Fralin PAF ?

[calieng]

Hey I was just watching some vids on replicas and I came across one where the author said Max Baranet prefered Wizz and Fralin pickups as sounding the closest to real PAFs.

I mostly use Wizz but was interested in ordering some Fralins to try. I have had their single coils but not the humbuckers.

Anyone compared them to Wizz or just some opinion overall about the pickups?

Are the current Fralins not really the same as the ones Max would have used years ago?

Thanks!

 

[Duane_the_tub]

Lindy is one of the friendliest people in the business. Call the shop and ask for him, and he'll be more than happy to talk your ear off about pickup minutiae. Good luck getting off the phone, however.

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

My two favorite Les Paul's have Fralin's. My #1 has the lowest output Pure PAF, plus I have another LP with the highest output Pure PAF, though they are still low output. Just a tad more bite. I've never had Wizz pickups, but I am thrilled with Fralin's. (I have Seymour's, DiMarzio's, and 5 flavors of Gibson pickups.)

 

[calieng]

Lindy is one of the friendliest people in the business. Call the shop and ask for him, and he'll be more than happy to talk your ear off about pickup minutiae. Good luck getting off the phone, however.

Sounds surprisingly similar to the chat I had with Steve Hague earlier this year.

 

[calieng]

My two favorite Les Paul's have Fralin's. My #1 has the lowest output Pure PAF, plus I have another LP with the highest output Pure PAF, though they are still low output. Just a tad more bite. I've never had Wizz pickups, but I am thrilled with Fralin's. (I have Seymour's, DiMarzio's, and 5 flavors of Gibson pickups.)

Thanks that is good feedback. Surpirisingly I do not hear about them that much. It's always Throwbak, Wizz, Rewind etc as flavors of the month....

 

[Duane_the_tub]

Sounds surprisingly similar to the chat I had with Steve Hague earlier this year.

Let me guess, Steve told you a health horror story, the moral of which is to avoid too much salt in your diet.

There are some super nice people in the gear world, one of the reasons I love it so much.

 

[calieng]

Let me guess, Steve told you a health horror story, the moral of which is to avoid too much salt in your diet.

There are some super nice people in the gear world, one of the reasons I love it so much.

It was mostly details of all the '59 specs and his love for those guitars. Although he did send me a pic of his tooth he had yanked out some weeks later....I guess he just likes to share his life experiences!

 

[TXOldRedRocker]

Thanks that is good feedback. Surpirisingly I do not hear about them that much. It's always Throwbak, Wizz, Rewind etc as flavors of the month....

Lindy is a single coil guy as a player. Loves Strat's and Tele's and such. So he doesn't get as much recognition as he should in the Humbucker world. But he knows his stuff, big time. I haven't found a better Humbucker. Besides the two sets of Pure PAF's I have, I also have an LP Standard with his Sunbucker Blues pickups. A slight bit brighter and mid scooped compared to his Pure PAF. They're really awesome in their own right.

 

[Inland Bagpipe]

I swear by the Pure PAFs, always will. Lindy is a genius that doesn't cut corners and really does exceptional work.

 

[MCT]

May I suggest going the RS Tru ‘60’s route- they’re Lindy wound, but use RS components otherwise, and have a tad more complexity to them than straight Fralins.

 

[calieng]

May I suggest going the RS Tru ‘60’s route- they’re Lindy wound, but use RS components otherwise, and have a tad more complexity to them than straight Fralins.

Thanks for the tip. Will look into it.

 

[RetropM]

Another recommendation for Lindy Fralin. His shop is about 20 minutes from me and I can vouch for the fact that he will spend quite some time chatting about pickups if you call him. He also makes the best P90 pickups I have ever tried and I have a custom set of them in my LP Special.

 

[Leee]

First time I called Lindy Fralin about getting a pickup wax-potted, I had trouble hearing the guy when he answered the phone. He apologized and said he was winding a pickup. I explained I wanted to talk to someone about fixing a squealing pickup, and he said, "Sure, I can help you with that."
I learned A LOT in 10 minutes!
After the conversation detailing cost and getting their address, I asked the guy's name.
"This is Lindy."

Aw, hell!!!
How many people who own a company answer their own phone?
WHILE they are working in the shop!

I was sold then, and after several sets of pickups and associated electronic parts I still am.

 

[chef]

How many people who own a company answer their own phone?
WHILE they are working in the shop!

I had some installation questions and a missing part in some Sperzel tuners so I called.

Bob Sperzel's wife answered the phone and went to go find Bob who all my questions and sent me the part I needed (a screw). Such a nice guy and super apologetic about a missing screw that may not have even been his fault. Part came super promptly I think he just wrote my name on an envelope as we were talking and mailed it the same day.

Also own some Fralin Unbucker prototypes/custom wind that came in a guitar and like them a lot, never had to call the company though.