Split Blade Strat
Split Blade Strat Pickups: a Lindy Fralin original! Designed as a fully noise-canceling replacement for Strat-style pickups with all the high-end clarity you expect from a traditional single coil. As always, Lindy Fralin Guitar Pickups will give you the most clarity, articulation, and string definition you can get – period.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
All Strat, No Hum.
Want to learn more about our Split Blade Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:
Split Blade Strat FEATURES:
Are you searching for an authentic Fender Strat sound, but hate hum? We have the solution for you: Split Blade Stratocaster Pickups – The revolutionary design in single-coil sound, without the annoying 60-cycle hum. We’ve built this pickup with a 2-coil design using steel blades for the pole piece. Unlike most humbucking pickups, Split Blades are designed with a left and right coil design, offering a more accurate and more balanced single-coil tone. You can expect a traditional single-coil tone from Split Blades, except with more fatness and warmth. Split Blades are perfect for those who love their guitar’s tone, but want to rid themselves of the noise.
- A Lindy Fralin Original Design!
- An interesting and unique look
- Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
- Traditional Fender tone, with no noise
- USA-made Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Three Blade heights available for different fingerboard radiuses
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Split Blades consist of a precision injection mold and USA-Made Steel Blades. We use a variety of USA-Made magnets to make this model loud and efficient. Each bobbin is carefully inspected and cleaned before winding.
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. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sound
Lindy Fralin Split Blade Pickups are unique: they offer a single-coil sound, with no hum, whatsoever. You can expect a fantastic warm, full-bodied tone with incredible string articulation and enhanced detail. Low strings sound clear and articulate, while the plain strings sound thicker than a single-coil, but still sparkle. Also, adjusting the pickup on the Bass and Treble ends allows the player to fine-tune the pickup to their needs.
Split Blade Pickups will not pull strings out of tune – even if they get close. When playing with distortion, Split Blade Pickups sound thick and dynamically creamy. Chords have excellent compression, and single notes have a much broader sonic footprint. Split Blades sound thicker than our Vintage Hots in our Vintage output option.
Pot Value:
Vintage and High Output Split Blades sound great on 250K Pots or 300K pots. We sell 300K Pots here if you need one!
Sizing
Tech Specs
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Split Blade Strat.
Since we have a few different outputs for Split Blade, we've grouped them by their recommended Pot Value:
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Vintage Output Ohm Readings: | 4.7K Neck / 4.7K Middle / 5K Bridge* 1 |
| Vintage Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| High Output Ohm Readings: | 5.3K Neck / 5.3K Middle / 6.7K Bridge* 1 |
| High Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| Blues Output Ohm Readings: | 5K Neck / 5K Middle / 5.8K Bridge* 1 |
| Blues Output Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Super High Output Ohm Readings: | 5.8K Neck / 5.8K Middle / 9.5K Bridge* 1 |
| Super High Output Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43 Gauge Single Poly Nylon, Depending On Model |
| Magnet: | Ceramic |
| Polarity: | Hum Cancelling, Request 3 Wire If Buying Single |
| Pole Pieces: | Steel |
| 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.
* Due to the unique design of this pickup, ohm readings aren't very helpful. Our Vintage Output is close to the a Vintage Strat Pickup output.
Split Blade Strat FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
-
What Ohm Readings does your Split Blade Strat 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 3-4 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 Split Blade Strats 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.
GET IT PREWIRED
Get our Split Blade Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
95 Genuine Reviews for Split Blade Strat
More Reviews:
Add a review
Leave a review for our Split Blade Strat
STAY IN TOUCH
I got a signature model (Pepecaster) with HSS configuration-Pure PAF and Split blades-strat Blues special for middle and neck. I just can say SOUNDS KILLER! CHEERS! http://www.peterglavanov.com
The answer to my prayers. Authentic single coil sound without the noise when using distortion. Very happy with these and will be buying more.
I bought the SHO model for the bridge position on my Strat. I worried at first that I might lose some high end as with most very high output pups tend to sound a bit dull at the expense of output. But I worried for nothing. It has all the top end I could ever hope for in a bridge position pup with a good amount of gain. But don’t be fooled into associating this SHO with commercial brands claiming the same thing. This pup has superb definition and gobs of touch sensitivity. A nice amount of output suitable for classic rock soloing. But it’s definitely not of the Super Distortion variety. Overall a super choice and I couldn’t be happier.
