Vintage Hot Strat

Real 60's Vintage Strat Tone

$99$297

  • Single Coil
  • Clean & Articulate
  • Traditional Appearance
  • Vintage Output
( 133 genuine reviews)

Make your Stratocaster sound like a Strat should with Lindy Fralin’s Vintage Hots. As our best-selling Stratocaster set, Vintage Hots offer the purest vintage Strat tone. Vintage Hots have a warm, balanced midrange with lots of sparkle and clarity on the top, guaranteeing you’ll stand out in the mix. If you’re looking for the purest Stratocaster tone, look no further than these pickups right here!

Options

Select options for our Vintage Hot Strat:

Select Options Above To Display Add-Ons

Baseplate

Add a Baseplate on the Bridge Pickup.

Include Additional Set Of Covers

Not sure what cover color will work best for your setup? Include an additional set of covers here. Covers come in a set of 3.

SPEED UP YOUR ORDER

Since you're buying a single pickup, we might need more information from you. To avoid unnecessary delays in your order, please choose one of the options below:



Be sure to read our article on Pickup Polarity here.

Notice

Due to the nature of Raw Nickel, Raw Nickel may contain slight cosemetic defects or abrasions.

Recommendation

We recommend using 2-Conductor With Shield Lead when purchasing a single pickup. 2-Conductor lead allows you to reverse the phase should you have phase issues. Learn About Lead Choice

Upgrade To A Prewired Pickguard

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Fralin Vintage Hots: Real Vintage Strat Tone.

Want to learn more about our Vintage Hot Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:

Vintage Hot Strat FEATURES:

Vintage Hot Pickups: our best-selling single coil set. If you’re looking for a sparkling, bright, and open sound, you will love these pickups’ tone. Vintage Hots give you a balanced 50’s Tone: a smooth balance between bright and fat. They fit in the middle sonically of our Real 54’s and Blues Specials.

These pickups are era-authentic: wound with USA-made 42-gauge Formvar-enameled wire and built with USA-made AlNiCo V magnets. These pickups sound smooth, balanced, and beautiful.

Features:

  • Modified Vintage Fender specifications, with modern output
  • Bright, clean tone with balance across lows and highs
  • USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
  • RW/RP Middle for Hum-Cancelling in Positions 2 & 4
  • Two magnet staggers available for different fingerboard radiuses
  • Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
  • Hand-built fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
  • 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
  • 6K Neck & Middle, 6.6K Bridge

SOUND

Vintage Hots sparkle and sound very open and clear without sounding “tinny” or glassy. These pickups sound big and full, with an even balance of Bass, Middle, and Treble, clean or dirty. The tone cuts through with distortion – while remaining very dynamic and thick.

Expect a precise low-end and an acute attack. Single notes cut through with ease, while chords have an excellent string-to-string definition.

Are you looking for a Hum Cancelling Strat pickup that actually sounds like a Strat? Check out the Vintage Output of our Split Blade Strat Pickups

Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Our Vintage Hots consist of locally-stamped fiberboard and USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. We wind each pickup using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Our Sectioning Technique gives the pickup a sweet, bright tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.

Tonal Graph For Vintage Hot Strat:

The tonal graph below for our Vintage Hot Strat features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.

HIGHS
MIDS
LOWS
OUTPUT

Attack: Bright & Sharp

Sound Samples for Vintage Hot Strat:
About this Sound Clip:

All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.

Videos for Vintage Hot Strat:

Tech Specs

See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Vintage Hot Strat.

SPECIFICATION VALUE
Neck Ohm Reading:6K 1
Middle Ohm Reading:6K 1
Bridge Ohm Reading:6.6K 1
Neck & Bridge Polarity:Clockwise Coil Direction, South to Strings
Reverse Middle Polarity:Counter-Clockwise Coil Direction, North to Strings
Recommended Pot Value:250K
Magnet:USA-Made Alnico 5
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.


Vintage Hot Strat Dimensions:

Fralin Strat Sizing & Dimensions
Our Strat® replacements are standard Stratocaster sizing and spacing. All string spacings are 52mm.

Vintage Hot Strat FAQ's

General FAQs

Here are quick answers to common questions we get:

  • What Ohm Readings does your Vintage Hot 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 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.

