Big Single®
A Lindy Fralin original design! The Big Single is a Humbucker that has a big, round single-coil sound with no hum. It’s beefier than our Twangmaster but cleaner and more articulate than our Hum-Cancelling P-90. We offer two versions: The Big Single 42, and the Big Single 43.
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All Single Coil Tone, No Hum.
Want to learn more about our Big Single®? Here's all the information you'll need:
Big Single® FEATURES:
The Big Single is one of Lindy Fralin’s original designs. Based on his desire to improve the tone of a Mini-Humbucker, Lindy’s innovation led to the Big Single. Lindy was pleased with this new design so much, that he worked it into a standard Humbucker cover. With this design, you’ll get a dynamic, round single-coil tone – with no hum. We pack all this fat tone by hand into a great looking No-Hole Humbucker Cover.
- Hum-Cancelling Thick Single Coil Tone, in a Humbucker Cover
- Very versatile – can cover a wide array of styles, outputs, and tones
- Lindy Fralin Original Design
- 2-Coil design with a bar magnet for silent, huge tone
- A dynamic, rich, warm tone
- Hand-carved bar magnet can accommodate up to 2 1/4 string spacing
- 10 Year Warranty against manufacturing defects
Sound
The Big Single is one of our best-selling guitar pickups – for a good reason. Clean, warm and vibrant, this unique design is directly in-between the tone of our Fralin P-92 and our Fralin Twangmaster. It has a beefier, bolder tone than our Twangmaster, but cleaner and more ‘Fender-like’ than our P-92. Treble strings sound warm and fat, and wound strings sound bright and clear, like all Fender-style pickups. This design comes in two models: the Big Single 42, and the Big Single 43.
The Big Single 42 will sound cleaner and brighter, and work well with 250K Pots. The Big Single 43 will seem thicker and darker and can work well with 500K pots. In either case, each model features a bouncy, rich, and full midrange and top-end. Great for either clean playing or distortion, this pickup will break up a little earlier than our Twangmaster, and is excellent for anyone looking for beefy, rich single-coil sound, with no hum.
Big Single 42
Big Single 43
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Big Single®.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 8.7K (42) | 12.2K (43)* |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 10K (42) | 15.2K (43)* |
| Neck Polarity: | Hum Cancelling - Use 2-Conductor Lead when Buying a Single |
| Bridge Polarity: | Hum Cancelling - Use 2-Conductor Lead when Buying a Single |
| Magnet: | Flexible Ferrite Magnet |
| Coil: | USA-Made 42 / 43 Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K (42) | 500K(43) |
| Cover Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Baseplate Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Recommended Cap Value**: | 0.02mfd |
**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.
Sizing
Lead Color Codes
See below for our Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead:
2-Conductor Lead:
Big Single® Questions And Answers:
Notice:
Have a question about our Big Single®? Ask it here. Your Question will be publically visible. If you want to ask a Private Question, please contact us through our Contact Us Form.
If you have multiple questions, please call us at (804) 358-2699.
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I would love a pair of big singles for a project guitar I am working on. It’s currently routed for a pair of jazzmaster-style pickups. Seeing as the stock big single is mounted differently, what are my best options?
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Q I would love a pair of big singles for a project guitar I am working on. It’s currently routed fo...... Read moreA
Hey Benjamin, the tone of the Hum Cancelling Jazzmaster is quite close to that of the Big Single. We can wind the Hum Cancelling Jazzmaster to be close to the Big Single 42, and the Big Single 43 - Tyler
43s are better for bridge and 42s for neck?
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Q 43s are better for bridge and 42s for neck?A
Hey William, we typically recommend using a set of 43s or 42s as we compensate the set to have a cleaner neck and a thicker-sounding bridge. I'd recommend choosing the Big Single 42s if you're looking for more of a Fender type tone (think Strat or Tele) or the Big Single 43s if you're looking for a thicker, P90-type tone.
Is this a good match as bridge pickup when pairing with you Real 54's as neck and middle, or the volume difference is significant?
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Q Is this a good match as bridge pickup when pairing with you Real 54's as neck and middle, or the ...... Read moreA
Hey Jaime, our Big Single 42 will be a really nice match with our Real 54s. It will be louder, but not by a substantial amount.
Hi. I noticed the Big Single is an option for a pre wired HSS pickguard, but not the Twangmaster. Does the Big Single balance better in general (using your 54s in the middle and neck positions)?
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Q Hi. I noticed the Big Single is an option for a pre wired HSS pickguard, but not the Twangmaster....... Read moreA
Hey Dave, it's actually a String Spacing issue. Our Big Single can accommodate up to a 56mm string spacing, while our Twangmaster can only be made in a 50mm string spacing. You can absolutely request the Twangmaster if you measure your string spacing and verify that you can use 50mm in the Bridge.
Good afternoon, I hope you and yours are well. I am a Tele guy but I have an SG that I love the playability but can't find pickups I like. I do not care for PAF style humbuckers at all. Original Burst Bucker 61s that came in it were muddy and honky, I currently have a set of Bare Knuckle low-wind A2 humbucker-sized P90s - still a bit muddy, tried Lollartrons and did not like them at all. I recently acquired a Firebird that came with Lollar vintag...
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Q Good afternoon, I hope you and yours are well. I am a Tele guy but I have an SG that I love the p...... Read moreA
Hey Matt,
The Big Singles will not be a jump in output when compared to a PAF. The PAF will have a much bigger sonic footprint the same way as a PAF sounds bigger than a Strat.
Regarding the size, the Big Singles are standard Humbucker size, and don't feature pole pieces, so I don't thing fit will be an issue.
I put two of the 42s in a prs standard after years of countless pickups changes that never resulting in a satisfying tone. Finally this guitar has come alive with a clarity and balance both clean and with dirt that has exceeded all expectations. It is a joy to listen to. Lindy is a genius!
Put a big single in a telecaster, now I’m “playing guitar like ringing a bell” bought a lot of pickups over the years: Fender, Lollar, Dimarzio, virgil arlo, Benedetto, Fralin is better than all of them.
These pickups are great. I put them in an HH telecaster I’ve had for a while and absolutely brought it to life! Unique sound- definitely in between single coil and humbucker and I’m absolutely loving them.
Simply the best….. put these in an HH jaguar about 6 years ago now.
I’ve never heard anything quite like it! The clean tone is other worldly, full, rich, sparkly.
With a little more oomph than most singles to really help bring out the character in your amp without pushing into the drive territory of a P90.
Extremely versatile but also incredibly comfortable generating massive ethereal clean tones (I’m yet another shameless ambient worship guitarist)
If you’re also into cathedral reverbs, cavernous delays, subtle modulation, through warm tube amps….. this pickup is the dream.
I put them in my Cabronita. They sound fantastic thru my ‘64 Princeton. I’m putting both in one of my Tele projects. My client is really excited after hearing them thru the Cab.
You guys are the best
I don’t usually send a message like this but I recently ordered a Big Single for my strat and I am completely blown away. This is my first experience with a Fralin, my lead player has used the Modern PAF set for the past year and recommended I try something. This is the tone I have been looking for and I cannot explain how cool it is to feel like my main guitar (that has had probably 12 different bridge pickups) finally sounds how I’ve imagined. Nothing but positive feedback here, cannot thank you enough. I will be back for another pickup of some sort!
Not really fair…. I can’t afford to put Fralin pickups in all my guitars.lol love the big singles. I’ve installed em in my custom built flying V inspired by Albert King walnut Lucy.
Amazing pickups. I thought sd were good but this is a whole other level.