Blues Special Tele
Versatile & Thick Tele Tone
$110 – $220
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 more Info:
100% Tele, Just a Bit Meaner.
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
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
Sound Samples for Blues Special Tele:
Compare Outputs
We have 2 outputs of our Blues Special Tele. Compare them below.
About these Sound Clips:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Blues Special Tele:
The tonal graph below for our Blues Special Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Videos for Blues Special Tele:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.8K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.3K 1 |
| 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 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.
*The Neck reads higher due to the use of 43 Gauge Wire, outputs are compensated
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
Note: All of our coil directions are depicted from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Blues Special Tele Dimensions:
Blues Special Tele FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Blues Special Tele have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
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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.
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Is your Lead Time of 2-3 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.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Blues Special Teles to?
Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. Measure by holding the corresponding side down at its highest fret and measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
Product FAQ's
These are frequently asked questions about our Blues Special Tele. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask A Question" in the Quick Links section above.
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How does the cover affect the tone of the Neck pickup?
It doesn’t – we use USA-made nickel Silver, the most sonically-transparent metal for covers. We also compensate the winding technique to make sure the Neck pickup sounds like we want it to.
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What is 4-Way Switching?
4-Way Switching adds a fourth position to your Telecaster’s switch to put both pickups in Series and Parallel. The 4th Position sounds like a big humbucker as a result. Read more on the topic here.
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What is required for my pickups to work with 4-Way Switching?
We apply tape to the magnets before winding to isolate the coil wire and the magnets. If you select a cover, we add a separate ground wire to permanently ground the cover instead of grounding the cover through the coil.
Pickup Pairing
Our Blues Special Tele pairs well with the following models:
Big Single - Neck
Starting At: $ 165
Pair A Blues Special Bridge with a Big Single 42 in the Neck for a killer combination.
View Product
Blues Special Strat - Middle
Starting At: $ 99
Nashville Tele? Our Blues Special Reverse Middle is the perfect match
View ProductGet it prewired
Go the extra mile and combine our Blues Special Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
347 Genuine Reviews for Blues Special Tele
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I have purchased 3 sets of telecaster pickups from Lindy. I am a tone freak and I can say he always got the best I ever heard from him. I have the Superlatone, and custom wound set with 5% over wound no caster bridge and, I can say these Blues specials about blew my mind. Rockabilly, blues, jazz they are great.
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So I gave myself 2-3 months of almost daily playing before I wrote this. I’d buy these again in a heartbeat and reccomend them to anyone looking to upgrade tele pickups up the sound chain. I replaced a 2019 MIM Tele stock set with these and it’s night and day. I love all three positions and they sound exactly how I would hope those positions would sound. Clear, not shrilly, powerful mids when needed..they do incredibly well with a Tube screamer. Anyhow…do it.
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These pick ups are a joy to play.! They have a lot of texture and bite. The bridge pick up is not thin and I enjoy playing as much as my neck position which I normally spend the majority my time on. I also put set of Fralin humbuckers on my Les Paul. I would recommend Fralin pickups to anyone.
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I bought the 4 way hybrid blues specials for my American elite tele build. I put S.D. Hot for Tele on it initially put wanted something else. I was looking at Lindy’s pickups for a while but finally decided to go for it. I have played them for a couple months and I absolutely love them. They are bright, crisp and sound great through my Helix. I have played for 50 yrs on mostly Fender Strats with Fender noiseless and Hot Gold Lace sensor pickups. Lindy’s pickups to me have a unique sound that makes my Tele sing on any amp I choice in my Helix, I have also played the tele through my Genz Benz Black Pearl 2×12 combo tube amp and it sounds amazing, I don’t think I have ever owned a nicer sounding pup. I mostly play Blues and Contemporary Christian music. I played in churches for 30 yrs but now mostly through studio speakers and my Helix. I highly recommend them.
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Absolutely fantastic pickups. I added these and a blues special strat middle pickup to my am pro 2 tele and converted to a Nashville setup. The level of service and quality of the products make it worth every penny.
I’ve always had a certain sound I always wanted my tele to make, and finally I have got it.
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The Blues Special in my Tele Esquire is clean and spanky, but when overdriven, it has a creamy sound and feel. This is my second upgrade with Fralin pickups, and I think they are the best you can buy.
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I purchased the Blues Special Tele set to replace my stock set on my Tele and I was instantly blown away by the clarity, dynamics and versatility these pickups bring into the scene. The neck pickup provides that richness that the stock pup didn’t have and a higher output while the bridge pup allows for clarity and a higher output as well replacing the mud the other pup had. Absolutely blown away by the set as it makes me want to pick up my guitar every day and the sound they bring continuously inspires me to keep writing and experimenting along each composition and practice I have.
