High Output vs Low Output P.A.F. Pickups – Which Sounds Better Through Fender?

High Output vs Low Output P.A.F. Pickups – Which Sounds Better Through Fender? | ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast Ep. 050
Upgrade your guitar with ThroBak Pickups 👉 https://www.throbak.com/

Welcome back to the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast! This week, Jon Gundry and Matthew Quail put two very different P.A.F. pickup recipes head-to-head through a killer 1979 Fender Deluxe Reverb to answer one big question: do high output P.A.F. pickups deliver the ultimate rock tone, or do low output P.A.F.s reveal the sweeter, more dynamic side of vintage humbucker tone? We compare the powerful ThroBak MC-102B Custom P.A.F. Repros against the articulate ThroBak ’57 SteelHead MXV A4 low output P.A.F. Repros, exploring clean tones, dirty tones, touch sensitivity, and what really works best with a classic Fender amp. If you love vintage guitar tone, boutique pickups, and real-world pickup shootouts, this episode is for you.

📬 In ThroBak Mailbox, we tackle the issue of counterfeit ThroBak ’64 Strat pickups showing up in the market—how to spot them, why it matters, and how to protect yourself when buying boutique pickups online. Then we bring you another exciting update on the legendary Fender/Irsay Pickup Winder, the historic machine tied to Charlie Davis, Fender history, and the Jim Irsay Collection that continues to spark major interest in the vintage guitar world.

🔥 Pickups of the Week features a full tone shootout between the high-output ThroBak MC-102B Custom P.A.F. Repros and the low-output ThroBak ’57 SteelHead MXV A4 P.A.F. Repros. Hear both sets through a killer 1979 Fender Deluxe Reverb and decide for yourself—which P.A.F. recipe gives you the best clean tones, breakup, and dirty rock sounds?

⚡ We break down amp settings on the ’79 Fender Deluxe Reverb before comparing:
• MC-102B Custom P.A.F. Repros – Clean & Dirty Tones
• ’57 SteelHead MXV A4 Low Output P.A.F. Repros – Clean & Dirty Tones

📸 Paul Hudson shows us what he is working on this week and shares his homemade chocolate cookies with the Jon & Matt. 

🎙️ In this week’s Guitargument: *The Vintage Guitar Steal: What Would You Do?*
If you stumble across an unbelievably underpriced vintage guitar… do you tell the seller the truth, or quietly walk away with the deal of a lifetime? Ethics vs opportunity—this one gets spicy.

❄️ Then we hit The Cool Down before Matthew takes over with another electric edition of Rorschach Riffs 🎸

🎼 Finally, in Matthew’s Musical Musings, we explore Open Reel Ensemble and ask: Is this the future of music? Tape machines as instruments, experimental performance art, and where creativity meets technology.

🎸 Gear Featured in This Episode
ThroBak MC-102B Custom  P.A.F. Repros
ThroBak '57 SteelHead MXV A4  P.A.F. Repros
1979 Fender Deluxe Reverb
Nobels ODR-1 Gold Edition
2023 Gibson 1958 Historic Reissue Les Paul
2004 Gibson 1957 Historic Reissue Les Paul

Thanks for watching Episode 050 of the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast—be sure to like, subscribe, and let us know in the comments: Which P.A.F. tone wins for you… high output or low output? 👇🔥

👉 Explore ThroBak Pickups:
https://www.throbak.com

ThroBak Electronics is a world leader in classic reproduction guitar pickups. To learn more visit.:
https://www.throbak.com/p90-pickup.html
https://www.throbak.com/paf-pickups.html
https://www.throbak.com/stratocaster-pickups.html
https://www.throbak.com/telecaster-pickups.html
https://www.throbak.com/alnico-magnets.html
https://www.throbak.com/pedals.html
https://www.throbak.com/strings.html

ThroBak Electronics, located in Grand Rapids Michigan, was established in 2002 to bring the best of vintage tone back to the guitar player of today.Make sure to watch the ThroBak Guitar Lounge Podcast each Saturday on YouTube.