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Blues Special Tele
$100.00 – $200.00
The Fralin Blues Special Telecaster pickups are our best-selling Tele set. These are 5% stronger than the stock model – still bright but a little thicker. The Blues Special Telecaster pickups are perfect for those who love their Telecaster’s tone, but needs a little more fat and thickness.
Blues Special Tele Info:
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Blues Special Tele FEATURES:
BLUES SPECIAL TELE: PERFECT BALANCE
Blues Special Telecaster Pickups are our best-selling single coil set. They are wound as loud as we can get them, while still retaining the traditional Tele tone. Expect a thicker, beefier sound, while still retaining clarity. Blues Specials are wound with 5% more coil, which is 5% hotter than our Stock Tele pickups. Blues Specials are perfect for anyone trying to balance out a bright Tele.
It starts here: Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Blues Specials 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.
BLUES SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 5% more coil than our Stock Tele Set: 5% more output and mids, 5% less highs
- Modified Fender specifications, with more output and thicker tone
- High output, but still has Fender sparkle
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- 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
Sound
BLUES SPECIAL SOUND:
Blues Specials sound thick and rich when playing clean. They offer open and clear highs, with a thicker midrange. This pickup set is very balanced and doesn’t sound dark or dull. The overwound coil gives the player less highs and more mids than the Stock Tele Pickups. With distortion, expect a light compression, low-end growl and a medium attack. Single notes sound thick and round, while chords have a full tone with an early breakup. This pickup sounds powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level.
Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If your current pickups are too bright, you might love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, but not aggressive. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Video
FAQs
FAQ’S:
- What’s the difference between the Stock Tele and the Blues Special Tele? The Stock Tele is more true to Vintage specs and thus will sound brighter, clearer, and more open. The Blues Special Tele will sound thicker, darker, and more powerful. Blues Special’s tame the twang a bit and sounds beefier and thicker.
- Which Stagger do I choose? The Blues Special Telecaster set features a Hybrid Stagger neck pickup for a more pronounced D string. Carefully choose the bridge stagger to match your fretboard radius. Choose Stock Bridge Stagger if you have a guitar with a round to medium fingerboard radius: 7.25″ – 10″. Choose Hybrid if you have a flatter or compound-radius (11+”).
- What does the cover do to the tone? The cover, open-top or solid top, makes the pickup darker. That’s why when you request one, we underwind the neck to compensate.
- How far away from the strings does the pickup need to be? Push your Low E String down at the highest fret. Measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. The ideal starting location should be 1/8? on the bass string, and 1/16? on the treble string, when the High E string is pushed down at highest fret.
- Wiring Diagrams? Here!
Tech Specs
TECHNICAL INFO:
Materials:
- 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon Wire in the Bridge and 43 Single Poly Nylon Wire in the Neck
- USA-Made Alnico V Magnets
- 250K Pots Recommended
Resistance Readings:
Blues Specials will read approximately 7.8K in the Neck and 7.5K in the Bridge. The Neck reads higher because we use 43 Gauge wire, which has more resistance. The outputs are compensated and this set has matched volume.
Polarity:
Our Telecaster Necks are:
- Wound Counter Clockwise from Ground to Hot
- Magnetized North to Strings
Our Bridges are RW/RP: Clockwise, South to Strings.
Sizing & Wiring Diagrams
WIRING DIAGRAMS:
We do not offer installation help or guidance, but we do have easy-to-follow, beautiful Wiring Diagrams! Click below:
BLUES SPECIAL TELE: PERFECT BALANCE
Blues Special Telecaster Pickups are our best-selling single coil set. They are wound as loud as we can get them, while still retaining the traditional Tele tone. Expect a thicker, beefier sound, while still retaining clarity. Blues Specials are wound with 5% more coil, which is 5% hotter than our Stock Tele pickups. Blues Specials are perfect for anyone trying to balance out a bright Tele.
It starts here: Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Blues Specials 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.
