DiMarzio PAF DP103 Review | Better Than the 36th Anniversary?
- Baris Sahin
- 14 hours ago
- 10 min read
Dimarzio PAF DP103 Review- - Before the 36th Anniversary Era
The most controversial word in the pickup world is probably "PAF." Given DiMarzio's trademark ownership of the term—and the fact that the company has consistently prevailed in legal disputes surrounding it—I suspect that status is unlikely to change anytime soon.
As the company that holds the trademark, DiMarzio has naturally been producing pickups bearing the PAF name for decades. I previously reviewed a version dating back to the 1970s, and if you're interested, you can find that review by clicking here. Although I briefly spent some time with the 36th Anniversary model years ago, I never had the opportunity to evaluate it thoroughly enough to meet Tone Journey standards—at least not yet.
That said, when most guitarists hear the name DiMarzio DP103 PAF, their minds immediately jump to the modern 36th Anniversary version. The pickup I'm discussing today, however, is something entirely different. In 2008, DiMarzio retained the DP103 model designation but substantially redesigned the pickup, resulting in what we now know as the 36th Anniversary PAF. In other words, while the model number remained unchanged, we're really talking about two different generations of pickups.
The version under review here represents what I would consider the second generation of DiMarzio PAFs, at least based on the examples that have passed through my hands over the years. The question is: how different is it from both its predecessors and its modern descendants? Let's find out.
Test Guitar
I tried the Dimarzio PAF on my Charvel Pro-Mod DK24 HH HT M Mahogany with Figured Walnut top. All the details are here, inside of my review. Bridge pickup was a modern Dimarzio Super Distortion.
Evaluation
Official desciption of 2000 catalog but the last part i’ve underlined. It has been added much later.
“Have you ever wondered what a Fifties humbucker sounded like when it was new, before the magnet weakened and beer got poured in it? This is the sound: no gimmicks, just clean, open tone with enough top end for sparkle and low end for warmth. The best word for it is “balanced”. It’s loud enough in the neck position to pair with hotter bridge pickups like the Super Distortion a classic combination), and it’s a neat bridge pickup to go with neck and middle single-coils. Like all of our humbuckers, the PAF is wax-dipped in a custom formula to eliminate squeal and microphonics (something we didn’t like in the Fifties pickups), and it has 4- conductor cable for split and series-parallel wiring.”
How about remembering the ’97 catalog? Why not?
“PAF
Guitars: Hamer, BC Rich (original USA), Guild, Yamaha -Weddington, HR Custom, MG-M Custom
Artists: Shawn Lane, Earl Slick, Al DiMeola
Classic vintage tone–a smooth, almost voice-like quality–the PAF has that in-tangible “swell” to the notes after attack. It possesses vintage output, and “breathes” freely with an open, warm character. Played flat-out through non-master volume tube amps, the PAF recreates the deep character of the great plug-in, turn-up and wail school of tone.
Modern potting techniques and tight, consistent winding eliminate squeal and microphonics common to the originals. Here is solid tone for both neck and bridge positions. The PAF balances well in the neck with hotter bridge pickups.
DP103, DP103F $79.00”
Want to see the measurements, right here!
Dimarzio PAF DP103
Magnet – Alnico 5
Advertised DCR: 7.90 K Ohm (Series) (It was 7.65K till early 90s)
Measured DCR: 8.443 K Ohm (Series)
Measured DCR: 4.1139 K Ohm (Screw Coil)
Measured DCR: 4.3219 K Ohm (Slug Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 4.48400 H (Series), Q:0.3338
Inductance @100Hz: 1.8556 H (Screw Coil)
Inductance @100Hz: 2.017 H (Slug Coil)
Measured C@100KHz: 133pF
Calculated Self Resonance Peak: 6.517KHz
Output: 203 Milivolts (advertised)
EQ (B/M/T) – 7/6/5 (old catalog), 6/5.5/6 (2000 catalog)
Gauss: 390G screws, 420G slug (measured at top center of D&G pole pieces)
Patents: None
Ambient Measurement Temperature: 19C
Looking at the pickup itself, I can't say I found any surprises or particularly noteworthy design features. It is, for all practical purposes, a typical PAF-style humbucker. The one notable exception is the baseplate, which is made of brass rather than nickel silver just like an original vintage PAF.
The screws are shorter than those found in original PAFs or modern recreations from builders such as Seymour Duncan and ThroBak, yet noticeably longer than the screws used in models like the Duncan Full Shred or DiMarzio Air Zone.
