Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard
$345.00 – $362.00
Don’t settle for some one-size-fits-all generic pickguard. Design your own with the finest-quality materials in the industry. Our Strat Prewired Pickguards are the perfect product for anyone who wants the Fralin Tone, instantly. We use the finest materials available: from CTS® Pots, AllParts® Pickguards, and CRL® Switches.
Our Pickups, Your Personality.
Want to learn more about our Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard? Here's all the information you'll need:
Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard FEATURES:
- The ultimate “Build Your Own” Stratocaster Pickguard
- USA-Made pickups & electronics for superior quality
- Hand-wired with USA-Made vintage cloth lead for a traditional look
- Fully customizable – from appearance to function
- Features a variety of Push-Pull mods for a personalized tone
- Hand-assembled signed and dated by our pickguard craftsman
- 10-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship
Overview
At Fralin Pickups, we’re always trying to make you sound better. The Fralin Prewired Pickguard offers the best tone and highest quality available. We use our world-famous pickups with the best ingredients we can get. We hand-wire our prewired pickguard with painstaking attention to detail.
Furthermore, you can customize your pickguard exactly how you want it! With this Prewired Pickguard, you can have the famous Fralin tone and ease of mind. All you need to do is solder a few wires, screw it in, string it up, and you’re off rocking!
Sound & Look
Choose Your Pickguard
We use the finest quality pickguards available. These are standard USA-Made 11-hole Stratocaster pickguards. The following options are available:
We wanted to use the highest-quality, USA-Made pickguards available. We have Single Ply White (8-hole vintage style), 3-Ply White, Mint Green, Parchment, Black, White Pearloid, Parchment Pearloid, and Tortoise.
Choose your pickups
With our pickguards, you can choose any combination of pickups you would like. Load in a calibrated set of pickups like our best-selling Vintage Hots or Blues Specials, or mix and match!
Choose your Cover Color
Customize your look further with our Strat Pickup Covers. We have Black, Mint Green, Parchment (Aged White), and White covers available.
Wiring
You can customize your wiring as well! We’ll wire your pickguard to your specifications. Most of the time, you’re going to use 250K Split Shaft Pots, as these work well with our plastic knobs. If you’re using your own metal knobs with a set-screw, choose Solid Shaft pots. Confused? Check out our in-depth article on pots and how to choose here.
Here are some popular combinations:
- Master Tone with a Blender Pot
- Neck & Middle Tone and separate Bridge Tone
- Master Tone 1 (.02 Cap) – Master Tone 2 (Magic Cap)
Addons
We have a ton of add-ons available for your pickguard. Want a baseplate installed on your bridge? How about our Volume Kit? Need new pickguard screws? Just let us know!
Knobs:
Matching Backplates:
Complete your look with a matching backplate for your Strat. We have matching backplates for all of our pickguard colors.
Installation
Check out our installation guide below to put your new pickguard in! With 20 minutes a few easy steps, you can get your pickguard in your guitar and start rocking out with some of the best sounding pickups in the world! Follow the Installation Guide below, or watch the video:
FAQs
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How long will my Pickguard take? One week on average.
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Can you wire it up without the Pickguard? As it turns out, No. You can transfer all the wiring once you receive it. It’s time-consuming and unsafe to ship it without a pickguard.
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Can I return my Pickguard? No. Since these are custom and made to order, all pickguard sales are final. Returns and exchanges are not available.
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What Pots should I use? Most of the time, 250K Split Shaft pots will work best. They are for guitars with single-coil pickups and plastic knobs. If you have metal knobs, go with Solid Shaft Pots. To order Solid Shaft Pots, please use the “notes” field on the checkout screen.
- Do you offer Pickguards in Left-Handed Configuration? Yes – we only offer them in the following 4 options: White 3 Ply, Black 3-Ply, Parchment 3-Ply, and White Pearloid. Please use the “Notes” field to request Left Hand after you’ve selected your options. Note: We can’t perform common push-pull mods on Left-Handed Pickguards.
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What if I don’t see exactly what I want? Use the “Notes” field on the checkout screen to type in any special requests – we’ll try our best to accommodate you. Not all custom wiring options are possible.
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What does a Magic Cap do? Our Magic Cap is a very low capacitance tone cap. It doesn’t roll off highs as much as it seems to boost the mids. This really works well on the bridge pickup only.
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What does a Blender Pot do? Our Blender Pot takes the place of Tone #2, and it allows you to blend between the Neck and Bridge. You can get all 3 pickups on, and Neck and Bridge combinations with a Blender Pot.
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What does a Baseplate do? A Baseplate is a steel plate that adds a little bit of bass and power to your bridge pickup.
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Why don’t I see Ground Jumper wires between all my parts? Our pickguards have a metal shielding that connects the metal parts together – we don’t need to use jumper wires.
- The ultimate “Build Your Own” Stratocaster Pickguard
- USA-Made pickups & electronics for superior quality
- Hand-wired with USA-Made vintage cloth lead for a traditional look
- Fully customizable – from appearance to function
- Features a variety of Push-Pull mods for a personalized tone
- Hand-assembled signed and dated by our pickguard craftsman
- 10-year warranty on materials and craftsmanship
At Fralin Pickups, we’re always trying to make you sound better. The Fralin Prewired Pickguard offers the best tone and highest quality available. We use our world-famous pickups with the best ingredients we can get. We hand-wire our prewired pickguard with painstaking attention to detail.
Furthermore, you can customize your pickguard exactly how you want it! With this Prewired Pickguard, you can have the famous Fralin tone and ease of mind. All you need to do is solder a few wires, screw it in, string it up, and you’re off rocking!
Choose Your Pickguard
We use the finest quality pickguards available. These are standard USA-Made 11-hole Stratocaster pickguards. The following options are available:
We wanted to use the highest-quality, USA-Made pickguards available. We have Single Ply White (8-hole vintage style), 3-Ply White, Mint Green, Parchment, Black, White Pearloid, Parchment Pearloid, and Tortoise.
Choose your pickups
With our pickguards, you can choose any combination of pickups you would like. Load in a calibrated set of pickups like our best-selling Vintage Hots or Blues Specials, or mix and match!
Choose your Cover Color
Customize your look further with our Strat Pickup Covers. We have Black, Mint Green, Parchment (Aged White), and White covers available.
You can customize your wiring as well! We’ll wire your pickguard to your specifications. Most of the time, you’re going to use 250K Split Shaft Pots, as these work well with our plastic knobs. If you’re using your own metal knobs with a set-screw, choose Solid Shaft pots. Confused? Check out our in-depth article on pots and how to choose here.
