Sheptone specializes in humbucker pickups modeled after the 1959-1961
long-magnet gibson P.A.F.
First let me say that there is no such thing as a reproduced PAF because they all sounded different.
There were many different sounds, because there were many different variables in the manufacturing
process. Some even sounded really bad. What can be done is to duplicate the sound of the "average" good sounding P.A.F. by duplicating the assembly process and
materials, to consistently reproduce the tone of the best-sounding original P.A.F.'s
I have owned a dozen of these original pickups and have even gone as far as taking one apart in order to faithfully
duplicate the original. That was not an easy task at the time due to the value of an original, untouched P.A.F. but
it was necessary so that I can bring you the highest quality pickup possible.
Sheptone tribute pickups capture that vintage sound but are versatile enough to use for just about any style of music.
I have also had the opportunity to rewind several of these pickups and I found some important things in the original Gibson assembly process that contribute to the tone of these old pickups. I have duplicated these little known, seemingly trivial items, and found that they really make a difference when trying to achieve that perfect tone.
I have gone to great lengths to duplicate these pickups right down to the maple spacers and the
rough-finished alnico magnets. I have selected winding patterns and magnets
that work together to produce the most accurate PAF tone possible. All of the components I use have been tested against real PAF parts to ensure identical magnetic performance. If it doesn't measure up, it doesn't get used. All magnets are gauss tested, or degaussed to levels typical of the best sounding early P.A.F.'s.
The original style#42 AWG plain purple-colored enamel wire is used just as in the original P.A.F.
Some modern reproductions use cheaper poly-insulated wire which changes the sound significantly.
Enamel wire is more expensive and more difficult to work with but the sound difference is remarkable
Coils are carefully mis-matched as the best original PAF's (although they didn't do it on purpose) to add to that vintage character, and full-bodied sound and clarity.
The coils are completely wound in a hand wound pattern in order to achieve a true scattered wire orientation.
Although the original PAF's were machine wound (except for the prototypes), the scattered coil pattern in the wire seems to be the final
difference between modern engineered pickups, and that genuine vintage sound. The original pickups were machine wound but I have found from unwinding these pickups that the wire was far from prefectly laid in the bobbin.
I have taken the best qualities of the best-sounding P.A.F.'s and
perfected my own process of winding them to reproduce the sound of the
famous Les Paul Gold-Top, burst, and the Gibson ES-335, guitars that are worth $100,000-$450,000+ today.
Even though new materials are used, I have matched the tone through extensive testing with "expert ears" and frequency analysis comparisons to the best sounding PAF's that I own.
I currently offer 4 standard sets:
TRIBUTE SET:
My Standard matched set uses rough finished Alnico 5 magnets and an average of 8.0-8.2K wind on the bridge and average
7.6-7.7K wind on the neck. Although the originals were never installed in certain positions based on their resistance, this has proven to be the range of the best sounding pickups in those positions. Sets can also be built with your choice of alnico II, III, or IV magnets. Standard set comes in zebra, reverse zebra, or double-black.
Pickups come standard with gibson 50mm pole spacing. Don't let those resistances fool you... anyone can wind the crap out of a pickup, but that won't make it
sound better. Sheptone tributes were carefully designed for the BEST sound through extensive winding/re-winding and comparison testing...
My pickups are also available with your choice of
winds of up to 9K. When ordering custom resistance specify resistance during checkout.
Please listen to Bjorn’s sound clip on my reviews page for a sample of what a 9K pickup sounds like.
These pickups produce the same beautiful sound as original PAF's at a fraction of the price.
You will spend at least $2000 on a real long-magnet PAF, and if you are lucky it will be one of the good-sounding ones. Why take that chance?
Listen for yourself ...this is a complete song recorded with my pickups in a Les Paul R9 Dogeared
Please take the time to listen to the whole thing as there is some GREAT solo work here showing the range and versatility of my pickups. I recommend HIGHLY that you burn this and other sound files to a CD and listen on a real stereo to get the best representation of the sound. I have found most computer sound systems to be quite inconsistent to say the least.
The following are sound clips from songs you will probably recognize, recorded with my Sheptone Tribute PAF pickups. All clips were recorded straight through an early Fender Blues Jr. amp with a Weber Blue-Dog 12" ceramic speaker.
Please also see my reviews page for sound files from satisfied customers...
I have THREE standard sets available, please specify which set you would like when ordering or send me an email through my contact page.
All clips above were recorded with my standard TRIBUTE set.
AB CUSTOM SET:
My first variation of the Tribute set is the AB CUSTOM set, wound for Musician's Services Guru Andy Brauer in Los Angeles. Below is a low gain clip of these pickups played by master guitarist Brian Kahanek. This is a hotter set at 8.4-8.5K on the bridge and 8.1-8.2 on the neck, also using the alnico 5 magnets in both pickups.
Here is another video (Courtesy of Mojave Amps) of Steve Ouimette demonstrating some Billy Gibbons and Jimmy Page tones with a 2003 Les Paul R8 and my AB custom set.
Click here if the video doesn't appear in your browser.
BRIAN KAHANEK SIGNATURE SET:
The second variation on my Tribute set is the BK SIGNATURE Set, custom wound for Brian Kahanek of Guitar Hero II fame. Here is a high gain clip BK did for me with his Elmwood Modena 90 amp. The BK set has a slightly hotter bridge (~8.25K) than the Tribute set and uses the Tribute neck pickup. This set again uses the alnico 5 magnets.
Here is a new track from Brian Kahanek, "Blueberry Jam," look for this on his next album!
This file is not downloadable, so listen to it on a good computer.
Recorded with:
Guitar: Gibson Cherry CS-VOS R9 with Sheptone BK Signature PAF's
Cable: Solid Cables - Speaker and Instrument
Amp: 1994 Marshall 100watt Plexi RI - Mercury Magnetics Trannys otherwise Stock.
Pedal: Love Pedal COT50
Speaker: Celestion V30 - Demeter Iso cab
Mic: SM57
Pre: Avalon 737sp - into Protools.
CLICK BELOW TO PLAY
BLUE SKY SET:
PLEASE NOTE: There is an 8-10 week wait on the Blue Sky set!
This set was built to emulate the tone of Dickey Betts' famous Goldtop in a modern Les Paul. Aged and Top-aged pickups are built with bobbins that were molded from original PAF bobbins for a super authentic look. This particular set is MACHINE WOUND to more faithfully create THE PAF tone. Magnets and coil offset were selected to attain the tone of these specific pickups.
Sets are available fully aged with PAF decals for $300, "top-aged" only for $269, non-aged for $259.
Pictures of completed pickups here.
Aged and Top-aged pickups are built with bobbins molded from ACTUAL PAF bobbins, accurate baseplates stamped exclusively for Sheptone that were reverse-engineered from originals with real tool marks, super-accurate PAF decals. Most every part of these pickups has been fabricated here at my shop, or exclusively for Sheptone to ensure the most accurate PAF replica available.
Clips courtesy of Kris and Rob Horvath, who inspired and assisted in the development of this set! The first three clips are of familar ABB songs, the last clip is a slow blues jam.
Clips were recorded with a '59 reissue Tom Murphy Les Paul through an Orange Tiny Terror head with matching 1x12 CAB with Vintage 30 speaker, close mic'd, guitar/cable/amp only no effects.
Once again, clips are best
burned to CD and played on a proper stereo.
