PAF Comparison: Burstbucker, Custombucker, OX4 and Creamery '59

The Gibson PAF pickup. Shrouded in mystery and mythology; spoken about in hushed tones by hooded figures in dark woodland near shrines with runic symbols carved into possibly alien rock. What powers giveth these magical items?

Well, I have no idea and most likely, no-one does unless you have owned any original pickups in anything resembling original untouched form. I'm sure the people who made them from 1957 to 1962 might wryly smile at the reverence in which they are held. Especially as the very same pickup, then adorned by a patent number sticker is held in less regard and value.

However, since the PAF is regarded as one of the Fundamental Building Blocks of Rock™, we now have quite a few companies large and small making what they claim to be reproductions of this pickup and this video is a comparison of 4 of them, all in one guitar - a 2010 Gibson custom shop R7, itself a modern replica by Gibson of the first humbucker equipped Les Paul from 1957.
I have for comparison:

2010 Gibson Burstbucker 1 & 2 pickups as supplied in the test guitar
2017 Gibson Custombuckers as taken out of a 2017 Gibson custom shop '58 re-issue
2020 OX4 low wind Alnico IV as is stock
2020 Creamery '59 with custom ordered Alnico III magnets

My method is to use the exact same setup for the comparisons, so we have -
Same guitar with volumes and tones at maximum,
Same amplifier, being a Carr Skylark, with the same settings unchanged throughout. One setting for clean and one for overdrive using the amplifier's built in attenuator,
Same microphone placement with an SM57 and Rode NT1-A placed about 6" from the speaker and slightly off axis from centre,
Same pickup height adjustment for all pickups,
Same repeated phrases played the same way mostly,
Overdrive pedal, being a Kingtone Duellist on the Drive-B left side section, with the same settings.

The order of play is:
Microphonics test
Clean chord phrase
Clean fingerpicking phrase
Clean single note phrase
Amp overdrive with 2 phrases back to back
Kingtone Duellist

I play each phrase through each position and pickup, so for example I do a phrase with neck position selected and go through all pickups then move to the next pickup position and then move onto a new phrase.

Listen in 1080p with good speakers or headphones. I bought everything in this video with my own money for full price and have no affiliation with anyone.

This way, I hope you can get a sense of whether there are any differences you value or even none at all. I make no comment on this here but I would be pleased if you visit my website where you will find more details and certainly lots of comment!

https://www.gringopig.com/

0:00 - Intro
Clean
1:02 - Pickup microphony
3:05 - Chord phrase BB neck
3:25 - Chord phrase CB neck
3:47 - Chord phrase OX4 neck
4:07 - Chord phrase Creamery neck
4:27 - Chord phrase BB both
4:46 - Chord phrase CB both
5:06 - Chord phrase OX4 both
5:26 - Chord phrase Creamery both
5:46 - Chord phrase BB bridge
6:03 - Chord phrase CB bridge
6:22 - Chord phrase OX4 bridge
6:41 - Chord phrase Creamery bridge
7:04 - Fingerpicking BB neck
7:21 - Fingerpicking CB neck
7:37 - Fingerpicking OX4 neck
7:53 - Fingerpicking Creamery neck
8:10 - Fingerpicking BB both
8:26 - Fingerpicking CB both
8:44 - Fingerpicking OX4 both
9:01 - Fingerpicking Creamery both
9:17 - Fingerpicking BB bridge
9:33 - Fingerpicking CB bridge
9:49 - Fingerpicking OX4 bridge
10:06 - Fingerpicking Creamery bridge
10:25 - Single note BB neck
10:36 - Single note CB neck
10:49 - Single note OX4 neck
11:01 - Single note Creamery neck
11:12 - Single note BB both
11:23 - Single note CB both
11:35 - Single note OX4 both
11:47 - Single note Creamery both
11:58 - Single note BB bridge
12:09 - Single note CB bridge
12:21 - Single note OX4 bridge
12:34 - Single note Creamery bridge

Overdriven
12:51 - Amp overdrive BB neck
12:04 - Amp overdrive CB neck
13:30 - Amp overdrive OX4 neck
13:55 - Amp overdrive Creamery neck
14:21 - Amp overdrive BB both
14:35 - Amp overdrive CB both
14:59 - Amp overdrive OX4 both
15:23 - Amp overdrive Creamery both
15:47 - Amp overdrive BB bridge
16:02 - Amp overdrive CB bridge
16:28 - Amp overdrive OX4 bridge
16:52 - Amp overdrive Creamery bridge
17:17 - Amp overdrive BB neck
17:34 - Amp overdrive CB neck
18:02 - Amp overdrive OX4 neck
18:28 - Amp overdrive Creamery neck
18:51 - Amp overdrive BB both
19:08 - Amp overdrive CB both
19:34 - Amp overdrive OX4 both
19:59 - Amp overdrive Creamery both
20:21 - Amp overdrive BB bridge
20:40 - Amp overdrive CB bridge
21:01 - Amp overdrive OX4 bridge
21:27 - Amp overdrive Creamery bridge
22:03 - Duellist BB neck
22:47 - Duellist CB neck
23:30 - Duellist OX4 neck
24:11 - Duellist Creamery neck
24:54 - Duellist BB both
25:34 - Duellist CB both
26:18 - Duellist OX4 both
27:01 - Duellist Creamery both
27:44 - Duellist BB bridge
28:22 - Duellist CB bridge
29:04 - Duellist OX4 bridge
29:47 - Duellist Creamery bridge