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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Will these Blues Special Tele and other Tele and Strat pickups work with a vintage depth pickup cavity of 5/8"?
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Q Will these Blues Special Tele and other Tele and Strat pickups work with a vintage depth pickup c...... Read moreA
Hey Jordan, thanks for your question. All of our standard Tele Neck pickups (not the Steel Pole line) will have an average height of 5/8", so as long as you're not bottoming out the pickup, it should fit fine. If you sink your pickup flush with the pickguard, it will bottom out.
I have a Fender '52 RI Tele on which I've made a few mods. My neck pickup seems to have low output and sounds anemic and weak. The original pickup was weak, the rewind (P-90) was weak and the present LSL replacement is weak. I can only guess this has something to do with the bobbin size because I've heard a lot of Tele players make the same complaint about their neck pickup Would the Vintage Hot neck pickup with 2% over-wind have noticeably highe...
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Q I have a Fender '52 RI Tele on which I've made a few mods. My neck pickup seems to have low outpu...... Read moreA
Hey James, I would actually recommend the Blues Special - it features twang, but a thicker midrange and darker highs, especially in the Neck - in my opinion, it's the perfect voicing for a Telecaster. We have a 30-day exchange policy, so if you're not 100% satisfied with the Blues Special, we'll know what to do from there.
I have a Nashville deluxe, what do you recommend putting in the center pick up with the Blues Tele pick-ups?
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Q I have a Nashville deluxe, what do you recommend putting in the center pick up with the Blues Tel...... Read moreA
Hey Rick, our Blues Special Strat would be the perfect compliment to the set.
Can I add a cover to a Blues Special Tele neck and, if so, can I buy a cover from you ? Also, I just wanted to say that I have several guitars with your pickups and they are remarkable. Thanks for what you do
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Q Can I add a cover to a Blues Special Tele neck and, if so, can I buy a cover from you ? Also, I j...... Read moreA
Hey Pat, if you have the staggered magnets out of the top, you'll need to go with an Open Top cover. We don't sell our covers separately, but you can get them all at Philadelphia Luthier Tools
Hi I'm interested in a Blues special telecaster set of pickups. I want the neck pickup with no cover at all. Is the 4 way switching option not possible now since wire cant be soldered to cover. Thanks for your help
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Q Hi I'm interested in a Blues special telecaster set of pickups. I want the neck pickup with no co...... Read moreA
Hey Phil, we can still do that - you'll get two wires, White and Black. The magnets will be taped so you can achieve the modification still.
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Featured Reviews
Reviews we worked hard for, and are proud of.
I have just installed a set of Blues Specials in my Tele. The build quality is superb, the clarity is almost HiFi like, but for me I found the bridge pickup 1st, 2nd and 3rd strings a bit too bright and sterile and not quite enough punch, which I could not dial out using the tone controls on the guitar and amp without it getting muddy.
No fault of the pickups, just not for me I’m afraid. I’ll keep them as spares.
The Blues Specials are or should be, the defacto industry standard for how sets of Tele Pickups are ranked. Your tele comes to life with a voice that you’ve listened to/for your whole life and adds that same level of confidence to your playing as well. You simply won’t be failing to complete good phrases knowing the tone you want your audience to hear is supporting every note you play. That’s GREAT PICKUP making! Keep up the good work, Lindy..!
I have these in a thin line Tele, they are a full round tone with plenty of “spank”. None of the harsh treble end that I was experiencing with the other pickups that were in the guitar. This is the second set of Fralin pickups I have purchased and I have been 100% satisfied with each purchase. Their crew knows the product and will take the time to answer questions and make sure you are getting exactly what you are looking for. I have the 4 way switch on this set and it is awesome! To my ear the 4 way mod puts you in Humbucker territory and adds to the versatility of the instrument.
At some point, whether through necessity or curiosity, most guitarists are faced with replacing pickups. Most will opt for whatever they had in the guitar initially. If you’re the type of individual that looks for a better quality than stock, you will inevitably stumble into the complex and new world of “Boutique Pickups”. Any internet search for said pickups will lead you to Fralin Pickups. After you find this company, breathe a sigh of relief … you’ve reached your destination. Any questions will be answered and not in a manner to sell you their product (it sells itself), but rather to give a better understanding of your options.
I discovered the Blues Special Teles out of necessity. I bought the pickups because of countless five star reviews. When I played the Blues Specials for the first time, I knew instantly that I had made the right decision and that I would be purchasing another set of Fralin Pickups for my Stratocaster. I’ll be writing another five star review for the High Output Strat soon enough.
