Lindy Fralin Blues Special

Single coil, RWRP on Mid pup, bass plate installed on bridge.

I put a set of these in a 2008 American Stratocaster. I own 3 strats, all American. Stock pickups in any strat you get off of a shelf are going to leave a lot desired, unless you get a Custom Shop. Fender makes a hell of a guitar, but they need to do a little Research and development on their pups.

Very hot. I didnt know when i got them ( my second set of fralins, i have a set in the tele) that they would have such an enormous amount of output in them. But, i will never take these out of this strat. Clear as a bell, very responsive, and very accurate. I think there is a lot to be said about hand wound pickups, i know Lollar has a hell of a lineup, and i have been using primarily his, but Fralin has a lot to offer. These are one of the best sounding pickups i have thrown in a strat ( and the tele pickups are fantastic as well). I play primarily through a Crate Palomino V32 ( hell of an amp, that is one company to keep an eye on. Their am made amps are to die for) and the cleans i get out of these pups will melt your heart. The gain on the amp is a little weak, i play through an original TS808, and these pickups are made for dirt. Warm as hell. Great sounding set. Get them now.

Great pickups. I will be checking a couple more of his sets in the near future, and i hope they are a match for these. Dont hesitate, they are a little pricey, but anything worth a damn is. GET THEM NOW!!!!

Single coils for Strats. A little hotter than their vintage set.

I've had an American made Fender Strat I bought new in 2000 or so that I have never really liked. It had a thin sound with the fender pickups, and as a result, didn't play it much at all over the years. Hung onto it cuz I liked the look of it, but it was the least favorite of all my guitars. I've got some nice ones ... Les Pauls, Strats, Tele's Gretsch and some handmade guitars as well including a couple of Melancon Strats (Gerard Melancon makes some of the best guitars in the country) that sound absolutely out of this world.

I was at Truetone in Santa Monica and asked about pickups and they recommended the Fralin's. I put em in and crossed my fingers. When I plugged that Fender strat with the Fralin's into my Boogie StudioPre which feeds a Mesa 20/20 I was absolutely astounded. In one minute, that strat went from being my least favorite (out of a dozen or so guitars) to perhaps my favorite. What a difference. The sound is big and pure strat. Notes ring like a bell. All five positions sound fantastic. The cluck on 2 and 4 is as good if not better than the Melancons and that's saying something. When I clicked on some distortion ... WOW! Those pickups sound sweet and smooth. I'm telling you, if I hadn't have heard it myself, would never have believed that guitar could sound this good just with a pup change. Fralin's are the real deal.

The blues specials sound so clear and transparent. It's like bells going off. It sounds exactly like the guitar but with a level of clarity you just don't hear out of other pups. There's something special about these pups.

BTW, they aren't particularly high output, as Fralin has pups that are. I don't really like high output pups anyway as that's what amps and pedals are for. But if you want a sweet, singing tone that absolutely lets your guitar shine through and rings clean tones out like bells going off and gives the pure signal for a super sweet distortion, then these pups are great.

Nothing else to say. They're the best pups I've ever heard.

3 single coils installed to replace Fender Custom Shop 69's.

Original guitar is a 2005 Deluxe Strat that came with noiseless pickups. After recently purchasing a custom shop strat with modern classic PU's I realized how much I was missing in the tone department with the noiseless PU's. I went to the Fender 69's which were super cool sounding, but not too practical as the pickups weren't well balanced with each other. I felt that these (69's) pickups belonged on a studio guitar and not on a heavily gigged strat. So I purchased the Blues Special Pickup set with the bass plate and I'm quite pleased.

I've been running this strat through a Victoria Deluxe for 3 years now. The output on these pickups are high, but they're still nice sounding with plenty of chime and overall balance. To me they sound just like the modern classic PU's that came with the custom shop strat, but just hotter. What I really like about these pickups is that the bridge postition is well balanced with neck and mid position. With the custom shop 69's I felt like I couldn't switch pickup positions without adjusting my amp settings whereas with the blues specials this is not an issue. To me these pickups are very practical for day to day usage whereas with the 69's I could get great Beatles vintage tone in the bridge position and then get overzealous Hendrix tone in the neck postion, but in a real life band situation I found them difficult to use.

I will definately stick with these pickups going forward as they get that great strat tone and are highly usable on a day to day gigging basis. I play blues influenced roots rock and personally believe it will be hard to find a better sounding strat PU. It seems to me that the typical fralin setup which has the bridge pickup overwound in comparison to the neck and mid positions and with the steel bass plate is very similar sounding to my custom shop strat with the modern classic PU's. I would bet that the fralin vintage hot pickups sound nearly identical to the modern classic pickups. Please note: you can't buy the fender modern classics as a replacement set. Tonally speaking, I feel these pickups brought my deluxe strat to the same level as my custom shop strat...I no longer favor the tone of the custom shop strat anymore due to these pickups.

I think these pickups will be best suited for texas type drivin blues and rock players. These pickups would also work well if you want to play heavy music with single coil tone. Think Tom Morello and Toni Iommi. If you're looking for a more vintage sound go with the vintage hot's for sure.