Here are some popular combinations:
- Master Tone with a Blender Pot
- Neck & Middle Tone and separate Bridge Tone
- Master Tone 1 (.02 Cap) – Master Tone 2 (Magic Cap)
We have a ton of add-ons available for your pickguard. Want a baseplate installed on your bridge? How about our Volume Kit? Need new pickguard screws? Just let us know!
Knobs:
Matching Backplates:
Complete your look with a matching backplate for your Strat. We have matching backplates for all of our pickguard colors.
Check out our installation guide below to put your new pickguard in! With 20 minutes a few easy steps, you can get your pickguard in your guitar and start rocking out with some of the best sounding pickups in the world! Follow the Installation Guide below, or watch the video:
-
How long will my Pickguard take? One week on average.
-
Can you wire it up without the Pickguard? As it turns out, No. You can transfer all the wiring once you receive it. It’s time-consuming and unsafe to ship it without a pickguard.
-
Can I return my Pickguard? No. Since these are custom and made to order, all pickguard sales are final. Returns and exchanges are not available.
-
What Pots should I use? Most of the time, 250K Split Shaft pots will work best. They are for guitars with single-coil pickups and plastic knobs. If you have metal knobs, go with Solid Shaft Pots. To order Solid Shaft Pots, please use the “notes” field on the checkout screen.
- Do you offer Pickguards in Left-Handed Configuration? Yes – we only offer them in the following 4 options: White 3 Ply, Black 3-Ply, Parchment 3-Ply, and White Pearloid. Please use the “Notes” field to request Left Hand after you’ve selected your options. Note: We can’t perform common push-pull mods on Left-Handed Pickguards.
-
What if I don’t see exactly what I want? Use the “Notes” field on the checkout screen to type in any special requests – we’ll try our best to accommodate you. Not all custom wiring options are possible.
-
What does a Magic Cap do? Our Magic Cap is a very low capacitance tone cap. It doesn’t roll off highs as much as it seems to boost the mids. This really works well on the bridge pickup only.
-
What does a Blender Pot do? Our Blender Pot takes the place of Tone #2, and it allows you to blend between the Neck and Bridge. You can get all 3 pickups on, and Neck and Bridge combinations with a Blender Pot.
-
What does a Baseplate do? A Baseplate is a steel plate that adds a little bit of bass and power to your bridge pickup.
-
Why don’t I see Ground Jumper wires between all my parts? Our pickguards have a metal shielding that connects the metal parts together – we don’t need to use jumper wires.
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
125 reviews for Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard
Trying to leave a review for our Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard? Leave one here.
NOTES ON COLOR:
- Please note that while we strive to provide the most accurate color representation possible, different computer monitors, manufacturer dye lots, and other circumstances may prevent the color from matching perfectly.
- Since we cannot guarantee color matching, we cannot provide a return to you if you are unhappy with the color matching of our Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard.
HARNESSES:
- Our parts and wire lengths are designed to work seamlessly with our Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard. Due to various guitar and instrument designs, we cannot guarantee that our parts will fit properly, and due to this, we do not offer Wiring Harnesses.
Stephen Campbell (verified owner) –
Fully Customizable Loaded Pickguard!
I was so happy to find that not only could I get the pickups I wanted, but to be able to select the options I wanted with regard to pots and mods!
My plan all along was to wire the pickguard with as a master tone/blender combination. I was actually dreading it, as I am pretty good with soldering, but not great.
Having the pickguard created ready to install was a huge relief! I have been using it for a couple weeks now and love it.
Sean Pavone (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
John Gabrielli (verified owner) –
Blues Specials – Second loaded pickguard, both filled with creamy goodness! I could not be more satisfied
T.J Kolanko (verified owner) –
Love, love, love the TONE!!
I have an amazing 2012 America Strat that came with Fat 50’s. They were great, sound was very vintage, but just lacked a little something. This year I splurged and ordered a loaded pick guard from Frailin with Blues Specials installed. The guitar now has amazing tone and is super articulate. You can hear every detail the guitar produces through these pickups. Every time I play, someone asks me what pedal are you running to get that tone. My reply is: it’s just these Frailin pickups a Tube Screamer and my Deluxe Reverb. Definitely add the bass plate to the bridge pickup, gives it a little more midrange, and the tone mod is a must as well. Thanks Lindy and team for the attention to detail!! These PU’s are amazing.
Tony Miller (verified owner) –
Absolutely amazing
I made the change to the Blues Specials when my friend commented on the overly bright tone of my Fender Texas Specials in my Strat. I have to say these pickups have made my MIM Strat come to life. These pickups are so dynamic and make every note ring out with amazing clarity and tone. These pickups sound so dynamic through my Orange Tremlord 30 tube amp and just as amazing through my Orange 10 watt solid state amp. I am a now converted Frahlin pickup user and already planning to upgrade my PRS CE 24 with a set of Unbuckers.
Brad Henry (verified owner) –
Awesome Pickups
This is my second Prewired Strat Pickguard. The first set I ordered I couldn’t decide between the “Vintage Hots” or the “Blues Special”. I ended up getting the Vintage Hots and liked them so much that I wanted the Blues Specials also. I didn’t have a guitar to put them in so I put a “Parts Caster” together to put them in. This time I put the Blues Special in the neck and middle positions with an SP 43 in the bridge position. Absolutely love these guitars main problem now is deciding which to play. Customer service is outstanding! I received a call from Lindy himself to verify my order to ensure that I got what I was wanting. Very happy customer!
Craig Boland (verified owner) –
Amazing Pickups. These go above and beyond my expectations. They sound absolutely amazing. The quality and craftsmanship of these pickups is unmatched. I’m pretty sure they’re true single coils, but even with that there’s no hum. Definitely took my strat to the next level
Jeremy Morrison (verified owner) –
Fantastic pickups! Pickups are wonderful and the prewired pickguard work was top notch. My only complaint is that the parchment tone/volume knobs and selector cover look very white compared to the pickup covers. I had them verify it and they said it was their parchment but they’re different unfortunately. I’d say it’s a 4.5 star because of this and just rounded it to 5. I’ve used fralins in a number of my builds and will continue to speak highly of them!
James (verified owner) –
Outstanding!
I ordered my pickguard with the vintage hot pickups, with the base plate. I also got the blender pot and the two tone push pull pot. I am blown away with how good my strat sounds now. I also love the new tones from the blender pot. I’d put my mim strat against any custom shop guitar now. Worth every penny. I couldn’t be happier. Great job Lindy and team!
