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 |
*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 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.
Hi, I have an Ultra tele. It has the “series” switch and noisless pickups. I’m thinking of trying the Fralin Blues Specials. Will the S1 switch still work? Are there any other issues with this setup?
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Q Hi, I have an Ultra tele. It has the “series” switch and noisless pickups. I’m thinking of trying...... Read moreA
Hey Jim, yes! Be sure to select "4-way switching modification" on the product Add Ons and Options.
Assuming I'm using a traditional bridge with brass saddles and mounting the bridge pickup with the provided screws, is a separate bridge ground wire required to ground the strings? Or does the metal plate beneath the bridge pickup negate the need for that.
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Q Assuming I'm using a traditional bridge with brass saddles and mounting the bridge pickup with th...... Read moreA
Hey Jordan, as long as your properly ground the Bridge Pickup using the supplied black wire, the steel plate grounds out the bridge assembly when the bridge pickup mounts to the bridge assembly.
Note:
Asking a question here will be public to all users of this siteHey!
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GET IT PREWIRED
Go the extra mile and combine our Blues Special Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
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Featured Reviews
Reviews we worked hard for, and are proud of.
Ordered a 7.5 k bridge.
Very happy.
Great for all styles and blues.
Not to trebly and very clear and crisp.
I was surprised how quiet it is.
Matches perfectly with the volume of my neck mini humbucker.
Bought Lindy’s reversed Tele control plate for use with a set of “Blues Special” PUPs on my Partscaster. Works as advertised and really brings out the, darker, “more mids” character of the PUP’s that is more in line with my primarily rock playing. For a few hundred bucks, I now have a Tele that stands right with boutique specials costing thousands.
I just completed a custom build (Black Cherry and Walnut Telecaster), using the Fralin Tele Blues Special pickups. They’re amazing. I’ve used a lot of different pickups and these are easily the most articulate and responsive I’ve ever played. They pick up every nuance of how you use your pick. Light pick, mellow sound. Attack the strings and things get mean. These pickups are great for mellow acoustic type finger picking, sweet blues or dirty rock and roll. I’m really enjoying them. They cost a little more than some, but they’re worth every penny and then some. I’m very impressed.
They were better than I expected. Perfect for what I do.
Thank you!!
Steel Pole 42 in neck and Blues Special in bridge…incredible…they replaced SD Antiquities that were way too brittle to my ears…with this pair of Fralins it’s the perfect combo of twang and growl…Both pickups can go from clear and bright with nice warmth and sustain to full on growl and grind in a flash depending on string attack and pedals…very happy
Installed in a 2019 American Performer Telecaster. Like the 200 plus reviews already. This is a fabulous set of pickups. From an aesthetic point of the the raw nickel looks incredible.
Sound wise, just blows the stock Yosemites out of the water. There’s detail that wasn’t there before. I play a lot of jazz. And I always want that neck pickup to have clarity and thickness. The first lick I played after installing the Blues Special, I made an audible gasp. It’s what I’ve been looking for. Smooth, detailed, dynamic. I can’t imagine you would be disappointed putting these in any Fender telecaster currently made.
Bought a set of Blues Specials to replace the Gen 4 Noiseless pickups in a Fender Telecaster Ultra. Also bought the prewired switchplate to go with them, as I did not need the S1 wiring. Great choice, exactly what I was looking for — bright but not ice picky, with just a touch more gain to drive an amp. Customer service was excellent throughout.
Excellent pickups. Exactly what i was looking for in sound, quality and easy installation.
I only write reviews on products I’m either very happy or very unhappy with, and when it comes to the blues special set I’m blown away by how good they sound!
Lindy does it again. The way tele pickups should sound….absolutely beautiful.