High Output
The High Output Humbucker: Stronger and bigger sounding humbucker without being too dark. Works great with a coil-split, perfect for single notes with high gain. The High Output Humbucker is stronger, beefier, and thicker than our Modern P.A.F.
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Get Aggressive, Get Loud.
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High Output FEATURES:
The High Output Humbucker has the thickest, fattest tone of all of our humbuckers. Perfect for high-gain playing, especially with single notes. Our High Output Humbucker is a thick-sounding humbucker that sounds great when split. It’s perfect for anyone looking for the beefiest tone possible. Wound with 43-gauge wire and AlNiCo V magnets, you’ll get a smooth grind, with a ton of output.
- Our Highest Output Humbucker – Strong, Dark, and Beefy
- Perfect for Coil Splitting
- Modified Gibson PAF® specifications with attention to increased output
- Darker and thicker tone. Smooth, Chainsaw grind and a medium attack
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Compensated Overwound Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
Our High Output Humbucker is the thickest and loudest Humbucker we make. It has a very aggressive and dark tone. It’s beefier and more aggressive than our Modern P.A.F. Expect a thick-sounding single-string note that’s quick to break up. Chords will sound full and crunchy with a good amount of soft-clip compression. The High Output Humbucker is best with distortion, especially with single-notes. The grind is thick and smooth, and single notes will sustain and sing. Because this humbucker is so strong, it’s ideal for coil-tapping. This will leave the single-coil pickup strong enough to play well with others. Best used in a bridge position, the High Output Humbucker will sound great and have a warm, round pick attack.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. High Output Humbuckers consist of USA-Made bobbins, baseplates, magnets, and wire. 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.
We assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand. This allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our High Output.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Estimated Neck Ohm Reading: | 12K |
| Estimated Bridge Ohm Reading: | 13.5K |
| Neck Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor or 4-Conductor Lead |
| Bridge Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor or 4-Conductor Lead |
| Cover & Baseplate Material: | Nickel Silver |
| Baseplate Leg Depth: | 6mm |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Slug / Pole Piece Material: | Steel |
| Bobbin Material: | ABS Plastic |
| Recommended Cap Value**: | 0.02mfd |
**We recommend a 0.02mfd Cap Value on most guitar and bass pickups. The exception is a Magic Cap, which Lindy prefers on the Bridge Pickup of Fender® guitars only. Learn More about Caps Here.
Sizing
Humbucker Lead Color Codes
See below for our Humbucker Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead:
2-Conductor Lead:
3-Conductor Lead:
4-Conductor Lead
High Output Questions And Answers:
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Have a question about our High Output? Ask it here. Your Question will be publically visible. If you want to ask a Private Question, please contact us through our Contact Us Form.
If you have multiple questions, please call us at (804) 358-2699.
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I have a Gibson 335…semi hollow body. Would there be any issues using these high outputs in that type of guitar?
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Q I have a Gibson 335…semi hollow body. Would there be any issues using these high outputs in that ...... Read moreA
Hey Eric, no not at all 335's are particularly brighter-sounding guitars (on average). If you're looking for the thickest, most powerful humbucker tone while still retaining a touch of vintage and classic tone, these pickups will sound great.
Ok. So is there a fralin humbucker that compares to the SD Distortion?
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Q Ok. So is there a fralin humbucker that compares to the SD Distortion?A
Hey David, not really - we stay in the Vintage-voiced realm of pickups and don't offer any super-distortion or super high-output models. That said, our High Output will get you close. It will sound a bit better clean as well.
Is the high output hum bucker similar to the Seymour Duncan distortion hum bucker?
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Q Is the high output hum bucker similar to the Seymour Duncan distortion hum bucker?A
Hey David, it has a similar output, but will sound a bit more traditional and vintage than the Seymour Duncan model, which will sound way more aggressive.
will these pickups fit a Godin Radiator (newer model)
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Q will these pickups fit a Godin Radiator (newer model)A
Hey William, if you have standard-sized humbuckers, these will drop right in.
