Split Blade Strat

I put some vintage output split blades in a 2018 MIM Fender Strat. They’re as quiet as the guitar will allow (I still need to add shielding to the cavity) with no 60-cycle hum.

The tone is as close to a single coil as I think you can get from a noiseless pickup. The vintage output handles distortion better than the Fender single coils could, and the neck can do a nice jazzy clean tone if I roll off the volume and tone a little. They’re not quite as bright as the single coils were, but I think upgraded controls will fix that. There is just a hint of that humbucker tone but they are still very clear and articulate. The whole set is great, but the middle position is surprisingly good for a Strat. I might actually use it now.

5/5, they’re exactly what I wanted and expected. They also look fantastic.

Mr. Fralin has done it. The Split Blade Strat pickups are just what the Dr. ordered. Close your eye and it’s that single-coils sound we know and love. The dynamics are great and the feel is there. You don’t want for the brightness that you think you might lose and you won’t miss the hum. Bravo!

I installed my vintage output split blades this week and did a bunch of gigging with them. Incredible pickups. No buzz even in the worst situations. The blender pot is also a game changer. Much more usable sounds from the bridge pickup.

Anyway, just wanted to thank you guys. One of the secondary reasons I bought pickups from you all is that your blog articles on wiring, guitar capacitors, switches, etc. really helped me on my journey to learning to wire my own guitars.

Thanks again!

-JR Redford

I put the split blades in an ’91 Levinson Blade and couldn’t be happier. The VSC system had folded, and the original pickups are not as good without the VSC active control so, I wanted to try something new other than Lace Sensor pickups which I have on several guitars. These pickups are noiseless and are a great sound similar to a single coil without the noise. They have a warm tone and sparkle at the same time. They retain the character of a Fender styled guitar with a mere hint of humbucker in there. If you do a lot of recording like I do you will appreciate the low noise. They work great with distortion/overdrive pedals as well. Very nice pickups. Thanks, Lindy.

I came across Lindy’s Split Blades about 10 or 11 years ago when I was building out an ESP LTD ST-213 ‘Strat.’ I test drove Don Lace, the Fender Pro Series, SDs and a few others but nothing compared to what I heard from the Split Blades. When I told my luthier / tech of 30 years what I had settled on, he seemed pleased but there was a problem: The set I wanted didn’t exist. I wanted a Super High Output on the bridge, a Texas Special (as it was called at the time) in the middle and a Vintage ’57 up front. Luckily, my luthier / tech was an authorized dealer for Lindy’s pups and put in a call to him.

Lindy agreed to wind a set of pups without those specs and tone characteristics but also insisted on winding the pots to run them. As can be seen in his video, it’s the same wiring … a master volume and tone with a ‘blend’ pot.

Simply put, these are the best Single Coil pups for ANY Strat. I also enlisted Lindy’s help with High Output PAFs for a US ESP Eclipse which absolutely sings.

Just received your split rails. They are excellent! They retain all of the traits of a Stratocaster but are noiseless. I put these in a ’91 Levinson that the VSC circuit had been disconnected by a previous owner. The pickups were noisy and low volume. Those problems are cured now. Now I have a number of guitars with LS pickups, and I do like them, but I like to mix it up with pickups in that I don’t like every guitar to sound the same and have the same pickups. I have two other guitars with Fralin pickups and they sound great, DID I SAY THEY SOUND GREAT? Yes, they do! I have the Blues Specials in a Rosewood neck Strat and P90’s in a custom Abernethy guitar. If you do a lot of recording like I do and use distortion/overdrive pedals and have excessive noise but want the full-on beefy Strat sound these are your pickups. Thanks, Lindy, Peter.

I already had a neck and middle Blues but bought high output for my bridge.
I already had Fralin regular strat pickups installed in my hand made Strat but hate the noise. Lovely sound though!
The wiring was already a Fralin wiring and the pickups sounded great right away.
I had to fine tune the high of the pickups but after that, it was very versatile and awesome. By turning down the volume I have a wide range of sounds and dynamics with these pickups. I can do Jazz to funky sparkly tones. And on lead sounds!!!! Killers!!!! Very modern but very classic sounding at the same time. They pierce in a mix, are articulate and are meaty !!!
Go for it but make sure to have a proper wiring to use their full potential!

By now, I have tried every variation of the split blade strat size pickups.
They are my all time favorite.
My current custom guitar has the blues version @ neck, high output clean @ middle and the high output clean Humbucker @ bridge.
I have extremely good working tones no matter what I am plugged into including amps & modelers with (gasp ?) IRs.

ya don’t even have to ask my friend! I already had the bridge pick up and wanted to try a neck with bridge (like a tele set up)but on a stratocaster. much to my surprise it sound pretty Kool when in 2nd position. I told the fralin crew what I was trying to do and they kicked n they’re 2 cents which I was grateful to hear from them the tone they make and the no hum is also a welcome advantage its very simple jus place her order and do something else while its being made. Lindy and his team don’t lolligag around in notime at all I got the heads up that my single pickup was on its way! my single pickup purchase was treated like a full blown purchase of these split blades. this is my 3rd purchase of frail pickups (blues special for tele and vintage for tele both are usually the first axe I pull out to play and I feel so pleased with myself cuz my playing actually sounds good even thou I suk ha. I’m stashing some lawn cutting aside so I can get the middle pickup made for my strat and will just have to suffer playing the blues specials to the vintage in the meantime. thanx gang at fralin. I’m a customer for life Joe g

Awesome Pickups!

I bought two Vintage Split Blades for the Neck and Middle positions of my G&L Legacy. While the Stock CLF100 single coils were nice and sounded good, I wanted hum cancelling. After listening to and comparing many different hum cancelling pickups over a year and worrying about whether or not they would pair with the SD Little 78 I had in the bridge position, I decided to go for the Split Blades.

After I had them wired up along with some other electronic customizations (A three-way switch instead of the five way, wired like Alex Lifeson’s Hentor guitars from the 80s, and the tone controls were disconnected, just volume.) I tried them out, and wow!!! They sound very similar to the stock single coils, but with some slight differences (good differences)

The clarity they have especially on the E,A, & D strings remind me of SD Hot stacks, but more “Authentic” sounding. The G,B, and high E have clarity, but are fuller and thicker sounding without sounding like it’s imitating a humbucker, which I welcome because that was one drawback I was experiencing with the CLF100’s (Some settings they were too mid-scooped and brittle.) They also pair nicely with the Little 78. I’m one happy camper!!

Many thanks to Lindy for designing them, Jon for winding them and answering a lot of my many questions, Vic for shipping them out way quicker than I expected, and the rest of the folks at Lindy Fralin!

The Split Blade Strat neck pickup sounds great in my Grosh ElectraJet. All the expressive dynamics and spank you expect from a vintage neck single coil. I avoided using this guitar in many venues for years due to noise problems. Now I can play it anywhere anytime.

Installed match set of split blades on a 2018 Fender American Professional that had V-Mod pickups. Was having issues with low output on B and high E strings. The split blades cured everything and sweetened the tone…my drummer asked if I got a new guitar when we jammed last weekend. Nope just new badass pickups!

Thanks Fralin team!

Plan to do my Jaguar next! Wondering what the team recommends for an H-S Jag? Let me know!