“One of the most expressive pickups I’ve ever played... notes gloriously blossom into sustained feedback that reaches those magical upper overtones”: Shed Pickups HA-59 PAF Set review
A period-correct pickup set that seeks to nail the holy grail golden-era Gibson tone. Is there a better aftermarket humbucker on the market?
There is nothing quite like Shed Pickups’ HA-59 PAF Set, which over-delivers as an exceptional pair of full-sounding, harmonically rich humbuckers that achieve hallowed vintage PAF tones with remarkable warmth and clarity.
Pros
+
Near period-correct PAF sound and look [mic drop].
Cons
-
Pricey, but price includes free worldwide shipping.
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Ask any guitarist and they’ll tell you that installing new electric guitar pickups with the hopes of invigorating your prized guitar can be a roll of the dice. Sometimes, the result doesn’t always meet your expectations.
To illustrate, I own a 2002 Gibson ’59 Historic Les Paul that’s been one of my main stage guitars for well over two decades. It’s been a “love/like” relationship; I love the guitar, but I only like the way it sounds. I attribute that to the numerous humbuckers I’ve installed in the guitar – from boutique to name-brand – all of which have been lukewarm to adequate in tone.
It could simply be that the guitar is unremarkable, but I haven’t given up on it yet. Recently, I received the opportunity to try out Shed Pickups’ much-lauded HA-59 PAF Set, and since I had heard some praiseworthy buzz from close friends, I jumped at the chance to find out whether these new humbuckers could be the saving grace for my favored Les Paul.
Shed Pickups – namely, Spencer Mumford, a pickup designer from South Wales, U.K., made quite a splash in online gear forums and user reviews more than a decade ago for the historically accurate tones of his hand-wound boutique pickups, but due to the growing pains of running a one-man operation like his, he had to shutter it for some time.
The good news is the company is back with a couple of adept partners who have shouldered the responsibility to run the business smoothly and allow Spencer to do what he does best – wind and design some of the best-sounding repro pickups in the boutique biz.
Having the HA-59 PAF Set in your hands feels much like holding an authentic PAF yanked from a vintage Gibson. Shed has taken a meticulous approach to constructing and hand-winding these PAFs to look and sound like the real thing.
To get there, Shed’s checklist confirms the HA-59s come with period-correct 42 AWG plain enamel wire on butyrate bobbins, employing roughcast Alnico lV magnets and ensuring the pickups are calibrated for an even response between the bridge and neck positions.
Having the HA-59 PAF Set in your hands feels much like holding an authentic PAF yanked from a vintage Gibson
Like original PAFs, these HA-59s are not wax potted. For its aged appearance, you’ll find OEM hookup wire is used along with accurate baseplates with tapped screw holes, brass Phillips bobbin screws, double black bobbins, slothead mounting screws and springs, silk-screened PAF decals and nickel plating over its German silver covers that all come as standard – which I’m sure will appease many vintage diehards for the HA-59s spec.
Shed points out that the pickups’ DC resistance should read around 7.9k ohms for the bridge and roughly 7.6k ohms for the neck, however, these are approximations. What I can tell you? The HA-59s I received read at 8.07k ohms for the bridge and 7.53k ohms for the neck.
(Image credit: Shed Pickups)
And finally, while I’ve dedicated much of this space to the HA-59s, I should note that Shed also offers a specialized variety of repro Stratocaster and Telecaster single coil pickups, a “Greenie” PAF set and overwound “SO-Hot Bastardos” humbuckers.
After outfitting my ’59 Les Paul with the HA-59s, I feel compelled to name this guitar “Lazarus,” because what I thought was dead has been brought back to life in an undeniable manner. This pair of HA-59s turned my ’59 from dull to dynamic, and it’s staggering how these pickups combine all the broken-in “honk” of a vintage PAF along with the biting clarity of a Fifties Telecaster with teeth.
Between all three positions, the response is smoothly balanced, but the cherry on top is how each pickup shines with noteworthy character. Sandwiched between its clear highs, quacky mids and warm lows, the bridge humbucker chimes with detailed depth and a heightened output that slices through. In other words, the HA-59s don’t sizzle, but rather sing with fervent sweetness.
Shed’s HA-59s arrive as a standout contender for any PAF pickup party
The neck humbucker is one of the most expressive pickups I’ve ever played – with a drippy, bell-like tone, and if you drive either PAF loudly, notes gloriously blossom into sustained feedback that reaches those magical upper overtones. Even with both humbuckers engaged, the HA-59s pretty much encompass the whole sound of classic rock in a pair of pickups.
It’s all there for lovers of that Gibson sound that players like Joe Bonamassa have come to adopt as their own. I ran these pickups through my amp collection of a Marshall Jubilee, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Matchless DC-30 and EVH 5150 III, among a few others, and if anything, the HA-59s just ended up making these guitar amps sound better.
I know there are plenty of other worthy PAFs to be judged here, but at the very least, Shed’s HA-59s arrive as a standout contender for any PAF pickup party. But at this moment, I’m putting on some electrified wear-and-tear miles on these HA-59s, because I know they’re only going to sound better with age.
Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.