BLUES SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 5% more coil than our Stock Tele Set: 5% more output and mids, 5% less highs
- Modified Fender specifications, with more output and thicker tone
- High output, but still has Fender sparkle
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- 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
BLUES SPECIAL SOUND:
Blues Specials sound thick and rich when playing clean. They offer open and clear highs, with a thicker midrange. This pickup set is very balanced and doesn’t sound dark or dull. The overwound coil gives the player less highs and more mids than the Stock Tele Pickups. With distortion, expect a light compression, low-end growl and a medium attack. Single notes sound thick and round, while chords have a full tone with an early breakup. This pickup sounds powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level.
Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If your current pickups are too bright, you might love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, but not aggressive. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
FAQ’S:
- What’s the difference between the Stock Tele and the Blues Special Tele? The Stock Tele is more true to Vintage specs and thus will sound brighter, clearer, and more open. The Blues Special Tele will sound thicker, darker, and more powerful. Blues Special’s tame the twang a bit and sounds beefier and thicker.
- Which Stagger do I choose? The Blues Special Telecaster set features a Hybrid Stagger neck pickup for a more pronounced D string. Carefully choose the bridge stagger to match your fretboard radius. Choose Stock Bridge Stagger if you have a guitar with a round to medium fingerboard radius: 7.25″ – 10″. Choose Hybrid if you have a flatter or compound-radius (11+”).
- What does the cover do to the tone? The cover, open-top or solid top, makes the pickup darker. That’s why when you request one, we underwind the neck to compensate.
- How far away from the strings does the pickup need to be? Push your Low E String down at the highest fret. Measure from the top of the pole piece to the bottom of the string. The ideal starting location should be 1/8? on the bass string, and 1/16? on the treble string, when the High E string is pushed down at highest fret.
- Wiring Diagrams? Here!
TECHNICAL INFO:
Materials:
- 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon Wire in the Bridge and 43 Single Poly Nylon Wire in the Neck
- USA-Made Alnico V Magnets
- 250K Pots Recommended
Resistance Readings:
Blues Specials will read approximately 7.8K in the Neck and 7.5K in the Bridge. The Neck reads higher because we use 43 Gauge wire, which has more resistance. The outputs are compensated and this set has matched volume.
Polarity:
Our Telecaster Necks are:
- Wound Counter Clockwise from Ground to Hot
- Magnetized North to Strings
Our Bridges are RW/RP: Clockwise, South to Strings.
WIRING DIAGRAMS:
We do not offer installation help or guidance, but we do have easy-to-follow, beautiful Wiring Diagrams! Click below:
GET IT PREWIRED:
Go the extra mile and combine our Blues Special Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
CUSTOMER REVIEWS
129 reviews for Blues Special Tele
Trying to leave a review for our Blues Special Tele? Leave one here.
Donald Keirstead –
I dig the pickups, they are darker than I thought and a bit more compressed than I would have thought. I have a very light alder stat. 6.8 lbs. playing through a 66 Fender Princeton, the pickups have some bite but they are not overly hot by any means.
David Wilson (verified owner) –
Fantastic this was the tone I was looking for in my head for my Tele. I have become a customer for life in any Fender guitar I buy. Thank you so much. David
John Massey (verified owner) –
Blues Special on a homemade thin line tele.
I have been playing this guitar with these pickups and I like the tone that comes out. It has a slightly darker sound with a good bottom end. It is not too high pitched, trebly, or just all twang. Kinda bluesy yet can still play country licks too. Great to have these options. Overall I would just say they play low and high notes with great range and tone
Allan Ladd (verified owner) –
Bridge blues tone: just what I wanted
John Hill (verified owner) –
Sweet tone. Great sound/tone. Perfect for my custom build!
John Kaigley (verified owner) –
Exceeded all expectations. Great pickups. Easier than most to balance.
Nigel Houghten (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Chris Moran (verified owner) –
Flippin great pickups. Another awesome set!
