THE PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN WARM AND BRIGHT
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.
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
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.
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 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. 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 highest fret.
- Wiring Diagrams? Here!
TECHNICAL INFORMATION:
Ron Kirn (verified owner) – :
It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing…
You’re walking down Beale Street… ya hear an amazing sound flooding out of an open door…. sticking your head in, you see, he’s sitting there with just a Fender Deluxe and a worn-out Strat…. You’re wondering how in heck can he get such sound from such a minimalist rig….
That’s the sound that strikes me every time I use the Blues Specials… and I’ve used a lot.
Ron Kirn – Ron Kirn Guitars
Zachary Murphy (verified owner) – :
The way a Strat should sound!
I put a Blues Special neck and a Blues Special bridge with the metal baseplate in my Mexican Roadhouse Special strat. The neck pickup has all the dynamics and warmth I love with plenty of spank when you hit it. The bridge pickup really amazed me. I finally have a strat with a bridge single coil that I can actually use. All the spikey harsh highs are tamed. It’s big and articulate. Both pickups clean up incredibly well with a little roll off of the volume knob. Now I just need to order one for the middle position!
Michael Stampler (verified owner) – :
HSS Tele
I outfitted a Telecaster with a full set of Fralin pickups and it just turned out amazing. With two single coils and a humbucker, this guitar has a complete range of sounds. Thanks to Lindy for helping me out.
Duncan Parker (verified owner) – :
First Class Sounds
I am absolutely over the moon ?!!! After installing the Lindy Fralin pickups, my Paisley Strat has now become my “Go To” guitar. These pickups give me such a variety of real class sounds to choose from. The installation guide on the website was real handy… Thanks!!!!!!
Kimo Leong (verified owner) – :
Lindy, I really like the BS Strat set. I have been playing your pickups for decades so I was not surprised when they sounded so good. I sold the 58 Strat that you fixed middle pickup on about 25 years ago but I still have a few old Strats and I keep looking for pickups that I can install in Custom Shop guitars so I can get close to the vintage tone and not worry about taking an old guitar to gigs. The BS did not disappoint. Thanks, Kimo.
Chad Leatherwood (verified owner) – :
Hot Sauce for the Strat
I’ve had the Blue Specials in for a couple of months and love them. They really added bite/growl I was looking for, while keeping that signature strat sound.
Bryan Heaney (verified owner) – :
New world!
Got a 78 hard tail strat, had the blues specials installed and couldn’t believe the new tone that I have! Such a great investment!
Chris Kline (verified owner) – :
Simply Awesome.
I have an Eric Johnson model with a 12″ radius board and the vintage stagger made the high e and B weaker on my example no matter how the pickups/setup was. So I got a hybrid staggered set with a wind that is in between the Blues Specials and the Vintage Hots because I couldn’t choose and that was what Lindy suggested. The are, as the title says Awesome! I have played around with a few different pickups and these have very balanced output string to string, great tone, (GREAT!!) and the difference and variety of tones avaible is almost overwhelming. I opted for a blender pot and a no load tone pot with a russian paper in oil cap and there are so many tones avaible that I haven’t been able to explore them all yet! Thanks so much for making fantastic pickups Lindy! If you want to buy only one set of upgraded pickups for your guitar, and not just hope that they will be good, Buy Fralin’s. That’s why you never see them on the used market.
Wyatt Knox (verified owner) – :
Done searching.
These are incredible, the best I’ve found to my ears at least. I run Blues Specials in all 3 positions, a reverse angle (Hendrix pickguard) bridge pickup with the baseplate, Fralin blender pot wiring with the magic cap… I would happily put this strat against anything in the world for blues and rock.
Tony – :
They brought my strat to life. I hated the Mod Vs that came with my strat. They were thin and the high end was brittle and I just couldn’t get a good bluesy tone. I went with the Blues Special with the SP42 in the bridge and the difference is remarkable. They seem to be just hot enough to bring a low-gain overdrive to that sweet spot without any fizz. They are articulate and the tone smokes anything I’ve had in the past. This is my first set of Fralin’s, but I’m sure it won’t be the last.
Blake Kane (verified owner) – :
I’m amazed by these Blues Specials. I bought a Blues Special Strat bridge pick up recently and I’m loving every bit of it! The clarity is awesome as well as the presence. I will be replacing my other pickups with more Blues Specials soon. Insanely fast delivery time as well which I was very impressed with.
