Split Blade Strat

Pure Strat® Tone, No Noise

$125$375

  • Hum-Cancelling
  • Thick & Versatile
  • Unique Appearance
  • Vintage To High Output

Lindy Fralin Original Design

( 100 genuine reviews)

Split Blade Strat Pickups: a Lindy Fralin original! Designed as a fully noise-canceling replacement for Strat-style pickups with all the high-end clarity you expect from a traditional single coil. As always, Lindy Fralin Guitar Pickups will give you the most clarity, articulation, and string definition you can get – period.

 

Options

Select options for our Split Blade Strat:

Select Options Above To Display Add-Ons

3-Wire

If buying a single, select this option. You’ll get 3 Wires – White, a Black, and a Blue. This allows you to reverse the phase of the pickup if need be.

SPEED UP YOUR ORDER

Since you're buying a single pickup, we might need more information from you. To avoid unnecessary delays in your order, please choose one of the options below:


Notice

Due to the nature of Raw Nickel, Raw Nickel may contain slight cosemetic defects or abrasions.

Recommendation

We recommend using 2-Conductor With Shield Lead when purchasing a single pickup. 2-Conductor lead allows you to reverse the phase should you have phase issues. Learn About Lead Choice

Upgrade To A Prewired Pickguard

Express Checkout

Skip the checkout and buy now. Purchases made through Express Checkout are bound by our Terms and Conditions.

More Payment Options Offered At Checkout:

All Strat, No Hum.

Want to learn more about our Split Blade Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:

Split Blade Strat FEATURES:

Are you searching for an authentic Fender Strat sound, but hate hum? We have the solution for you: Split Blade Stratocaster Pickups – The revolutionary design in single-coil sound, without the annoying 60-cycle hum. We’ve built this pickup with a 2-coil design using steel blades for the pole piece. Unlike most humbucking pickups, Split Blades are designed with a left and right coil design, offering a more accurate and more balanced single-coil tone. You can expect a traditional single-coil tone from Split Blades, except with more fatness and warmth. Split Blades are perfect for those who love their guitar’s tone, but want to rid themselves of the noise.

  • A Lindy Fralin Original Design!
  • An interesting and unique look
  • Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
  • Traditional Fender tone, with no noise
  • USA-made Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
  • Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
  • Three Blade heights available for different fingerboard radiuses
  • Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
  • Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
  • 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects

Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Split Blades consist of a precision injection mold and USA-Made Steel Blades. We use a variety of USA-Made magnets to make this model loud and efficient. Each bobbin is carefully inspected and cleaned before winding.

We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. This gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.

 

 

Sound

Lindy Fralin Split Blade Pickups are unique: they offer a single-coil sound, with no hum, whatsoever. You can expect a fantastic warm, full-bodied tone with incredible string articulation and enhanced detail. Low strings sound clear and articulate, while the plain strings sound thicker than a single-coil, but still sparkle. Also, adjusting the pickup on the Bass and Treble ends allows the player to fine-tune the pickup to their needs.

Split Blade Pickups will not pull strings out of tune – even if they get close. When playing with distortion, Split Blade Pickups sound thick and dynamically creamy. Chords have excellent compression, and single notes have a much broader sonic footprint. Split Blades sound thicker than our Vintage Hots in our Vintage output option.

Pot Value:

Vintage and High Output Split Blades sound great on 250K Pots or 300K pots. We sell 300K Pots here if you need one!

Tonal Graph For Split Blade Strat:

The tonal graph below for our Split Blade Strat features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.

Vintage Output (250K / 300K Pots:
HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Dynamic & Full

High Output (250K / 300K Pots):
HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Dynamic & Full

Blues Output (500K Pots):
HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Dynamic & Full

Super High Output (500K pots):
HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Dynamic & Full

Sound Samples for Split Blade Strat:
Compare Outputs

We have 2 outputs of our Split Blade Strat. Compare them below.

About these Sound Clips:

All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.

Videos for Split Blade Strat:

Tech Specs

See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Split Blade Strat.