  • What pickup height do you recommend setting your Vintage Hot 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.

Product FAQ's

These are frequently asked questions about our Vintage Hot Strat. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask A Question" in the Quick Links section above.

  • What's the tonal difference between this pickup and the Real '54s?

    The Real ’54s utilize Alnico 3 Magnets, which provide a softer, spongier attack and a bit more glassiness when compared to the Vintage Hots. The Vintage Hots feature a more modern attack and a bit more bottom-end.

Pickup Pairing

Our Vintage Hot Strat pairs well with the following models:

Lindy Fralin Stock Telecaster Set

Vintage Hot Tele - Set

( 155)

Starting At: $ 110

Pair a Middle with a Vintage Hot Tele Set for the ultimate in Nashville Tele Twang.

View Product

Get It Prewired

Get our Vintage Hot Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:

Customer Reviews

133 Genuine Reviews for Vintage Hot Strat

  1. James Putcha

    Verified Purchase

    I have owned the Vintage Hot set for a number of years. Out of curiosity, I have tried many other well known brands and very soon, I always put the Fralins back in the guitar. Nothing that I have tried sounds as good. It has been expensive to try the others, but there is nothing I like better. I don’t know what the formula is but it certainly is magic. Just ordered another set with a 2% overwind. I don’t believe that you can better than Lindy Fralin pickups!

  2. Tom Fish

    Tremendous Strat tones. I bought an EJ strat and liked the neck but not the stock fender pickups. I was in a cover band and to reduce the hum I went with framing split blade Humbuckers. I had questions at the time and called Fralin. Lindy himself took the call and I was impressed with how much he knows and the time he took with me. Anyway although I loved the split blades I wanted a true strat tone. Played my first gig with them last night. I was not disappointed. I’ve been playing a Suhr S ssh that’s great but I’m a strat guy and the vintage hots for me are it. Buy some now!

  3. Ryan Funk

    Verified Purchase

    Long story short, these Fralin Vintage Hots are truly stellar Stratocaster pickups.

    I stumbled upon a Squier SE Strat at my local guitar shop and decided to purchase it, gut it and make it into a project guitar. I did some research on replacement pickups and chose the Vintage Hots. I’m certainly glad I did. With all new electronics, hardware and Fralin pickups, that Squier sings!

    I would without hesitation recommend this trio of pickups to anyone looking for a high quality set. I’m frankly blown away by the tone. Kudos to the entire Fralin team. Well done.

  4. Brian Campbell

    Verified Purchase

    I have a vintage hot Strat neck pickup in my Nashville-Style Telecaster. I’ve had it for over a year now, Love it! It’s clear, rounded tone cuts through in the mix, it has that perfect bell tone and it is a very expressive pickup that is very clean but powerful enough to yield a little sizzle from the amp. Sounds great and pure with gain too.

  5. Patrick Tachynski

    Hi
    I went with the Vintage Hots in my 2012 Deluxe which came with the Noiseless N3 pickups which sounded very bassy highs were nonexistent and anything to do with the S1 switch seemed to make it sound worse so in my last one I installed the Blues Specials which sounded fantastic but this time round this deluxe was darker sounding so I went with the VH’s added the bright switch mod and what an amazing deluxe I’ve got now I tried out the new fender tone master deluxe reverb I instantly fell in love with the tone’s and bought one so I’m happy as a clam with my VH’s Thanks for all the help guys

  6. David Vogel

    Verified Purchase

    These pickups are well matched, and sonically all one can ask for from a Strat. I especially like the 2 and 4 positions, that are balanced for tone, quiet, and very responsive to pick and attack.

    The Blues Special set is also really great with a bit more girth and grind.

  7. Timothy Rice

    Verified Purchase

    Stellar pickups!! This is my fourth set of Fralins. The neck and middle provide a clean, articulate vintage sound, and the bridge (with the baseplate) produces a slightly rawer, hotter tone. Highly recommended!

  8. Michal Pando

    Verified Purchase

    I put these in an 80 dollar Chinese Stratocaster kit. I changed out the rest of the electronics and hardware. The body and neck were great though. I put in a set of these Fralin pickups, because i had previous success with Fralin P bass pickups. These blew me away! Genuinely never played a strat made by fender that sounded this good. Fralin does the classic Fender tone better than Fender can.