Brandon Zeddies (verified owner) –
Wow
I couldn’t believe the amount of clarity and range of tone of the Fralin Real 54’s. I’m blown away. Installed into an 07 American Strat replacing the factory pickups. The quality of components is high and the craftsmanship of the pre wired pick guard are amazing. Easily installed and breathes new life out of it. Feels like a much higher end guitar!
Steven Portman (verified owner) –
Customizable Prewired Strat Pickguard
Excellent wiring and controls (blender knob included) along with a set of their Real ’54s strat pickups. Wow, plenty of sparkle and chime, just perfect. Love’em, you will, too!
Peter Green (verified owner) –
Blues Special Pre-wired
Great strat tone with just a bit more output. They sound excellent through many of the amps in my Kemper. Very well balanced too. Exactly what I was looking for.
Michael Gardner (verified owner) –
Great upgrade!
I recently got back into playing the guitar after many years. I wanted to upgrade the pickups so I worked through the order form the best I could.
Imagine my surprise when Lindy Fralin called me on my mobile to ensure the order was correct and helped me optimize. Mind blown! Amazing customer service.
By the way, the pickups sound great. Huge improvement.
Ten out of ten, would order again.
David Lee (verified owner) –
Sounds really clear, this is now my main Strat. Thanks Lindy, and Jon
Randall Peterson (verified owner) –
I am sold on Fralin pickups, now have them in my tele and strat. Sounds incredible. Very happy.
Brian Smith (verified owner) –
Prewired Blues Specials
Amazing pickups. This is the second set of pickups I have purchased for a strat and love them both!
Michael Long (verified owner) –
Now this is a Strat tone….
The Fralin Vintage Hot stratocaster pickups are exactly what I was looking for. I ordered the pre-wired pickguard neck middle and bridge all Vintage Hots. Everything came timely and in perfect shape. The installation video the Fralin has on their website was exactly what I needed. With a soldering iron and a willingness to learn, I got my old set of Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s out and the Fralin set installed in less than an hour. I like the Fat 50’s, but on this Strat, I wanted a more vintage sweet tone. The Vintage Hots are perfect. Notably, the volume pot (250k CTS) really gives you a graduated roll off and the ability to sculpt the drive between 10 and 7. My Mesa Lonestar and all of my pedals respond really well to it. The bridge pickup on this set is really terrific and musical throughout the range of the tone knob. It is also wound just right to match the neck pickup volume level and blends really well with the middle position switch setting. Overall…stunning setup. The one mild irritation that I found was that the switch, volume, and tone pots were installed with plastic still on the pickguard and I had to loosen the retaining screws/nuts in order to get the clear coat off. The pups really transformed my Strat and it is inspiring me to play more and differently.
Britt Williams (verified owner) –
As always, very professional work. Flawless wiring and exquisite tone.
Euan Cowieson (verified owner) –
Spectacular pickups, slightly off-color knobs. I went for the vintage hot pickups which really are spectacular and sound absolutely perfect for what I want. The pickguard and pickup covers were the requested colors but the knobs were nothing like “parchment” and didn’t match the pickup covers, unfortunately – they’re white as far as I can see.
James Benson (verified owner) –
Prewired Pickguard with Steel Pole 43s – Love them!
Bryan Close (verified owner) –
Best tone I’ve ever had
Can’t recommend highly enough. I upgraded the pickups in my American Select Strat with a customized loaded pickguard — Blues Specials in the neck and middle, an SP43 in the bridge, and blender pot. I’m still learning about this new setup, but one thing I already know is that every single setting sounds fantastic. If I ever sell this guitar for any reason, I’m keeping these pickups.
Jimmie Clinton (verified owner) –
Simply amazing
These pickups went in my first ever electric in an effort to not have that guitar sit fallow on my wall as just a reminder of where I started. The guitar is a decent S-style guitar with a great alder body and a maple neck. Seemed a shame not to play it The soldering is immaculate and the install couldn’t have been easier! As well, I hadn’t specified where the magic cap was to be added, and Luke reached out to ask what I actually wanted wired in. Super professional and super kind. The tone from my first ever guitar is awe-inspiring. From a guitar that I rarely picked up to play to falling in love all over again. Thanks, y’all!
Mike Tatro (verified owner) –
Workmanship par excellence
This is my third wired guard. Everything is impeccable. More importantly for me, Lindy and company do what they say they will do when they say they will do it. None of this building in extra weeks of build time to account for a vendor who is habitually late. You can count on getting your parts when they say they will ship. Kudos for that.
Britt (verified owner) –
I received my pre-wired SSS pickguard yesterday. Absolutely flawless quality in every way and the tone of the pickups are exactly what I wanted!
John Wright (verified owner) –
Quality through and through
On quality: normally wire things up myself but was in a time crunch. Worth every penny. Very professional. On tone: Range and variety but still vintage enough and hot enough. Not my first Fralins. Very happy and wouldn’t change a thing. In a 62 custom and I’m very impressed.
Brad Kenefick (verified owner) –
Great customer service !!
My loaded pickguard came just as ordered and beautifully crafted. I heard people say buy a Lindy, now I know why. You should see the wiring and solders all first-rate. And pleasant surprise when I received a phone call from none other than Lindy himself. He called to answer a question I had on copper shielding and EMI. What a surprise !! Then when I mentioned my neck from Warmoth will have a 10.5 radius, Lindy suggested I go with a modified p u stagger. So glad he called. Cannot wait for my neck to arrive to start making some noise. Thank you Fralin Pickups!
Larry Cole (verified owner) –
I had active pickups in my Strat for years. The Real 54’s with the blender give me a good, clean vintage sound with just enough bite. I have Vintage Hot pickups in another Strat. These are my favorites of all the Strat pickups I’ve used over the years.
John Rocklin (verified owner) –
Astoundingly Great !!
Lindy Fralin and staff are The best! Absolutely top quality products and the best customer service anywhere. This pre-wired Pick-guard went into a Warmouth Strat that I put together. Normally I would have just hand-wired it myself but honestly, after pricing the parts compared to having it assembled & ready to go it was a no brainer. The Blender pot option is so useful, the tone of these Blues special pickups is perfect and the craftmanship in the wiring is beautiful. You can’t go wrong here folks!
Daniel McCowan (verified owner) –
No title added
Customer added no additional comments
Mike Tatro (verified owner) –
Dynamic Responsiveness
Over the years I’ve tried lots of different strat pickups: active EMGs, Duncan Antiquities, half a dozen factory Fenders. Fralin Real 54s and Vintage Hots are just way more dynamic and responsive to picking nuance than any other pickup I’ve tried. Period. Pick softly, you get one thing. Dig in, you get another. And every spot in between. I don’t know how they pull that off, but I can’t do without it.