Since we have a few different outputs for Split Blade, we've grouped them by their recommended Pot Value:

SPECIFICATION VALUE
Vintage Output Ohm Readings:4.7K Neck / 4.7K Middle / 5K Bridge* 1
Vintage Output Recommended Pot Value:250K or 300K
High Output Ohm Readings:5.3K Neck / 5.3K Middle / 6.7K Bridge* 1
High Output Recommended Pot Value:250K or 300K
Blues Output Ohm Readings:5K Neck / 5K Middle / 5.8K Bridge* 1
Blues Output Recommended Pot Value:500K
Super High Output Ohm Readings:5.8K Neck / 5.8K Middle / 9.5K Bridge* 1
Super High Output Recommended Pot Value:500K
Wire:USA-Made 42 / 43 Gauge Single Poly Nylon, Depending On Model
Magnet:Ceramic
Polarity:Hum Cancelling, Request 3 Wire If Buying Single
Pole Pieces:Steel
Recommended Cap Value:0.02mfd 2

More Information:

1 Ohm Readings can vary due to a multitude of factors, including ambient temperature, multimeter calibration, different wire batches, and other factors. Due to this, ohm readings are approximate. Learn more about Ohm Readings here.


2 We recommend a 0.02mfd Cap Value on most guitar and bass pickups. The exception is a Magic Cap, which Lindy prefers on the Bridge Pickup of Fender® guitars only. Learn More about Caps Here.


* Due to the unique design of this pickup, ohm readings aren't very helpful. Our Vintage Output is close to the a Vintage Strat Pickup output.

Split Blade Strat Dimensions:

Split Blade Strat Dimensions

Split Blade Strat FAQ's

General FAQs

Here are quick answers to common questions we get:

  • What Ohm Readings does your Split Blade Strat have?

    Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.

  • Will this pickup fit my instrument?

    Check our "Sizing" tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions.

  • Is your Lead Time of 3-4 Weeks accurate?

    It really depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to underpromise and overdeliver.

Product FAQ's

These are frequently asked questions about our Split Blade Strat. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask A Question" in the Quick Links section above.

  • What pickup height do you recommend setting your Split Blades to?

    Split Blades sound best a little closer to the strings than a standard Strat or Telecaster pickup. Split Blades don’t pull your strings out of tune like a normal pickup will, either. Feel free to get our Split Blades pretty close to the strings – you’ll love the tone of them when you do!

Get It Prewired

Get our Split Blade Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:

Customer Reviews

100 Genuine Reviews for Split Blade Strat

  1. Ray I

    Verified Purchase

    I got the super high output set. I put them in my Warmoth build with a blender pot. I like hot pickups and these are hot! Great strat tones and they can take gain extremely well. I know Lindy likes bright pickups and I do too. These are definitely bright. I’m actually surprised he recommends 500K pots as I found the bridge pickup a bit harsh with the 500k pots. I swapped out the volume pot for a 250k pot. I lowered all of the pickups a little. Problem solved. Still plenty bright but they sound great! AND, quiet as a church mouse!

  2. Todd High

    After recently having such a great experience changing pickups in my Fender 2014 American Deluxe Telecaster (Split Steel Poled P90 bridge pickup with a Split Blade Tele Blues Output pickup in the neck), I decided to upgrade the pickups in my Fender 1988 American Standard Stratocaster. I decided to go with the Split-Blade Strat Blues Output set. I didn’t want to wait to have them made, so I bought a new set from Vision Guitars (Fralin Dealer). Aside from the original pickups, I have had 4 other sets of pickups in this guitar. I was never 100% happy with any of them.

    After installing the new Split-Blades I’m finally 100% satisfied with my Strat. My amps are a little on the bright side so I decided to go with 250k pots with 0.022uf orange drop capacitors, and a 680pF/150k treble bleed. To me, no other pickups come even remotely close to these pickups. They are in a league of their own. Very well balanced, warm, fat, and articulate. Absolutely zero hum and no ice pick strident highs. I highly recommend these pickups!

    Thanks Lindy & team for making such outstanding pickups!!

  3. Jeff

    Verified Purchase

    I have installed a set of blues output level Split Blade Strat pickups. I am a repeat customer and have a variety of Fralin single coil and humbuckers installed on my guitars. I am a confirmed fan. Lindy’s descriptions of his pickups are succinct and spot on. They sound as described. Unless you want the really “bright clucky” sound of low output vintage pickups (Fralin’s pickups can do that very well if that’s what you want), the blues output level hits the sweet spot for a lot of styles of music. The bridge pickup is very pleasing. Enough power without being overwhelming. For comparison, I also have a Strat with a Fralin (non-humbucking) blues level set on it. While it is not a perfect comparison given differences in body woods, the two are very, very close in sound. In particular, the blades retain their sparkle, which can get lost on many higher output pickups. If you are gigging in bars and venues with high doses of 60 HZ interference and noisy power lines, the Blades are a great choice.

