Steel Pole 43 Strat
Instantly transform your Strat into the P90 powerhouse of your dreams with Lindy Fralin’s Steel Pole 43s. Featuring a high-output coil design and an aggressive magnet structure, this is as close to the famous P90 tone as we can get on a Strat. Don’t be afraid to get dirty – experience the expertly-crafted blend of P90 and Strat pickups, and discover what you’ve been missing.
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Supercharge your Strat's Tone.
Want to learn more about our Steel Pole 43 Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:
Steel Pole 43 Strat FEATURES:
Are you suffering from a wimpy Strat tone? We have the cure: Our Steel Pole 43 Strat Pickups are the highest-output Strat pickups we make and have the most volume and thickness. Lindy’s Steel Pole 43 leans towards the tone of a traditional P90, only in a Strat size. So, if you’re looking for the perfect P90 tone out of your Strat, look no further! We wind this model with 43-gauge wire for maximum volume and feature ceramic bar magnets for an aggressive attack.
Our Steel Pole 43s are beefier than the Blues Specials and Steel Pole 42’s, and they sound best with 500K pots.
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 Middle pickup for hum-canceling on positions 2 & 4
- 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
- 8.3K Neck & Middle, 10K Bridge
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. We wind each pickup using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. This gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sound
Steel Pole 43’s sound more like a P90 than traditional Strat pickups. They have a light compression that allows the pickup to break up quicker. This model sounds thicker in the midrange with more of a “chainsaw” grind, not like Alnico. They will hit the front-end of your amp hard and break up quickly. You’ll notice more midrange, especially in the lows and highs, when played clean. The midrange is prominent on this pickup, and it sounds excellent on 500K pots.
Finally, Steel Pole 43 Pickups are for those who need the most output out of their Strat. 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 thicker sounding and very aggressive.
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Steel Pole 43 Strat.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 8.3K |
| Middle Ohm Reading: | 8.3K |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 10K |
| Neck & Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Reverse Middle Polarity: | Counter-Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Magnet: | Ceramic |
| Wire: | USA-Made 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| 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
Steel Pole 43 Strat Questions And Answers:
Notice:
Have a question about our Steel Pole 43 Strat? 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 LeadII, which only has 2 pickups. How do I handle the polarity issue?
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Q I have a LeadII, which only has 2 pickups. How do I handle the polarity issue?There are no answers for this question yet.
My local retailer has a steel pole 43 -10% bridge pickup. How would that compare to the sound and output of the stock 42 and the split steel? I expect it’s brighter than the stock wind 43, but will it still be bigger sounding compared to the 42 and split steel on the high strings?
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Q My local retailer has a steel pole 43 -10% bridge pickup. How would that compare to the sound and...... Read moreA
Hey Alex, thanks for your question. The -10% will sound like the Steel Pole 42, just a bit thicker-sounding. It will be close to the tone of the Split Steel Pole Bridge, just with hum. I would say it would sound a touch "bigger" sounding than the Steel Pole 42 and the Split Steel Pole on the treble strings.
What value volume pot recommended for single coil sized p90
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Q What value volume pot recommended for single coil sized p90A
Hey James, we recommend a 500K pot for this model.
Will a neck or middle placed STEEL POLE 43 STRAT output match a super distortion humbucker in the bridge position?
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Q Will a neck or middle placed STEEL POLE 43 STRAT output match a super distortion humbucker in the...... Read moreA
Hey Jason, if you're guitar is an HSS model, the Steel Pole 43 Strat would probably keep up with the output of the Super Distortion in the Bridge.
Will the Fralin SP43 bridge pair well with fat 50s in the neck and middle?
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Q Will the Fralin SP43 bridge pair well with fat 50s in the neck and middle?A
Hey Shawn, the Steel Pole 43 will be significantly more output and offer a thicker, darker tone than the Fat 50s. I'd recommend the Steel Pole 42 instead.
Note:
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I’ve been wanting to put Fralins in one of my strats for a while now and finally had the right setup for them. Dropped the SP43 in the bridge and it took a while to get it dialed in, but once I did… it’s the best pickup I’ve ever had in a strat bridge position. I also did Blues Deluxe’s in the neck and middle and couldn’t be happier with them. The combo of these three pickups is perfect for a glassy clean setup that gets gnarly when you dig in. Love ‘em. Won’t ever change ‘em. I will definitely be recommending them for upcoming custom builds for clients.
Fantastic. I love building guitars, and was looking for something that would give me a completely different outcome on the latest strat (since I’ve already built several with Vintage Hots—the best for classic old-time Strat tone, IMO). Man, did these deliver the goods! Great crunch and growl, even at lower amp volume…roll back the guitar volume a tad, and nice, full clean Fendery tone. Extremely versatile.
Accomplished exactly what I had hoped. I am a veteran jazz guitarist and wanted a bigger warmer neck pickup tone from my strat. Has done just that with flying colors- great tone with nice transparency and clarity especially in the upper register.
Exactly what my S-style guitar needed in the bridge position. The search has ended, which is a beautiful thing to be able to say.
It serves great as a bolder neck pickup, and it is (in my opinion) excellent as middle pickup. Sounds great on it’s own, and heavenly combined with the Steel Pole 42 in neck position!
Perfect Upgrade. Was all about the promised sound!!! Very Good!!!!!
Just what I’ve been looking for!
Couldn’t be happier with these pickups, they’ve made me love my Albert Lee Music Man more than ever! Been A weekend warrior playing in a classic rock band for many years, and these things just kick it..fat without being muddy, but still plenty of spank! I’ve spent a ton of money on pickups over the years, wish I’d found this sooner…on my guitar tech’s recommendation, I had him add a mini-toggle so I can get the bridge/neck and all 3 pickup (I think) options..2 incredibly useful sounds..I highly recommend these! Btw, customer service with this company is great…coming back here to look for 3 P90’s..
Steel pole 43
No more Fender ice pick. Adds character. Allows me to actually use the bridge pup on my strat. Thanks, Lindy.
The bridge pickup that makes a Strat bridge sound actually useable (and then some!). The finest and easily most versatile Strat bridge pickup I’ve heard per delivering both beautiful, rich, chimey cleans and shimmery, warm, thick, ‘non-spikey’ overdrive tones.