Blues Special Tele
Versatile & Thick Tele Tone
$120 – $240
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:
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 |
Additional Technical Info:
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: We depict all our coil directions from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Blues Special Tele Dimensions:
All dimensions include a covered Neck pickup to account for the slight increased size from the cover.
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 1 Week accurate?
It 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 beat our estimated Lead Times.
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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. To measure, hold the correct side down at its highest fret. Then, measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
Product FAQ's
People frequently ask these questions about our Blues Special Tele. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask" 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: $ 175
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: $ 105
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
358 Genuine Reviews for Blues Special Tele
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Fantastic Tele Tone. Great pickups that sound better every time I play them.
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I recently bought a Sire t7, the new hot affordable Tele style guitar. Great guitar, rock solid, features that you’d only find on a much more expensive fender American made. But… the bridge pickup was piercingly bright. I shopped around and discovered the wonderful world of Fralin. Loved the idea of a set of pickups custom made by hand for me. Enough said.And buying from a small business was also a big factor. Installation was surprisingly easy for a 1st timer thanks to the tutorials provided,and the difference was stunning. Crystal clear but none of the harshness.I finally discovered what real tone is.Even makes my sloppy playing sound good!! I can’t say enough good things about these pickups. I know tone is a very subjective thing, but I can finally say that I’ve found it.
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I had never messed around with pick ups before but am very pleased with the difference im noticing so far – will still take some dialing in to find what im looking for (still playing with the saddles and action to see what effects that has) but im very impressed with the clarity im noticing and how much of a punch i get on the low end now. more importantly though, i very much appreciate how much of the information was available on this site as far as instructions and diagrams because i had never tinkered with a guitar like this. i had a little experience with soldering in the past but with that and the information available on the site i was able to finish the swap and it worked which was pretty sweet. thanks guys
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I have a Blues Special Bridge in a Telecaster Custom and this was to replace the neck pickup in a Modern Player Telecaster Plus. Yup, a Chinese built Fender. I was always to uppity to ever own a MIM or an Asia made guitar, but I purchased this on a whim. It is well built, but the electronics were sketchy, bad 5 way switch and the neck pickup sounded dull and almost like out of phase. But, this pickup was ordered with magnet polarity south up and counter clockwise coil direction. New switch and this pickup…it now makes the guitar a complete Swiss Army knife. This pickup is articulate, punchy, yet warm and full. I am sold on this series of Fralin pickups. I also have a hand wired Strat Blues Special pick guard from Fralin. These pickups are the real deal for a blues player. I didn’t and you won’t go wrong with any Fralin Blues Special pickup.
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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
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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.
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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.
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It’s a great tone?
Attention to detail was seen everywhere.
I was also grateful for the speed from order to arrival. -
Well, I believed that I could build a better tele than Fender could sell me outa the box, and I was right! Your Blues Specials and some brass saddles took a $250 Squire Standard and transformed it into a beautiful sounding instrument.
Clear, clean and balanced across both pickups with deep rich lows and nicely balanced highs that don’t scream at you!
I’m impressed. Thanks Lindy! -
Fixed up an 89 American Standard Tele that had been sitting in case for 15 years and wanted to upgrade from stock. These were recommended by my guitar tech and I couldn’t be happier. They both sing in clean and with a bit of overdrive the bridge reminds me of that late 60’s early 70s James Burton rumble tone. They are fantastic with all my pedals especially my fuzzface. Feels like I bought a new guitar with enough money left over to actually add one. Hard to imagine anyone being upset with this purchase.
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Love the telecaster pickups. Was just the upgrade that it needed.
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These new pickups sound fantastic! The clarity is unbelievable and no hum on my fender telecaster player anymore.
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I’m very happy with the pickups and the customer service. The clarity and tone are fantastic as well as the slight breakup when I hit it hard. My set of High Output Teles are on the way. Thanks Lindy, I’ll recommend your pickups to anybody who will listen!
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This is a great sounding neck pickup for my Tele. Superior in every way to the stock pickup and well balanced with the bridge pickup. I find myself using my neck pickup more now because of the rich, full tone. Just a perfect addition. I highly recommend this pickup. They shipped it fast too – just 3 days after I ordered it.
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Hey Lindy,
My new blues tele special pickups sound excellent… I like the sound of the neck pickup with a cover, and hate pickguards, i can see the copper wire on my neck pickup, any recommendations?
AJ -
Great sounding pickups. Really brought my Tele alive!
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I have been collecting parts for a custom Tele and I decided to get the Blues Special with the 4 way switch. When the guitar was finished I plugged it in to a small fender style tweed with a bit of overdrive and tremolo…and Wow! This Tele is filled with rich and complex nuances, particularly when the pickups are in series. Clear and enhanced midrange cuts through with a Wampler Pantheon overdrive. I could not be happier. Thank you!
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I got my Blues Specials a couple of weeks ago after having tried various PUs in my MJT Tele-style project (very traditional early 50s style thing). Until recently, I had been very happy with how the guitar looks and feels, just the sound … especially the sound of the bridge PU was sharp enough to cut your ears off. Now with the Fralin Blues Specials, I am perfectly happy also with the sound. To my surprise, the sound gained a lot of quality not only with tube amps at higher volume levels, but notably also at bedroom levels with small solid state practice amps, which is obviously very useful.
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