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great sound for my partscaster. easy to install, and Lindy Fralin and team were there to answer some questions prior to purchase and they even followed up afterwards to ensure all was good. where do you get that kind of connection and support anymore? thanks!
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I bought the blues pickups to upgrade a Japanese Tele I bought in Vietnam last year. I Liked the neck and the finish of the guitar. Being an acoustic player I thought I would upgrade the guitar with new pickups, pots, switches and insulation to see what a difference it might make. I had the installation and set-up done on the guitar by a top technician in Virginia Beach. All I can say is, what an incredible change! I have a completely “new” guitar. The pickup’s now have a wider range of sound with a bit of a growl, the guitar is now awesome!! What great service as well from Fralin in Richmond! I wish all companies operated at that level! Made the whole operation as smooth possible for me flying from Hawaii over Thanksgiving to see my family!
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Dear Lindy,
Thank you so much for the great service that I received on my recent purchase of your Blue’s Special pickups! Everything was just as I ordered and I even received my shipment in 2 days! Awesome…who would have thought?I installed them over the weekend (Saturday).
Everything went smoothly since I’ve installed pickups before!
All I can say is Awesome! I absolutely love ? the neck pickup! So warm and smooth without the harsh sounding treble! The bridge is a little bit brighter than I expected, but I can control it with the tone control! But when you play them together in either parallel or series…they blend so well!
Especially in Series! Powerful and full and definitely loud! Truly the best sounding pickups ever!!
Rod -
I was about to go get a new guitar because I never liked the sound of my DIY Telecaster. But I figured I’d try swapping out pickups first to see how much of a difference it would make. Wow! I put these in place of Fender Texas Blues pickups and they sound so much better. Much warmer and great tones on all four switches, whereas before I only ever used one. Totally worth it.
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Great sounding pickups with fantastic customer service! I had a quick question which I emailed into Fralin. Not only did I get a prompt response from both the Fralin customer service, but Lindsay himself called me while he was on vacation to make sure my question got answered! INCREDIBLE CUSTOMER SUPPORT!
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I purchased a set of the Blues Special pups for my Tele. They are fabulous. They replaced my S.D. Hot Tel set. I love the tone. They are bright and clear. I bought them to play Blues music. I am running on a Line 6 Helix through studio speakers. These are by far the best pups I have ever owned. My only regret is I didn’t purchase these pups when I built the Tele last year. Great product, great tech support. Very Happy Customer.
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Just installed a bridge pickup a few minutes ago. It arrived quickly, and sounds exactly as advertised. Hot, but not too hot. Rich mids and highs that are clear but not crispy. Also: GREAT SUPPORT through the ordering process. The neck pickup in the guitar is a filtertron type from another maker. The staff was very thourough and responsive, and we wrote back and forth a couple of times regarding avoiding polarity issues, which pots to use, etc. I really felt taken care of at every step.
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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.
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I put the BLUES SPECIAL TELE pickups in my pink paisley telecaster, they are as smooth as silk, love them thank you for everything.
Chris -
I apologize for the delay, but I need to sing your praises. The Tele pickup, P90 and the harness you built for me is beyond words. The tones I am able to achieve are heavenly and a thing of beauty. I can not thank you and your group of technicians enough. Your recommendations were spot on and just as described. Thank you, thank you.
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Really like these pickups. The tone is what I have been chasing.
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I have replaced the ok pickups in an American performer telecaster with a blues special and a unbucker to replace the humbucker. The unbelievable would be a more appropriate name.
I feel like I won the lottery. I definitely got it right. It’s hard to describe sound but I can describe my satisfaction and I elated at the tone from my guitar. The tele and Fralin pickups are both new to me. I am impressed and will start my fund for my Stratocaster because the difference is phenomenal. What bite on the blues speacial and the unbucker is really cool. I will go along with the p90ish tone at times but you can play with it. Not a pure PAF on full and a good crisp mellow brightness when split the combination of all or some is great and it sounds really full split or not with the others.really focused by themselves. A big difference. Can’t wait to do my Strat! -
I just replaced my Duncan Antiquities with the Blues Specials, and although they are close in tone, the Blues Specials win in several areas; complexity, balance, bite, and smoothness. Plus, there is an added tonal characteristic in the Blues specials. They cover a range between highs and mids better than the Antiquities. Thanks, I like them.
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