Martyn Crew (verified owner) –
Great Upgrade for MIM Strat
I had a 1994 Squier MIM Strat with a great neck but crappy pickups. I recently upgraded it with Callaham trem and Fralin pre-wired pickguard and it really came alive. I went with a Blues Special in the neck, ’54 in the middle and a Steelpole in the bridge. The pickups sound great both individually and with the blender pot. I was a bit skeptical about buying the pre-wired pickguard but the wiring is a work of art and made wiring the guitar up a snap. Excellent product, value and services.
Weseley Hill (verified owner) –
My Strat is Awake!
I installed the Vintage Hots on the bridge and neck position with the Real 54 in the middle. Holy Cow! A great balance of sparkle and mids that make the 2nd and 4th positions very desirable. High-quality components and great finish work. Thank you Fralin Pickups
Charlie Watkins (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Eduardo Bisono (verified owner) –
Set of Blues Special on Prewired Pickguard
It took me some time to decide but I couldn’t be happier with the results. Coming from noiseless pickups, my Strat Deluxe now sounds and feels full and alive. A true joy to play. Awesome job Fralin team!
Wes Hill (verified owner) –
I installed my new assembly last night and just put my 90’s Strat down after an hour and I am totally impressed with the combination of the Real 54 in the middle with the Vintage Hots on the ends. Wow these are excellent and it woke my Strat up big time. I’ve tried several pickup brands and custom assemblies, the last being a Mojo Tone, only to be terribly disappointed in the quality of the components and sound. These are Keepers, the pots are excellent. The switch and wiring are excellent top work.
Thank you,
Wes H.
Ian Flaherty (verified owner) –
Amazing difference
Absolutely amazed at how much of a difference these make on my Mexi Strat. So much clarity, definition, and added control over different sounds. I can’t recommend these enough!
Sage Wilson (verified owner) –
Very pleased
These pickups are great, and with the push/pull mods, my Strat now has another versatile edge. The courier managed to almost lose my order during shipping, but Fralin helped out and managed to get everything corrected when I couldn’t! Awesome company and worth it
Stephen Marcus (verified owner) –
Unreal! Such a fat sound. Really helps out this guitar I’ve built.
Brandon Harvey (verified owner) –
Amazing workmanship and sound
The sound and workmanship of this pickguard are top notch. I cannot believe how it changed the sound of the Strat I affixed it too.
Larry Benade (verified owner) –
Installed a vintage hots pickquard in a 2000 Fender ’57 Vintage reissue body. Fantastic sound with the chimey overtones and attack transients I was looking for in this guitar. My third set of Fralins. Got my first magic cap on a push-pull tone knob, and it’s a wonder. I’ll finally be using a tone control on a Strat. Now my beefs: I don’t believe the guard is parchment white, as ordered; it’s the whitest guard on any of my Strats. Also, please guys, remove the plastic wrap from the pickguard before you install the PUs and electronics. It’s nnoying to keep trying to pull the plastic from under pickup screws and switches.
Angela Mackenzie (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Jesse Ostrowski (verified owner) –
Vintage hots
Ordered a prewired pickguard with all three Vintage Hots, the volume/treble bleed mod, and the bright switch mod. The pickups sound great, very ‘chimey’ as a Strat should sound. These were replacing a set of Fender gen 1 vintage noiseless, which after switching to the vintage hots, sounded much more jazzy and warm (I’m thinking the stacked humbucker style does affect tone more toward hum bucker spectrum). I didn’t care for the volume/treble bleed mod (too much treble/I like the tone shift with traditional volume control), nor did I care for the bright switch (seemed unnecessary for my needs/no significant boost over full volume), so I have since removed both of these mods and have gone with complete standard wiring specs. If you want the traditional bell-like chime of a Stratocaster, then go with the Vintage Hots.
Russ Hungsberg (verified owner) –
Great pickups! They sound really good! I put them on my Masterbuilt Strat. I think they sound better than the originals. Thank you!
Rick Huyett (verified owner) –
Strat loaded pickguard with 3 Steel Pole 43’s
So far, so great. Put on my ’75 hardtail. It has the 500k pots, Push-pull volume kit enable/disable, Master Tone push-pull brightness, and Blender pot. All of the options are very usable. The tone possibilities are seemingly endless across the entire pickup spectrum with a very smooth transition between pickups. These pickups really have some bite and sound great thru effects as well as for getting a great hard rock sound – I play mainly through Fender and Marshall amps. This is what I was hoping for and am happy.
Randall MacKenzie –
Omg, these pickups are amazing! I knew Lindy’s reputation, but these exceeded my expectations. My guitar sounds amazing. I have six guitars and this is my new favorite.
Ronnie Crow (verified owner) –
Way beyond expectations! This pre-wired set sounds incredible. One of my favorite Purchases this year.
Jeff Arons (verified owner) –
Incredible upgrade. I upgraded my 1996 American strat with a new pickguard and vintage pickups along with some tone knob upgrades and I can’t say how happy I am. It’s like a brand new guitar. Thanks!
Nick Konecny (verified owner) –
I ordered a pre-wired pickguard with vintage hots in the neck and middle and steel pole 43 on the bridge. Really liking the sound from all positions and the blender pot is really cool if you like some of those in-between sounds or need to make quick adjustments to neck or bridge sounds on the fly. If you like the in-between or scooped sounds like me you will probably always want these options on all of your axes. I was not aware of the ‘bright switch’ option on the volume pot is really just cutting the volume pot out of the signal. Not quite what I thought it would be but also not a big deal. Overall thrilled with the pickups and quality work in the pre-wired product to simplify installation. Really added new life to a 50s custom shop start that never had a good balance between output and sound across all positions with the stock or gold-lace pups. Also I like these pickups them more than American strat I have with Texas Specials. I would recommend these and already have to a couple of friends.
Todd Palumbo (verified owner) –
Upgraded from Fat ’50s
The middle Fat 50’s pickup died on my ‘16 American Standard Strat so I decided to replace all of them with Vintage Hots. So glad I did, as the Fralins have everything I liked about the Fat ’50s and then some. Wonder pickups.
Thomas Hutchinson (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Marcel Van Der Boon (verified owner) –
Fralin blues specials
I got the Fralin pre-wired pickguard with blues special pickups. Flawlessly build and ready to install. On my favorite Strat, it is the finishing touch. The remarkable combination between clarity and warmth and between dynamics and sweetness. Its all in there depending on your fingers.