I’m looking for a gold humbucker cover for the High Output humbucker but in the covers section of the website it is empty but you have the option to purchase a cover with the pickup itself, where can I buy a gold cover by itself. Thanks.
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Q I’m looking for a gold humbucker cover for the High Output humbucker but in the covers section of...... Read moreA Hey Weston, we no longer sell them by themselves. You can, however, purchase one here: https://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/humbucker/ They use the same covers as we do.
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I installed the high output humbuckers and high output single coil in a HSH configuration on my PRS S2 Studio. After I tweeked the pickup heights, they sounded fantastic! It was exactly the sound I was searching for, for both split and humbucker modes. They have just the right amount of mid range and top end for my set up.
High Output Esquire
I have found this to be an exceptionally versatile-sounding pickup. After contacting the shop and receiving advice from Lindy Fralin himself, I paired this with the Fralin prewired telecaster control plate that allows for 50% and 75% coil-tapping as well as 2 switchable tone caps. This is a very full and powerful sounding humbucker with rich harmonics and overtones when driven, as well as a sparkling and spanky single-coil when split. For both the customer service and pickup, I cannot recommend them enough.
High Output Humbucker
I put the pickup on an Epiphone Les Paul Junior from 1998. The sound is punchy but clean, consistent on all strings, and very responsive to dynamics as well as to the position of the strumming/picking hand. It’s an awesome quality product, it came quickly and safely, installation was easy, and it sounds amazing. Awesome job!
Lindy Fralin High Output Bridge Pickups
Bought two of these. One for my American Elite Stratocaster and one for my Gibson ES-335. The one for my Stratocaster better matched the output of the neck and middle N4 noiseless pickups than the SD Custom I had originally put in the guitar when I switched from SSS to HSS. For the ES-335, I wanted more output than the original 57 Classic and I feel that the Alnico 5 magnet in Lindy’s pickup really improved the playing dynamics over the original.
Got the F-Spaced for bridge position on Fender Strat. Went the extra mile and got a ‘Super Switch’, which is necessary with a modified ‘Lone Star’ wiring mod to allow the Humbucker to see a 500k pot while the middle & neck see 250k pot. This IS the pickup you need to turn a SSS Strat into a proper HSS guitar that sounds like a Strat AND a Les Paul. I always hated a Strat bridge, but loved the neck & middle above all other guitars. If you are in that boat, this pickup could make you sell any extra electric guitars. Make sure you get the 4 conductor wire, then your tech won’t hate you wiring it up.
OUTSTANDING. Crystal Clear Clarity!
I had my high output humbucker installed in the bridge of a preloaded set, with a raw nickel cover. It was wound by Lucas, I think, who was great to work with for the entirety of the build. The pickup is, of course, perfect. I cannot imagine how it would be improved. It turned the sound of an affinity strat into what reminds me of an older les paul, a complete tonal bliss. A higher gain stage from the amp proves that this pickup can reach into modern territory, providing excellent hard rock tones. Very impressed all around with this pickup, 5 stars completely earned.
PS- it should be mentioned that coil-tapping this pickup doesn’t really do much tonally. You can hear a noticeable difference on a clean setting, but on higher gain stages, I can’t tell a huge difference. Maybe it’s just me, oh well.
I got a pair of these in a guitar I bought years ago. At first I was going to replace them, but I decided to give them a try. The guitar is long gone, but I have held onto the pair of HOH pickups for years. I play mostly classic/southern rock, blues and Americana, this one set has been swapped into my guitars for years. I primarily play Les Paul’s, I wire these up to split front and back to add versatility.
Do not let the hot wind fool you, these are still PAF types, and can get that classic sound with the volume rolled off a bit. I love rolling the volume and getting different tones out of my guitars. Pinning the volume at max still gives the clarity, but with a little “push”.
I have tried many other “hot PAF” types (Boggs, Arcane, Duncan, etc.). Most overwound PAF types get really mid focused and “beamy”, others get too bright. The HOH have a nice balance, not too much midrange, just enough to get you noticed during solos.
