[darkbluemurder]

or if you can find Virtual Hot PAF, that also great bridge pickup. unfortunately, it's discontinue.

Indeed a great pickup. Sometimes they appear on the bay.

Cheers Stephan

[Slartibartfarst]

So a Virtual Hot PAF if I can find it and other than that, you think a Super Distortion would be a better bet for what I'm after in a Les Paul than a Norton. Is that right?

[rknrollo]

or if you can find Virtual Hot PAF, that also great bridge pickup. unfortunately, it's discontinue.

Indeed a great pickup. Sometimes they appear on the bay.

Cheers Stephan

I have not seen one since I bought them all............

[Speeddemon]

As someone who has one Les Paul Custom with a Super D-36th PAF neck combo, another Les Paul Custom with a Duncan Custom/59 Hybrid and 36th PAF neck combo and another Les Paul Standard with a Norton (b)-Air Norton (n) combo, I can attest that for what you're looking for

Bridge:
Either Super D or Norton. Norton if you want more mid crunch and 'kerrang', Super D if you want more boldness and 'thunk' in the low-end. Norton is not thin sounding, but significantly tighter and way more open sounding (Alnico V vs. ceramic). Norton is more medium-high output, with the Super D having the edge there, being actually high output.
If you also use coil-splitting, the Super D isn't that great, while the Norton has one of the best split-tones available!
For EVH tones on a Les Paul=Norton.
For Ace Frehley tones=Super D.

Neck:
36th PAF neck. You  may find the Air Norton being slightly too smooth and bell-like, while the 36th PAF retains a sparkly high-end better and is better 'nuanced'.
Although if you are considering the PAF Pro, then I *would* suggest the Air Norton, because to me the PAF Pro is too focussed in the mids/high mids, with a too thin/tight low-end and too much of that cocked-wah tone, whereas the Air Norton in the neck sounds thicker/wider.

I've tried the Duncan Jazz & SH-1n '59 in the neck as well and didn't like them at all:
Jazz=anemic, scooped, too modern. No character whatsoever. Too hi-fi.
59n=too muddy and boomy in the low-end.

Duncan Alnico II Pro was allright, thick and focussed, but could use more high-end. It was smoother than the Air Norton by a landslide. I took that out of the Duncan-equipped LPC and put a 36th PAF neck there.
Only Duncans I want to try in that guitar's neck position are:
-SH12 Screamin' Demon
-Pearly Gates
-SH1N 59n, but with A2 or A4 magnet

[Slartibartfarst]

Thank you, that is VERY helpful!

The PAF Pro doesn't sound like what I want as it sounds more like a pickup I'd prefer in the bridge position, which kinda makes sense as the only time I've used one before was in the bridge of a Strat and I really liked it there. The 36th PAF sounds like a safe bet. The PAF Joe might be another option as the description makes me think of something that is between a 36th PAF and a PAF Pro but I may be entirely wrong in that.

The bridge should be simple for me but isn't. I generally prefer alnico 5 to ceramic magnets (Norton) and I like the highs and upper mids on the 498T (Norton) and I increasingly find medium output pickups more appealing (Norton). However, the 498T has a really aggressive and hairy edge to it and I wonder if the Norton is too smooth. The description and some of the sounds clips make the SD sound more like that. My PRS has a Creamery 'Double Six' in the bridge (2 X alnico 5 plus an alnico and has the hot, smooth Metal tones covered so the Les Paul is more for everything from Blues Rock through Classic Rock to early Metal. It seems to me that both the SD and Norton could do that, though my instinct is that the Norton would be more versatile. I'm not bothered about split tones though I might wire an option for a Peter Green out of phase tone. Everything about the specs suggests Norton but the SD sounds like it will give me that big, thick, aggressive Les Paul tone really well. The EQ makes the SD look too dark for a Les Paul yet every review I read talks about it being surprisingly bright so maybe it's more like the 498T than it looks. Tough choice 

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Keep the 498T. Don't change it if you like it.  For reference, it is very similar spec to Duncan Custom 5. 

For the neck, Air Classic Neck.  Best all around, balanced "PAF" type sound in the neck position.  Not boomy or muddy, not super bright either, nothing hyped, just a great sounding pickup.

[Speeddemon]

If the 498T is close to the Duncan Custom 5 (which I had in one Les Paul Custom, and now resides in my ESP Horizon NT-II...lovely guitar, lovely pickup), then the Norton will have more mid-crunch and sizzle.
The Custom 5 sounds wide and great; it sort of implies high-out characteristics, yet retains the Alnico V flavor for more classic rock stuff.

If you're worried about the Norton being too smooth, yet you would consider the Super D... 
The Norton definitely has more high-end bite/harmonics and hair going on than the Super D.

[satch_jr]

Thank you, that is VERY helpful!

The PAF Pro doesn't sound like what I want as it sounds more like a pickup I'd prefer in the bridge position, which kinda makes sense as the only time I've used one before was in the bridge of a Strat and I really liked it there. The 36th PAF sounds like a safe bet. The PAF Joe might be another option as the description makes me think of something that is between a 36th PAF and a PAF Pro but I may be entirely wrong in that.
...

 Tough choice 

the paf joe is quite close to the paf pro. I had each of them in the same guitar for a while and had plenty of time to compare them as I was searching for neck pickups for a while.
The paf joe:
- less bass,
- has not the hifi definition than the paf pro has,
- is more rock and roll to me
- has a "dirty" vibe with absolutely awesome overtone harmonics,
- slightly less output than the pro,
- has more balanced highs (I mean that the highs keep the same "dirty" feeling).

It's hard to describe but in my opinion the paf pro is an overall great pickup but without actual personality. The joe has more that rock n' roll dirty vibe, plus with a wha wha it is an absolute pleasure for either clean, dirty channel rythm or solos. On the other hand the joe lacks a bit of definition (that "dirty" vibe) and of output (depending on your amp: that was the case for me) for shred solos.

One another important thing I'd like to point out is that I had both pups in the neck slot of an ibanez RG w/ 24 frets. I went out to find that the joe a bit too bright in that position compare to the pro (the EQ values from DM confirm that). I ended up for something different (EVO neck: awesome too) in the RG but kept the joe in a 22-fret guitar and it is a miracle  (to me at least).

Today I've an F-spaced black paf pro for sale (France).