Just perfect (for me)
Marcel from Holland
Dan Peterson (verified owner) –
Better than expected! I got a prewired strat pickguard with the blues hot pickups and the blender mod with master tone for my 2012 MIM strat! I honestly couldn’t be happier, it was easy to install, and my strat sounds amazing. The Fralin quality and workmanship are as advertised!!
Brent Horrocks (verified owner) –
Great Pickups! Great Service!
I ordered a loaded pickguard with the blues single coils and a blender pot. It arrived in perfect shape and exactly to my specifications, and even a littler earlier than expected. I initially had some trouble after I installed the pickguard, but after exchanging a few emails with the staff they put me in touch with Lindy directly. Lindy was great and gave me a bunch of ideas to try. He even offered to get on the phone with me and walk the circuit with a multi-meter if necessary! Needless to say, one of his ideas worked and everything is just as I imagined! The pickups sound great and I’m so satisfied! I will definitely order again from Lindy Fralin! Thanks!!
E Frank Moschler Jr (verified owner) –
Vintage Hots are great. Came with Fender Texas Specials but it’s a warm sounding guitar so it was just a little muddy. Now it’s a strat I can get into
Timothy Heywood (verified owner) –
Prewired Strat Pickguard with Blues Special and High output pickups
This product is awesome. I was hesitant to use a pickup that wasn’t noise canceling but I couldn’t ignore all the buzz I heard about Fralin pickups. Pun intended. I had to try them for myself. I’m glad I did. The tone is incredible and the workmanship is elite. I notice a little humming but it doesn’t bother me. Also, it cancels out in the 2 and the 4 position which is where I like to play most. Huge thank you to Lindy and the team at Fralin Pickups. I will definitely be ordering more pickups from you all in the future.
Gerald Wood Jr. (verified owner) –
No title added
Customer added no additional comments
James Rumora (verified owner) –
I like this pickguard except for the Magic Cap which seems to have negligible if any impact so I would have been better off not bothering with this option
Grant Harrison (verified owner) –
Ultimate Strat Tone – Vintage hots loaded guard. They are what Lindy claims, “the best sounding strat pickup.” Attention to detail and experience achieve what Fender Corp no longer can – hand made quality. The subtle nuances and depth of tone are hard to describe until you compare side by side with the pickups you previously thought were good. Then the penny drops – no comparison!
Al Hudelson (verified owner) –
Prewired Perfection
So many great tones, so much fun. The search for a great Strat tone is over. These pickups are awesome.
Thomas Dziallo (verified owner) –
The Hiwatt of pre-wired pickguards
Ever see the inside of a Hiwatt amp? Extremely clean and precise, almost military looking. That’s what Lindy’s pre-wired pickguards remind me of. Amazing work.
J. Angelo (verified owner) –
Vintage Hots!
These pickups perfectly embody the ‘strat’ sound.
Jean-Pierre Slabbaert (verified owner) –
Great blues pickups! Great sound and very well assembled on the new pickguard. Pity the colour of the knobs don’t match with the pickguard
Matthew Clarke (verified owner) –
Even better than I expected
I installed a set of 54s in my American deluxe strat and the sound is phenomenal! Clean sounds are well defined and crunch sounds don’t get muddy. The pickups were also delivered very quickly.
Daniel Davies (verified owner) –
Since I tried my first Fralin pick up years ago I realized it is the best single-coil pickup I have ever heard. Ultimate clarity and tone. The staff is really personable and easy to talk to and helped me out with every single detail on the phone. I’ll never use a different kind of single-coil then Fralin pickups! Every Strat should come stock with Fralin pickups.
Brian Katke (verified owner) –
Fralin Vintage Hots
Absolutely love my new loaded Pickguard from Fralin pickups. Wanted to completely revamp my mid 90’s Made In Mexico Strat and WHAT a difference. I now have a real strat, it sounds like the vintage instruments I have played in the past and loved. Wonderful work and attention to detail and they make it so easy. Thank you so much guys, a new customer for life.
Brian
John McLoughlin (verified owner) –
Set of Vintage Hot, in wired Pick Guard.
I’ve left this review for a while so I could play and compare to other pickups. Have to say a little underwhelming after reading lots of reviews. I ordered these to replace a set of City Limits Tone riders, but I’m not convinced paying 3 times the price was worth it. Also had to replace Tone bleed as decided the installed values weren’t to my taste. My 2 other Strats have Seymour Duncan Antiquity set and Bare Knuckle Irish Tour set. I think both would shade it, in my opinion.
Neda Džaki Mirkovi (verified owner) –
Amazing Vintage Hot Prewired Strat Pickguard
I ordered Fralin Prewired Strat Pickguard with Vintage Hot pickups for my new custom-built Stratocaster, along with complete Callaham Vintage Stratocaster kit. The final result – completely amazing guitar! I couldn’t imagine anything better than this, sounding simply fantastic at any position. I usually stay in the middle or neck position (on my previous four Stratocasters), but now for the first time bridge came into play – it’s huge-sounding, tonal monster, not even a trace of that tiny trebly sounding bridge that I usually hear on Stratocasters. Also, all three
Richard Ringenbach (verified owner) –
Lindy Fralin Stratocaster Vintage Hots – 30th Anniversary
I have been playing guitar for 40 years and Stratocaster’s for 20 years. Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots allow me to play all the types of music I enjoy to play very realistically. From SRV(clean and dirty), to Jeff Beck, to Jimi Hendrix, to Sweet Home Alabama. For the first time I have found my favorite set of pickups after many attempts with other great pickup brands. Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots are by far the best pickups for my style of Stratocaster playing period!
Thanks to Lindy Fralin and his Team!!!
David Hicks (verified owner) –
Vintage hots rock !!!!!
I love the new tone I get out of my Strat now, paired Vintage Hots with a tone Blender Pot, amazing sound!!!
Joseph Rappa Jr (verified owner) –
The different tones you can achieve with the blender has really brought my strat back to life.
David Butcher (verified owner) –
Should have done this years ago
Changing pickups turned a crap stale sounding strat into an amazing piece of gear.
Brandon Rash (verified owner) –
Fralin’s Are Awesome!!
I asked a good friend for his advice on strat pickups. He told me about Fralin. I took his word for it and I wasn’t disappointed. I ordered a loaded pick guard with the blender pot. LOVE IT!
Johnathan Cousins (verified owner) –
Amazing upgrade to a Mexi Strat
These pickups are amazing. Really strong and clear. Really glad I made this change. Totally worth the investment
Robert Garnett (verified owner) –
Blues Specials
Great pickups on my prewired pickguard. Nice balanced tone and volume. Requested separate cap and tone control for the bridge pick up. Only thing I changed went back to the standard cap from the magic cap on the bridge pickup – I just needed more tone range to cover the music I play.