This time around, I didn't remove the tape or disassemble the pickup to inspect the coils in detail. From what I could observe from the side, however, it appears to be equipped with a polished Alnico 5 magnet. What really caught my attention wasn't the magnet type itself, but its magnetic strength. I measured approximately 420 gauss on the slug side, which is a remarkably high figure. The only other DiMarzio pickup in my collection that has shown a similarly strong reading was the Norton. In other words, we're dealing with a seriously charged Alnico 5 magnet.
Beyond that, the pickup appears to carry slightly more windings than typical neck-position PAF clones. This becomes apparent when comparing it with competitors such as the Seymour Duncan '59 Neck, and even with earlier generations of the DP103 itself. The trend can also be traced through DiMarzio's historical catalogs. During the 1970s and 1980s, the pickup was typically listed with a DC resistance of around 7.65kΩ. By the 2000 catalog, that figure had risen to 7.90kΩ. Exactly when this transition occurred is difficult to determine, but the change is clearly documented. My particular example measures approximately 8.44kΩ. On paper, that places it much closer to many bridge-position PAF clones than to the average vintage-output neck humbucker. This is a point I'll return to later when discussing the pickup's tonal characteristics.
As far as I can tell, the coil wire is not plain enamel but rather the type of wire traditionally associated with DiMarzio pickups. Based on my own resonance frequency calculations, the closest comparison in the DiMarzio lineup would be the DP201 Al DiMeola Neck. The resemblance is certainly there—but only up to a point. The details, as always, tell a different story, and we'll get to those shortly.
If I had to describe the tonal character of this pickup in simple terms, I would call it a combination of the vintage DiMarzio PAF and the Seymour Duncan '59. No, I don't mean that it sits somewhere between the two. Rather, imagine taking the midrange character of the 1970s DiMarzio PAF—the one I discussed at length in its own review—and combining it with the low-end voice of a Duncan '59. That gets you surprisingly close.
The highs are certainly present in sufficient quantity, but describing the pickup as merely "warm" or "dark" doesn't quite capture what's happening. The real story lies in the low end. There's a considerable amount of bass on tap, and the mids are hardly lacking either. DiMarzio's 2000 catalog lists the EQ profile as 6/5.5/6 for bass, mids, and treble respectively. Personally, I would rate it closer to 6.5/5.5/5.
That extra low-end presence becomes most apparent on the wound strings, where it occasionally crosses into muddiness. I've encountered a similar behavior in strongly charged Alnico 5-equipped Duncan '59s and have mentioned it in ‘59s own review. In those cases, my preferred solutions were either to reduce the magnet's strength in half or to swap the Alnico 5 with an Alnico 4. Both approaches proved highly effective.
Faced with this DP103, I see two possible paths. If I were determined to use it as a neck pickup, I would absolutely consider one of those magnet modifications. I've seen those remedies transform a Duncan '59 on numerous occasions, and I have little doubt they would produce similarly positive results here.
The second option is perhaps even more interesting: using the pickup in the bridge position. Yes, while it comes across as a vocal yet somewhat muddy PAF variant in the neck position, it could be a highly ideal pickup in the bridge. In a Les Paul—or even an SG—I can easily see it becoming a truly excellent alternative. I think it would perform particularly well in a guitar with a naturally balanced midrange: not mid-scooped, yet not overly mid-heavy either. Combined with its moderate wind, it has the potential to be a powerful and highly effective bridge pickup without venturing into overwound territory.
After using this pickup for several weeks, I replaced it with an Air Norton in the same guitar. The Air Norton is, too, a warm pickup itself. Yet the difference in clarity was immediately noticeable. The Air Norton handled complex chords and wound-string articulation with considerably more composure.
This is also where I can draw a comparison to the DP201 Al DiMeola Neck. Tonally, the DP201 shares certain similarities with this DP103. Sometimes the resemblance is more obvious, sometimes less so, depending on the amplifier and guitar involved. The most significant difference, however, is clarity. The DP201 is simply a clearer, pickup, and that distinction becomes increasingly apparent the more time you spend with both.
On the other hand, playing melodic parts with that PAF in the neck is fun. A bit of fluety, you know.
Now for the comparisons. In a way, I've already covered some of them through my references to the Air Norton and the DP201.