To me these pickups have the quintessential strat tone and should be the one's by which all others are judged. These are the reference.

Highly recommended.

* Single coil or humbucking? Active or passive?
I've got the blues special set with a bass plate. Vintage cloth wires, and reversed mid for hum cancel in 2 and 4.

* Impedance or other specs?
At the jack, the bridge reads 6.8k.

*What model guitar or bass did you install this in?
2007 Fender Vintage Hot Rod '62 Stratocaster.

* What position is it in?
All 3

* What pickup are you replacing?
The stockies. Supposedly, they are 57/62's with a reversed mid.

* Other pickups installed on the instrument?
All blues specials


* Any artists using this pickup?
Don't know.

* Reason for changing the pickup?
I wanted beefier sound

* What's the output level like?
My other strat has custom shop 69s, and these blues specials are way louder.

* What amps and effects are you using it with?
Laney GH50L & Fender Blues Jr.

*Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced?
These are very well balanced pickups. They have more mids than your traditional pickups, but they still have the twang on top. I just love how it sounds in the neck. Perfect for blues.

* What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
These are made for blues

* For which positions this pickup (un)suitable?
I have them in all three, but I use the neck pickup 99% of the time.

These are great pickups if you want more oomph out of your strat while retaining some of the strat twang on top. I have a strat with custom shop 69s, and they're definitely the traditional sounding pickups. The bell tone, or the chime, whatever you call it. But for this guitar, I wanted something that has more bass/mids, and less highs. Something more suitable for riffs and runs. These are pefect for this guitar. Between the Blues Specials, and the Custom shop 69s, I feel I have all the available Strat sounds. I'm glad I didn't go overwound on these. =)

Single coil - 7.2 I believe

Strat bridge

A very balanced pickup for the bridge. I just love this pickup
for the bridge position. I had a whole set in - a bit dark for the bridge and middle. I now have Van Zandts (older ones) in the neck &
middle. For the bridge I have the hybrid model flat poles except
for the D which is raised. The sound is not veiled at all and totally balanced, never ice pick in your ear but this pickup has power to.
The highs are so sweet and the low strings sound really sexy on this
pickup.
This is the sweetest Strat bridge pickup out there.

Get one you will thank yourself.
Compared it to other Fralins, Van Zandt, Fender mid 50's in bridge.
A totally awesome Bridge Pickup.

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: frankenstrat
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar: fralin paf
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): jazz, blues, rock ,r&b, gospel,progressive whatever
Reason for pickup change: i had emg's yuck

Perceived output level: not too hot but a really good ouput
Tone: sweet perfect highs dark lows
Sonic evaluation: frankenstein strat thing with a twin reverb silverface full drive 2 for gain

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: good pickup for single coil styles

Comments: this si the best single coil i have ever heard in my life like srv sound so so sweet and juicy tone, dynamic and has that natural compression when you hit it hard. such a musical vocal sounding pickup you cant really know unless you play one these things are so so good. has that bell like quality int he highs and the lows complement so well with the fulldrive2 watch out. lindy does an amazing job witht hese things, the humbuckers he makes are a little crappy, but these are unreal

Pickup features: Single Coil passive 2 conductor
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Telecaster (Custom Built)
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Dimarzio Tone Zone T (usually coil tapped)
Artists using this pickup: Brad Paisley (I think in the bridge though)
You musical style(s): Southern Rock, Country, Classic Rock
Reason for pickup change: Just built this Guitar

Perceived output level: slightly hotter than stock, twangs great
Tone: balanced and very clean compared to stock and pretty much everything else
Sonic evaluation: This is in the neck position of my new alder telecaster with a rosewood fingerboard, bigsby b5 and spertzle locking tuners. I am using it through a marshall stack, with a digitech, a couple of boss pedals, and 2 line 6 boards (green and purple), but I'm more woried about the clean sound with little to no complications. It sounds amazing and really balanced without any "ice pick" tones and without losing that tele twang. This is a pickup with a the sound of a vinage tele but with some more balls.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: This is an awsome pickup for classic stuff, rock, country, even some heavier parts. For those idiots that think a pickup will make a mexican made guitar sound like Santana's PRS get real, but if you want your tele to sound better than it does, but still like a tele this is the pickup for you.