Ian Myers (verified owner) –
Real 54s with blender pot
I got rid of a Fender American HSS pickguard with a decent tone, but the whole setup was very unbalanced. The Fralin Real 54s sound amazing, however, the Blender Pot is wired in reverse. 10 is off, and 0 is full on. Impressed enough to buy again. Eventually, I plan on moving up through the years of pickups.
William Rose (verified owner) –
Amazing pickups! Amazing service! I highly recommend these pickups. My Fender American Standard Stratocaster has never sounded better!
Dino Richol (verified owner) –
Great quality material – Tone for days- I am happy!
Lindy made me a prewired strat pickguard. The pickups are the High Output on the neck and middle and a Steel Pole 42 on the Bridge.
When I opened the box I was amazed by the quality of the components they use at Fralin.
It was really easy to install (as easy as it is shown in the video on youtube) and it took me 20 min to do it myself. I took that long because I am not used to handling the solder pen and I was extra careful.
The 5-way blade feels really solid as well as the 3 knobs and the 2 push-pull he installed for me. The pickguard made my strat so versatile
(especially with the blend option with the neck and the bridge) that it is hard for me to not pick it up for all my gigs. It does it all. Pop cover, rock, reggae, gospel, funk Motown…
I sound like myself with the sound of Hendrix and SRV at my disposal. Buy it, you will not regret it.
Gavin (verified owner) –
Completely woke up my strat and basically made it a whole different animal. Have vintage hots in neck and middle, then blues special in the bridge, with master volume and tone, bright switch and volume kit with a blender knob, awesome sounds a plenty
Jeremy Carson (verified owner) –
Burnt Strat Fury. Smooth with some serious sting!
William McKenzie (verified owner) –
Excellent Overall
Thanks Lindy,
The Prewired Pickguard arrived fast and in perfect condition. I reviewed your videos and found the install and setup to be straightforward.
I love the pickups, they have made a big improvement over my Custom Shop Fat ’50s that came stock from Fender. I’m still experimenting with the Blender Pot and really liking it.
This customized choice for the prewired pickguard has really made this Strat a delight to play again.
William
Guy Wilson (verified owner) –
Pre-Wired Strat pickguard with Vintage Hot’s.
The pickups meet all of my expectations. The wiring on the pickguard is neat and well done. The entire process from ordering to delivery was quick and simple.
William Marsalise (verified owner) –
Great pickups, better customer service!
These pickups sound absolutely amazing. The pickguard was wired better than I could have asked, but let’s face it, we know that already. I had a minor issue with the pickguard, they quickly replaced it for me and were incredibly easy to deal with.
Unrelated, their T-shirt’s are incredibly comfortable!
PGIORGI427 (verified owner) –
Just dropped a pre-wired into my old Strat Plus, which never really sounded the way I wanted with the the Lace Sensors. I knew as soon I opened the box that this was the real deal – the craftsmanship is obvious and everything just feels well constructed. I’ve never soldered before in my life, but watched the instructional video a few (dozen) times and got to work. I went with Vintage Hots in the neck and bridge and a Real ’54 in the middle. It’s brilliant. Every position is unique, useable and singular — the guitar feels more versatile, more responsive, more playable. Could not be happier.
Steven Loevner (verified owner) –
Love these pickups! Brought new life to an old guitar.
Tommy Lee (verified owner) –
Good Decision! I purchased the loaded pickguard with Vintage Hots, a Baseplate on the Bridge, and the blender pot. The pickups sound great and the blender pot is very helpful. Ordering was easy and the pick guard arrived quickly.
Domenic Musumeci (verified owner) –
Blues Special bridge with baseplate and vintage hots for middle and neck. I’m extremely happy with the tone of my Strat. It’ has snap and great quack Strat tones, but also has a nice rock bridge tone thanks to the Blues Special combined with the baseplate. Excellent pickups as I have always received from Lindy.
Jay Heath (verified owner) –
Wow. These pickups far exceeded my expectations this is the tone I’ve been struggling to find. Thanks guys!
Michael Stocksdale (verified owner) –
Solid except for the cap.
Love the pickups, but the magic cap in the bridge was a big mistake for me. Even though it boosted the mids, I couldn’t get rid of a harsh top end, no matter where the control was set. Once I replaced it with a 22 cap, I felt like the bridge pu really started to shine. The baseplate adding thickness and low end to the bridge was more apparent without the magic cap as well. Maybe I just got a dud, but for my ears, the magic cap didn’t match the description on the website. Having said all that, fralin pickups have really breathed new life into my 90s American Strat. Also, I got the prewired pickguard, and the fralin pickup selector switch is noisier than my old one. Almost very satisfied!!
Thomas Taeng (verified owner) –
Prewired Strat Pickguard with Real 54s: Excellent sounding pickups! Crystal clear and open and I just love the blender pot. Cheers, T.
Kas Nelson (verified owner) –
Blues special with blender
I love Lindy’s pickups and this loaded pickguard is excellent! The blender pot is a must have mod…very usable. I wouldn’t have a strat without it. I have the same loaded pickguard with vintage hots on my other strat. Listen to your playback with these p’ups and you’ll be sold for life. If you want a slightly thicker tone with a little more growl, the blues specials are the best available. There are different sets out there, but none better.
Karl Berdimurat (verified owner) –
High output strat pickups are smoking!!
I now have the best sounding strat ever in my opinion. I love the fat dark sound I get from these high outputs in all positions, and there is still great high end detail. Simply incredible pickups, the pre-wired pickgaurd is the way to go. Great job Lindy and the Fralin team!
Ritchie Watts (verified owner) –
I love the clean sound! (Vintage Hots)
Gary Ahern (verified owner) –
Vintage hots. The service was great and the prewired loaded pickguard with the Vintage Hots sound fantastic. Thank you!
Andrew Kreutter (verified owner) –
My first build made easy. I have played guitar for 30 years and never owned a Strat! The time has come, and I knew that I couldn’t afford a custom shop, and that I wanted some specific improvements. Fralin pickups were a must. And the sound clips led me to choose the Real 54’s in the Neck and Middle, with a Vintage Hot in the Bridge. I had the volume kit wired in with a Neck/Middle tone knob and Magic cap on tone 2.
Install was easy. Guitar looks and sounds amazing. Two small comments: I have recently discovered Fuzz (have been an overdrive guy for a long time). If I were going to order the pickups today, I’d go with the Vintage Hots, with a Blues special Bridge. I’d also get the Tone 2 wired with a push/pull Magic cap and regular tone for the Bridge. The guitar tone sounds amazing with Fuzz on, and volume rolled down. I can also dial in the more Fuzz sounds if I had a real tone knob. Not a big deal, because I can now stack OD on top of the Fuzz. All, in all really great product.