The split sounds are great too. I have played entire gigs with the rear pickup split, copping great Tele sounds from my Les Paul. Even the split sounds are fat, never shrill or “ice picky”.
If you want that classic PAF tone, but with a little more “juice”, give these a try!
I have Fralin High Output Humbuckers in the bridge position of two HH Tele style axes. They sound great in full humbucker mode for rich rock soloing. Particularly in bright guitars, these are the way to go. More impressively, these are the only humbuckers I have ever had that really sounded great tapped. And I mean GREAT! Here is a little trick if you want to get a great tapped bridge single coil soloing sound and also have Strat type “quack” from a two pickup (H-H) axe. Flip the bridge High Output Humbucker around so the coil with the adjustable poles is forward (closer to the neck). This is opposite of how bridge pickups are typically set up. This does two things. 1) It puts the active coil with adjustable poles forward when the pickup is tapped. Thus, it’s in that perfect sweet spot 2″ forward of the bridge (vs 1.5″ for a standard Strat or Tele pickup). It still has plenty of bite there, but isn’t as ice-picky as a Strat or Tele bridge pickups can be. It “IS” in the optimal spot for soloing. That half inch fattens it up just enough to make your tapped leads really sing and cut through. Blues, country, rock, you name it. 2) In an H-H style guitar with the bridge tapped, because the active coil is closer to the neck, if you match it with one of Lindy’s Big Singles in the neck or even a low to mid wind P92, you get a very nice Strat in-between sound – that quack Strat players love. In standard Tele set-ups, the two coils are too far apart for this. Interestingly, with this configuration, when you un-tap the bridge High Output Humbucker (run it full humbucker) and use the middle position with a Big Single in the neck, the tone is very close to a Tele middle position, albiet higher output. Try flipping a bridge High Output around as described and you’ll find yourself soloing on that bridge position while tapped a lot. It’s such a sweet sound 2″ forward of the bridge! Not to mention the quack you can get in the middle position with a Fralin Big Single in the neck. Note: this would also work with one of Lindy’s Strat or Tele neck single coils in the neck if you wanted a S-H two pickup axe instead of a H-H one. With custom pickguards, you can even maximize the “quack” by moving the neck pickup back 3/8″ to 1/2″. Then you truly have Strat pickup spacing. I did this on the Walnut Tele pictured. Another benefit of this two pickup option vs a Strat configuration, is there is no middle pickup to constantly hit with your pick or fingers if finger-picking. Bottom line, because a Fralin High Output Humbucker sounds great both tapped and in full rich bridge humbucker mode, it gives you tremendous versatility in a two pickup guitar that you’re not gonna get from a PAF or most other bridge humbuckers.
After a discussion with Lindy, I put these pickups in a vintage Gibson KZII guitar. The KZII was not a high-end Gibson when it came out but I love the way it is balanced (unlike my ’66 ES335 and my ’72 Les Paul Custom) and is light as a feather (unlike my Les Paul that requires a visit to the chiropractor after playing it for more than 30 min.). I wanted the KZ to sound better than it did with the stock pickups so I had Lindy make some High Output humbuckers for me. After installing them I plugged the guitar in and was completely blown away by the quality of the sound. I’ve a great Black Face amp and the combination of the two is astounding. Warm, creamy, expressive, clean if desired, breakup easy and distinct, and very sensitive to knob positions which is a delight. The variation of sounds by changing these positions allows it to be played on a large variety of musical styles. I have a decent amount of great guitars and for now, this little marginalized KZII has easily become my favorite electric guitar.
Lindy and his crew are as good as it gets, not only in product but also in customer service and attitude. I have Lindy’s pickups in a bass and three guitars including this KZ and they all sound fantastic but distinctly different, which is the point. After over 60 years playing and writing music it took me this long to discover Lindy and his crew. Advice: Don’t wait as long as I did!