I replaced a Lace Sensor red model which produced too much hum in some of our regular venues. I liked the Red quite a lot and had shopped hard and did my homework before selecting Fralin. I’m very pleased to say that it plays very well with the Lace Sliver and Blue pups in the middle and neck positions. I was concerned about it blending well with the Lace models but again, the worry was for nothing. Bonus is the bump in the lower tones over the Lace Red. The Split Blade has just enough in that area to make power chords jump, but with clarity. I’ve never experienced this kind of depth of sound in a pickup before.
So, if you are seeking a very responsive and touch sensitive pickup that hits the front end of your amp a bit harder than most, the SHO is a great choice. And it cleans up very well when the volume is backed off. Perfect.
Split blades — vintage/vintage/high output — went into an “S-type” from a StewMac kit. I was surprised (maybe I shouldn’t have been!) that the sounds I am getting closely matched the sounds in Lindy’s video, which was what I was looking for. Although friends had said the pre-Lindy sound was just fine, I’m blown away by the improvement. Thanks!
I purchased my split blades from Lindy directly. I did a strat guitar build using a quality Warmoth body and neck. I installed vintage split blades in the neck and middle positions, and a blues split blade in the bridge position. It’s a pretty trick set-up. I play a lot of Funk and Soul and I get out of the split blades what I wanted. I am glad I bought them. It’s bad enough so many of us play strats, but mine looks a little flashier and stands out a bit more thanks to the split blade design.
AMPS TO 11!
I installed two split blade, Blues model Strat pickups in my old #1 guitar, a Super Strat I built over 30 years ago. They are doing great work in the neck and middle positions, and pair very well with humbucker in the bridge slot. Switch positions 2 and 4 are especially satisfying – full of cluck and ping!! I could not be happier with my tone! I really appreciate the fact that both times I called to inquire about these pickups, I spoke with Lindy, who was generous with his time and a real pleasure to talk with
Color me happy!
I purchased a Fralin Split Coil set (Vintage – N, Vintage – M, Super High Output – B) to replace the Duncan APS1 pups in my Knaggs Choptank T2. I wanted to loose the noise/buzz from the SDs and since the Split Coils are offered as a upgrade option on the T1 Choptank they were my first choice. Wow – what an improvement!! Yes, the noise was completely gone but I wasn’t expecting the TONE. Each pick up has it’s own character but all are well within the desired ‘strat’ tonal range.. just richer. Adjustment was very easy.. initial balance between the pickups and low to high strings was a breeze to achieve (the design does the work). The output between all pick ups was well balanced even when using the ‘in between’ switch position for middle (V) and bridge (SHO). The neck ‘vintage’ pup is FAT .. super clean but one of the fullest sounds I’ve heard. The SHO has just enough extra output to push your leads over the edge, when you want, without being too conspicuous. I have Lindy’s ‘Pure PAF’ humbuckers in my Knaggs Sheyenne, which I love, and now there’s no question.. Lindy Fralin simply creates the best pick ups on the planet.
I originally ordered SP42’s for my Carvin Strat clone. When I installed them, the pole piece alignment was too far off for my comfort due to narrow string spacing. I couldn’t hear a problem, I could just see it. I called Lindy and he noted that this would be a non-issue with the Split Blades. I swapped the SP42’s for Super High Output Split Blades. They are amazing. I was concerned about equal string volume without adjustable pole pieces. Fralin has compensated for that with varying height in the blades. With the correct radius, the volumes are spot-on. Another benefit that I noticed, which I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere, is that there is no hot spot on the bass strings. The frequency response is very equal end to end! These produce the clearest wound string tone of any high output pickup that I have used. They respond well to the guitar’s variables. There is no string pull, signal is strong, clear and delicious! Try ’em, you’ll love ’em. Thanks to Lindy for his time & advice!!
love the vintage blades look ma no hum! Had a set of vintage hots in a strat i built They were awesome. If you ain’t happy with your sound i’m sure lindy makes something you’ll like!
One word – amazing!! Put vintage split blades in the neck and middle position and high output in the bridge and you’ll never want anything else on your strat. These pickups make your guitar sound ultimate, just like premium instruments. You don’ t have to spend thousands on custom shop guitars – if you love the wooden mate you have, just invest in the best pickups you can possibly get! Truly!