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what are the notable differences between the Original Parallel Axis Patb-1 and the Blues Saraceno Patb-3??? also,how well do they retain quot;clarityquot; under high gain???

Hey GW, don't you have a TB3?

The TB3 sounds great, lots of bass but it's tight, pretty nasty under gain - no nasal tone but the harmonics are there, great for palm mute due to the low end. I'll have a clip up when I get back from my trip next week.

I'm going back to the FRED so mine is up for grabs.

hey Dave Z.yes,i have the patb-3 in my guitar that i've just received back a few days ago.your short description of it is correct.i will be posting a longer detailed assessment of its overall tone and my likes/dislikes-if any...so far it seem to be a great choice that fits in between the 59b and the c5.my ibanez has an all maple neck/fretboard so it tends to bite pretty easily.i've noticed that the patb-3's highs are quot;cuttingquot;.it sings pretty well and does have great harmonics,but in my guitar,there are times that it seems some chords have some higher frequencies that quot;cutquot; a bit much due to the way this pickup accentuates them.i have my paf pro amp; fred pickups still,and definately loved the way that they have a smooth,singing tone throughout all the different frequencies-lows,mids,and highs,while still being punchy and having enough grind on the bottom end...so,i was looking to get some info on the patb-1.i've always been curious about this pup,also.hopefully someone out there thats used the patb-3 has used the patb-1 and can give some details on how they compared......

I have a patb-1 in a light, basswood body, maple/maple neck guitar. I've been thru a bunch of pickups in that guitar, but the patb-1 is staying.

I find it extremely thick sounding. I realize that it's a hot pickup, but it does not react like the custom or the distortion or the JB, all of which I've tried. I ditest icepick highs and spikey upper mids. The patb-1 reminds me of a hotter A2 pickup, but not the CC. Much tighter in the lows, but with the same sweeter top end.

I may not posess the words to adequately describe it's tonal qualities, but I know what I like, and what I dislike. The patb-1 crunches, chugs and screams...with the right amount of mids and no icepick highs. That's a winner in my book.

Jeff H-that sounds like the tonal charicteristics that i look for also.i,too,detest icepick highs and peaky upper mids.gotta have a tight,punchy bottom.the thick singing highs was one thing about the custom 5 pup that i loved.looks like i'll have to keep an eye out on ebay for used patb-1......would you say that it still has a open paf/modern paf sounding tone or is it definately a compressed feel to it???

I'd like to say it has that open, real paf sound, but that's a strech. It's not a totally compressed sound, but compared to the 59's, Seth's and APH's I own, it's more compressed. Modern PAF is more accurate.

I find that on my Marshall, I have to roll the gain back about one notch (gain on 3 with patb vs 4 with a 59') if I'm trying to cop AC/DC type tones. It will do it, but you can tell it pushes the pre-amp a little more.

For the guitar that I have it in....it works wonders. If it were in a heavier bodied guitar, rosewood board...perhaps it would be different. I really think it's one of those pickups that is more guitar specific, and not as general as say a 59'.

Hope that helps.

yes!!! very helpful.i know what you mean about guitar specific.i've still got my 59b and its a great pickup also.consistently sounds good in different guitars.i've just received amp; installed a patb-3 blues saraceno and,after only having it in for a few days,i can immediately tell it's gonna be good for my ibanez rg 565.it has all the charecteristics that we mentioned earlier and keeps a good open paf vibe with great clarity...plus a little extra sizzle being slightly overwound.mine registers at 9.2k.definately sounds great.it probably fits better than anything i've tried yet and i've tried most of the duncan line and 5-6 dimarzios.it's probably about 99% perfect for THIS axe.only reason i dont give it a 100% fit is that it has,what's kinda hard to pinpoint or describe correctly, quot;cuttingquot; highs which probably would be tamed if my fretboard was rosewood.dont get me wrong,this pup is not harsh,does sing and has sweetness.i guess,when you have a basswood bodied,all maple neck/fretboard axe-you have some brightness/thin issues with many pups out there...i will be posting a detailed thread in the next week or so in regards to this pups overall tone.keep an eye out for it!!! thanks all!!!