Tim Withee (verified owner) –
Awesome Fralin Blues Specials tele pickups
“Awesome” might be a slightly overused word, but it’s the best description for these Fralin Blues tele pickups. They’re a huge improvement over the stock Fender V-Mod pickups — which didn’t sound bad, by the way. But the Fralin Blues Specials are really something special. Briefly, the bridge pickup is gutsy and powerful but still retains that Bakersfield twang that I have to have on a telecaster. The neck pickup is well balanced with the bridge pickup, and there’s some great rhythm and jazz tones — and lead tones as well in that neck position. The two middle positions — series and parallel — offer two distinct tones and sound terrific. I have a lot of experimenting to do with this new setup. I would highly recommend the Blues Specials to anyone thinking to upgrade their telecaster pickups, wanting to retain the basic character of the telecaster, but with more guts. I’m more than 100% satisfied with my choice and highly recommend adding a four-way switch as well. It makes a world of difference over the stock 3-way switch and I think will help me get the most out of these great pickups. Thanks!
Deric Mendes (verified owner) –
Perfection
I couldn’t be happier! The Blues Specials provide an outstanding vintage twang with some added thickness. The dynamic response is also top-notch. I’ll definitely be putting these in all my Teles.
Phillip Tankel (verified owner) –
Great sounding pickups: Great sounding, crystal clear, and easy to install The only issue I had was the tubes were too small. Thanks
Francis Gilbert (verified owner) –
Sweet. Twang city!
David Wilson (verified owner) –
Sweet spot.
These brought my Telecaster to life. It originally had somehow ceramic pickups that were cold and sterile sounding. I couldn’t be happier with the warm sounds I get. Great for blues, rock, and country. From now on when I replace pickups this is the company I’m buying from. Thanks, David
Tim Billingsley –
I just installed your Blues tele set in a cheap $120 tele and they sound AMAZING. I am so pleased that I found your pickups before making the mistake of putting some other brand of pickups in my guitar. Thanks for such great products.
Deric Mendes (verified owner) –
Perfection
I couldn’t be happier! The Blues Specials provide an outstanding vintage twang with some added thickness. The dynamic response is also top notch. I’ll definitely be putting these in all my Teles.
Brian Fuller (verified owner) –
What a sound!
I was researching some pickups for my Tele when I ran across Fralin. Everything about them sounded like what I wanted. Some twang, but a bit more low end bite. WOW! The sound out of my amp is only 100 times better than what I thought it would be. These are absolutely amazing.
Scott Becker (verified owner) –
A step above Custom Shop Twisted Tele pickups
These replaced a set of Custom Shop Twisted Tele pickups in a mahogany bodied Tele. With the Twisted Tele’s I had to keep the tone control turned up, even on the bridge pickup, and usually max with the neck pickup, to get good Tele sounds. I’ll sure the mahogany body contributed to this, but still a surprise. The Blues Specials have a much more open, complex sound and I’m back to rolling the tone back for certain sounds, yet is still stays very clear. They magnified the resonance of the mahogany body in a pleasing way as well without getting into the dark, muddy side of sound. There is also some more output which is a plus for me. As others have said, the sonic depth and harmonics these pickups provide is a real treat and offers a wide range of tones depending on how you set the controls and your picking technic.
Tim Withee (verified owner) –
“Awesome” might be a slightly overused word, but it’s the best description for these Fralin Blues tele pickups. They’re a huge improvement over the stock Fender V-Mod pickups — which didn’t sound bad, by the way. But the Fralin Blues Specials are really something special. Briefly, the bridge pickup is gutsy and powerful but still retains that Bakersfield twang that I have to have on a telecaster. The neck pickup is well balanced with the bridge pickup, and there’s some great rhythm and jazz tones — and lead tones as well in that neck position. The two middle positions — series and parallel — offer two distinct tones and sound terrific. I have a lot of experimenting to do with this new setup. I would highly recommend the Blues Specials to anyone thinking to upgrade their telecaster pickups, wanting to retain the basic character of the telecaster, but with more guts. I’m more than 100% satisfied with my choice and highly recommend adding a four-way switch as well. It makes a world of difference over the stock 3-way switch and I think will help me get the most out of these great pickups. Thanks!
Nam Nguyen (verified owner) –
Incredible pickups
These are premium quality pickups. They offer a clear and refine sound, and at the same the thickness and the bite you need to play some electric blues. We all know what to expect from the bridge pickup, but now the neck and middle positions also offer beautiful tones that now make my guitar an all-around beast. Thanks to the Fralin team, I will be surely purchasing other products in the future!
Kevin Andreason (verified owner) –
Best Pickups Anywhere!