Austin Nichols (verified owner) – :
I love these pickups so much! They have a lot of clarity and they react so well with my guitar and gear. This really made my strat ten times better than when I had the stock pickups. Love them, Great job Lindy and the team! Great quality!
Michael Thomas (verified owner) – :
Bridge, 1st purchase
I was thinking about purchasing a vintage hot bridge extra wind but after talking with Lindy and others I decided to give this a try. Nothing better than having a little more gain and thickness in the bridge it goes very well with the vintage hots in the neck and middle position. I couldn’t be happier. Thanks!
Paul Carter (verified owner) – :
Love Em! I no longer deal with the ice picking of the stock pickups, very warm, smooth and responsive. Handles OD and other pedals great. Thanks Lindy, I’ll be back!
damien – :
Just put a set in my pre cbs 61 strat ,because the pickups were a bit mellow after 50 years ,i,ve left my original pre cbs bridge pickup in ,and its a perfect match with lindy middle & neck pickup
Matt LaValley (verified owner) – :
Fantastic. These pickups are awesome. The definition and clarity are great. Killer blues tone!
Paolo Angulo (verified owner) – :
Extremely satisfied!
I’ve always wanted to own a Fralin pickup on one of my guitars and when I was about to order a message popped up telling me to read some info before purchasing which taught me a lot about what’s the right pickup for my configuration since I have a vintage style strat so I would highly recommend going with a Fralin pickup, you won’t be disappointed!
Todd Hyler – :
They sound great! The tone is perfect for me. The bridge pickup really can rock when you push it, all-in-all the tone sounds right for blues and rock.
Tim Baldwin (verified owner) – :
LF Blues Specials replace Texas Specials
1. These have the perfect brightness. No need to back off the tone pot.
2. Very low hum and noise.
3. Good balance across the strings. They fixed the deadness up the neck playing B string.
4. Nice balance between beef and chime. I have base plates on bridge and middle PUs.
These pickups were worth the price, and workmanship is top notch!
Andre Calaminus (verified owner) – :
These are sweet
A bit meatier than your stock Strat pickups, but with all that classic sound. If you’re looking for a quality, big sound, you won’t be disappointed.
Gauny Guillaume (verified owner) – :
Unbelievable! I ordered these pickups for a production for Popa Chubby and I must say that these are among the best single pickups that I could test! Well done!
Stephen Bell (verified owner) – :
Frankly, beyond my expectations. I’ve been a pretty committed Texas Special guy until now. 1) Completely even string response. Punchy and articulate across all the strings. No more weak and dying treble sustain. I spend most of my time on the neck pickup now. 2) Blends perfectly in volume with the Split Steel Poled Tele I have in the bridge. I can change pickups mid solo with no volume drop. 3) Staff was warm and helpful. Lindy even got on the phone to make some suggestions. Very pleased.
Neil Fourie (verified owner) – :
Amazing tones
These pickups completely transformed my CIJ stratocaster. Absolutely fantastic bluesy tones! I now prefer this guitar to my custom shop MIA stratocaster.. I guess I need to get a second pair 🙂
Tom Clines (verified owner) – :
Great Sound.
Have a set of Blues Specials in my 1956 NOS custom shop Strat. Liked them so much that I put a set in my 1973 Strat. (I’ve owned this guitar since 1974).
John O’Connor (verified owner) – :
I just finished a build and used these pick ups. The sound is awesome. I’m still experimenting with them but I love the way they sound. Just what I was looking for. Thanks Lindy
Mike Galvan (verified owner) – :
These pickups are the real deal! I ordered the Blues Special Strat pickups (mid and neck) to work along with a Seymore Duncan JB Jr bridge. Tyler and Lindy were great about leading me in the wiring and blender setup/install. I highly recommend doing business with Lindy Fralin. You won’t be disappointed!
Mike from KY
Bradley – :
Have these pups in a 2004 Standard Strat I bought from a local musician. My goodness. Clear and fat and with some OD it’s just killer. Getting tons of compliments on my Strat’s tone. Would highly recommend to anyone.