  9. David Reetz – Mexico Music

    Verified Purchase

    Great pickup!

  10. Whit Jeffords

    Verified Purchase

    Vintage Hots (stock) in 1987 Am. Std. Strat

    After24 yrs, decided the stock PUs sounded not so great..after much looking, listening, and recommendations…ordered the VH’s and had installed. WOW..warmer, better, not as harsh…but the bridge PU was the real shocker, it sounds amazing..slightly hotter so there’s not a volume drop off, but the tone was way better and sound that’s 100% usable now (i rarely, if ever, used the bridge on it’s own before).

  11. JD Morgan

    Verified Purchase

    these are what strats want to sound like

    I put these in an early 60s style strat build. Ash body, maple neck with rosewood board. I wired them with neck/middle on one tone and the bridge on the other with no-load pot, normal five way switch. The pickups sound fantastic. These are much more full sounding in all positions than my american standard strat (which is nice but very middle of the road). These can go both fatter and brighter but are not harsh at all. The baseplate on the bridge pickup gets it close to a tele bridge, with a lot more oomph than a typical strat bridge. The neck pickup is as fat and sweet as any single i’ve heard on a strat.

  12. Eric Maitland

    Verified Purchase

    Doesn’t get any better! Throw any hesitations out the window. In my 20 years of playing, this has been the best pickup I have ever heard, EVER, hands down, no contest. The clarity and balance are unbelievable and sound alive compared to the others. I will also add that the customer service from this company is amazing. I even got to talk to Lindy directly. He is an extremely genuine person and you can tell immediately he loves making these pickups. This shows in his product and I can’t wait to get more (next will be some p90s).

  13. Robert Carr

    Verified Purchase

    Blown away!!!

    I have a strat that had become more of a utility guitar than anything else, I had a lil 59’ in the bridge and Texas specials in the mid and neck. I have enjoyed the tone, but after I did some research and learned about Lindy and his awesome work, I had to have a set. I feel like I have a brand new strat that can finally breathe, the clarity is unmatched, and these things absolutely sing. This is my first set of Fralins, but it will not be my last!

  14. Matthew Hutchinson

    Verified Purchase

    Will be buying more soon! Couldn’t believe the tone you can get from the vintage hot. Straight Fire will definitely be buying more Fralin pickups!

  15. Jordan Ledy

    Verified Purchase

    Upgraded my ‘62 Reissue Strat

    I’ve had two stock single-coil pickups and a Seymour Duncan Lil Screaming Demon for the last 20 years. Now that I’ve got a guitar with humbuckers, I wanted to return my strat to pure single coils and wanted to try Fralins. They live up to the name “Hot,” very responsive and punchy. They’ve definitely reignited my love of my first and only Stratocaster.

  16. Ryan S

    If you are reading this, then you already know! DO IT NOW! You will not be sorry, my only regret is that l didn’t buy these sooner – truly unbelievable how good and balanced they are, everything that other pickups you are hoping to get, but don’t quite hit the mark, well guess what? These do!!!! I ordered a pre wired guard, added a baseplate to the bridge, and the tone blender which takes it to even ANOTHER level.. l am in awe, and l am very happy. Life long fan and buyer from here on out for sure.. THANK YOU

  17. Garry Cuthbertson

    I recently replaced my 2005 deluxe strat noiseless pickups with these. My Luthier also removed one of the tone control knobs and replaced with a blend knob. Top shelf all the way. It will be hard for me to play anything else.

  18. Sergio Escalona

    Verified Purchase

    Excellent pickups!

    Great pickup. Very warm and organic sound. I put this in a Nashville Tele with a Blues Special Tele set.

  19. Mike Ormsby

    Just bought a 2003 American Vintage 1957 Reissue (maple neck) that came with Fralin Hot Vintage pickups….absolutely great Strat sound….hard to pick favourite Strat now….this one or 2012 American Standard (rosewood fretboard) with Texas Special pickups….both great Strats….but something about these Fralin Hot Vintage that might be even more ‘special’ than the Texas Specials

  20. Casey Ferraro

    Verified Purchase

    Absolute Game Changer
    Absolutely love my vintage hots, although they feel kinda quiet, they are still the best pickups I’ve played.

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