Split Blade Tele
A Lindy Fralin original design! Split Blade Tele pickups are noiseless pickups for your Telecaster. They feature a noiseless operation, with all the clarity you expect from a single-coil pickup. Split Blades are available in 4 outputs to help you fine-tune your tone and find your sound.
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All Tele, No Hum.
Want to learn more about our Split Blade Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Split Blade Tele FEATURES:
Split Blade Tele Pickups: revolutionary design, pure Telecaster tone, no hum. Unlike most pickups, we designed our Split Blades with a left-right coil design, giving you a truer and more balanced single-coil tone. These pickups will drop right into your Telecaster, with no modifications necessary. You’ll get all the single-coil traditional tone, with no hum at all.
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 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. 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.
Features:
- Lindy Fralin Original Design
- Unique 4-Split Blade design for Humbucker and SSS tones
- An interesting and unique look
- Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
- 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
Sound
Sound Clips for Split Blade Tele:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Our Split Blade Tele pickups feature a traditional Telecaster tone with no hum. These sound clips were recorded through a Mexican-made Fender Telecaster with a Lindy Fralin Telecaster Neck. Sound Clips are recorded by Phil Heesen III
SPLIT BLADE TELE SOUND:
Unhappy with Hum-Cancelling Fender Pickups, Lindy designed the Split Blade. It’s a hum-canceling pickup with traditional Fender-type sparkle. They’re unique: they offer a single-coil sound, no hum, and dashingly good looks. Expect fantastic a warm, full-bodied tone with incredible string articulation and enhanced detail. Wound strings sound clear and articulate due to a narrow magnetic field. Plain strings sound thicker than a single-coil with more of a sonic footprint. Chords will sound smooth and buttery, and single notes will sound large and full. Split Blades will not pull the strings out of tune – even if they get close to the strings. Also, adjusting the pickup’s height allows you to fine-tune your tone to your needs. Expect thick, warm, and dynamic tone with distortion.
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 Tele.
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 / 5K Bridge* 1 |
| Vintage Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| High Output Ohm Readings: | 6.8K Neck / 8.4K Bridge* 1 |
| High Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| Blues Output Ohm Readings: | 5K Neck / 5.8K Bridge* 1 |
| Blues Output Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Super High Output Ohm Readings: | 7.2 Neck / 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 Piece Material: | 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 Tele FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Split Blade Tele 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 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.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Split Blade 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.
GET IT PREWIRED
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS
129 Genuine Reviews for Split Blade Tele
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I mounted a blues split blade in the bridge and a vintage in the neck position. 250k CTS pro pots, Emerson Oil and paper Cap and a treble bleed. I call it fat and spanky. It sounds like a Telly but its much fatter. Playing an open G chord brings a forth a bloom of harmonics that sounds amazing. I can engage any of my OD or distortion pedals and she barks like a big dog but stays silent when I’m not playing. I can even take my hand off the strings and still there is silence. A highly recommend these pickups
I can’t say enough about these pickups. I got the blues winding and added a volume treble bleed circuit on a push/pull pot, a four way switch and the Fralin magic cap. I get all the classic Tele sounds plus a whole bunch more in a simple setup that is hum and buzz free. Put these in your guitar. You won’t be disappointed. I promise you.
I installed the bridge vintage split rail on my ugly 78 blue flower tele in 2015 and recently swapped a split rail in the neck-i am using 250k cts pots with a pro blender no load pot in the tone position and standard orange caps 102k/473k -cant believe i waited for the neck pickup-i play a ’73 vibrolux sitting on a fender 212 cab and this tele is now a tone master-sounds like the old records-
I had the Vintage Split Blades installed along with a 300K volume pot (per Lindy’s rec) in my American Deluxe Tele about a month ago and I absolutely love them! They ended up replacing the N3 noiseless p/u’s with that whole S3 switching thing (a gimmick if you ask me). I currently play at church most Sundays but Im primarily a blues/rock/jazz guy. I live in the Richmond area and was able to go directly to the manufacturer! I gotta say I was greatly impressed with his customer service. I initially called the shop left a message and he called me back within 45mins listened to what I was looking for and told me to come down to his shop to check out his p/u’s and play some of his guitars. I went down the next day and did just that. His whole staff was very friendly and Lindy was very attentive and took time to listen and answered all of my stupid questions ha! The Vintage Split Blade p/u’s are awesome! They sound so warm and punchy and noiseless! The clarity, definition and harmonics are all there in every string and every note especially using a stacked gain–mild amp breakup approach which is common in P&W music . The middle position tones are just money!!!