Pietro – :
My strat ( squier maple body plus reverse all-parts neck, all maple too) has never sounded more perfect! The blues special set gives you a tremendously balanced array of sound: every position is very usable and efficent! The tone is what is has to be: airy, with the right amount of darkness and meat. Chord sound Huge and absolutely clear trough the amp. And the blues of course, every note gives you that chimey bell-like attack when you pick! I would suggest this set, even if not Hum cancelling, for all your neo-classical stuff too!
I am stunned cause it looks, weights and handles like a totally regular single coil set. Where is your secret guys?
Pieter Kniest – :
Replaced the Fender SCN pickups in my Custom Shop Pro model. Guitar is fitted with a maple neck. Actually bought the pre-wired pickguard with magic tone cap installed :-). These pickups make a big big difference, good balanced mellowed tone. Just a perfect match for this guitar! Highly reccomended for use with maple neck guitars. For me this is the best set I have ever played (+ 25 years), love it!
My other stratocaster btw (rosewood neck) is fitted with a Fralin vintage hot set, also great pickups that work realy well with that guitar. Sound and perception are for a big part in the person itself , but I personally would not go without a Fralin equiped guitar! Really makes a difference.
David Sumners – :
Love my Lindy Fralins. This is number nine for me, Blues Specials in Strats have the best tone ever, bell chime wet highs, fat warm resonate mids and lows, Fralins are hands down my favorite pickups for guitar, what a Strat is supposed to sound like 🙂
Lou Gimenez (verified owner) – :
I love my Blues Special Strat pickup I got for my 1981 “The Strat”. I also love my set of Vintage Hot’s I have on another Strat. And the Blues Special pickups I have on my G Custom Tele. And the Fralin P90’s I have on an Agile Valkryie and the Blues Specials and Humbucker I have on on of my 86 Ibanez PL2550 and The Humbuckers I have on my 90’s Epiphone Sheraton. I think Lindy makes the best pickups currently made on the planet.
Joseph Franks – :
So far, i’m pretty impressed with these pickups. I chose two specials for the neck and middle and a high output for the bridge with a blender pot and treble bleed. I gotta say, it made me fall back in love with my strat. The tone is definitely thicker but still retains that strat sparkle, but not too twangy, which i like. I love the tone options too with the blender. These pickups cut through perfectly and sound great with gain. Good rock tone and thick blues tone. The cleans chime. I’m a Fralin fan. I talked to Lindy on the phone momentarily when i was considering them and he was helpful but not pushy and answered my questions. My Strat is like a super strat now, i love it.
Justin – :
I’m extremely happy with these Blues Specials! I bought a neck & bridge pickup for a regular ole American Strat. And these were the first replacement pickups I’ve put in any guitar. After many years of playing stock Strats I decided to try these. I must admit at first I wasn’t sure if I liked them.. It actually took some time adjusting because I had grown so accustomed to using the lousy, thin pickups that came with my guitars I didn’t know what I had at first. The number one question many people have about new pickups (myself included) is whether or not they will sound different from what they’ve already got. I can say absolutely yes! That same change/improvement also requires some adjustments to the eq on my equipment; I no longer needed to fear harsh highs, cut treble and compensate for lack of bass response. This was a good thing and translated to a better balance.
What I also realized is it may actually be possible to utilize the bridge position. I had intended originally to get a mini humbucking, single coil sized pickup with high output (i.e. SD “hot rails”, “JB Jr.”). But because I loved these so much and because I now knew that it was possible for a single coil to sound full and warm.. I bought a Fralin SP42 for the bridge position and I’ve never been more impressed! Never thought I’d be so happy to play a Strat in the bridge position through a blackface Super and be floored by how good it sounds! Wow..
Mike Bjorgo – :
I recently got the okey-dokey from the little woman for a new axe, but limited budget. Checked out my favorite shop’s website and found a sharp looking 2011 MIM FSR Strat in Copperburst. After a bit more research, I went for it at $350 with gig bag. When I got the Strat, I started immediately noticing upgrades…the nut was bone, the saddles were Graphtech, and the sustain block was FU. Best of all, the pickups are Fralin Blues Specials! This thing sounds so amazing that I’ve been offered ttiple what I paid and passed on it! These are the best Strat pups I’ve ever heard! They have all voice you expect without being ice-picky, and are very expressive. Every position is VERY usable, and 100% musical.