I built a custom tele with the Fralin Blues Special Tele pickups and Fralin Magic cap and it is incredible! Tone for days! These pickups have tons of output and the tone is very well balanced. I’ve used Fralin pickups in several builds now and they are the best! They exceed my expectations every time and I couldn’t be happier. They always give me exactly what I want built to order super fast turnaround time and they are always there to answer any questions almost always right away! What more do you want!
Greg Tremel (verified owner) –
No hiccups with the pickups! I like them. The quality is top notch and they sound great. I will definitely buy Fralin pickups again. One small problem. The rubber tubes for mounting were pretty short – only about 1/4″ long. It would be perfect if you would cut them 1/2″ long. Fast shipping too! Thanks!
Casey Boulter (verified owner) –
Installed in the bridge position of a black ’62 Fender Telecaster Reissue and it came to life! It sounds absolutely incredible!!! So much better than the stock pickups. Paired this with the Hum-Cancelling P90 pickup in the neck. I’m putting Fralin pickups in all of my guitars now! Thanks, great product!
Brian Fuller (verified owner) –
Holy smokes! I just put in my Blues Special pickups and Control Plate and they are fantastic. I truly appreciate the way y’all laid out how I was to solder everything. I’ve only soldered a few times, but y’all made it so easy. Thanks for all the emails with instructions as well. This is such a cool change for my Tele. Thanks for making great parts and making the installation easy. Keep up the great art!
Jason Romero (verified owner) –
I purchased the Blues special bridge pickup for my G&L ASAT classic. I’ve heard a lot of people who love the MFD’s but I just didn’t mesh with them. I put a Fralin Blues Special and now my guitar sings. Love this pickup so much!
Istvan De Jesus (verified owner) –
Hello and God bless!!!
Have to say that Fralin pickups are just legendary. This is my first experience with this brand. Received my Blues Special pickups yesterday and today was my “test drive” day. Nothing more nothing less than a perfect pickup. This baby’s are a masterpiece. Exactly as advertised. Installed them on my Squier CV 50’s Telecaster (2016). The bridge is amazing but that neck pickup is remarkable. The perfect balance of clarity and darkness. Chords, single note solos, etc, you can do it all with amazing articulation. I’m a neck pickup fan and this is just what I was looking for. The bridge is not ice picky. 3 very usable sounds.
Brett Sheroky (verified owner) –
That’s The Stuff
Recently had a custom Tele built that was too bright with a set of Cheetahs. Called Fralin, Lindy answered and talked to me about what I could try as far as pickups, caps, and pots go. Then we just talked music for about 5 minutes. Super cool. Anyway, I decided to try the Blues Special at the bridge and a Stick Tele at the neck. Per our talk, Lindy suggested I do a nickel cover to keep it brighter and he’d personally polish it to shine it up like chrome. Got the pickups a few days later, put em in and… oh yea, that’s the stuff. Tamed my bright Tele on the bridge while still being able to get that classic Tele sound. It just got rid of that ice pickiness and added a little fatness. I have 275k pots and a .033 cap on there now. Because of the quality and Lindy willing to talk to me through it, I’m a Fralin customer for life.
Nick Whelehan (verified owner) –
Threw these along with Fralin neck Tele Pup into a Squier bullet. SO freakin’ KILLER!! Won’t go back to Anything else for Telecasters or Strats other than Fralin.
Alan Mock (verified owner) –
This is my first experience with Frank pickups and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I put these Blues Specials in telecaster I built with a Warmoth body (swamp ash) and neck (roasted maple). I wired the guitar with the 4-way switch with the paired pickups in series and in parallel. These pickups, with this wiring, cover all the bases I need for blues, blues-rock, and classic rock. I’m absolutely in love with the neck pickup – clear, chimey, and full. Overdriven they send me into guitar bliss!!! I play less on the bridge pickup, but it cuts through a mix well without being to bright or sharp. I just couldn’t more excited about these pickups. I just don’t want to put my guitar down!!!
