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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Amazing.
These pickups are so bright, musical, and percussive. I’ve built two guitars with them, and am starting a third, and I’m completely satisfied. Thank you so much for this product! -
Love it! This and a Fralin/Analogman Big-T went into a Momose tele with a swamp ash body and rosewood/maple neck. The guitar was already pretty good before but the stock bridge pickup was a little too bright and lacked mids, and the stock neck pickup lacked clarity. Now, it’s perfect.
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Blues Specials in an MIM Nashville Deluxe Tele
I was fortunate enough to talk to Lindy directly when I called with questions about this set prior to ordering. He answered all of my questions and we had a discussion about whether I prefer the 2 and 4 positions on that guitar or if I’d ever modify it to allow for bridge and neck to be on at the same time. Without boring you with all the details of that discussion I’ll say that the customer service was top notch.These pickups did what I hoped they would for my sound. The output is a bit hotter and the overall tone is rounded out. The noiseless PUPs that come with that guitar were good, but the high end could be a little shrill. Now it pops without being offensive, especially when I’m hybrid/finger picking. The low end also tightened up. Prior to these pickups it could get farty, but now it’s got the tight punch I like when I pull on the low E or A strings to bend a half step low on the neck.
Playing a Nashville tele through a Fender DRRI with a Ted Weber 12F150 50W speaker.
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Great Pickups
I put these pickups in a Telecaster I built. I own a Strat, LP Studio, and PRS S2. These Fralin pickups are the best. More versatile than I thought they would be. Much more dynamic than other single-coils. No noise issues so far. -
Lindys Blues Specials turned my 94 American Std Tele into a workhorse monster. Got them in 2008/2009 (can’t remember) Feels and sounds like a real deal vintage tele now. I can do any gig or session with this guitar now. And real good with pedals too! Not that any of this surprises me. 🙂 Might have do this agin for my other tele!! cheers, Benny
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Fantastic Tone. Hey there. My guitar teacher is from the Chicago fusin band Marbin. Dani Rabin. He was floored when I brought the tele over for a lesson after I had your custom Pickups installed. I love them. Totally rock!! Bob.
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I originally replaced my stock pickups in my American Standard Tele with Vintage Noiseless. They were ok but I wanted more. The Blues Specials are simply amazing. The guitar is much warmer and full sounding. Very responsive to finger and pick dynamics. I have a few guitars and this Tele is my new #1. I can’t put it down.
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Replaced the stock pickup in my MIM Esquire with this model as I love the bridge pickup in my Michael Kelly T-style (see above) and I couldn’t be happier! Love them Fralins!
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I love these pickups! Installed in a parts guitar that I assemble and couldn’t be more happy with the way it all turned out.
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Wow! They sound so good. I mean really good. Like, amazing. If you are at all on the fence, just pull the trigger and pick up a set. You will not regret it.
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Easily the best sounding Tele pickups I’ve ever heard. Great investment.
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Best ever! Sounds fabulous, pics coming soon of the Esquire clone it went in!
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Great sounding pickups – greatest pickup I have ever played on a Telecaster.
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Really great sounding pickups in my Tele. I play through a Fender Princeton.
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Super high quality and very versatile pickup.
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Went with the covered neck. Gotta say, I was nervous, but these are a winner in all three positions. Tyler was very helpful with his insight, and all my expectations have been met. Playing a maple fret Tele with an ash body, I was thinking these would be too dark, but they are JUST right! There’s always a little play in the tone knob one way or the other. And the neck is immaculate. Full bodied with clarity that really sings. Great job Lindy & Company!
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Been buying Fralin’s for 20 years…
These pickups never fail to please. The true Blues Special in the neck position on a Tele, w/o cover is a no brainer if you want a nice, thick, juicy tone for your guitar. Hands down, the best tone money can buy! -
Great Range! These pickups have great dynamic range and tone up and down the neck. They have a sweet voice and deliver everything from ultra sharp highs to that funky muddy blues tones that I particularly like. And the sustain rivals my Les Paul.
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Only complaint is the cloth wire. I really hate the pushback wire on these pickups. It’s really a drag to work with. Other than that, I like ’em fine!
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Very happy with these pickups. They have good definition on a clean channel and still have the Tele twang. The bridge responds well when you crank up some gain.
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