Vintage Hot Tele
Vintage Tone & Twang
$110 – $220
Experience the ultimate in clarity and articulation with our era-authentic Fralin Vintage Hot Tele set. Warm, clear lows paired with brilliant highs, our Vintage Hot Tele set will inspire you with all the twang you desire. Built with all USA-Made parts, you can take pride in knowing we made every aspect of your pickups with the highest-quality materials possible.
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The Ultimate in Tele Twang
Want to learn more about our Vintage Hot Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features:
Are you looking for the cleanest and most transparent tone out of your Tele? We got you! Vintage Hot Tele Pickups: our second best-selling Tele set. This set features a bright, pure sound that allows you to cut through the mix and hear every nuance in your playing. Wound by hand to ’50s specs, you can feel great knowing your pickups were wound by our expert craftsmen, specifically for you.
Features:
- Original Fender specifications, with modern output
- Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- 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
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
- 6.6K Bridge, 7.4K Neck
Sound
This pickup set is perfect for those looking for the most traditional Tele twang out of their Telecaster. Vintage Hot Tele Pickups excel at cleaner styles of music. Expect a robust and open midrange, clear bass strings, and bright and sharp-sounding plain strings. The break-up is smooth and late, ideal for cleaner players or a softer playing style.
Vintage Hot Tele Pickups are for those who need the most traditional Vintage Telecaster tone. If you’re playing style involves more distortion, or, if you prefer smoother, darker-sounding pickups, you might like our Blues Specials a bit more. However, If your current pickups are too dark, or if you’re looking for some added definition and clarity, you will love these. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Are you looking for a Hum Cancelling Tele pickup that actually sounds like a Tele? Check out the Vintage Output of our Split Blade Tele Pickups
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. These Telecaster pickups consist of local fiberboard and USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets. 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. Rest assured: when you receive this pickup, you’ll know it’s painstakingly made with love.
Sound Samples for Vintage Hot Tele:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Vintage Hot Tele:
The tonal graph below for our Vintage Hot Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Bright & Sharp
Videos for Vintage Hot Tele:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Vintage Hot Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.6K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 6.8K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43 Plain Enamel* |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K |
| 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.
*The Neck reads higher due to the use of 43 Gauge Wire, outputs are compensated
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
Note: All of our coil directions are depicted from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Vintage Hot Tele Dimensions:
Pickup Pairing
Our Vintage Hot Tele pairs well with the following models:
Vintage Hot Strat - Middle
Starting At: $ 99
Pair a Vintage Hot Tele Set with a Vintage Hot Strat Middle for a Twangy Nashville Set!
View Product
Real '54s - Middle
Starting At: $ 99
Pair a Vintage Hot Tele Set with a Real '54 Strat Middle for the ultimate "Quack" in positions 2 & 4.
View ProductGet it prewired
Go the extra mile and combine our Vintage Hot Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
156 Genuine Reviews for Vintage Hot Tele
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Sparkle and clarity in abundance! Lindy Fralin’s pickups are the best!
Lindy’s Tele pickups have the magic that’s been missing! The sparkle and clarity with the full body that the original vintage pickup’s from the 50’s are known for! Get first-class service and a sound that exceeds your expectations! I have played virtually all of the major brands of pickups during the course of my career. When great tone is the difference between getting the gig or coming in second, do yourself a favor, call Lindy Fralin and get pickups that inspire you to create a sonic masterpiece! -
My tele deluxe has got twang! It’s now a twangbanger deluxe! Thanks!
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I recently purchased a stock Tele bridge pickup from you all and ‘am loving it! Sounds so good!
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I emailed Fralin pickups for advice on choosing pickups and they suggested the Stock Tele set. I play a Fender American Original 60s Tele with stock pure vintage 64 pickups. I really like the 64s, but felt that they lacked clarity. It also felt like they didn’t open up. Almost like they had a limiter on attack and volume. During the weekend I pulled the trigger and bought the Stock set. The first thing that came to mind after installing them today was piano. In the way that they sound defined and clear. And also in the way that they are sensitive to touch. They let you feel connected to the sound created by your hands, like a piano. I love the pickups. Thanks to everyone at Fralin Pickups!
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Installed the 5% over bridge and 2% over neck stock set. I really like them. Definitely 3 great sounds. Neck is real full, yet clear. The middle position has a nice twang and rock, country or blues can be had on the bridge. They are quiet in regards to hum and I like that too. Great customer service and a caring business that takes pride in their work.
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Customer added no additional comments.
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Happy Customer!
I like a good Tele tone. After several teles that had “hot” pickups, noiseless pickups, etc, I yearned for a nice set of vintage-sounding Tele pickups. I struggled to find a guitar with a finish and appointments that I liked, so I decided that I would build one.
