Gibson 1980s Shaw PAF Humbucker Bridge Double Cream NOS

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The Gibson Patent Number pickup — commonly called a 'Patent Number' or 'PN' humbucker — is the direct successor to the legendary PAF. When Gibson finally received the patent for Seth Lover's humbucking design in July 1959, they began transitioning from the 'Patent Applied For' sticker to a new label bearing the actual patent number. By the early 1960s, the sticker-style Patent Number pickup was in full production. The 'Tim Shaw era' designation places this pickup in the early-to-mid 1980s, when Gibson engineer Tim Shaw undertook a serious effort to reverse-engineer the original late-1950s and early-1960s humbuckers. Shaw measured surviving PAFs and Patent Number pickups methodically — wire gauges, magnet gauss levels, coil resistance, winding patterns — and the resulting pickups are widely regarded as some of the most faithful vintage-voiced humbuckers Gibson produced in the modern era. They represent a genuine attempt to get back to the source, and players who know the lineage treat them accordingly.

This example is double cream — both bobbins in that warm off-white that has become iconic on vintage-correct builds and high-end restorations. It comes as New Old Stock, meaning it was never installed, never played, and shows no wear. The condition here is genuinely mint: the bobbins are clean and unworn, the coil wire is intact, and the hardware shows no oxidation or patina. It includes the original cream pickup ring and screws, so you have everything needed for a direct, complete installation. For players building a period-correct instrument, restoring a vintage Gibson, or simply chasing that warm, woody humbucker voice with real vintage DNA behind it, a NOS Tim Shaw pickup in this cosmetic configuration is exactly the kind of find that doesn't come around often. The double cream aesthetic pairs naturally with natural, sunburst, or blonde finishes, and tonally these pickups are known for a balanced, open character — clear highs, defined mids, and none of the compressed darkness that can plague lower-quality reproductions.

Excerpts from real online end-user reviews:

"These do seem a bit brighter. Not sure what to make of them yet — but they're definitely different from a modern humbucker." - jazzguitar.be forum
"It is the bobbin's Butyrate plastic, warping and unevenness that contributes to the 'PAF' sound." - geartalk.com

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