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.
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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 |
| 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.
*The Neck reads higher due to the use of 43 Gauge Wire, outputs are compensated
Sizing
Blues Special Tele Questions And Answers:
Notice:
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.
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I’m after a Fralin bridge blues special pickup for my telecaster. The current neck pickup is a DiMazio true velvet, which I’m happy with. Are there any compatibility problems with this set up? Thanking you. Andy.
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Q I’m after a Fralin bridge blues special pickup for my telecaster. The current neck pickup is a Di...... Read moreA
Hey Andy, no, just make sure your True Velvet has multiple leads in case you need to reverse the polarity.
Can you tell me if there is a sound bite of the three cover options on the blues special pickup. I am aware of the opinions of the chrome dulling the sound, but thinking of the two nickel options vs no cover.
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Q Can you tell me if there is a sound bite of the three cover options on the blues special pickup. ...... Read moreA
Hey Edward, we do not, unfortunately. From personal experience, the tonal difference is incredibly subtle, as we compensate the pickup's winding to be brighter if a customer orders one with a cover. - Tyler
Hi Fralins! I adore your Special blues bridge. Now i’m looking for a soapbar p90 neck to match it with. Could any of your 90s be the perfect one for my Scandinavian Tele?
- Hi Tyler! I got a partial answer before but not quite what i asked. How many winds do you do on a standard telecaster pickup, neck and bridge so I know how much 5% overwind is?
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Q Hi Tyler! I got a partial answer before but not quite what i asked. How many winds do you do on a...... Read moreA
Hey Roger, 8600 for the Neck, 9600 for the Bridge.
Hi! I am newbie on pickup winding and I like to try to overwind a pickup for a beefier blues sound. May I be so bold to ask how many winds you do on you’re Blues special Tele pickups, or is that a company secret ?
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Q Hi! I am newbie on pickup winding and I like to try to overwind a pickup for a beefier blues soun...... Read moreA
Hey Roger, we roughly overwind the Blues Special Tele pickups by 5%. - Tyler
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Featured Reviews
Reviews we worked hard for, and are proud of.
gotta give it 4 and a half stars….
I have a 2015 Tele, stock, with a single coil neck pup and a humbucker in the bridge…it’s one of those Guitar Center tele’s that Fender made from 2013-2015… I loved the sound of the stock neck pickup but it was no match for the humbucker out put wise….the Fralin Blues special cured all of that….it was a perfect match!…my only gripe, is the height adjustment screws appear to be of lesser quality…..
this is the 5th guitar I’ve put a set of these in……they are my favorite pickup, nothing else compares
I installed these in a Fender 50’s Road Worn Telecaster replacing the stock pickups and the difference was so remarkable, I thought I installed them wrong! 500% changed the entire vibe of the guitar and it’s now a completely inspiring guitar to play.
Tele Blues Special neck pickup… Awesome!
This is the third time changing out the neck pickup on my ’52 Reissue
It finally sounds good when the others sounded weak and anemic
I was worried about losing twang and clarity. I needn’t have worried.
I can even get a convincing Strat tone.
I haven’t heard the blues specials in my custom built Tele yet , because it just got finished with the build but Richard at RSM Guitar Works in Winnipeg,Mb , Canada who does all my guitar work says it’s the best sounding Tele he’s ever heard with tons of sustain and spot on tone wise. I had it wired up 4 way . I can’t wait to get back home to pick it up and play it to see for myself.
It’s a great tone?
Attention to detail was seen everywhere.
I was also grateful for the speed from order to arrival.