Steel Pole 42 Tele
Enter the world of the almighty P90 pickup, and discover what you’ve been missing with our Steel Pole 42’s. Featuring the perfect balance of a traditional Tele pickup and the P90 tone, we’ve achieved hybrid tonal bliss! Expertly crafted by hand, we guarantee this tone will inspire you for years to come.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
Compare Sound Clips of our Steel Pole 42 Tele with another product:
More Quick Links:
Telecaster, Meet P90.
Want to learn more about our Steel Pole 42 Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Steel Pole 42 Tele FEATURES:
Steel Pole 42 Tele pickups are an exciting blend of a P90 and a traditional Tele pickup. Thicken up your Telecaster’s tone with a snarly and warm midrange and a stiffer, percussive treble. Hand-built with USA-Made Steel Pole Pieces, Ceramic Magnets, and a low-output wind, we guarantee the unique tone produced by this set will inspire you.
Featuring a thicker and warmer tone than our Stock Teles, you’ll be impressed by the unique pick attack and versatile nature of this set. Hand-built with Steel Pole Pieces and Ceramic Magnets, Steel Pole 42s feature a stiffer top-end and midrange snarl. If you play with distortion, you can expect a faster break up and a “chainsaw” grind.
Perfectly fusing the clarity and dynamics of a Tele pickup and the midrange aggression and bark of a P90, we’re sure that this is one of the most versatile and unique-sounding pickups on the market today.
Features:
- Original Fender Size, Lindy Fralin Design
- Strong and bold – lots of midrange and snarl
- USA-made Ceramic Magnets for aggressive tone and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- RW/RP Neck pickup for a hum-canceling middle position.
- Adjustable Steel Pole pieces for fine-tuning string balance
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
Tonal Graph for Steel Pole 42 Tele:
The tone graph below for our Steel Pole 42 Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack:
Sound Clips for Steel Pole 42 Tele:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Steel Pole 42’s sound larger and richer than traditional Tele pickups. You’ll notice more midrange, especially in the lows and highs when played clean. The midrange is prominent on this pickup, and it sounds great on 250K pots. These pickups are not as dark as a P90 but have a beautiful openness and clarity. Steel Pole 42’s sound thicker in the midrange with more of a “chainsaw” grind. For musicians looking for more of a traditional P-90 sound, we recommend our Steel Pole 43 Pickups.
Finally, Steel Pole 42 Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If you’re looking for something different, these may be right for you. Also, if your current pickups are too bright or thin, you will love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, and a bit aggressive.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Steel Pole Pickups consist of a precision injection mold and USA-Made Steel Screws. We use aggressive USA-Made magnets to make this model scream. Each bobbin is carefully inspected and cleaned before winding.
We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Winding pickups this way gives each pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sizing
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Steel Pole 42 Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.7K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 6.7K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Magnet: | Ceramic |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge / 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K |
| 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.
*The Neck reads higher due to the use of 43 Gauge Wire, outputs are compensated
Steel Pole 42 Tele FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
-
What Ohm Readings does your Steel Pole 42 Tele have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
-
Will this pickup fit my instrument?
Check our "Sizing" tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions.
-
Is your Lead Time of 2-3 Weeks accurate?
It really depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to underpromise and overdeliver.
-
What pickup height do you recommend setting your Steel Pole 42 Teles to?
Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. Measure by holding the corresponding side down at its highest fret and measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
Pairing
Our Steel Pole 42 Tele pairs well with the following models:
Steel Pole 42 Strat - Middle
Starting At: $110
Pair with a Steel Pole 42 Reverse Middle for a Smokin' Nashville Tele tone.
View Product
Split Steel Poled Tele - Bridge
Starting At: $129
Our Split Steel Pole Tele Bridge is the perfect noiseless companion for our Steel Pole 42.
View ProductGET IT PREWIRED
Go the extra mile and combine our Steel Pole 42 Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
47 Genuine Reviews for Steel Pole 42 Tele
More Reviews:
Add a review
Leave a review for our Steel Pole 42 Tele
STAY IN TOUCH
I have a Fender Roadworn Tele with Fralin Blues Special in the bridge and Fralin Steel Pole 42 as a neck pickup. I’m a neck position guy and this pickup was such a great update to my guitar. It leans towards a P90 soundwise, providing a fat, warm and when needed, gritty sound. And it looks really lovely too!
The good folks at Lindy Fralin were very communicative and helpful and wanted to make sure the pickup I was receiving was in right wind direction and polarity were matched to my existing p/up
Here’s the first video track I cut with the pickup:
https://youtu.be/yfoawVNoHI8?feature=shared
Oh, my goodness. Put a matched set of SP42’s in my Player Telecaster and… Wow, just WOW.
It’s hard to describe just how good these pickups sound, but I’ll try. They add warmth, richness, boldness but still exhibit some of that sparkle that you want now and then from your Tele. I did some fancy wiring to get series and parallel sounds and these pickups really shine with those additional options. Super responsive to touch and retain clarity and character even with the volume rolled down.
Lindy’s Steel pole 42 bridge transformed my tele and their service is the best. Looking forward to future guitar builds with their pick ups
Perfect match for the Split Steel Poled bridge pickup. A 4 way switch is my preferred way to wire Tele style guitars, these two pickups are full, fat and just beautiful sounding.
I purchased the SP42 tele bridge pickup as a replacement for the G&L MFD pickup on my ASAT classic S. I was looking for something that would mostly preserve the original sound of my guitar, while eliminating the dreaded “ASAT screech”.
This pickup is awesome. It’s definitely not an MFD but it fits very well with my guitar. It does everything a P90 does – sparkle, growl — great clean, pedals, od, or distortion.
I do a lot of intricate sliding/tapping in my current band and this pickup is articulate at all stages, but can still rip out a solo/heavier riffs. Great all around pickup
I purchased the SP42 tele bridge pickup as a replacement for the G&L MFD pickup on my ASAT classic S. I was looking for something that would mostly preserve the original sound of my guitar, while eliminating the dreades “ASAT screech”.
This pickup is awesome. It’s definitely not an MFD but it fits very well with my guitar. It does everything a P90 does – sparkle, growl — great clean, pedals, od, or distortion.
I do a lot of intricate sliding/tapping in my current band and this pickup is articulate at all stages, but can still rip out a solo/heavier riffs. Great all around pickup
I asked a local luthier what he recommended for a MIM Tele and he said Lindys…I wanted a more rounded tone and these delivered! Have a 4 way switch and they definitely sound like full like a P90 w Tele tones. Amazing pickups, thick and articulate. The bridge open and airy w twang. Next project will be an HSS w Blues Specials w Unbucker for my Strat…thx Lindy.