Guitar World Verdict
The PolyPafs’ fully dimensional, mid-output humbucking tones are the very kind of dynamic P.A.F.-style humbuckers many players have waited for.
Pros
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Refreshing update on the classic P.A.F. pickup.
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Three-dimensional tones, rich harmonics and unmatched clarity.
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Expressive and responsive.
Cons
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Pricey.
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What is it?
Last year when I reviewed Bare Knuckle’s fantastic Peacemaker humbuckers, I had also mentioned – in the same review – that its signature Adam “Nolly” Getgood Polymath humbuckers are extraordinary.
Fast-forward a year, and I still stand behind that statement. If you haven’t heard a guitar outfitted with Bare Knuckle Polymaths, you are woefully missing out on one of the most focused and refined humbucker designs in recent memory. The Polymaths were so unforgettable that I’ve been haunted by my missed opportunity for not installing a set in one of my own guitars.
When I heard that the dynamic duo of Adam “Nolly” Getgood and Tim Mills – Bare Knuckle’s chief designer and founder – have collaborated once again under the “Poly” prefix for Getgood’s newest signature humbucking creation, the PolyPaf, I jumped at the chance to review this freshly updated take on the renowned (and often misunderstood) P.A.F. pickup.
Usability and sounds
The PolyPaf humbucker’s main ingredient is an unoriented Alnico V rough cast magnet. If you’re stuck on the word “unoriented,” you’re not alone. I don’t have the space to explain the differences between an “unoriented” Alnico V magnet and, say, an efficient “oriented” one; just know that BK’s “unoriented” choice offers a bit of randomness in the pickup’s magnetic properties, yielding tonal by-products of warmth, midrange focus and soft compression.
PolyPafs also utilize high-carbon steel slugs tailored to optimize the wound strings sonically and a custom wind offset of 42AWG plain enamel wire for superior tone. Pickup resistances on the PolyPafs measure 8.3 kilo-ohms for the bridge and 7.6 kilo-ohms for the neck, and if you need a visual, Bare Knuckle’s online EQ chart displays an upward staircase bump of bass, mid and treble, respectively.
For the PolyPaf, the goal for Getgood and Mills was to reimagine a P.A.F.-style humbucker with concentrated consistency and renewed vitality, combining all the classic tonal hallmarks players romanticize over.
After installing these humbuckers in my favored Gibson Les Paul Classic, I can reveal this is no clichéd P.A.F.-repro pickup because the PolyPaf is a completely reinvigorated paradigm of 21st-century P.A.F. tone.
The PolyPaf is available as a 6-, 7- and 8-string pickup with four- or two-conductor wiring, short or long mounting legs and 50mm or 53mm pole spacing. In addition, you can select from a staggering selection of open-coil bobbin colors, pole screw finishes, custom covers, radiators and TVs options, including making your own “custom cover” etching.
Most guitar lore is fraught with mystery and misinformation, and the mythical P.A.F. is no stranger to both. Historically, vintage P.A.F. pickups are well documented for their inconsistencies regarding the type and length of Alnico magnets used (among other material build variations) and the number of coil windings that can result in tonal bliss or miss.
The bridge’s warmly sculpted tone is so clear and “in your face” that it’s easy to perceive its mid-output as a “hotter” humbucker
It might be audacious to say, but it’s almost as if the PolyPaf was reverse-engineered from a digital snapshot “model” of an idealized, pre-produced bridge and neck P.A.F., and brought to life as detailed humbuckers with all the organic complexity, string-to-string separation and touch-sensitive nuance the vintage pickups were known for.
The bridge’s warmly sculpted tone is so clear and “in your face” that it’s easy to perceive its mid-output as a “hotter” humbucker because it can bare its teeth and show muscle when pumped through a high-gain tube amp (in this case, my EVH 5150 III), all while maintaining an articulate voice.
Switching to the neck and bridge/neck combinations offers even more “wide-openness” – I could coax juicy cleans or chunky honk as I opened them up through a Fender Deluxe Reverb. Even using guitar amp sims and modelers like IK’s TONEX and Positive Grid’s Spark 2, the PolyPafs genuinely enhance your touch and the sounds of the modeled tone with pronounced detail.
Verdict
Bare Knuckle’s PolyPaf refreshes the iconic P.A.F. pickup in both a contemporary and classic manner.
It’s a modern-sounding P.A.F. that’s wrinkle-free but injects all the expressiveness and detailed response of a prime vintage example, making it as timeless as a made-to-measure black suit and tie.
Guitar World verdict: The PolyPafs’ fully dimensional, mid-output humbucking tones are the very kind of dynamic P.A.F.-style humbuckers many players have waited for.
Specs
Street price: From £163 (approx. $202); from £314 (approx. $390) for sets
Type: Humbucker pickup
Magnet: Alnico V
Wire: Custom wind offset of 42AWG plain enamel
DCR: 8.3 kΩ (bridge), 7.6 kΩ (neck)
Contact: Bare Knuckle Pickups
Hands-on videos
Bare Knuckle Pickups
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