[sabbs2down]

Hi all. I'm looking for a neck pickup to pair with my Super D. I don't use a neck pickup too often, but when i do it's for bluesier stuff ala Allman Bros. That creamy fat tone. Not muddy. And yet still a little mid centric like the Super D.
36th anniversary, Paf pro or another i may have not thought of?

[slugworth]

What kind of guitar? The PAF Pro can get a little muddy in the neck spot of a Gibson scale.

Hard to go wrong with the PAF 36th.

[sabbs2down]

Sorry, Ltd Ec-330. I've heard mixed things about the 36th but would like to try them in both positions. I like the cut and bottom of the super d, maybe something with a bit less output.

[corypheus]

36th ann neck is a really good choice for the creamy stuff on the neck, but PAF Pro would work in that bolt-on axe as well, it's an PAF with a tad more steam and tighter voicing. SuperD+PAF Pro is a typical combo people do and I have it in two guitars, they complement each other really good, but 36th ann would work as well for more paf-correct tones, however if you also plan to shred on the neck pickup besides bluesy creamier stuff, then PAF Pro is better choice. Both have a lovely clean tone as well - the 36th's better at it though.

[sabbs2down]

36th ann neck is a really good choice for the creamy stuff on the neck, but PAF Pro would work in that bolt-on axe as well, it's an PAF with a tad more steam and tighter voicing. SuperD+PAF Pro is a typical combo people do and I have it in two guitars, they complement each other really good, but 36th ann would work as well for more paf-correct tones, however if you also plan to shred on the neck pickup besides bluesy creamier stuff, then PAF Pro is better choice. Both have a lovely clean tone as well - the 36th's better at it though.

Cool. I'm heading to my local music store today to see what they have in stock for Dimarzio.

[buddroyce]

PAF 36th or a PAF Master would be what I'd go with.

[Commander Chaos]

I like the breed neck better than the paf pro. It's got a bit more mids and splits coils better in my opinion. Its very fat and creamy and pairs better with high output pickups better than the 36th paf. Just my 2¢, you really can't go wrong, I own all the pickups mentioned in this thread and they are all fantastic

[Speeddemon]

I like the breed neck better than the paf pro. It's got a bit more mids and splits coils better in my opinion. Its very fat and creamy and pairs better with high output pickups better than the 36th paf. Just my 2¢, you really can't go wrong, I own all the pickups mentioned in this thread and they are all fantastic

While I agree with you on two points
-The Breed neck has indeed a better (more bodied, and dynamic) split tone than the the 36th PAF
-the Breed neck pairs better with more high output pickups, because of its own juice

I want to point out that the Breed neck can sound less awesome in the wrong guitar. The 36th PAF is in some respects perhaps less complex, but the base tone that it *does have*, is very organic and nice. And the split-tone is alright, but just not that awesome as the Air Norton's or Breed Neck's.

[LPBII]

While this is a somewhat old topic, it looks like we could use a little traffic and this topic interests me:

I don't use a neck pickup too often, but when i do it's for bluesier stuff ala Allman Bros. That creamy fat tone. Not muddy.

All the Brothers (Duane, Dickey, Warren, DDT, Derek, Jack, Jimmy...) used the neck pickup a fair bit for both leads and chords. Neck pickup use is a big part of the ABB sound. In most cases they are using a stock, and covered, PAF, in both positions. 

Even when Dickey uses a strat, which he does quite a bit, he uses the neck position with an unknown (to me) rail pickup there.  Jack Pearson also used rail pickups in his strats, although he often used the bridge position much more than the others.

It is reported that Dickey's rig can sound harsh and bright in the hands of others but as soon its in Dickey's hands the tone is warm and creamy. Another case of "tone is in the hands". To get closer to that creamy sound at less than arena volume, many of us could probably use a slightly stronger neck pickup, such as the Breed neck, or the PAF Pro.

Duane found a set of PAFs in one of his gold tops that he transferred to other guitars when he found a new number one. These probably had a bit more output needed for slide work.  It is said that he wasn't 100% happy with any guitar until he found a tobacco burst les paul in the last months of his life.