  4. Donald Adamson

    Verified Purchase

    This a follow-up to a previous post. Same high regard, but tried something. Got a little more sparkle with 500K pots. YMMV

  5. Ernest

    Verified Purchase

    I bought the vintage output for the neck and middle and put a split pole p90 in the bridge. These pickups are amazing! No type of noise in any position at all, but the tone is exactly what you probably think of when you hear “Vintage Strat”. The neck hits those big bottom Hendrix and Stevie tones and the middle has the perfect amount of snap. Normally I don’t even use the middle but these pickups are so good I’ve changed up my sounds! I wired it all together with a Freeway blade switch, and I highly recommend it. If you love pushed cleans and bluesy leads, buy the vintage split blades. They are the final word in that tone.

  6. Jon Earl Spyker

    Verified Purchase

    Neck position. Lows and mids are lush, especially with the volume rolled back a little.

  7. Michael Waggy

    These pups are the best you’ll find for a Strat. They’ve got the right voice and output. My ‘set’ of Vintage ’57 (Neck), Texas Special (Mid) and Super High Output (Bridge) were born around a decade ago. My luthier took great care in making sure these pups sang at their top voice and I couldn’t be happier. That weird old strange LTD Strat build of 2014 has become a guitar everyone loves and they love it because of the pups and luthier work.

    You won’t find pups any better, anywhere. Fralin fan for life.

  8. Will Erickson

    Verified Purchase

    I love these Split Blade Strat pickups! I can’t set this guitar down!

  9. Don Garnett

    Ordered the Vintage Output. The sound is fantastic! Bright and good quack on the two and four positions excellent service!

  10. Jeroen

    Verified Purchase

    Great sounding pickup and looks very cool too! Excellent service from the Fralin team in recommending a great combo of this blade pickup in the neck and a Pure PAF in the bridge for my Smitty T guitar. Highly recommended!

  11. Michael Waggy

    About a decade ago, my oldest and best guitar bud shoved a box in my face. It was a 2013 or 2014 ESP LTD ST-213 Strat body. I spent the better part of two years figuring out how to build the guitar out. I read dozens of reviews and the Lindy Fralin Split Blades always came out on top. At the time, what I wanted for a ‘set’ of pups didn’t exist. Lindy hand wound a set for me along with a ‘married’ set of pots. The bridge pup is akin to the Super High Output of the day; the middle is a Texas Special of the day; and the neck is a ’57 Special.

    It would be another 6 months before I allowed my luthier to actually ‘build’ the guitar. Along with a Jeff Babicz ‘traditional’ Strat Bridge and other TLC by my luthier, I ended up with the best sounding and most fun guitar I’ve ever known. The pups are nothing short of amazing. To this day, my oldest and best guitar bud considers it the ‘best sounding Strat’ around. I would guess he would know as he’s been in the ‘business’ as a rep for about a half century.

    Can’t go wrong with Lindy’s Split Blades. Amazing pups.

  12. Scotty McGregor

    Verified Purchase

    I mainly bought this to stop the hum of my single coil neck pickup. I almost didn’t care what it sounded like as long as the him stopped. Well it does stop the him completely, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it sounded even better than the original pickup! It cut through but was still thick and warm. Really happy with it!

  13. Daniel Riggs

    Execellent product.

  14. Donald Adamson, Jr

    Verified Purchase

    I got the High Output Split-Blades for the neck and bridge; I don’t use a middle pickup.
    Strat-type tones with no perceptible hum takes a little getting used to. It makes for a kind of “hi-fi” quality. Modulation effects sound richer, like when you use a send/return. The things have quite a lot of what I think of as head room. They’ll drive a Princeton Reverb close to what you get with a P-90.
    Without a volume kit these Split-Blades clean up well when turning down the volume, which I prefer.
    Mr Fralin recommended a 330K volume pot, with a 250K tone. As he said, “You can take away highs, but not add them.” The result was some pretty decent chime. I hear a touch more midrange than equivalent single-coils, which I enjoy.
    The Split-Blades look pretty cool too, and the price is quite reasonable, unlike many boutique pickups. Couldn’t be more pleased.

  15. Mark Seasly

    Verified Purchase

    The split-blade Strat set is EXCELLENT, full “single-coil” tone – no hum or noise whatsoever, and the tonal profile is very well-balanced. I chose the “high-output” option after discussing my objectives with Lindy, and he made the perfect recommendation for my needs. I also went with the 300K volume pot and the .002 uF “magic cap” for the tone pot, which was an excellent match, making the control sweep from 0-10 usable. I am VERY pleased with how well this has worked out.

