Blues Special Strat
Versatile, Thick Tone for Strat®
$105 – $315
Are you seeking a thicker Strat sound, that still sounds like a Strat? Look no further than our Blues Specials. One of our best-selling Stratocaster sets, Blues Specials provides more output and a thicker sound while retaining that Stratocaster tone we all know and love. Manufactured by hand in Richmond, VA with 100% USA-Made materials, instantly transform your Strat into a versatile powerhouse and discover what you’ve been missing with our Blues Specials.
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All Strat Tone, Only Thicker.
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features:
Blues Specials are our second best-selling Stratocaster single coil set, and for a good reason: with a thicker, warmer tone, they are perfect for balancing out a bright guitar and pushing your amp hard, all while retaining “the” Strat tone! If you are looking for a thick, warm sound out of your Strat, you will love the sound of these pickups. With more turns per coil than our Vintage Hots, these slightly overwound pickups sound a bit thicker and hotter than vintage-voiced models.
Plugging in, you’ll immediately get inspired by the powerful, slightly compressed, and creamy Strat tone coming out of these pickups. You’ll notice the tight and warm midrange coupled with crystal-clear lows and round highs.
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 for Hum Cancelling in positions 2 & 4
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets and wire 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, locally-sourced fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
- Risk-free 30-day exchange policy
It starts here: Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control and tonal bliss. Blues Specials consist of locally-sourced fiberboard, USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets, and USA-Made 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon Wire.
We wind each pickup by hand using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique, one at a time in Richmond, VA. Winding this way is more labor-intensive, but it gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup in a neutral wax to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Sound
Whether playing clean or dirty, Blues Specials feature a thicker midrange and rounder highs than vintage-voiced Strat models like our Real 54’s or Vintage Hots. Although they are an overwound Strat pickup, they are not too aggressive and feature a very open and dynamic tone. Blues Specials sound more like a traditional Strat pickup, unlike our Steel Pole 42’s, which lean closer to the sound of a P90.
Expect a thicker high-end and low-end growl, which will push your amp or pedals hard and provide a versatile and creamy breakup that is ideal for many music styles.
Are you looking for a Hum Cancelling Strat pickup that actually sounds like a Strat? Check out the Blues Output of our Split Blade Strat Pickups
Lastly, cut through in the mix when soloing with a thicker, rounder single note and a powerful attack. Chords sound warm with a great string-to-string definition. Blues Specials sound powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Sound Samples for Blues Special Strat:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Blues Special Strat:
The tonal graph below for our Blues Special Strat features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Videos for Blues Special Strat:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Strat.
Blues Specials are made with 100% USA-Made parts.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 6.3K 1 |
| Middle Ohm Reading: | 6.3K 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.1K 1 |
| 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 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Cap Value: | 0.02mfd 2 |
More Information:
1 Ohm Readings can vary due to a multitude of factors, including ambient temperature, multimeter calibration, different wire batches, and other factors. Due to this, ohm readings are approximate. Learn more about Ohm Readings here.
2 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.
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
Note: All of our coil directions are depicted from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Blues Special Strat Dimensions:
Pickup Pairing
Our Blues Special Strat pairs well with the following models:
Blues Special Tele - Set
Starting At: $ 120
Pair a middle with a Blues Special Tele Set for a versatile and punchy Telecaster Tone
View ProductGet It Prewired
Get our Blues Special Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
117 Genuine Reviews for Blues Special Strat
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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!!!!!! -
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.
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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. -
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! -
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. -
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. -
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.
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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.
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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!
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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! -
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!
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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
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Fantastic. These pickups are awesome. The definition and clarity are great. Killer blues tone!
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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. -
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!
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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.
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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 🙂
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