Let's move on to the Duncan '59. Thanks to its lower wind, the '59 holds a slight advantage in terms of clarity. However, considering that it can also exhibit a similarly strong low end, I wouldn't consider that difference either a major strength or a major weakness. To my ears, the most significant tonal difference between the two lies in the midrange. The '59 is noticeably more scooped by comparison. In other words, if your guitar does not naturally suffer from muddiness in the neck position and you're choosing between these two pickups, the deciding factor will likely be whether or not you want the additional mids offered by the DiMarzio.
As for comparing it to the modern PAF 36th Anniversary DP103... no, I can't really do that in true Tone Journey fashion. I simply haven't spent enough time with the newer pickup to make a fair, detailed comparison. What I can say, however, is that after spending time with this 1990s version, I think I understand why DiMarzio chose to revise the design. To my ears, the PAF 36th Anniversary feels like a more refined evolution of this pickup—one that addresses many of the clarity and articulation issues present in its predecessor while preserving the general spirit of the original design.
I've spent quite a bit of time talking about clarity. But what about tones where clarity is somewhat less important? For a while, I paired this old PAF with a Super Distortion in the same guitar. The result was an almost perfect setup for classic heavy metal. In that context, this pickup really shines. Playing songs like The Trooper, Transylvania, and Flight of Icarus through this combination was an absolute joy. The sound is powerful, immediate, and has a very direct, in-your-face quality that suits this style of music exceptionally well.
Clean tones? At the end of the day, this is still a PAF. It delivers clean sounds that are at least as good as what you'd expect from a typical humbucker of this type. The same goes for compression and dynamics. Being a PAF variant, it remains considerably more dynamic than many heavily overwound modern humbuckers. At the same time, it struck me as being slightly more compressed than some PAF-inspired designs that stay closer to traditional vintage specifications and employ weaker magnetic fields. It's not an overly compressed pickup by any means, but neither is it among the most open and unrestrained PAF-style designs I've encountered.
So, what kind of guitars or tonal goals does the DiMarzio PAF from 90s work best with? First and foremost, I’m confident it pairs beautifully with brighter-sounding, 25.5" scale Strat-style guitars and their derivatives. I mean as a neck humbucker. But for the bridge, yep, i’ve told ya so, remember? PAF from 90s would be a killer bridge pickup, especially for the Les Pauls and SGs with shorther scale.
Conclusion
The 1990s DiMarzio PAF DP103 occupies an interesting place in the company's history. It is neither a strict recreation of a late-'50s humbucker nor a fully modern interpretation of the PAF concept. Instead, it feels like a product of its era—a pickup designed to deliver vintage output and dynamics while retaining some of the fullness and authority that many players expected from a DiMarzio.
Its strengths are easy to appreciate. The pickup offers a rich, vocal midrange, substantial low-end response, and enough output to comfortably cover everything from classic rock to early heavy metal. Paired with a Super Distortion, it creates the kind of setup that immediately explains why so many players gravitated toward DiMarzio during the 1980s and 1990s. Lead lines feel expressive, melodic passages have a pleasing vocal quality, and the pickup never comes across as weak or underpowered.
At the same time, the DP103 is not without flaws. The combination of a relatively strong wind and a heavily charged Alnico 5 magnet can push the low end into muddy territory, particularly in the neck position and especially on the wound strings. Players seeking maximum clarity, note separation, or the airy openness associated with some vintage-accurate PAF clones may find themselves wanting more. In that respect, it is easy to understand why DiMarzio eventually chose to revisit and refine the design.
Ironically, what limits the pickup in the neck position may also make it particularly attractive in the bridge. Its healthy midrange, strong bass response, and moderate output suggest a pickup that could work exceptionally well in Les Pauls, SGs, and other guitars that benefit from a bridge humbucker with authority but without excessive output.
Ultimately, the 1990s DP103 may not be the best PAF DiMarzio has ever produced, but it remains a fascinating one. For players who appreciate a thicker, more muscular take on the PAF formula (no, i don’t mean “Hot PAF”) —and especially for those interested in DiMarzio's evolution as a pickup manufacturer—it is well worth experiencing.
Pros
· Vocal midrange character
· Strong low-end response without entering high-output territory
· Excellent match for classic rock and early heavy metal
· More dynamic than most modern overwound humbuckers
· Potentially outstanding bridge-position PAF alternative
· Pairs quite well with hotter bridge pickups such as the Super Distortion
Cons
· Can become muddy in the neck position
· Wound strings occasionally lack definition
· Less clarity than pickups such as the Air Norton or Al DiMeola neck DP201
· Not as open as many vintage-oriented PAF clones
· Overshadowed by the refinement of the later PAF 36th Anniversary
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