I highly recommend these p/u’s for your tele if your looking to upgrade. No matter which style you play these p/u’s WILL deliver the tone you’re looking for.
Another guy here who typically doesn’t do reviews but if you’re considering these pickups, do yourself a favor and get ’em. I spoke to Lindy on the phone briefly about what I wanted and he recommended the high output. He was spot on… these sound fantastic. Much clearer and more character than my stock Custom Shop pickups, yet the annoying ice pick highs have vanished and of course, they’re dead quiet. I used them in the studio right away and the difference is unreal. Awesome customer service too, what else could ya want? Cheers to Lindy and team.
I have a high output Split Blade bridge pickup in my “S”Squier project (converted from a Fender Classic Vibe 50s Tele in Butterscotch). I never thought that a “one pickup guitar” would become my main instrument, but when the combination of some classic pine and this awesome pickup came together, it greatly exceeded my expectations.
The frequency response of this pickup is so broad with glassy and shimmering highs and chest-rattling lows and tons of mid-punch. With my amps set up at the edge of breakup, the dynamic response is phenomenal, allowing clean and clear sounds but punching the input when you dig into the strings. Oh, did I forget to mention… the signal to noise ratio is SPECTACULAR! It is quiet as a church-mouse when you aren’t playing. I could have not made a better personal choice and recommend this pickup for any tele setup.
I just love these Split Blade pickups, I’ve had them in both a Strat and Tele for over five years now… and am about to buy another set for yet another Tele. Beautiful clarity, definition and tone without the hum… superb. Enough said…
I never do product reviews but I’m so impressed with these pickups I felt compelled to do so.
I installed these pickups in a 2006 American elite Telecaster which had samarium cobalt pickups.
The vintage split blade is installed in the neck position. The Fralin pickups outperforms the SCN pickup in every way!
The Vintage has a tone that is full yet the wound strings still have a warm bright openness that is in perfect balance with E,B and G strings.
It is absolutely silent and sounds beautiful clean. When playing with gain either low or high it delivers excellent tones and harmonics. Perfect for players who want to be able to play any style of music.
I almost didn’t order this pickup because I was happy with the SCN neck pickup. I’m so glad I did!
The Super High Output split blade is installed in the bridge position.
The Super High Output is designed to be used with 250k pots but
I was looking for a pickup that would be darker, with harmonics, crunch and singing/searing lead tones similar to a humbucker but still retain a fender/single coil vibe. This pickup deliverers all of this and more. I have nothing but quality gear, Les Paul’s, Strats, etc running Duncan Distortion , Duncan Custom, Hot rails.
This is probably the best lead tone I have ever had.
Rhythm tones are awesome as well. It is very attack sensitive. If I’m playing clean and get aggressive it will break up slightly.
With some overdrive you easily get classic rock tones.
With high gain it absolutely screams! Van Halen, Gilmore, Etc.
It delivers clarity when playing fast runs, arpeggios, inversions even when playing brutally dirty.
When playing clean in conjunction with the Vintage split blade it achieves an awesome Fender tone with just a touch of grit when played more aggressively.
I couldn’t be happier with these pickups and recommend ithem without hesitation or reservations.
Thank you to Lindy and his entire team!
Chris – December 13, 2016:
I have a split blade in the bridge of my Tele (the neck is a humbucker) and when I raised the Split blade to just below the strings the tone came through clear and concise. It turned my Tele from a Rock guitar to a Blues, Rock, Jazz and everything in-between. I’ve tried many pickups in my bridge and this one is a keeper. It truly has a unique tone all on its own and even a more complex tone when I have the switch in the middle.
You can’t go wrong with this pickup. Give it a chance. You won’t regret it!
I have a set of these in my Tele. I absolutely love them. I play a lot of finger-style jazz on the neck pickup, and I also find myself playing a lot of funk as well. I have the Vintage set in my Tele, and I can do all of that. There is so much clarity and definition, and these pickups are incredibly dynamic. I can get warm, woody tones by rolling my volume down, too. This set has all of what you love from your Tele, and more!