Handcrafted custom guitar pickups & faithful recreations of vintage PAF's. Each coil is wound one at a time with dedication, passion and the finest materials. When it comes to amazing guitar tone... the devil is in the details
Tone Devil Legacy PAF’s
The Tone Devil Legacy PAFs are inspired by the defining coil shapes and winds from the Gibson Golden Era of the late 50’s. Each set has been developed from testing, listening and crafting a PAF that captures the sonic mysticality and feel of the originals.
Spellbound
The Spellbound set is based off early PAFs - a perfect marriage of low wind and unique coil shape. Articulate, open and organic. Looser bottom end and spongey pick attack, in turn creating luscious harmonic content and note bloom
NECK - ALNICO II - 7.65k
BRIDGE - ALNICO II - 7.75k
Also available in configurations below:
A2/A4, A4/A4, A2/A5, A5/A5, A5/A4, A4/A5
Empyrean 59’ & 58’ Tom Bukovac
The Empyrean 59’ set has the Spellbound coils at its foundations. More output is on tap without compromising the Spellbound tonal palette. Open… gritty…organic - again with that spongey pick attack and note bloom. With this particular wind, perceived output is about the same as the Empyrean 58’ set. For players that prefer more focus and definition on the neck pickup an Empyrean 58’ neck can be substituted
The Empyrean 58’ set is inspired by Tom Bukovac’s 58’ Burst (from the Home Skoolin’ channel on Youtube). This set has been specifically designed and tested over several months using a good set of ears and refining it to perfection! The neck pickup has the Witchery neck coil design and has more focus, definition and clarity when compared to the Spellbound neck. The bridge pickup retains some give in the pick attack like the Spellbound coils, but also incorporates more definition, tighter lows and increased treble response. For players that prefer a softer pick attack and a more open sounding neck pickup, the Empyrean 59’ neck can be substituted. (If you love the tone of ‘Oscar’ the 58’ Gold Top from The Doug & Pat Show, this is also the perfect set for you)
Tone Devil recommends 500k pots and 50’s style wiring for optimal performance
Empyrean 59’
NECK - ALNICO V - 7.75k
BRIDGE - ALNICO V - 8.0k
Also available in configurations below:
A4/A4, A4/A5, A5/A4, A2/A2
Empyrean 58’ - Tom Bukovac
NECK - ALNICO V - 8.1k
BRIDGE - ALNICO IV - 8.2k
OR:
NECK - ALNICO V - 7.75k
BRIDGE - ALNICO IV - 8.2k
Also available in matching A4 if preferred
Revelry
The Revelry set pairs a Spellbound neck with the Empyrean 58’ bridge coils. Tweaked for A2, the bridge retains some give in the pick attack, but also incorporates more definition, tighter lows and increased treble response. This wind reigns in some of the ‘loosish’ feel that A2 tends to have with the more open sounding winds. The A2 projects midrange crunch, a more saturated tone, creamy highs and percussive lows
An Empyrean 58’ neck pickup can be substituted if preferred
NECK - ALNICO II - 7.65
BRIDGE - ALNICO II - 8.3k
Witchery
The Witchery PAF sets are based off the higher winds that came off the factory floor at Kalamazoo. The story goes that when Gibson went through a period of using white bobbins due to a shortage in black dye, the ladies (winding the coils) could see the bobbins getting fuller a lot easier. The result, as we have found out decades later, is that some of these 'double white' PAF's have been as high as around 9k
Building on the Empyrean platform, these PAF’s have the same focused tone, faster pick attack and that beautiful compression synonymous with these winds. Many legendary guitar players and the guitars themselves, have earned a ‘god like’ reverence wielding these higher than usual DC rated PAF’s. Tone Devil recommends 500k pots and 50’s style wiring for optimal performance for these pickups
Comes standard as below but see also the tribute sets also listed
Witchery
NECK - ALNICO IV - 8.4k
BRIDGE - ALNICO II - 8.65k
Also available in configurations below:
A2/A2, A2/A4, A4/A4, A2/A5, A4/A5, A5/A5
Witchery ‘Page’ - Jimmy Page’s #1 59’ LP
Witchery ‘Beano’ - Eric Clapton’s 1960 LP
Witchery ‘Beast’ - Bernie Marsden’s 1959 LP
Witchery ‘BFG’ - BFG’s Pearly Gates 59’ LP
Witchery ‘Koss’ - Paul Kossoff’s 1959 LP
Black Magic
Based on the most famous Les Paul in the world - ‘Greeny' owned originally by Peter Green
This set has a custom wound neck pickup incorporating Heavy Formvar wire (as per the alleged Sam Li repair) with the middle position out of phase just like Greeny
Using the Phil Harris demo videos on Youtube and Fleetwood Mac recordings, countless hours have gone into experimenting - testing coils, resistance and magnets to get all three positions just right. The Black Magic set not only captures the sublime out of phase tones of the original Greeny the neck and bridge also sound phenomenal, unleashing classic PAF tones
The Black Magic PAF’s come as a set with shiny or lightly aged nickel covers. Contact Tone Devil to order