Jake Banaszak (verified owner) –
Blues Special/Steel Pole Bridge
Very good pickups!! The Blues Specials in the neck and middle give me that classic strat tone while the noiseless Steel Pole Bridge is just perfect. I got it wired to the second tone control and it is exactly what I need in the bridge position. I would say if you use a humbucker in the bridge but miss the single coil tone you should try one of these.. Thanks Lindy for the great service as well!!
Chris Long (verified owner) –
Finally, the sound I’ve always wanted!
I’ve had my Strat for 22 years now, been through two other sets of pickups (Lace Sensors and Texas Specials) and never got the sound I wanted exactly. This pickguard has solved that problem finally. Love the Vintage Hot pickups and especially what the base plate does to the bridge pickup, adds that little bit of needed oomph to that position that always seemed missing before. It’s also the first time I’ve felt the pickups output was nicely balanced in all positions. Best decision I made to freshen up my old Strat.
Daniel Roberts (verified owner) –
Amazing Strat tone! The prewired pick guard was incredibly easy to install and sounds amazing. I’m so glad I made this upgrade and wish I did it years ago.
Robert Noyes (verified owner) –
Fantastic as usual! Blues Special w lefty middle and a bridge baseplate. Easy peezy and sounds incredible
Karl Ross Berdimurat (verified owner) –
Smoking!!! I got a SSS loaded pick guard with all high outputs. They sound killer, super fat, super dark, and in just the right balanced way. I even stuck with 250k pots and they still have highs that sing, just without some of the harsh frequencies that are present in most Strat pickups. I play a lot of trio gigs where we cross from jazz standards to blues, funk, and rock fusion and these are just the right sound. I also play in a R&B/classic rock group and these pickups can do it all. They just have a huge rich clean sound that will sound great for anything. The Fralin company also makes the pick guard wiring as pro as can be, and super easy to install. Damn, I am stoked.
James Nuckols (verified owner) –
Wonderful Tone! I got these to complete my new fiesta red build. I have used just about every pickup imaginable and these are top notch in every way. They bring all the personality you could ever expect from these style of pickups. Superb!
Tim Julian (verified owner) –
Great tone and simple plug and play
Even though I could do all of the soldering and assembly myself, I am very happy to pay someone else to do it for me. My time is precious and it saved me a bunch. The quality of the work was fantastic. Also introduced me to a blend pot on a strat which I never would’ve thought to do myself. By the way, the steel pole 42 in the bridge is a revelation of awesomeness. Bravo!
Frank Accurso (verified owner) –
What Fender Should Have Placed in Their 72 Strat!
For 40 years I’ve been looking for that right combination of Strat, box, amp, etc., that allows for the sweet, ringing chime of Strat, with the sustain of Gilmour, and the impending explosion of Hendrix. And, just a little hair and crunch for a chord or 2. Until now, the bass response has been flabby and loose. I had to revert to Series wiring.
I can go on about some of your competitors offerings; too humbucky; too much like a Tele; not much difference at all from the originals.
Now, for the Lindy’s. I’m glad I ordered the “High Output” Strats. Your scale might be a bit conservative, but no matter. They are precisely what I was looking for. Sweet clean, sweet with a little bit of crunch, with the ability to fully take advantage of a Fender amp at the sweet spot.
My only complaint has more to do with your web site (and the gentleman who answered the phone when I questioned him about some of choices when ordering). Primarily the Bright Switch push/pull Volume and Tone pot selection. I opted for the volume. All this does is bypass the volume – in effect setting it to 10 – when pulled out. I find it easier to roll the volume up and down with my pinky. I was about to rip the damn thing out – cleaner signal, you know. Then i figured i didn’t have to use it, kind of like an appendix. This is the reason I didn’t give this product a 5.
Thanks for an excellent product.
Aron Long (verified owner) –
Awesome! I ordered a prewired pickguard with the Split Steel Pole in the bridge and Blues Specials in the neck and middle because I wanted to recreate the sound of my SRV strat but with P90 tone in the bridge for a new build. I was not disappointed, the pickups sound great. I get traditional strat tones in the neck and middle positions and get gnarly P90 goodness in the bridge when I want to scare the kids. I placed my order online and Lindy himself phoned me at home to confirm what I wanted. I can’t say enough good things about my experience.
David Wolfe (verified owner) –
Real ’54 Prewired Strat Pickguard. I love the sounds I’m getting out of these pick-ups. I just can’t believe how good they sound. Classic Strat tones now at my finger tips. Ordering and shipping was fast and easy. The wiring options really sealed the deal for me.
Gary Bonadio (verified owner) –
Easiest Upgrade ever! This is my 3rd purchase of Fralin Pickups. Tele/ Blues Specials…Epi 339/ Pure PAFs and now your Prewired Strat Pickguard with Vintage Hots and Blender Pot. The whole operation took less than a 1/2 hour and took my MIM Strat to another level.Clean Bell-like tones with plenty of articulation at every setting. And with the Blender Pot the Tone Settings are infinite. I’ve been spoiled….but I’m loving every minute of it.
Robert Gonzales (verified owner) –
Beyond Belief!
Bought these to replace my American standard Strat pups. Was not expecting the amazing sound and tone I got from these. They blew away the originals ten fold!
Edwin Colvin (verified owner) –
Awesome Sounds! I cannot believe all the tone plus the blender knob great tone.
Matt Malec (verified owner) –
Real 54’s bring new life to my strat! I am writing to tell all at the Fralin site and anyone thinking about a complete 54 package that the Real 54’s are beyond great and brought a new vibrance to my 96 Strat. Easy install and the tone was instant. Thanks Lindy and everyone for a great product, service and super price. Regards, Matt
Tom Graves (verified owner) –
I am still dialing in the sound I want. The pickups are fantastic. I am very pleased with the customer service and getting it to me in such good time.
Kim Mitchell (verified owner) –
I couldn’t be more pleased with the sound of these Fralin Vintage Hots. I love the glassy sound without being abrasive. All positions sound just fantastic with the bridge pickup having just a bit of extra grease. I ordered a pre-wired pick guard that arrived at my door in Canada in literally one week! Thanks! Their sound inspires me every time…expressive!
Ron Whitehead (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments.
Ned Elzo (verified owner) –
Great sound.
After Seth Lee Jones installed the pickups I noticed a very good tone, which is very adjustable. They have that special quality of having a special tone, without turning to too much overload, which causes your guitar to sound muddy. Thank you for the quality job!
