Bell-like P.A.F. clarity with woody warmth, punchy attack, and rich harmonic sustain. The Mason Deluxe’s articulate voice with a hand-aged vintage finish.
Neck: 7k (Average)
Bridge: 8.1k (Average)
Alnico 4 Roughcast Long Bar Magnets
Vintage Correct Butyrate Plastic Bobbins
Vintage Correct Alloys and Coil Wire
Vintage Correct Repro P.A.F. Covers
Unpotted Coils
1. How is it different from the 1960 P.A.F.?
The 1960 P.A.F. emphasizes warmth and smoothness with Alnico 2 magnets. The Alnico 4 Mason Deluxe offers more pronounced chime, pick attack, and focused articulation without harsh treble frequencies.
2. What’s the difference between vintage braided and four-conductor wiring?
Vintage braided wiring is "vintage correct" and has one insulated signal wire surrounded by a braided metal shield that solders to ground. Choose it for a traditional installation with standard humbucker operation.
Four-conductor wiring provides separate connections to both coils, allowing coil splitting, series/parallel switching, and other wiring configurations. It also works for standard humbucker operation. If you want to retain your guitar’s existing coil-splitting feature, choose four-conductor wiring.
NOTE: If you are mixing ours with another brand, we recommend selecting 4-Conductor leads so you can easily reverse the phase if your existing pickup is out of phase with ours.
3. Do I need long-leg or short-leg mounting?
Long legs are the traditional vintage P.A.F. option, commonly associated with Gibson carved-top guitars such as Les Pauls and ES-335's. They extend farther below the pickup and require a deeper cavity.
Short legs are the more common modern option, often used for pickguard mounting, direct mounting, and many guitar designs like PRS, Fender, and other makers with shallower pickup cavities.
NOTE: If you aren't sure or you have a non-Gibson branded guitar, you can always use short-leg. Short-leg is a more universal fit for most guitars. You can also contact us and we can help.
4. What does “unpotted” mean?
The coils are not saturated with wax, which is vintage correct for an original P.A.F. Unpotted pickups can be more susceptible to microphonic feedback at high gain and stage volumes. Contact us if that describes your setup so we can help determine whether they’re the right fit or if we need to lightly wax pot them for you.
5. Will the pickup fit my guitar?
Check the pickup’s overall dimensions, mounting arrangement, and cavity depth against our dimensional drawings. String spacing is another consideration. These are original P.A.F. 49.2mm spacing which can work just fine for wider bridge spacings since the feild extends well beyond the center of the poles. If you’re unsure, send us your guitar’s make, model, year, and photos of the existing pickup.
6. Can I keep my existing electronics or mix with another brand’s pickup?
Often yes, but make sure they are 500k pot values, know what your switching requirements are (4-Conductor or Vintage Braided), and phase compatibility should be checked if combining with another pickup brand. Here is a link to our video explaining pickup phase and how to check it. Link Here
7. What pickup height do you recommend, and how do I measure it?
Start with 2/32″ (1/16″) on the treble side and 3/32″ on the bass side.
Hold the high E string against the last fret nearest the guitar body, then measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. Repeat with the low E string on the bass side. Use the pickup’s height-adjustment screws to set each side.
These measurements are starting points and will give you excellent results. From here you can make small adjustments by ear to find the tone and response you prefer, and balance the volume between the neck and bridge pickups.
Experience clearer and more focused P.A.F. tone with authentic vintage cosmetics. The Aged Vintage Mason Deluxe P.A.F. delivers chimey, bell-like clarity with exceptional articulation that responds to every nuance of your touch—now with a perfectly worn finish that matches the look of legendary vintage humbuckers. Roll back your volume for sweet, woody warmth in the neck position, or dig in for sparkling punch and open grit in the bridge. Rich harmonic overtones bloom and sustain with a depth and dimensionality that brings your guitar to life.
The sound you'll get: Fat and clear tone that's never muddy, crystalline highs with pronounced pick attack, and a dynamic range that goes from sweet vintage tones to powerful rock aggression—all with that unmistakable P.A.F. dynamic character and the authentic look of a decades-old pickup.
Why it's unique: Most people don't realize that the original PAF coils were wound on different machines with different spools of 42 gauge wire with wider tolerances. This led to variations in wire thickness which offset coil efficiency and resistance—creating part of the magic that made certain vintage PAFs legendary.
We've taken all of these variables into account, but with a modern, intentional approach. The Mason Deluxe is the culmination of this philosophy using 2 different variations of 42 gauge plain enamel coil wire on each coil. It's not a lucky accident; it's a pickup designed to deliver the best of those vintage tones with consistency and precision you can count on.
Vintage Tone Without The Wait: Our proprietary Field Charging magnetization process creates a settled magnetic field from day one, aligning Alnico 4 magnets and polepieces at the same time in order to achieve the tonal signature of a vintage P.A.F. without decades of natural settling of the magnet field. The result: crystalline highs, precise note separation, and dynamic responsiveness that capture authentic vintage character through engineered precision. Combined with our authentic aging process that replicates decades of natural wear, you get both the tone and look of a genuine vintage pickup—immediately. Made in the USA with premium components designed for players who demand settled, vintage tone and authentic cosmetics.
More Aged Vintage Pickups: Checkout our Aged Vintage Collection.
