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:
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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Whats the difference between the white and black string?
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Q Whats the difference between the white and black string?A
Oliver,
Purely aesthetic - one is white, the other is black. We wrap the bridge pickup in this string.
Is the only difference between The vintage hot tele & the blues special tele is that both neck and bridge pick ups are 5% overwound?
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Q Is the only difference between The vintage hot tele & the blues special tele is that both nec...... Read moreA
Hey Chris, there are two differences between the Vintage Hot Tele and Blues Special Tele:
- The Blues Specials are overwound by 5% on both neck and bridge
- The Blues Specials always come with raised D string for better string-to-string balance.
I’m after a Fralin bridge blues special pickup for my telecaster. The current neck pickup is a DiMazio true velvet, which I’m happy with. Are there any compatibility problems with this set up? Thanking you. Andy.
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Q I’m after a Fralin bridge blues special pickup for my telecaster. The current neck pickup is a Di...... Read moreA
Hey Andy, no, just make sure your True Velvet has multiple leads in case you need to reverse the polarity.
Can you tell me if there is a sound bite of the three cover options on the blues special pickup. I am aware of the opinions of the chrome dulling the sound, but thinking of the two nickel options vs no cover.
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Q Can you tell me if there is a sound bite of the three cover options on the blues special pickup. ...... Read moreA
Hey Edward, we do not, unfortunately. From personal experience, the tonal difference is incredibly subtle, as we compensate the pickup's winding to be brighter if a customer orders one with a cover. - Tyler
Hi Fralins! I adore your Special blues bridge. Now i’m looking for a soapbar p90 neck to match it with. Could any of your 90s be the perfect one for my Scandinavian Tele?
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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.
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"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."
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"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!"
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"I had ordered another (reputable) company's PU's and was not at all happy with them. I had all but stopped playing my Telecaster because of this. On a recommendation from my tech, I called and actually spoke with Lindy about the issue. On HIS recommendation after our conversation, I ended up ordering a set of the Blues Specials for my Tele. The very minute they were in the guitar I could immediately hear the difference. A few days later, I was using them onstage in front of a large, very rowdy crowd, and the guitar was so alive and responsive... the difference was like night and day. I absolutely LOVE these PU's!!! Meaty, but not too dark, clear, but not too shrill... VERY toneful, for lack of a better description. Well, maybe that IS the best description... Thanks Lindy. I have my Tele back!!!"
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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."
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.