Comments: If it were stolen I would beat the hell out of the guy because I just spent 3 months building it up, but I would say that I would buy this pickup again in a heart beat. This pickup really shines in the clean picking sections, and is balanced very well for all usages. I think what really ads to the style it gives is the fact that it doesn't ahve the cover on it, really really cleans it up. I have a humbucking Dimarzio in the bridge, but I almost always have it tapped, and this pickup matches with it really well. I would say that it won't be a large change from a good fender pickup like a tex-mex, but deffinatly cleaner and it just sounds like a tele should. I compared this with an adder 50whatever it is, about every seymoure duncan they make, rio grandes, even the Dimarzio stuff and EMG stuff just for laughes, and this thing blew them out of the water, Lindy knows what hes doing, and I don't care what music you play this pickup will do everything a telecaster was meant to do. Don't get me wrong, its great, but for those of you trying to make a 150 dollar mexican tele sould like a Les Paul or a PRS, give it up I'v tried that it will never happen. Just go buy the guitar for that style and leave your tele sounding like Leo made it. I have a Les Paul with spertlzes, tone pros, an seymour duncan jazz and jb models, and also a semi-hollow with Lindy Fralin P90s that I designed and Warmoth churned out for me, but when I got a hold of this guitar with that amazing pikup I was hooked on a telecaster all over again like i was when I was 12. This think it amazing. I think I will be building another telecaster soon, more of a vintage, simpler one without all the extras this one has and I think this pickup will go in it. If its any idea I was going to build my new one as an esquire but I like this pickup so much Its just going to have to be a vintage tele instead. If building a guitar around it isn't testimony I dont know what is.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Squire strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock squire
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Who Cares.
You musical style(s): Old guy stuff. Blues based rock, classic & southern rock
Reason for pickup change: Rebuilt the guitar & I Needed some pickups.

Perceived output level: output is fine
Tone: very clean and balanced
Sonic evaluation: I have a Music Man 110 RD, a Peavey Classic 30 and an eighties era Fender Princeton Chorus. I have 4 strats ( E-bay specials or as some call them "frankenstrats"), a tele and a Carvin 127.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Didn't I answer this one? Old guy stuff. Blues, Blues based rock, classic & southern rock

Comments: Been playing off & on for 30 years. I've had these pickups for a couple years in another guitar. I recently put a decent neck on the (80's era) squire body. I also put in a clapton pre amp kit along with these pups. I can go from a clean vintage glassy, chimey strat to a wild screaming machine. When I really feel like stretching things a bit I use my Marshall Drivemaster and my VooDoo vibe.
If they were stolen I believe I would have revert to my old ways and hunt the s.o.b. down. My other Strats are all set up for different sounds. For the classic SRV & Clapton sound these are fine for me. I really enjoy these pups. I even play them in church!

Pickup features: passive single coil hand wound!
Impedence or other specs: 6.2k, 6.2k, 7.2k

Model of guitar or bass: Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: SCN's
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, Gary Moore
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: The SCNs were good pickups, they just didn't do it for me. I wanted a good strat sound. More of a vintage sounding strat tone.

Perceived output level: Hotter than stock, pushes my Hot Rod Deville a little hard very bright pickups
Tone: Bassy but not muddy at all, tight bass, great highs and wonderful midrange
Sonic evaluation: Fender American Deluxe Strat > Boss tuner > modded Boss Super Overdrive > Fender Hot Rod Deville 212 w/ JAN Philips WGB 6L6 power tubes ran hot w/ Electro Harmonix 12AX7s

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Primarily Blues sometimes some Hendrix or Dire Straits

Comments: If these pickups were stolen i would definitely buy them again. I was a little skeptical at first because of the price, but i figured since i bought a really good strat, that i would get the best pickups i could find to put in it. I ordered the Blues Specials w/ the baseplate from Acme Guitar Works already wired up with a blender pot and with the volume kit. It turned out to be very versatile with those options. Not too versatile though to sacrifice tone. When i put these in my Deluxe strat i didn't really notice a large difference right away, but once i played more i definitely noticed a huge difference in tone. The Highs are great without that icepicky sound that kills your ears. The bass is tight and has a nice thump to it. The baseplate does make an audible difference in sound. It makes the bridge position more usable. My favorite position though is the neck/middle, chimey and bell like. Just what a strat should sound like! The midrange really is not muddy at all. Chords are clean and very well balanced. These things are extremely touch sensitive. You can go from clean jazzy chords to ballsy blues solos with a stroke of the pick. I have played several vintage strats that have sounded good, but just didn't have alot of sparkle or shimmer. The Fralins definitely have it. Buying these pickups has probably been the best investment I've ever made to improve a guitar and my tone. A definite 10!!!

Pickup features: single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Lonestar Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: 2 texas specials
Other pickups on guitar: SD pearly gates
Artists using this pickup: lots
You musical style(s): Blues
Reason for pickup change: Texas specials are terrible

Perceived output level: Hotter than normal, slightly hotter than Texas Specials
Tone: Smooth, rich, clear, and defined, yet still chimey and vintage sounding.
Sonic evaluation: These pickups rule. They made a guitar that I never liked the sound of into exactly what I always thought a Strat should be. Very smooth and rich tone with a healthy low end. They mix perfectly with the Seymour Duncan pearly gates humbucker in the bridge position too. I'm just utterly impressed with the Fralin pickups. I've had these for about a month now and I just love playin' with 'em. I've already replaced the pickups in my Tele and another Strat with the Fralins. They're the best.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Blues

Comments: I'm a full time musician and have been teaching guitar for almost 7 years now. These blow everything else away that I've tried. I would certainly replace them, and I've bought sets for other guitars already.