So, any conclusions?

For me, my comments are:

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Gibson Burstbucker - noticeably lower output than the Custombuckers and much softer. They have a tamer high end and can sound as some would describe as 'warm' and other describe as 'muffled'. This is a characteristic I noticed in comparison to other Les Pauls and also in other comparison videos. It's not a bad pickup but it might suit a bright thin sounding guitar more. It has nice build and the nickel covers look good.

DC resistances are not low but the quietest on the test. Weird. Not microphonic, so probably potted.

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Gibson Custombuckers - very forward and mid focused with more punch and heft. It was noticeable even driving the amp or with the duellist. Is this a PAF sound? Probably is and I'm sure a lot of people would really go for this mid humped pushy sound. Gibson certainly made a lot of these and they are well liked. Good build and covers too but not deliberately aged. Not microphonic really, so must be potted is my guess.

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OX4 low wind Alnico IV - these pickups are very well regarded with a lot of adherents and sound a lot less coloured in the midrange than any of the others. They have a lower output signal which is what I wanted and, being unpotted, have a characteristic that I think is common to that build style i.e. a responsive high end which on one hand allows a lot of subtle picking and tone shaping possibilities but also might result in squealing shrill feedback on that Slayer tribute gig. The impression the OX4 give me is that there is no particular hump in the frequency response, no overwhelming bump - just a clear clean pickup that doesn't muddy up or sound congested.

I spent quite a bit longer finding a sound though but I'm looking for a coloured sound, a 'honkiness' in the top end. The OX4 did have a bit of that but in retrospect, I might have gone for the medium wind or chosen some Alnico III magnets. 

I play clean mostly but if bluesy dirt was your thing, this pickup might be ideal as it would cut through and wouldn't turn to mush in the front of a driven amplifier. You can hear the clarity even in the Duellist portion of the comparison.

Quite microphonic as can be heard, which I like and covers which are aged but aren't massively convincing to be honest.

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Creamery '59 Alnico III - took ages to arrive! They were also supplied with a non-US baseplate and pickup height adjustment legs, so although screws and springs were supplied, they wouldn't fit through my Gibson rings so I had to use some Crazyparts rings instead which had a hole big enough. I then was left with metric screws with Phillips head adjustment. Not a fan really, especially on a PAF replica which used slotted US screws.

They are much cheaper but if I was to suggest anything, I would say ask a small premium for a more authentic baseplate and US hardware;  Gibson style. The braided cable also came out the wrong way on the neck pickup but was long enough.

The covers were the least convincing and although ordered aged, the effect was minimal and the covers look a bit cheap actually. I would pay more for a better cover!

However, I loved the sound of these. very microphonic but that clanky honky nasal sound on the bridge pickup was there and despite some frustrations with the fitting, I was very pleased with the sound of them even only after a few minutes playing.

They share the same low output but have a colouration I personally like and this is the big thing:

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Everyone has different expectations of what a PAF pickup should sound like and as very few of us have heard originals, it's all a bit of personal taste. The southern rock fan may love the Custombucker, the British blues boom fanatic may love the Creamery, the modern blues rock type might edge towards the OX4 and the guy who likes all of the above except a bit more muffled may go for the Burstbucker but it's all personal preference.

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Mine is for the Creamery '59 at present but there are loads of PAF replicas out there, so maybe I will try more but I have to say that up until the Creamery pickups went in, I was having doubts about the Goldtop. Maybe it wasn't very good? Acoustically it sounded great but I just didn't think it was fantastic and I  think the Creamery pickups have made it fantastic, so a lot of it is also matching the guitar with a pickup set and that's unpredictable. Another guitar and the OX4 would have stayed in. If only the Creamery had the physical form of the OX4, the covers from the Custombucker but kept the sound...

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However, the next video may feature the Creamery with covers, then NAKED and then with a new set of Crazyparts aged nickel Area59 and I will try to record any differences. I still need to source some metric M3x25mm slotted panhead screws though as those Phillips head look awful!

:-)

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