I bought a body & neck from Warmoth, finished them in Tru-Oil, used Fralin Stock Tele pickups, Gotoh bridge & locking tuners, and other pots, switches & knobs from here & there. The oil finish on the Black Korina neck and chambered body give it a rustic look. The black hardware looks good with the grain. The neck radius, ebony board, and stainless steel frets feel great.
But the highlight for me is the pickups. They sound amazing. Best neck pickup I’ve ever played. The bridge sounds like it should. The middle position tone is sweet. Great Tele tone. Couldn’t be happier.
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i have a set in my MIM Classic 50 telecaster. for seven years or so. clear, while not squeeky clean, responsive and i think they are just right. slightly dirtish tele spank on the bridge, mellow jazzy tone when on the neck (my favorite tone so far)… perfect. even i get bored sometimes, so i tried some other sets from other winders. again, as i write this the Stock set is going back and the other goes out. again. it’s my Telecaster sound. this is how Tele should sound. it’s there. thanks!
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Just installed my new neck pickup into a real 1956 Telecaster. The advice and service I received from lindy was spot on. This pickup sounds exceptional and balances well with the original 1956 bridge pickup. Twang for days,very touch responsive. It sounds like a fountain of life when played clean. Hit a boost pedal and its time for big fun,all the harmonics and bloom any Roy fan could ask for. Highly recommended!
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Unique tone! This is my 4th set of Fralin Pickups. 3 of them are Tele pickups. They’re all great!
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Great Tone
I have the 2% over at the neck and 5 at the bridge. The combo is smashing as expected! 5 stars would have won out but the neck p/u bottom plate attachment holes were messed up somehow. None of the screws provided would fit correctly with the spacers and stripped. I got them to fit somewhat and applied super glue to the screw ends which holds the pup. For now. The guitar sounds awesome! -
Long-time decision
I spent a few years looking for the perfect pickups. Fralin’s were my first choice but then you go down the rabbit hole of pickups online and end up questioning if that’s what you want. After a year of back and forth, I returned to my first choice the Fralin Stock Tele pickups. I figured they were a safe bet on being close to what I wanted and man were they. I LOVE the neck pickup on my Tele now, and I can’t put the guitar down. Hands down best $150 I could have spent for what I wanted. Thanks, Lindy, great product! -
Better than I imagined!
Open and airy, spanky country tones for days. Step on a pedal and they roar. Quiet for a single coil, turn it up with a high gain amp and get fun, controllable feedback. The neck position is finally usable! -
I have these stock pickups installed in two of my teles (one +2% and the other +5%). They sound amazingly clear, full of character and harmonics. I have another 2 blues specials in another teles, and they have their own thing. They’re all great like the man himself. Thanks Fralin team.
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Great Pickups! These pickups have the true vintage tone that I have been looking for. Fast delivery and great customer service.
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In a word – outstanding! Everything I heard about Lindy’s pickups was true. My guitar tech who installed them at first thought they might be noiseless – they are quiet. He also mentioned that they are a top quality build.
I highly recommend these – full stop. Don’t hesitate – take the plunge! You’ll be glad you did.
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These pickups sound great … clear and articulate. I always assumed I needed something overwound in the bridge but it turns out I was wrong. The bridge still sounds full and loud and pairs well with the stock neck.
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1968 Tele pickup replacement.
Depreciated an original 1968 Telecaster by replacing original pickups, too microphonic for gain/volume. Ordered the 2% overwound. Took a tad of the high-end harshness off, but still bright. Very clear and articulate, notes stand out, also good with gain! Not exactly like original but more versatile, usable, and still has distinctive recognizable Tele sound! Love them, very happy with the purchase! -
Stock + 2%
Replaced Seymour Duncan Broadcasters in an 81 ash Tokai Telecaster. The Duncan’s were great except when full bore on the bridge pickup it would decapitate anyone nearby from its excessive harsh high end. I’m very happy with the Fralins. Super transparent and twangy but never harsh like the Duncan’s. I also have a Fano SP6 with Fralin blues special in the bridge and it’s much hotter and thicker sounding. So now the Tele is my go to guitar for country twang and the Fano is the machine for rock. I installed the pickups myself and called the shop with questions that were always happily answered. Super impressed the Fralin business, web site and you tube vids. If you are looking for authentic old school Tele tone ( open, transparent and twangy ) Fralin stock is a great choice and the 2% over wind is just the right amount of “extra” to fatten the mids and push your country into blues country. -
I bought a +2% Overwound Bridge Pickup for my Telecaster Custom 72 Reissue and the guitar was brought to a new life. The sound is richer: the classical telecaster twang is mixed with improved mids enriching the paste of the sound to a higher quality level.
Fantastic pickup.
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