It means "Patent Applied For." It refers to Gibson/Seth Lover/Humbucking pickups from 57 to the early sixties.

Thanx

Bob didnt mention that a REAL PAF humbucker can cost as much as a good used SUV.

Yeah, well I'm not going to put a SUV priced pick up in a Korean (or whatever) Epi balsawood guitar. Gotta use some judgement here as far as how many $$ I can reasonably spend on it, was thinking $300.00 parts and remembering how to burn my fingers. It is a Black Beauty copy, three pickups, but I think I'm just going to do the neck and bridge and maybe unwire the center one for now. It plays ok just doesn't sound great. Anyone care to toss around ideas I'm all ears (or eyes) in this case.

Seymour Duncan 59, JB, Pearly Gates, PAF reissue....etc.

I like Duncans the best....but thats just me.

The Pearly Gates are what I had bookmarked this morning, they come in gold so they wouldn't change the appearance of the axe which is in perfect condition. My buddy was talking about some Texas manufacturer but I can't remember the name, so I have to call him.

RIO GRANDE pups co;me from Texas. They make some great Strat-style models, as well as 'buckers.
Mr. Duncan rules, IMHO, especially with his humbuckers. What immediately hits you is the definition of the notes you're playing, even with some crunch goin' on. You can still hear the individual notes of a chord, the pick-up is more sensitive and responsive to your picking dynamics. Definitely a good thing to improve your axe.

Also, keep your budget open to include replacing the crappy switch, jack and pots (especially the switch and jack) while the guitar is opened up...

Yeah, the switch on this one year old guitar is noisy and intermittent and I had to bend the jack contact to get it to quit making noise as well so I assumed that everything pots, wire, caps, etc. need to be gutted.

Rio Grande was the Texas manufacturer that my friend was talking about.

Dimarzio, Lollar and Vintage Vibe were some others that got mentioned.

Also not sure if I want to do a 4 conductor split pickup arrangement with push/pull switching.

Still going back and forth over the center pickup in the Black Beauty style either abandon it or add a switch somewhere. The present wiring on this is center position on the toggle equals, neck,center (no tone or volume-full on,) and bridge, and it just seems to lack the tonal variation I've come to expect from mixing front and rear, though that could be the $12.00 pickups that are in it,LOL. I think the gold cover plates are probably the most expensive part of the pickups in this guitar.

I do own a '64 Les Paul so I am not looking for a vintage sound was thinking along the lines of something with more balls and hotter tone. This is an experimental thing and I am in no rush, I work my day job 9 months out of the year and come Thanksgiving will have three months to complete this and a dozen other projects.

Are you sure its a 64?

Unless its a slab or a Jr. I dont think there was a 64. Maybe an SG got one of the last decals but they were pretty much done by 62.....

Just curious.

My daughter's first electric (long time ago now) was an Epiphone LP Jr. We put Duncan 59s in it a while back; then strung if with flats on a whim. A lot of people pick it up and love it. A good set of pickups can go a long way on these.

You know it might not be. My brother sold it to me, and you KNOW you can't trust brothers...mumble, mumble. I never really researched the serial number, it is old and I bought it from him in '77-'78. For some reason my memory gets very smoky during that period. I guess I should look up the number.

I think I made it through the entire '70's without hearing anyone mention the year a guitar was made. Back then we used the words "used" or "old" instead of "vintage."

If I knew then ...

Yeah, wow. Just got off the phone with my brother and he is certain that he bought the guitar new in 1964. Which is why he told me it was a '64. The serial number starts with 0 7xxx. I guess it was actually built in 1960 and I am beginning to think it is worth far, far more than I thought even without the original case and in the somewhat scratched and used condition it is in. I had no idea, it was just a guitar I bought from my brother. Sheesh.

The number is in script type ink Y/N? The 0 is separated from the other four digits? Is it a carved top and not a slab? Slab tops are Jr.'s No binding....flat top....dark burst (usually)And P90's.

The color? Sunburst? Humbuckings? Does it have a Tune-a-matic bridge with a string block behind that? Does the Tune-a-matic NOT have a keeper wire around the adjustment screws?

Is it in a brown case with pink interior?

Do you want to pay off your mortgage?

Show us a picture.

I know a worldwide broker for these things if you want to move it.