DiMarzio PAF Joe
Header photo by Larry DiMarzio
Intro / History
When Joe Satriani asks for a neck pickup, you listen or you get left in the dust. The DiMarzio PAF Joe steps in as a refined evolution of the hot PAF concept. The PAF Joe is not a clone and it is not a museum piece. It is a purpose built weapon for players who demand clarity under fire.
The mission is simple. Deliver classic PAF warmth, then tighten the low end and smooth the top without losing attack. Satriani calls it tubular. That word sounds casual, but the result is anything but.
This pickup lives in that rare space between vintage soul and modern precision. It pulls DNA from late 50s style humbuckers, then injects a dose of DiMarzio science. The result is a neck pickup that refuses to get muddy and refuses to disappear in a mix. This is not nostalgia, but rater evolution with attitude.
Installation
The PAF Joe drops into a standard humbucker route with zero drama. 4-con wiring opens the full menu of options. I run it in the neck of a dual hum super Strat platform. Wiring includes series, parallel, and coil split. That is where this pickup starts to flex.
Output balance feels right with most medium to hot bridge pickups. It does not overpower. It does not get buried. Height adjustment is straightforward. It responds quickly to small changes, so fine tuning matters.
Dial it too close and it pushes hard. Back it off slightly and the note bloom opens up. That sweet spot is easy to find and very rewarding. This is a plug in and go install, but it rewards players who like to tweak.
Virtual Vintage Tech
What’s Virtual Vintage? For the most part, they put ”dummy poles” between the normal pole pieces. The installation is in the underside of the bobbin, so they are not visible when looking at your typical operating humbucker. The purpose is to alter the inductance to ”tune” the coil(s) in a way not traditionally possible.
photo courtesy of Guitar Pickup Database
Evaluation
This is where the PAF Joe earns its keep.
The low end hits with authority but stays controlled. Notes stay defined even under gain. No flub. No wool. Just tight response that tracks fast picking. The midrange carries warmth without congestion. Chords sound full, yet each string keeps its identity. That is not common in a neck position. Highs come through smooth and vocal. They sing without getting brittle. They cut without ice pick pain. Lead lines above the twelfth fret keep body and do not thin out.
Under gain, the pickup delivers a sharp edge of attack. There is a hint of bite, but it never turns harsh. It feels alive under the fingers. Clean tones open up in a big way. Series mode gives a warm, rounded voice that still keeps clarity. Split and parallel tones move into glassy territory with real chime. Not fake single coil thinness. Real usable sparkle.
This pickup solves a problem many players fight. It keeps articulation in the lows while preserving presence up top. That balance is the whole game in the neck position.
PAF Joe Neck with FRED Bridge
Pairing the PAF Joe with the DiMarzio FRED in the bridge creates a dynamic and expressive rig. The FRED brings harmonic chaos and vocal overtones. It has that signature midrange snarl and a reactive feel. The PAF Joe answers with control and clarity.
Switching between them feels intentional. The bridge snarls and spits while the neck sings and speaks. Together, they cover a massive tonal range without overlap. In combined positions, the magic shows up. Split and parallel options produce a wide palette of clean tones. You get chime, quack, and sparkle, but with more body than typical single coil sounds.
For high gain, the transition stays smooth. The FRED handles aggression. The PAF Joe delivers fluid lead tones that hold together under speed. This pairing works because each pickup knows its role. One brings attitude. The other brings articulation. Together, they sound like a complete voice, not a compromise.
Specs
Series – 7.893 K
Inductance – 4.407 H
Split – 3.96 K
Split – 3.929 K
Parallel – 1.9722 K
Output – 272 mV
Magnet – Alnico 5
Demo
Conclusion
The PAF Joe is not just another neck humbucker. It is a calculated strike against everything players dislike about neck pickups. It stays clear and it stays warm while staying musical under pressure. The PAF Joe handles chords with definition and leads with authority. It adapts to clean and dirty settings without losing identity.
Paired with the FRED, it becomes part of a larger system that covers everything from glassy cleans to saturated lead work. If your neck position sounds like mud, this is your exit plan. If you want vintage tone with modern control, this is your upgrade.
Go HERE for more Joe Satriani content.
For reference, this DiMarzio PAF Joe DP213 humbucker pickup evaluation was conducted with the following: Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+ featuring Celestion Impluse Responses and Fractal MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller. ADA MP-1 Tube Pre-Amp loaded with Tube Amp Doctor ECC83 Premium Selected tubes, using the ADA MC-1 MIDI Controller. Fryette LX II Stereo Tube Power Amplifier. Physical cabs use are Marshall 1960B, Mojotone British, and Peavey 6505 cabs loaded with Celestion Classic Series Vintage 30s and Classic Series G12M Greenbacks.
DiMarzio Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Instagram
7 string 59 Airbucker Alnico 2 Alnico 3 Alnico 4 Alnico 5 Alnico 8 Bare Knuckle BKP Boot Camp Brown Sound Celestion Ceramic Charvel Custom Shop David Shepherd DiMarzio Dual Resonance Edge EVH Fishman Floyd Rose Fluence Gibson HSP90 Humbucker Ibanez JB Jimmy Page John Petrucci MJ Mojotone P90 PAF Pariah Pickup Seymour Duncan Singlecoil Single Width Speaker Steve Vai Tech Tip Tremolo Virtual Vintage