  16. Henry Barnes

    I am a luthier at the Folk Music Center in California , many of my customers are also good friends and great musicians . Once again the Fralin Split Blade nailed it ! My friend Silas brought in an 80’s Gibson Melody Maker to get a better sound out of it ! It had the dual rail 10k pickup in it but sounded bad ! I ordered the Split Blade super hot , it being a single pickup guitar and that Melody Maker now sounds bitchin! Lots of articulation ! Great low and high response and a melodic sweet character in the sound !

  17. David Kidder

    Verified Purchase

    I have been hearing great things about Fralin pickups for years from my friends at Aviator Audio and Mike Lull’s Guitar Works. However, the accolades were for single coil Fralin models. But, with mixed feelings, single coils are not my cup of tea.

    For 30 years I’ve been a patron of Joe Barden pickups and Seymour Duncan “stack” models for Telecaster and Stratocaster replacements. Otherwise, I’m not a fan of stock Fender pickups or their noise.

    For a decade I’ve been intrigued by the Fralin Split Blade pickups and finally got around to getting a pair for a Telstrat Partscaster build to a pretty good outcome. I was looking for something different and the Fralins fit the bill.

    Feedback:

    1. Delivery of my order took around 4 weeks to turnaround, a bit longer than other aftermarket pickup manufacturers. And the number of emails I received from Fralin in the interim was a bit disconcerting.

    2. The mounting screws that came with my Fralins did not fit the holes in the bobbins. The screws were the standard size used for Fender style guitars, but the bobbin holes were too small. I had to carefully drill out the holes for the screws to fit.

    3. No 4 conductor lead wiring. Perhaps this has something to with the construction of the Split Blade anatomy being something like a pair of P-Bass pickups? I can see a design like being wired in series only. But maybe a Split Blade might also sound good in parallel.

    4. The pole blades are grounded. Reversing the polarity on the pickup can cause a short if the string touches the pole with use of a phase switch. I saw special notice of polarity needs when using Split Blade models with other brand of pickups, to order a 3 conductor lead. But I didn’t see any specific notice of use with a phase switch. But maybe I overlooked something.

    5. Model information on pickups are attached with paper tags on the wire leads. It would be better if something of a more permanent sticker were adhered to the pickup bobbin.

    Once I got the issues with the mounting holes resolved, the wiring completed, and the height adjustments correct, I got to appreciate some pretty good sounding pickups.

    I would recommend the Fralin Split Blade model pickups to other players with some discretion. I give the pickups a high rating for their tone. But not so high in the versatility department compared to other humbuckers. The only real disappointment was the mounting holes on the bobbins being way too small for the standard Fender screws supplied with the pickups.

  18. Dave Lopez

    Verified Purchase

    great sound….great look…. for my HSS 98 nitefly. i’m inspired to play (:morebetter:) with these pups !! chose the blues output for singles and Pure Paf for bridge

  19. Steven Ellis

    Verified Purchase

    My god, what a gorgeous sound, wish I had bought these sooner…
    I have the vintage wind btw.

  20. Dale Van Zile

    Verified Purchase

    Would give 6 stars if it was an option!

    Got a set for my Strat – High Output Neck and Bridge, Vintage Middle (plus a second, lefty bridge pickup – more on that later), and man, do these sound great!

    The neck has that little bit of extra push in the mids and lows that makes rhythm work have a wonderful meaty bounce to it, and for lead stuff, it makes me want to break out the SRV licks.

    The neck, combined with the vintage middle, takes you instantly to the “Sultans of Swing” tone. Crisp, fat, clucky, and good bounce on the lows.

    The middle by itself is what one expects. Stick a phaser on it and feed it to a Marshall-y amp, and it’s instant “Bridge of Sighs” tone.

    Bridge and middle have that signature “cluck” that Clapton made famous in the early ’70s.

    Bridge has nice bite, but more fatness in the mids and lows, so it isn’t as piercing as a vintage one. Kick in that extra lefty one, which sits next to it, turned so they are back-to-back, and it jumps up into a nice fat HB tone that’s got a wonderful midrange and low end push, and just a hint of top end softening, like a just-right slightly-hot bridge humbucker.

More Reviews:

Add a review

Leave a review for our Split Blade Strat

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

STAY IN TOUCH