The sound of the Blues Specials is crystal clear whether your signal is on clean or overdrive. You will hear every nuance of your playing . Light and heavy pick attacks will give entirely different sounds. Heavy playing won’t be punished with muddled tones, it’ll be rewarded with complete clarity. Lighter playing will have equal clarity and give you similar expressive abilities as an acoustic guitar (like hearing your fingers move along the frets when changing positions). The sound of silence is quite impressive. Even with high gain on your pedals or amp, unless you’re playing it, you won’t hear much from your guitar.
The range of tones I can describe as, “what you want your telecaster to sound like, but way better.” The neck pickup is warm and familiar, but also full of expression and is very similar to the position 2 (neck and middle) on a Strat. I won’t go into the 4-way tele mod, suffice to say if you don’t know about it, do yourself a favor and learn. The neck and middle are a perfect balance of twang warmth. The bridge has certainly got the twang, but not so much that you go deaf after one practice. I have the original tone and volume controls and have no complaints.
The Blues Specials can’t be pigeonheoled into style. I’ve played them with light jazz and heavy metal (and yes … they can hangout with your friends’ humbuckers any day with no shame). Country and blues? No problem. Rock and hard rock? Why are you even asking? These pickups will work for almost any style you throw at them. The only thing I can think of holding them back would be the individual playing them.
Lastly I’ll mention aesthetics. Being a Telecaster your bridge pickup is just that. Your neck pickup, however, has a small but diverse set of options and I highly recommend checking them out. I opted for the polished nickel open-top. To me, it’s a beautiful blend of retro and retro (it just looks really cool).
If you’re serious about your tone and quality, you can’t go wrong with the Blues Specials. I’ve heard some complain about the price and it makes me laugh. The Blues Specials boast 5% overwound copper wire. I can’t be sure of the exact length, but handmade pickups with the combined length of over a mile of copper wrap … you’re not paying too much. I can’t thank the entire team at Fralin Pickups enough. I’m ecstatic that I found this great company and look forward to doing business with them again.
At some point, whether through necessity or curiosity, most guitarists are faced with replacing pickups. Most will opt for whatever they had in the guitar initially. If you’re the type of individual that looks for a better quality than stock, you will inevitably stumble into the complex and new world of “Boutique Pickups”. Any search for quality pickups will lead you to Fralin Pickups. After you find this company, breathe a sigh of relief … you’ve reached your destination. Any questions will be answered and not in a manner to sell you their product (it sells itself), but rather to give a better understanding.
I discovered Blues Special Teles out of necessity. I bought the pickups because of countless five star reviews. When I played the Blues Specials for the first time, I knew instantly that I had made the right decision and that I would be purchasing another set of Fralin Pickups for my Stratocaster and I’ll be writing another five star review for the High Output Strat soon enough.
The sound is crystal clear whether your signal is on clean or overdrive. You will hear every nuance of your playing . Light and heavy pick attacks will give entirely different sounds. Heavy playing won’t be punished with muddled tones, it’ll be rewarded with complete clarity. Lighter playing will have equal clarity and give you similar expressive abilities as an acoustic guitar (like hearing your fingers move along the frets when changing positions). The sound of silence is quite impressive. Even with high gain on your pedals or amp, unless you’re playing it, you won’t hear earsplitting feedback.
The range of tones I can describe as, “what you want your telecaster to sound like, but way better.” The neck pickup is warm and familiar, but also full of expression and is very similar to the position 2 (neck and middle) on a Strat. I won’t go into the 4-way tele mod, suffice to say if you don’t know about it, do yourself a favor and learn. The neck and middle are a perfect balance of twang warmth. The bridge is certainly got the twang, but not so much t
I ordered these from Australia.
They were shipped to me in next to no time.
I couldn’t believe how much these pickups transformed my Tele. They sound phenomenal. They have so much punch yet are incredibly articulate.
I love them.
Replaced some old fender custom shop pickups with these and am very happy with the results. These seem to product much cleaner and fuller lows with puncher mids. Shipped quicker than expected as well. Thanks folks.
Dropped these into a Squier Patanormal, it rocks. The instructions were super helpful, and it was super easy
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!
Put these in my homemade Tele-style guitar and don’t regret it. Really appreciate all the installation tips sent by the people at Lindy Fralin,as this was my first Tele-style build. They sound great with 4-way switch.