Paul McGilvery (verified owner) –
Perfect Tele pickups
These are really well-rounded, with just a bit of early breakup for more bluesy tones. The bridge pickup is twangy and punchy without hitting “icepick” sounds (even with the treble wide open), and the neck pickup has a more bell-like, almost “stratty” sound (sounds killer tuned to E flat). I re-wired a Mexican Tele with these, and now I wish I’d done it years ago. Really versatile, impressive pickups for any setup. Highly recommend!!
Michael Platts (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Gregory Pisel (verified owner) –
Tele-icious
These are the best Tele pickups I have ever had. I wired them into my ’67 Tele with an RS Guitarworks harness and the thing sounds much better than the day I bought it with stock pickups in 1977. Thanks, Lindy and crew!
John Stivers (verified owner) –
Blues Special pickups
Not only do these sound great, but Lindy called me unannounced to make sure he understood whether or not to send reversed polarity pups or not. Had a nice chat on the phone–great guy, outstanding service.
Kennan Keating –
Tele Blues Specials
I couldn’t be more pleased, this thing sounds like a million $$$ in my baritone Tele. Thank you Lindy & Co., pure genius.
Todd McCarthy (verified owner) –
Fantastic Pickups!
Full-bodied, articulate, great grit, they rock. I used these pickups in a Xaviere Tele with swamp ash body, maple neck. Installed string bridge, Fralin pre-wired Vol/Tone pots. Guitar rocks, great sustain. The matched pickup set was a plus. I have a Tele with Seymour Duncan’s; I like these better. I am planning on upgrading my 20yr old Am Strat with Fralin pickups soon.
Garrett Pierce (verified owner) –
Back from the dead!
My early 90s MIM Telecaster sounded kinda dead and lifeless. It had been mostly living in the case, with my 06 MIM Stratocaster becoming the main. I decided to change out the pickups in the Telecaster in hopes that it would sound a little bit better and make me want to use it a bit more. Well now I don’t want to play my Strat anymore and I haven’t put my Tele down in a month. I guess I’ll have to change out the pickups in my Strat here soon and then I’ll want to play both guitars equally!
Charles Santarpia (verified owner) –
Amazing as always.
Robert Rendl (verified owner) –
Big difference.
I installed a set of Lace sensors into an American Elite telecaster after being disappointed with the stock Fender gen4 pickups. I have an old strat plus with original gold Lace sensors that I have loved since I got it in ‘87 and expected good things trying them in my new Telecaster. While they were a drastic improvement they didn’t really deliver as I had hoped. I was almost ready to sell the new telecaster thinking it may be a lost cause when I came across some very good reviews of Fralin pickups which I had heard of before but wasn’t really familiar with. I decided to try them as a last resort and I must say I’m absolutely delighted! They have imparted the warmth and character I was not able to hear with both other brands. Very dynamic and a beautiful organic voice that surpassed my expectations to the point that it is now my favorite guitar. The only thing I may change is the covered neck pickup as I do find it a bit dark and probably should have selected the uncovered version according to what I’m reading on the web site but I am still thrilled with both pickups. The bridge pickup is simply amazing. I own several telecasters but this one actually snarls on-demand and in the middle position (which I use a lot) is awesome delivering exactly the funky spank I love when switched there. I’m a happy customer! RR
Kevin Kull (verified owner) –
Blues Special Tele Neck Pup
I love this pickup! Really top-notch. My Tele is even more versatile than it was now. I had to make a special request to reverse the pickup magnet polarity to pair with my existing (older) stock Fralin bridge and these guys came through! It really reduced the noise floor I was experiencing with my old Fender neck / Fralin bridge combo. My other guitars are upset – I can’t put this Tele down, getting seriously great tones out of it! With the four-way switch wiring on the neck cover (they add this at no extra cost!), I can get everything from punchy warm humbucker tones to that typical single PU tone that cuts through any mix and anything between. Thank you all at Fralin for your great service and quality!! Highly recommend 🙂
Bradley Rossiter (verified owner) –
As advertised. Similar in concept as the Strat version. Great stuff.
Chi Wang Chan (verified owner) –
It is a great upgrade for my noiseless pickup, I mod it with a 4-way switch and it is really versatile
Edward Mellis (verified owner) –
Great as always! Your service and products are second to none.
