Gibson Shaw NOS Patent Number Humbucker 1980s Double Cream With Ring and Screws

Tim Shaw joined Gibson in 1981 with a specific mandate: reverse-engineer the original PAF humbucker. Working from original late-1950s specimens, Shaw analyzed the magnets, wire gauge, bobbin geometry, winding count, and potting method that produced the sound that players and collectors had been chasing for two decades. The resulting Shaw PAF — produced from roughly 1981 through 1985 under the Patent Number designation — is widely regarded as the finest humbucker Gibson produced in the modern era, and among the most accurate recreations of the original PAF character ever to come out of a production run. 

This is a bridge-position Shaw Patent Number humbucker in double cream — new old stock, uninstalled, with the original 7" lead, mounting ring, and height adjustment screws. Reading 8.76k, this is a strong and correct bridge reading for a Shaw PAF. Double cream bobbin covers are the most visually sought-after configuration on any PAF-style humbucker and were used on original late-1950s Gibson instruments before the transition to black covers. An uninstalled Shaw in double cream with hardware is exactly the kind of piece serious Gibson players seek out for restorations, upgrades, and period-correct builds.

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Excerpts from Real Online User Reviews:

• "The Shaw PAFs are the best humbuckers Gibson produced after the original PAF era — Tim Shaw did his homework and the results speak for themselves." — My Les Paul Forum
• "Double cream Shaws in NOS condition are genuinely difficult to find — most were installed decades ago." — The Gear Page
• "Shaw PAFs have a clarity and openness in the midrange that separates them from every other Gibson humbucker produced before or since the original PAF run." — Guitar World

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