Did gold PAFs and early patent number pickups last longer?

[Krausewitz]

I heard a rumour recently that late PAFs and early patent number pickups are found as late as 1967 in gold hardware models. The idea put forth was that Gibson made (and sold) fewer gold hardware models, so the gold hardware pickups of the 50s and 60s remained in use as over-stock products much later than for the normal nickel or chrome ones. Has anyone heard this before?

I am pretty skeptical, to be honest, but there is a sort of logic there. If anyone can confirm or disconfirm that'd be great!

 

[Flogger59]

This is true. I have a 1966 ES345 with single ring Klusons. They changed to double rings in 1960.

 

[Krausewitz]

This is true. I have a 1966 ES345 with single ring Klusons. They changed to double rings in 1960.

Wow, so what pickups are in it?

 

[Flogger59]

Wow, so what pickups are in it?

Believe it or not, in 35 years I have never looked.

 

[treeofpain]

This is correct. It does not mean that every Gibson with gold humbuckers will be a PAF until a certain date. You can even find guitars with one PAF and one patent number. It was a factory. They didn't really care about stuff like this.

 

[nikku]

I had a 1967 ES-345 with Pat# purple wire pups (Same as a later PAF). Yes, you can get gold hardware models with these pickups in! Killer guitar!