John Kowalskey (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments
Rob Wilbur (verified owner) –
Awesome. The tone is excellent! I couldn’t be happier! This is my favorite set of pickups I’ve had in the Tele that I’ve been playing for 21 years. Also, I did a cap mod with a push/pull pot… way cool!! Watch lindys YouTube videos on this mod.
Mark Sosik (verified owner) –
The Blues Special, in this application as a single pickup in an Esquire, provides just enough extra than a standard Tele style with a very balanced tone. Detailed but not ice pick highs, punchy but not overbearing mids, pleasant bottom. Packaging professional, shipping fast, installation with no hum.
Daniel Merges (verified owner) –
Beautiful tone
Always beautiful, open and responsive. Bring out the best in my guitars.
Myke Oldfield-Edwards (verified owner) –
Fitted the set in my Fender Road Worn 50s Tele and it has made a huge tonal difference. Great string balance and separation with no noise. Great sounding clean and driven. Very happy!
Jamie Croggon (verified owner) –
Great tele pickups
I am very lucky, I build my own guitars so I get to compare. Honestly no audio or video review can reproduce sound well enough to give you a real impression I have 2 pretty much identical Teles one has Lollars and the one I put these Fralins in. I like both but they are totally different. The Fralins are powerful and detailed with a rawness that reminds me of Springsteen. I couldn’t be happier. I would definitely buy Fralins again.
John Snyder (verified owner) –
Great upgrade! Beefy and clear, best tele pickup tone I have ever heard
Jonathan Geiger (verified owner) –
Just what I was looking for!
Very happy with the Blues Specials. The bridge pickup is full and articulate. I’m not much of a country player so I wanted a pickup which retains enough twang to remain true to the Tele style but not the thin tinny twang which can be common. In this regard the bridge pickup is exactly what I was looking for. I ordered the set with the covered neck pickup and in all honesty this is where I was most surprised. I absolutely love the sound of this neck pickup! It is also full sounding but has a crispness that surprised me and is very pleasing to my ears. Sounds killer with a little hair. Thanks Fralin! Already considering replacing the pickups in my Strat with some Fralins as well.
Scott Newell (verified owner) –
OUTSTANDING! Just had Blues Specials installed in a 2019 Fender Rarities quilted maple top Tele and results are exactly as advertised, greater clarity and thickness over the “stock” ’51 Nocaster and ’64 Pure Vintage pickups that came in the guitar. The neck position pickup is clearer with more string definition but still nice and fat, and the bridge sings without the harsh edge that was there before. Big improvement over custom shops and well worth it.
Matthew Stolz (verified owner) –
The best thing that ever happened to my sound
I have a pedalboard that, to date, I’ve probably dumped $5,000 (and counting) into. Yet, this $100 (neck) pickup has by far, made the biggest single impact on my overall tone of anything I’ve done so far. I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing the first time I fired things up after having them (went with a Steel Pole 42 in the bridge) installed. The description on Lindy’s site is very true to what you can expect from the Blues Special and you will definitely not be disappointed. Previously, I always felt like my stock pickups were a) weak and generally speaking, just very thin sounding and b) when pushed to try and solve problem
Clark Elkins (verified owner) –
More than I hoped for.
I watched videos and read reviews and found that the Blues Special Tele set was what I was looking for for my Tele build. They sound even better than I thought they would after watching the videos of them being tested. I’ll definitely be using more Fralin pickups for my future builds!
Anthony Pace (verified owner) –
Blues Special
Amazing sound, per usual! Thanks, Lindy and team!
Bob Myhre (verified owner) –
Love them.
Vladimir –
I bought the Blues Special set to upgrade my Aria Pro II Backaroo Tele. The sound is fantastic! Brilliant highs, great pronounced middle and FAT bottom!
Thanks, Lindy.
Vlad
Tyler Delsack – Fralin Pickups (store manager) –
Very nice open top neck pickup. Also sounds more open. Good output and frequency range with both pickups. Quality made. Nice to deal with you. Thanks …
Ken Jacko (verified owner) –
Huge Improvement
Every guitar that I have replaced the stock pickups with Fralin pickups has shown a huge improvement in tone. The Telecaster that these pickups are in now sounds great. Still has the classic Telecaster sound but with just a little more beef. You cannot go wrong with any of the Strat or Tele pickups that Fralin makes.
