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Blues Special Strat
$95.00 – $285.00
Blues Specials are our second best-selling Stratocaster set! They are a great choice for players who want a little more “thickness” in their single note soloing. Blues Specials will give you more crunch in your chord playing. This set is 5% darker and thicker than our Vintage Hots.
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Strat.
Want sound clips and video? Read Below
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 6.3K |
| Middle Ohm Reading: | 6.3K |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.1K |
| Neck & Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South to Strings |
| Reverse Middle Polarity: | Counter-Clockwise Coil Direction, North to Strings |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
Blues Special Strat Info:
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:
Blues Special Strat FEATURES:
- 5% more coil than our Vintage Hots: 5% more output and mids, 5% less highs
- Modified Fender specifications, with more output and thicker tone
- High output, but still has Fender sparkle
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- RW / RP Middle pickup
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Two magnet staggers available for different fingerboard radiuses
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Overview
Blues Special Strat Pickups are our second best-selling single coil set. Musicians looking for a thick, warm sound will love the sound of these pickups. Blues Specials are wound with 5% more coil than Vintage Hots, making them sound 5% hotter and thicker. This model can help you balance out a bright guitar by adding thickness to the tone.
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. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. This gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sound
When playing clean, Blues Specials sound thick and rich, especially in the lows and mids. Additionally, they sound very open and clear without sounding too compressed. The 5% overwound coil gives the player 5% less highs and 5% more mids than the Vintage Hot Pickups. Expect the tone to have a light compression with distortion. You’ll notice a thick high-end with a low-end growl and a medium attack. Single notes sound thick and round, while chords have a full tone with an early breakup. This pickup sounds powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level.
Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If your current pickups are too bright, you might love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, but not aggressive. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Video
FAQ's
- What Magnet Stagger Do I Use? This all depends on your fingerboard radius. If you have a 7.25″ – 10″ Radius, we recommend going with Stock Stagger. If you have a flatter or compound radius, go with the Hybrid stagger.
- What’s the difference between Blues Specials and Vintage Hots? Blues Specials have more turns per pickup – they sound thicker and darker, with more output than Vintage Hots. Vintage Hots sound cleaner, clearer and a tad bit more balanced.
- How far away from the strings does the pickup need to be? Push your Low E String down at the highest fret. Measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. The ideal starting location should be 1/8″ on the bass string, and 1/16″ on the treble string when the High E string is pushed down at the highest fret.
- Wiring Diagrams? Here!
Sizing & Wiring Diagrams
WIRING DIAGRAMS:
We do not offer installation help or guidance, but we do have easy-to-follow, beautiful Wiring Diagrams! Click below:
- 5% more coil than our Vintage Hots: 5% more output and mids, 5% less highs
- Modified Fender specifications, with more output and thicker tone
- High output, but still has Fender sparkle
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- RW / RP Middle pickup
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Two magnet staggers available for different fingerboard radiuses
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Blues Special Strat Pickups are our second best-selling single coil set. Musicians looking for a thick, warm sound will love the sound of these pickups. Blues Specials are wound with 5% more coil than Vintage Hots, making them sound 5% hotter and thicker. This model can help you balance out a bright guitar by adding thickness to the tone.
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. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. This gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
When playing clean, Blues Specials sound thick and rich, especially in the lows and mids. Additionally, they sound very open and clear without sounding too compressed. The 5% overwound coil gives the player 5% less highs and 5% more mids than the Vintage Hot Pickups. Expect the tone to have a light compression with distortion. You’ll notice a thick high-end with a low-end growl and a medium attack. Single notes sound thick and round, while chords have a full tone with an early breakup. This pickup sounds powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level.
Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If your current pickups are too bright, you might love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, but not aggressive. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
- What Magnet Stagger Do I Use? This all depends on your fingerboard radius. If you have a 7.25″ – 10″ Radius, we recommend going with Stock Stagger. If you have a flatter or compound radius, go with the Hybrid stagger.
- What’s the difference between Blues Specials and Vintage Hots? Blues Specials have more turns per pickup – they sound thicker and darker, with more output than Vintage Hots. Vintage Hots sound cleaner, clearer and a tad bit more balanced.
- How far away from the strings does the pickup need to be? Push your Low E String down at the highest fret. Measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. The ideal starting location should be 1/8″ on the bass string, and 1/16″ on the treble string when the High E string is pushed down at the highest fret.
- Wiring Diagrams? Here!
WIRING DIAGRAMS:
We do not offer installation help or guidance, but we do have easy-to-follow, beautiful Wiring Diagrams! Click below:
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
69 reviews for Blues Special Strat
Trying to leave a review for our Blues Special Strat? Leave one here.
Robert Bret Hartley (verified owner) –
Strat Blues Specials
after only one live gig and a couple of sessions (due to the pandemic), I may never leave the neck pickup! but if I do all other positions sounded great. thanks, Paul for helping me choose the right set, and to Jeff Rice at Intown Guitar Repair in Atlanta for the recommendation.
John Kaigley (verified owner) –
RWRP for Nashville Tele. Works great with the Blues Special Tele set.
Chris Dunnum –
I’ve been playing these in my #1 for 24+ years and they still sound as awesome as the day I got them! just beautifully matched to the Strat feel and sound! I’ve played all kinds of Fender Pups through the years, but I always turn back to these masterpieces
John Ladas (verified owner) –
This pick up is just ridiculous ..the tone is incredible ..soon as I can afford to get another one I will. compliments to the chef for cooking this pup up.
Greg L (verified owner) –
Really nice pickups and like how they sound. Like how they are made in Richmond, VA USA.
They were wired in a Fender Strat with a bridge push push 250k pot. Thank you, to Fralin Pickups.
These kind of pickups could be used by the pros.
steven k white –
Installed on my Fender Player Strat (MIM). Love Them!
Mark DeRoin (verified owner) –
Thank you! Awesome blues special pickups!
I wanted to replace the bridge pickup in my strat with a Fralin. I ordered online but I did not realize my magnets were opposite polarity (use the helpful tips on the Fralin web page to save yourself from the same mistake). The team at. Fralin was on point and helped me correct the problem. Great pickups and great customer service! Very much appreciated! Love the tone!
Carlos Palazio (verified owner) –
Outstanding! Great sound!
Steven Brown (verified owner) –
The best! I installed them in a custom guitar I made, perfect tone, and super quiet and quality I expected A+++!