software

I thought I'd submit a slightly different review of this series of pickup.

My Hamer Archtop was in bad need of a pickup replacement. The Duncan Designed pickups were very muddy and nothing could clear them up enough to make them usable. After seeing so many rave reviews of the VVPAF, I decided to get a couple myself. I got the VVPAF in the neck and the VHPAF in the bridge for a little heat.

Both pickups are really good. The neck VVPAF is by far the best sounding neck humbucker I've heard. The reviews that mention the combined les paul/strat sound are dead on accurate for the neck VVPAF. This thing sounds like a really good PAF pickup and there is a subtle strat overtone that sounds like someone with a strat is quietly doubling your lines when you play. It's sweet and not icepicky at all. I HIGHLY recommend this pickup to anyone looking for a low output pickup that isn't icepicky.

The bridge VHPAF sounds more or less exactly the same as the neck VVPAF. The strat-like tones are far more subtle and harder to pick out. The humbucker sound is much more prevalent. That being said, the EQ at the bridge is 95% the same as the neck bucker. For this reason alone, I recommend that you don't try to use these two pickups together. It's not a good idea if you like a little variety from your guitar. There are slight differences, but you have to be playing clean to hear them for the most part. The bridge model has a little more spank clean than the neck. The neck is bell-toned and more smoothed out when played clean. The volume differences are pretty staggering between positions as well, so you have to severely drop your neck pup and raise the bridge to almost touch the strings before the volume is balanced between the two pups. It would be good to run a hotter pickup at the bridge for more equal volume distribution.

I'm gonna swap out the bridge pickup for a bluesbucker (P90 sound) and I'll let you know how this works out. This should give me a bit more grind on the bridge. Grind is what I'm looking for...edited to add pic

Thanks for the review, bro. I can't see the pic, but that doesn't always mean anything. I'm at work, and our web blocker program is psychotic.

Interesting.

Gonna swap my Seth/Ant combo in my LP for the Dimarzio VPaf in my 335.
I'll have a direct A/B test on both guitars.

I think the Seth/Ant will fit better in the 335. They are really smooth and will warm up the 335. My LP needs a bit more bite and attitude right now, so the VPafs will surely beef it up.

Do you have a Virtual PAF in the bridge or a Virtual HOT PAF?Glad to hear it worked out....I haven't heard a bad thing about these pickups yet.


Originally Posted by ranalliDo you have a Virtual PAF in the bridge or a Virtual HOT PAF?Glad to hear it worked out....I haven't heard a bad thing about these pickups yet.

Virtual Hot PAF in the bridge. Virtual Vintage PAF in the neck.

Just pulled the trigger on the bluesbucker. Should be a nice contrast to the warm and rich VVPAF in the neck. Gonna add some snarl to my Hamer so it will growl like the shag-beast that it really is. Now I'm gonna have a selection between snarling P90 bridge sounds and a truly sublime neck PAF.

I'm impressed by the very LP like sounds this guitar is generating. I'll either sell off the Virtual Hot PAF or trade it in to Dimarzio for an Air Zone to try swapping with my Invader for a comparison. Should make for an interesting change. Guess the anti-dimarzio dam just broke in my case. I'll be buying lots more VVPAF pickups for more of my guitars for sure. It's the only neck pickup that could make me rate it as quot;sublimequot;. Nothing else that I've heard compares to this pickup.


Originally Posted by Gr8Scott
I'm gonna swap out the bridge pickup for a bluesbucker (P90 sound) and I'll let you know how this works out. This should give me a bit more grind on the bridge. Grind is what I'm looking for...This is another Dimarzio I haven't tried...I've been wanting to use this one in the neck. I have the HFH which is a great single coil type sound for cleans but in brighter guitars it can sound shrill.

I know that in my wolfgang this Dimarzio combo kills (VVPaf/VHPaf) clean or distorted. I have another wolf that I'm going to make the same swap in. I guess because the wolf special is a natural bright axe, makes this an ideal replacement for it.

Funny, but my Virtual Hot PAF has just enough bite in the bridge of my McNaught. There definetly a difference in output and grit when compared to the Virtual PAF that's in the neck. Have you played around with the pickup height?

I have the VH paf and V paf neck combo in my idol WI67. that model has washburn's patened Voice Contour Control which is a fancier way of switching from series wiring to parallel wiring. the VH paf in parrallel simply rulez!
if you want more of that strat taste and less HB punch switch it to parallel. Period.

Yep. Played with the pickup height and the only way to get the bridge to match the neck in volume is to raise the height pretty high. Maybe I got one that has a little more air between the magnet and polepeices than stock?


Originally Posted by Gr8Scott
The bridge VHPAF sounds more or less exactly the same as the neck VVPAF. The strat-like tones are far more subtle and harder to pick out. The humbucker sound is much more prevalent. That being said, the EQ at the bridge is 95% the same as the neck bucker. For this reason alone, I recommend that you don't try to use these two pickups together.really???
i have not treid the neck V paf together with the newer hot paf but had the V hot paf alone for a bit
dimarzios site also says that the V hot paf has 265mv output and the neck V paf has 210mv???

i would think this would be a pretty audible difference output wise?
did you have the neck one close?
I ask because a neck pup is naturally LOUDER even if the set is matched due to its placement further from the bridge

I had to put the neck pup level with the mounting ring and the bridge pup almost touching the strings to get them to sound even in volume. That's a quarter of an inch difference in the mount height from the strings. No matter how they are set, they sound more or less the same.


Originally Posted by Gr8ScottI had to put the neck pup level with the mounting ring and the bridge pup almost touching the strings to get them to sound even in volume. That's a quarter of an inch difference in the mount height from the strings. No matter how they are set, they sound more or less the same.

Have you check you soldering to be sure nothing came undone?? I've run into similar problems only to find a loose wire.

All connections are wiggle free and have enough smooth solder to do the job. Nothing seems amiss.