59 Green Legend
“…oh well”
Trademarks: Round sound with deep mids (59G N). Open, twangy tone (59G B).
Styles: Rock, Blues
Output: Medium (both pickups)
Retail price: 370 Euros (without VAT) per set
It took us some time to design this particular set.
In the original, the neck pickup was heavily modified during a repair session in the late 60's, as guitar guru Joel Danzig discovered during a deeper inspection in the 80’s. The single braided hookup wire was replaced by a lower-quality one with a grey silicon outer insulation coat. The coils were re-wound to a more medium output, and the magnet bar was then placed in reverse polarity with respect to the bridge pickup, offering the typical OOP sound.
59 Green N features unbalanced coils with a very small offset and also the typical Legend high-quality parts. We used heavy PVA wire and overwound both bobbins. The US-made, long, rough-cast, pre-1964 specs A5 magnet bar (exclusively for GAS pickups) is slightly degaussed and placed in reversed polarity with respect to the bridge pickup. Although, due to the multi-core cable (2-wire braided), it may be connected in phase if so wished. 59 Green N has steel bobbin screws (as the original) and not the typical brass screws. With its smooth, fat, jazzy sound, more round than a typical 59er, the Green '59 N plays very well on overdriven settings.
The 59 Green B is sonically pretty far away from the neck model. It rather provides a snarly, twangy tone, but still in typical PAF territory. The reason is its unbalanced coils (a large offset with the screw bobbin in advantage), which add a higher frequency spectrum to the guitar's sound. Further, it features the typical Legend HQ parts. 59 Green B also plays very well on overdriven settings.
The 59-Green Legend set is delivered only with an antique pure nickel-silver cover. Non-potted or wax-potted versions are available.
For sure, a very special set, but still in the end 50’s PAFish territory.
Neck Rdc range 8,0 kOhms Neck Resonance frequency 5,7 kHz Bridge Rdc range 8,5 kOhms Bridge Resonance frequency 6,0 kHz Bar magnet alloy A5 (pre 1964 specs) Pole screw alloy 1010 Slug alloy 1215 Hookup wire Single braided Winding wire (AWG, Coating) 42 Heavy PVA (N), 42 Plain Enamel (B) Coils winding Unbalanced -
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Introduction
For the proper installation and wiring of your GAS Pickups, we strongly recommend letting a professional luthier or electrician perform this job in order for the pickups to be installed correctly and with no damage, which would harm the pickup’s functionality and warranty.
Delivery
All GAS Legend PAFoids are delivered with proper height adjustment screws and springs. GAS Legend PAFoids accept long US 3-48 thread screws.
Wiring
GAS Legend PAFoids come with the typical single braided hook-up wire. The pickup wiring and phase are compatible with Gibson® humbuckers. All Legend PAFoids metal parts are grounded on the braided hook-up wire.
For the desired wiring diagram of your guitar, please refer to the dozens of specialized websites with such diagrams, depending on the desired pickup configuration.
Pickup height or string distance
There is a lot of conversation on this item. The fact is, there is no absolute guidance for a generic pickup height adjustment! The distance of a pickup to the strings is dependent on countless factors, such as pickup output, pickup position, string gauge, the guitar itself, the guitarist’s overall playing technique (string hitting, etc.), and the musical styles that are about to be covered. In the case of a pickup set, usually the pickup height is adjusted so all pickups show a similar output level, but this is not a rule. Our recommendation: The desired pickup height adjustment is a procedure that may last longer than you think; just start with a generic distance of 2mm on the e strings and repeat the procedure (adjust, play, listen, re-adjust) until you are satisfied. Don’t forget to adjust in small steps (e.g., one full turn of the height adjustment screw each time) in order to easily come back one step if you are not happy with the new situation. And, trust us, if you just repeat the whole thing a couple of weeks later, you will probably find yourself re-adjusting the height again. It is something that each musician should go through by himself.
Dimensions
GAS Legend PAFoids are direct replacements for Gibson® guitars and similar models. They come in 49,2mm spacing and with the traditional long-leg base plate. If you intend installing your Legends on a guitar with a shallower profile, please let us know so we may deliver your Legends with short-leg base plates.
The dimensions for the Legend PAFoids (with and without a pickup cover) are as follows (sizes in mm):
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Legend PAFoid sets are mainly named with a year (e.g., 57, 59, 60, etc.). Do the relevant Legend models actually correspond to the original models of those years?
Following our main philosophy, GAS Legends are more "based on" pickups than exact reproductions. To create pickups that offer specific sound qualities, we use specs from particular eras of old, original pickups (we had the opportunity to measure and analyze many old PAFs, PAT sticker- and PAT number pickups in our lab) and finally design them with our own specs. Some sets are closer to the original (as our 59 PE set), and some are more individually designed (as our 58 set).
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Are Legends available with covers?
All Legend sets are available in "open coil" look (double black, zebra, and double cream) or with an unpolished German silver cover. In any version, Legend PAFoids are direct replacements for original Gibson® humbuckers.
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What are the main differences in quality between Legend PAFoids and Standard Humbuckers?
Standard Humbuckers offer our standard GAS quality by using top parts, design, and craftsmanship. Legends offer the same high quality but a higher dynamic range due to the use of exclusively ordered magnet bars, which refer to specific MMPA standards. Further on, we mostly use the standard Poly 155 wire in our standard Humbuckers, whereas in our Legends we use Heavy PVA, red Poly, and Plain enamel wire (with 50’s and 60’s specs).
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