Split Blade Strat
Pure Strat® Tone, No Noise
$125 – $375
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.
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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:
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!
Sound Samples for Split Blade Strat:
Compare Outputs
We have 2 outputs of our Split Blade Strat. Compare them below.
About these Sound Clips:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Split Blade Strat:
The tonal graph below for our Split Blade Strat features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Vintage Output (250K / 300K Pots:
Attack: Dynamic & Full
High Output (250K / 300K Pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Blues Output (500K Pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Super High Output (500K pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Videos for Split Blade Strat:
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.
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
If you're buying a set from us, all pickups will work together seamlessly. If you're buying a single pickup, all you need to worry about is Coil Direction.
To ensure your pickup will work, make sure you select multiple leads (2-conductor with shield), or the 3-Wire modification so you can reverse the coil direction, if need be.
Split Blade Strat Dimensions:
Split Blade Strat FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Split Blade Strat have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
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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.
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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.
Product FAQ's
These are frequently asked questions about our Split Blade Strat. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask A Question" in the Quick Links section above.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Split Blades to?
Split Blades sound best a little closer to the strings than a standard Strat or Telecaster pickup. Split Blades don’t pull your strings out of tune like a normal pickup will, either. Feel free to get our Split Blades pretty close to the strings – you’ll love the tone of them when you do!
Get It Prewired
Get our Split Blade Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
Customer Reviews
100 Genuine Reviews for Split Blade Strat
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Great-sounding pickups
I was a little hesitant about spending over $300 on a set of pickups. I tried a set of ‘cheaper’ Strat pickups. They were OK at best, but I wasn’t happy. The Fralin Blues Specials blow any other set away that I have tried. Well worth the money. Definitely the last set of pickups I will put in that guitar.
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Split Blade pickups
These are excellent pickups, worth installing. You won’t believe the time these will provide you with ?
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Awesome
Love that is in North and South and the same time and can come in a 3 Wire. That way I can mix. And match with any other brand of pickup it makes the combinations endless, And is very clear!! -
Just got a set of the split blades in my Strat and I am very impressed and pleased
With the vintage sound and how even they are.
Neck and middle are vintage and bridge is high output very nice blend.
Look forward to some more experimenting with a band..
Thanks Lindy for some very nice strat no noise pickups… -
Replaced single coil Strat bridge pickup
I bought this split blade pickup to replace the bridge pickup of my Strat which I found much too bright and harsh. The split blade was a great replacement, giving me a more humbucker-type sound with some much needed crunch. Lindy was great when I called and asked about options and wiring.Now on to installing the blender pot.
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Simply the best
I have played many different noiseless strat pickups and these vintage split blades are without question the best. They are silent, articulate, responsive, and sound great clean and with overdrive. I get plenty of punch and sustain for crunchy rhythm and singing solos. They are a little fuller sounding than regular single coils, but nevertheless have a sweet, chimey essence – and plenty of quack. Each of the 5 positions has that quintessential strat character, but with just a little more oomph. Highly recommended. I went with a 300k volume pot which I believe brings out more of the single coil vibe. -
Killer in a musicmaster bass!
Love my musicmaster bass but it was super noisy. Put one of these in and it’s dead quiet, with a lot more low end and a more open top. Very happy! -
Vintage split blades are 100% the best sounding pickups I’ve ever heard in my strat. Run them through a 250k pot and they just come to life like you wouldn’t believe. From a FOH perspective, they give the guitar more presence without having to be overly loud. It’s like they fit in the mix and grab the ear without even trying.
– Thank you Lindy for giving this sound guy a guitar everyone wants to play!
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Absolutely INSANE!!! Replaced an extremely noisy Lollar “blonde” Strat neck pick-up with this split blade high output, 12 inch radius, my mind is blown!! absolutely beautiful single coil sound, zero hum, zero line noise and it looks bad ass!! BUY IT
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I just purchased a set of Vintage Split Blades, with a Blender Pot and Magic Cap, for my Strat. They are fantastic! They have cut and punch, classic sound, and still have articulation even when I add a drive (KoT) or two afterward. And no noise! Thank you, Lindy, for your advice! I now feel spoiled given I live close to his shop – it looks like I will be doing the same with other guitars!
