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.
Note:
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Featured Reviews
Reviews we worked hard for, and are proud of.
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.
Love the telecaster pickups. Was just the upgrade that it needed.
These new pickups sound fantastic! The clarity is unbelievable and no hum on my fender telecaster player anymore.
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!
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.
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!
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!
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.