Jeff Cornell – :
I have been a stratocaster lover for years, but have had consistent issues with sound and tone. Then I tried Fralin Blues Specials. I can not overstate the satisfaction I felt when I started playing my stratocasters with these pickups in them. I have a new ’12 one and ’75 vintage and they have moved to front of my arsenal since switching to these pickups.
Beautiful warm tones, nice crispy clean sounds, incredibly cool decay (when using overdrive) and just such an awesome classic gutsy sound. I feel like I finally graduated to a pro set-up with these pickups and have to wonder why I never tried them sooner.
However many stars a review can have, add one!
Patrick – :
I’ve owned a lot of Stratocaster’s over the years but never cared for the stock pickups or the custom shops I alway’s found them to be thin and tinny sounding until I tried a set of blue’s specials now that’s all I use in my Stratocaster’s much to my surprise I tried them in an early 90’s Plus they sounded more amazing with the swimming pool route.
Kent Havener (verified owner) – :
I’d like to thank you guys for your helpful support and hard work. The Strat “Blues Special” are everything I was looking for.
Barney Perrine – :
The luthier working on my guitar after I asked what pickups to get for the rebuild , gave me 2 or 3 sites that make them. What I didn’t know was that the choices would be endless. It was your site that sold me on your pickups. I was able to by a set for my Tele instead of trying to pick a neck and bridge pickup from dozens of pick ups and I was able to hear them compared to baseline or stock pickups because you supplied a video all in one place on your site. I played the guitar live for the first time last night and couldn’t be happier. They went into this beautiful Tele that my eldest son told me he would build for me if I beat cancer. This is the first time in the 30 + years I’ve been a musician that I have felt like I’ve finally found the sound I’ve been looking for.
Nate Rudy – :
I sent an old Strat pickup to Lindy to be rewound in 2009 at the suggestion of my guitar tech, David Petillo, from Petillo Guitars.
This pickup came from my ’65 Strat. It was dead when I got the guitar in 1990 when I immediately replaced it with a Seymour Duncan.
Lindy stayed true to my requests regarding the cosmetics of the pickup and he rewound it to spec. The pickup is still running solid.
I never miss a chance to recommend Fralin pickups to anyone that needs replacements or a rewind.
Eric (verified owner) – :
Fantastic pickups. Replaced a set of texas specials in an alder body strat. More bite, way more character. Love em. Great customer service as well. Much appreciated.
John R (verified owner) – :
I have a MIM Strat, not a terribly expensive guitar, but nice. I had replaced the stock pickups with a set from another company – not what I would call “top-shelf” but decent, and it was definitely an improvement over the originals.
I wanted to further improve the sound, and someone recommended that I try a set of Lindy Fralin’s. I wondered if the increased cost could be justified since these pickups cost almost as much as the guitar! And would I hear much of an difference compared the pups they replaced, which were not bad.
To my amazement, the answer to both questions is yes! There is a musical quality to these pickups that is hard to explain. As soon as I plugged into my amp, it was obvious. My Strat sounded like many recordings we’ve all heard, as opposed to a cheap guitar off the rack at GC (no offense).
I think these pickups are worth every penny, it was money well spent, and I have no regrets.
Scott Dale – :
I put these in my Am Std 2005 Strat and absolutely love them. They are super clear and full with no imbalance of frequencies anywhere. I would not call them super fat, just full with plenty of sparkle without being ice picky. They obviously play clean tones perfectly but the way they overdrive my Deluxe Reverb is super smooth and creamy. I got the base plate for the bridge pickup which does exactly what Lindy says it is supposed to do. That may be why my strat does not get too overly bright on that pickup like it did with the Fender pickups that came on it. I also have some Fender CS Fat 50’s on a similar axe and they are definitely fatter and a little louder but less articulate that these Blues Specials. You can really tell the quality difference in a boutique hand-wound Fralin and a mass produced Fender pickup, and the price difference is negligible. I highly recommend these pickups and the customer service you get when you call Lindy is second to none. Good luck calling up Leo Fender and chatting about your pickups :)). I also got the blender wiring kit and that is very useful as well and I ended up putting one in both my strats.
Bob – :
Just amazing and articulate. Crunchy when necessary.
I have a custom shop 57 relic w hand wound Josefina pickups that was just harsh. Put these in and really made the guitar sing. Only mellowed a bit, still surprisingly quacky and the treble is still there when I need it.
You can’t go wrong.