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I’ve been a traditional SSS strat player for many years and have tried many pickups, but recently started looking around to see what else was out there. Having had some recent experiences with string and pole piece misalignments as well as actually hearing volume drop-offs when bending strings for the first time ever on a particular guitar, I was determined to TRY some blade type pickups. After talking to Lindy I decided on the Fralin Split Steel Pole bridge pickup with the Blades in neck and middle. Wow, it’s AMAZING. All 3 pickups sound amazing. The Split Steel Pole Bridge pickup is the perfect solution if you want a strat to still sound and LOOK like a strat but give near humbucker sounds. And the Split Blades pair beautifully with it. Now I’m looking at all sorts of non-traditional designs for my other Fender projects. Why deal with hum when you can sound this amazing without it? I have several high end strats including one I built with Fender 69’s and an EJ strat, but by son’s MIM with these pickups is my favorite strat in the house. That guitar is just magic. They don’t look traditional but I’m over that after hearing them!
Thanks Lindy! -
Simply the best noiseless pickup on earth!
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I spent a lot of time researching pickups before deciding on a set of blues split blades. Bingo! The tone is superb – shimmery, sweet and balanced. I used to be pretty much stuck on the second selector position but now every position sounds awesome. I highly recommend the blender pot on the third knob for neck and bridge mix. It adds a whole new dimension to the sound. Also recommend the pre-wired pick guard – worth every penny.
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Amazing! Can’t say enough good things! Best him canceling single coil pickups I have ever tried!
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I’ve been drooling over these pickups for years and now I finally have them! These Split Blades are so nice. They have all the charm of a classic strat but no noise. They also have a lot more output. Zach is fantastic. He took the time to call me to make sure I had the right configuration. Thank you so much!
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Just what I needed.
Custom wound. Unpotted. Warm and fat. Perfect for my goals. Fast and reasonable. I love this company. -
Mr. Fralin, the set of split blades for Strat that Brian and I from Lafayette Music installed are UNBELIEVABLE sounding. It literally changed the way I play it, and I’ve been playing for 30 years. Next, on the list- Split Blades for my Tele.
These pickups make every other Strat pickup obsolete. I can finally record my Strat with confidence knowing, no matter how gain I use, it will be completely quiet. No squeals, hum, unwanted overtones, no weird string vibrations from magnets, and no noise. I have never been this happy with the tone of my Strat.
My PRS Hollowbody 2 has your P92s in it. Also amazing. One of my 5 Teles has the Blues Special +5 in it. It will spank em all. I am getting ready to get the Split Blades for Tele. I’ll be in touch. Thank you.
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Fralin Split Blade Vintage Output:
I really love these pickups. I got the vintage radius vintage output.sweet pickups without the overhyped highs I have experienced with other Pickup makers noiseless pickups. My advice with vintage output get a 300k volume pot and Fralin Bright switch. Don’t forget a Fralin Blender Pot if you want Telecaster tones from your Strat and when ordering to specifically match the radius of the Pickup to your fretboard.The pickups have great tone minus the hum of a single coil Pickup.
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hi, just bought used this great Vintage split blades pickups (neck and middle) for my swamp ash -maple custom strat , ive never heard of this brand before, i was amazed of the great clean sound i get from my strat, these are pretty good balanced, I get good bass (never mud) , nice mids and a beautiful crystal clear treble sound, turn on the overdrive you get really nice cuts, lots of sustain …. I dont think these pickups sound like traditional single coil, i think its more like a very very good P 90 sound (no hum)… these pickups are unique in sound and looks … yesterday i bought the bridge split blades for the bridge ill be installing very soon in my guitar …
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hi… I just bought used neck and middle vintage output pickups, never heard of this brand of pickups before, i was looking for a noiseless pickup for my swamp ash- maple custom strat, i was surprise of the consistent balanced clean sound of this pickups, i personally do not think they sound like true single coils, is more like a very very good p-90 sound (without the hum) , very good bass and mids, pretty good cristal clear trebble, lots of sustain, you turn on the overdrive you get a beautiful clean distorted sound, no mud, no harsh fuzzy sound … yesterday bought the bridge splitblade pickup and i intent to replace immediately a seymour duncan hot rail to make a complete strat set of this great pickups …. for the price tag these are a great buy …. i will never change pickups in my strat again, just found the hoil grail in sound ….these have a peculiar and unique looks and sound.
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