Blues Special Tele
Love playing your Telecaster again and know it finally has the voice it was always meant to with our Blues Specials. Wound with a 5% overwind from our Stock Teles, Blues Specials feature a punchy, warm tone that tames the harsh top-end from most Telecasters and helps you hear every nuance in your playing. Lastly, customize your appearance with our neck options and make your Telecaster a real eye-catcher with a look that suits you.
Quick Links:
Jump to Sound Clips and Product Info:
100% Tele, Just a Bit Meaner.
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Blues Special Tele FEATURES:
Discover what you’ve been missing with our best-selling Telecaster pickups. Blues Specials feature a 5% overwind that emphasizes the midrange while taming the high-end for a warmer, thicker Telecaster tone that still sounds like a Tele. Built with all USA-Made parts, you can take pride knowing Lindy designed his Blues Specials with the highest quality materials available.
It starts here: Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Blues Specials consist of local fiberboard and USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique for a sweet, unique tone. You can feel great knowing that we wound your pickups specifically for you. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Features:
- 5% more coil than our Stock Tele set for a warmer, thicker tone
- Modified Fender specifications, optimized for output
- High output, but still has Fender sparkle
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Two different magnet staggers for optimizing pickups for your instrument
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
If you’re looking for balance – not too bright, not too dark, this set is for you. While playing clean, Blues Specials sound thick and creamy with open and clear highs and a thicker midrange. The overwound coil tames your highs and bumps your midrange – more than the Stock Tele Pickups, while you can expect more of a traditional Tele Tone than our Steel Pole 42s.
With distortion, you can expect a light compression, low-end growl, and a medium attack. Single notes sound thick and round, while chords have a full tone with an early breakup. Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for you if you’re looking for more output from your current pickups, but still want to keep that traditional Tele tone.
You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Are you looking for a Hum Cancelling Tele pickup that actually sounds like a Tele? Check out the Blues Output of our Split Blade Tele Pickups
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.8K* |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.3K |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K |
*The Neck reads higher due to the use of 43 Gauge Wire, outputs are compensated
Sizing
Blues Special Tele Questions And Answers:
Have a question about our Blues Special Tele? 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.
-
Hey guys I was going to get a set of blues specials and a new control plate (5-way) for my Nashville Tele but was curious about your suggestion for which RWRP strat pickup to use in the middle that will compliment the blues specials set?
-
Q Hey guys I was going to get a set of blues specials and a new control plate (5-way) for my Nashvi...... Read moreA The Blues Special Strat would be the perfect match for combining in a Nashville-style Telecaster!
I have a new Fender American Professional Telecaster II on Layaway (scheduled for Delivery on 12/26). I purchased a new Fralin Blues Special Neck P/U on Reverb, and realize I should have gotten the Set. Is there anything you suggest doing to a Bridge P/U to get a Bluesier (SRV, Rory G., Eric Gale) sound before ordering it from you guys?
-
Q I have a new Fender American Professional Telecaster II on Layaway (scheduled for Delivery on 12/...... Read moreA The compensated Blues Special bridge would be the perfect match and give you exactly what you’re after!
What does the cover do to the tone?
-
Q What does the cover do to the tone?A While the cover does change the tone of a pickup, we make sure and compensate the windings of the pickup for the cover. For your intents and purposes, the cover is purely aesthetic.
Which Stagger do I choose?
-
Q Which Stagger do I choose?A The Blues Special Telecaster set features a Hybrid Stagger neck pickup for a more pronounced D string. Carefully choose the bridge stagger to match your fretboard radius. Choose Stock Bridge Stagger if you have a guitar with a round to medium fingerboard radius: 7.25? – 10?. Choose Hybrid if you have a flatter or compound-radius (11+”).
What’s the difference between the Vintage Hot Tele and the Blues Special Tele?
-
Q What’s the difference between the Vintage Hot Tele and the Blues Special Tele?A The Vintage Hot Tele is more true to Vintage specs and thus will sound brighter, clearer, and more open. The Blues Special Tele will sound thicker, darker, and more powerful. Blues Special’s tame the twang a bit and sounds beefier and thicker.
Heads Up! Asking a question here will be public to all users of this site.
Hey! Did you already ask a question on our Contact Us Form? Don't ask it again here. Please be patient while we get back to you.
GET IT PREWIRED:
Go the extra mile and combine our Blues Special Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
You may also like…
FEATURED REVIEWS
Reviews we worked hard for, and are proud of.
-
"I have the Frailin Blues Special Tele pickups in my USA Fender Telecaster and I absolutely love them. They definitely provide the punch I was looking for. They still have that awesome “twang” but with more definition. I have a variety of different pickups in my three teles (wide range humbuckers, hot rails, standard Fender pickups) and my Tele with the Frailin pickups are always my go to guitar. Gotta love them and they’re made in my home state of Virginia!"
-
"I had ordered another (reputable) company's PU's and was not at all happy with them. I had all but stopped playing my Telecaster because of this. On a recommendation from my tech, I called and actually spoke with Lindy about the issue. On HIS recommendation after our conversation, I ended up ordering a set of the Blues Specials for my Tele. The very minute they were in the guitar I could immediately hear the difference. A few days later, I was using them onstage in front of a large, very rowdy crowd, and the guitar was so alive and responsive... the difference was like night and day. I absolutely LOVE these PU's!!! Meaty, but not too dark, clear, but not too shrill... VERY toneful, for lack of a better description. Well, maybe that IS the best description... Thanks Lindy. I have my Tele back!!!"
-
"my 1st time writting a review, i am so impressed with the tele blues special i decided to say something. now i have 2014 tele with a maple neck. i've used dimarzio quiet pickups, seymore duncan pickups and they are pretty nice and then mojo tone 52 quiet coils. they were ok but lack severly in the neck postion. after saying all that, installing the fralin blues special, what great difference! i played my 1st gig with my 76 deluxe reverb, WOW! and then on my 2nd gig i used my 66 vibrolux, another WOW! a real nice open sound, and in the neck position was alive and well. all 3 positions was spot on. i've been playing a long time, started at the age 14 and now i'm 72 and still have a lot to learn. very grateful for these fine pickups. i'm seriously concidering the blues special for my strat also. thankyou for letting me share my opinion."
Bought a set of Blues Specials to replace the Gen 4 Noiseless pickups in a Fender Telecaster Ultra. Also bought the prewired switchplate to go with them, as I did not need the S1 wiring. Great choice, exactly what I was looking for — bright but not ice picky, with just a touch more gain to drive an amp. Customer service was excellent throughout.
Excellent pickups. Exactly what i was looking for in sound, quality and easy installation.
I only write reviews on products I’m either very happy or very unhappy with, and when it comes to the blues special set I’m blown away by how good they sound!
Lindy does it again. The way tele pickups should sound….absolutely beautiful.