Robert Ecker (verified owner) –
What Strat pickups should be.
These pickups are what I’ve decided to use. They are perfectly voiced for Fender black faced amplifiers. The blend knob is fantastic. The tonal options are near endless. The workmanship was perfect. I will be looking into the tele pickups, I suspect I’d be just as pleased.
Donald Willson (verified owner) –
A dream! Simply put, I now have the guitar of my dreams, incredible tone, awesome response, this pickguard turned my strat into my dream guitar.
Harold Vance (verified owner) –
In December, I bought the Strat pickguard pre-wired with three Vintage Hots and a Blender pot and installed it on my Warmoth partscaster Strat. They sound gorgeous on this rig, which has an unfinished roasted alder body and an unfinished goncalo alves neck and bocote fret board. I also had the neck PLEK’ed at Straight Frets in Austin, Texas last month. This guitar plays and sounds like a dream. The tone is unreal — it’s like some sort of super Strat. Thanks to Tyler for helping me select the pickups and other options. The blender pot is a lot of fun and I’m glad I got it.
Trey Tate (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Aaron Sylvia (verified owner) –
Mojo and magic
I am not a great guitar player, but these pickups make even my sloppy playing sound good. I got a mixed set with a blues special in the neck and real 54s in the middle and bridge. It all works together for a real versatile sound. Made a couple of calls to the company as well and everyone was super friendly and willing to answer my questions and help out. Will buy again!
Michael Cain (verified owner) –
I ordered the custom pickguard with real 54 neck, vintage hot middle, and blues special bridge with base plate. They sound incredible. Huge improvement over the fender cs Texas specials that came with my Strat. Highly recommend. I highly advise speaking with a rep at Fralin to understand exactly what your ordering. The rep I spoke with helped me tremendously. Thanks!
Lloyd Warren (verified owner) –
I have several boutique Strats and Strat-style guitars, most of them with rail/hum-cancelling pickups that I’ve used for years. I’ve loved them and the tone, but needed something different. I’ve read about Fralin’s for years and thought I’d give them a try. I ordered the pre-wired pickguard with the Vintage Hot in the neck, Real ’54 in the middle, and Blues Special in the bridge. Also, the Volume Kit and the Magic cap for the bridge position. I was surprised when I got a call from Tyler asking questions to make sure he wired it just the way I wanted it and offering suggestions…nice! When I got this everything was wired beautifully. 30 minutes to get it in. Another 10 to set it up and get the height just right and…my LORD! The TONE!!! My guitar came alive! Nuances and richness I hadn’t heard in years. And…no spike…chime, but not harsh. Surprisingly, for single coils, they are pretty quiet, as well…I won’t say there isn’t some hum…but nothing like other single coils I’ve played in the past. These pickups are amazing. PERIOD. I’m configuring the layout for my next set for another one of my guitars as I write this.
Jonathan Woods (verified owner) –
The absolute in tone. This pre-wired pick gaurd was installed in a tired old 90’s strat (someone had swapped original pickups at some point).
Holy. Cow.
What a difference. The setup I have is as follows:
-Bridge: Vintage ’54
-Middle: Vintage Hot
-Neck: Blues Special
Considered this setup for quite a long time, and now that I have it, I wish I would have picked it up all long time ago.
Just spectacular. Couldn’t ask for more, and worth every dollar. Thanks!
Frederick T. Benoit –
Great stuff loved lace but these are better!!!!!!!!!!!
Matthew Koutz (verified owner) –
First point, having a presided pickguard made installing it myself so simple, no need for a tech. But that doesn’t even scratch the surface about how great these pickups are. I ordered the Blues special in all positions, with the baseplate, blender pot, and volume control added onto the pickguard. The result is a level of tone control I had not experienced in this guitar before (93′ American Strat Plus), giving it new life, and giving me more desire to play it. The lows are resonant without being muddy, and the highs have that wonderful bright Fender tone without the almost “tinny” sounds I was hearing before. I have had them for a few months and it has become my go to guitar for everyday playing.
kgjgtrplyr (verified owner) –
I’ve been very happy with the pickups in my Strats but I’m always looking for something better, if it exists. After years of Fender, Seymour Duncan, Dimarzio etc. pickups and since I had heard so much about Fralin I decided to give them a try. This turned to be the best move I could’ve made. I don’t know how to explain what makes these pickups better but they are. Well worth the money. The prewired pickguard is the best way to go because of the options available (master tone control, magic cap for the bridge pickup, Fralin volume kit to keep your tone consistent when lowering the volume). Tyler was a big help with all the options so the Customer Service was amazing. Give these guys a try because I don’t see how anybody else could be better.
Wil Hodge –
I’ve had seven Gibson Les Pauls over the years. I liked them all, but sold my last one, a 1975 Custom, a few years back and went to Strats, Teles and big hollow bodies for my Humbuckers. Anyone who’s ever owned an LP knows darn well that if they sell it, they will get another one sooner or later. When the LP jones hit, I realized new LPs came with a California zip code hanging on the price tag. Too rich for me. So, I opted to try what I was optioned, a new Epiphone Custom LP (500.00) and trying some better pickups. I play every Sunday at a big church in Atlanta. Lotta folks. Me up there playing an Epiphone really bothered the guitar snob in me because I gotta look like, as well as sound like I got good gear. I put a set of Fralins in that Epiphone with CTS 500 pots. (It was fun gutting the Epiphone, by the way) Holy Lord! What a difference! I now play the little and lighter Epiphone almost every Sunday now. And I play it proudly! Killer tone that doesn’t leave me when I turn the volume down from the guitar! That is huge!! I’m trying the Fralin Strat pickups on a build project I’m doing now. Can’t wait! These pickups are for real!!
Fatman (verified owner) –
I’ve been buying 3rd party prewired pickguards with Fralin’s in them for years but limited to what pickups and wiring the 3rd party was offering in their prewired pickguard. FINALLY, Fralin is offering prewired pickguards. Tyler at Fralin was awesome suggesting the right pickups for the tone I wanted. I immediately ordered a prewired pickguard with a Neck Vintage Hot, Middle Blues Special, and Steel Pole 42 for bridge in my Custom Shop Strat’. I was also able to get custom wiring (no mid p/u tone pot, a’ la’ EJ). This is the exact tone palette I’ve been trying to get with this Stratocaster! Not sure, but sounds RWRP since the 2 & 4 positions seem extremely quiet? Regardless, I can’t say enough about the tone, chime and fullness of these pickups. Love ’em! Thanks again all at Fralin…I know it takes a team!