How the ’58 sounds

Sweet, airy highs, woody, complex mids and a full, balanced low end, with the clarity and three-dimensional bloom of a good late-’50s PAF.

Tap a clip to hear it. Same guitar, amp and mic for every Olemy set, so what you hear is the pickup.

Bridge

A clear, growling low end, a harmonically rich, open midrange and a sweet, airy top that never turns harsh. Roll the volume back and it cleans right up.

Neck

Warm, woody and vocal. Low chords stay clear with every string distinct, and single notes sing and bloom.

Wound as a pair and evenly matched, so the two feel like one voice when you switch between them.

Not sure? Get a personal recommendation, or compare all five sets.

Heard next to original 1958 PAFs

The Doug & Pat Show tests PAF-style pickups against the original PAFs in Pat’s 1958 Les Paul. Here’s the Olemy ’58 set next to the real thing, so you can judge for yourself.

Neck, clean
Neck, break-up
Bridge
“Lots of bloom… I really love when you go up to the high notes… closer to a violin singing sound.”
On the bridge pickup
“Nice bloom on the neck pickup.”
Doug, The Doug & Pat Show

Olemy supplied this set free of charge. Footage used and edited with Doug and Pat’s permission.

From a player who’s tried the rest

“I’ve played most of the big boutique PAF makers – Monty, OX4, ThroBak, Wizz – and in this guitar, these are my favourite.”
Joe Perkins
Joe Perkins
Guitarist, producer and gear demoer, Bristol

Joe was sent this set free of charge to review.

What ’58 owners say

5.0 from 4 reviews of the ’58
Neil P. · Verified owner30 September 2026
Owns the ’57 and ’58 sets

Thanks for making these Shawn. I’ve been on a very long quest to find the ultimate PAFs and tried all the big name and boutique brands. When I heard these I pretty quickly knew that was it.. they’re still in the same guitars (Les Pauls) and won’t be coming out. The high strings sing and are crystal clear and the low strings have plenty of power and grunt.. also they’re the most affordable of the sets I’ve tried. I have both the ’57 and the ’58 sets.. the ‘57s are the clearest but still sing whilst the ‘58s have a bit more body.. both are equally good. Love this brand.

Oliver Gibbs · Verified owner5 October 2026

Pickups arrived very shortly after ordering, and they came in a beautiful box, very impressed with that. I've only just started experimenting with lower wind pickups, but they certainly sounded vintage. My purchase was based on "Joe Perkins Youtube Review" where you can have a good listen to how these pickups sound, many thanks Olemy!

Nicholas Beer · Reviewer30 September 2026

The best I have yet tried, and over the years I have owned or tried them all. NB

Jason · Verified owner3 October 2026

Great classic sound

We publish every genuine review, positive or negative, and never offer rewards for them.

Read reviews of every Olemy set

How the ’58 is built

Winding
Wound on a programmed winder. The screw coil follows a pattern modelled on a Leesona 102, the slug coil a pattern modelled on the slug-coil winder, with an offset between the two coils. It’s the pairing we hear as the ’58 voice: sweet, airy highs, woody, complex mids and that three-dimensional bloom.
Wire
42 AWG plain enamel.
Bobbins and spacers
Butyrate bobbins, maple spacers.
Steel parts
Low-carbon steel screws, slugs and keeper bar.
Covers and baseplates
Nickel silver, with no brass. The cover shape comes from a 3D scan of an original 1959 cover. To our ears, it keeps the top end open.
Magnet
UK sand-cast Alnico II. To our ears, it gives the ’58 its rounded attack.
Potting
Unpotted, like original PAFs.
Every set
Measured and logged before it ships. Each pickup carries a handwritten numbered label.

Measured specs

TypicalBridgeNeck
DC resistance8.0 kΩ7.4 kΩ
Inductance4.75 H4.08 H
Capacitance4.28 nF4.93 nF

Typical measurements, not fixed targets. Inductance and capacitance measured at 1 kHz. DC resistance varies with temperature.

Fitting your ’58s

Long legs, as standard, suit Les Paul, SG, ES-335 and other semi-hollows, Explorer and Flying V.

Short legs suit PRS, Strats and Teles with humbucker routes, many Ibanez and Schecter models and some Epiphones. Ask for them in your order notes.

Height, as a starting point, measured from the top of the cover to the bottom of the open string:

Bridge
High E: 2 mm
Low E: 2–2.5 mm
Neck
High E: 3.5–4 mm
Low E: 4 mm

Then fine-tune by ear. Leave the leads full length until you’re sure you’re keeping them.

Before you buy

Yes. You have 30 days from delivery to fit them, play them and decide. If they’re not right in your guitar, send them back for a refund, or swap them for another model.

Two conditions: the leads must be full length and uncut (soldering them in is fine), and the pickups need to come back undamaged in their original packaging. You pay the return postage.

Refunds go to your original payment method within 5–7 working days of the pickups arriving back. This guarantee is in addition to your legal rights, which are not affected. Read the full returns policy

Want a second opinion?

Tell me what guitar they’re going in and how you play, and I’ll reply personally with the set I’d choose. No mailing list, just an answer.

Get a personal recommendation