Riffs
0:57:52 Matthew's Musical Musings: Past NAMM Celebrity Sightings
1:08:27 Outro

ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.:
https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html
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https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-...
https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pi...
https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnet...
https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html
https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

ThroBak Electronics, located in Grand Rapids Michigan, was established in 2002 to bring the best of vintage tone back to the guitar player of today.Make sure to watch the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast each Saturday on YouTube.