All user reviews of 4/5 for the DiMarzio DP213 PAF Joe

The DiMarzio PAF Joe is an evolution of the original PAF Pro that Joe Satriani used throughout most of his career. DiMarzio says it uses some special technology to achieve a new sound, and I’m not exactly sure what they’re doing. Either way, it has all the same features as the PAF Pro does.

Satch was looking for a new tone for his Ibanez guitars. He’s always used the PAF Pro in the neck, but he recently wanting something a bit more vintage sounding. This pickup has a little less output, extended treble and a little less bass than the original PAF Pro. That allows it to be clearer than the PAF Pro and actually a touch bitey.

Because this pickup is modeled after the more vintage sounding PAFs out there, it has this real cool “vowely” quality to it. It has this real cool voicing going on that many of the older PAFs from yesteryear had. It has more note definition than the PAF Pro, and although DiMarzio says the treble is warm, the top end has a crisp bite to it that isn’t too harsh.

Satch uses this in the neck, but you can really use this pickup in any position. The neck and the bridge both yield great tones. Personally, I prefer this pickup in the neck as I find it to be a bit too open in the bridge. Some people love that open quality, but I like a little compression going on to help kick the amp into overdrive easier. The pickup works in all kinds of woods, so there should be no issues there.

If you’re looking for a different take on the PAF Pro, you should check this pickup out. It has some real cool characteristics going on, and it should work in nearly any setup you may have.