Andrew Brown (verified owner) –
Best pickups ever!
These pickups are AMAZING! I’ve tried several over the years but these are beautiful. Top and bottom end just sings, the mids are so powerful. Bright and crisp without being snappy, such depth. The guitar tech who fitted them for me was also blown away, he said these are the number one pickups he will be recommending. Get them now, you will not be disappointed!
Rudy Bless (verified owner) –
Responsive!
The depth and brightness definitely surpassed my expectations, they’re not overbearing though and respond really well to articulation. Lots of room to get loud but they sound just as great quiet.
Jason Drouilhet (verified owner) –
Great set of pickups!
I upgraded to these from stock Fender Tele pickups and the clarity in note definition is second to none! Great sounding pickups that sound great clean and overdriven. I also have a set of Fralin Vintage Hots in my Strat. I couldn’t be more pleased with the tone. Thank you!
Michael Scammon (verified owner) –
These pick-ups are staying put.
Extremely happy with this set. Neck pick up is punchy and bright, and what I’d call milky; love it. The clears that come out are gorgeous. The Bridge pick-up has some serious bite without losing articulation. Very low-noise (if any at all). I installed these in my first partscaster, and will say it’s my favorite sounding
Joseph Custy (verified owner) –
Awesome pickups
Thank you, Lindy! All I can say is Awesome! These are just what I was looking for and they sound great in series with the 4-way setup. Very happy!
Charlie Romano (verified owner) –
The name says it all.
Words aren’t enough to describe the Blues Special – Tele. This pickup adapts to any genre or playing style. Country players will dig the spank and the blues players will appreciate the smooth low-end. Don’t hesitate to buy it and try it.
Mike Garrett (verified owner) –
Blues Special – Tele
I am so happy with these pickups…my Tele sounds like a Tele should! The neck is warm and clear, and the bridge has a nice bite that is never harsh or brittle sounding like lesser Tele pickups…the output balance between the two is perfect. When overdriven, the bridge sounds amazing, providing that organic pushing-a-tube-amp-to-breakup sound…try a Stones/Faces/Black Crowes tune and you’ll see what I mean. Could not be happier with these pickups.
Patrick Craig (verified owner) –
Love the full laid back sound. I just got my guitar back from my local shop that installed these with a 920D Three-way switch with a push-pull series/parallel selection. Love the sound, still fiddling around.
Andrew Schulman (verified owner) –
Less shrill telecaster tone, with more body and drive.
Michael Stampler (verified owner) –
HSS Tele
I outfitted a Telecaster with a full set of Fralin pickups and it just turned out amazing. With two single coils and a humbucker, this guitar has a complete range of sounds. Thanks to Lindy for helping me out.
Kirk Arndt (verified owner) –
Excellent pickups, excellent customer service.
Big improvement in the tone of my Tele, great communication, very fast turnaround time, I received the pickups well before I expected them. All around an excellent product and experience.
Carmen Cammarata –
Recently purchased a brand new 2019 Tele Elite. I was not happy with the stock Noiseless 4th Generation pickups. Decided to go with LF Blues Specials. Gave me the tone and extra output while still maintaining the characteristics of a Telecaster. A major improvement and the perfect marriage for this guitar.
Benjamin Roxas (verified owner) –
Great sounding pickups. I have 2 of these. From Roy Nichols to Brad Paisley…you can’t get wrong with these pickups.
David Vogel (verified owner) –
Strong and Articulate Tele Bridge
After a long series of trial and error looking for a Tele Bridge pickup, I finally found one that isn’t too brittle, or distorted, but has girth and accuracy when played lightly or hard. Very musical sounding pickup, to my ear, anyway!
Mark Newsbaum (verified owner) –
My customers LOVE them!!!
I have a small boutique guitar shop in Columbia TN. I use Lindy Fralin pickups almost exclusively. Customers come in wanting new pickups and I recommend Fralins. And they LOVE them!!! I also use them in my custom built guitars and everyone who plays them thinks they are awesome!!! Thanks Lindy!!!
Michael Wilkes (verified owner) –
Best pickups I’ve ever owned
These Blues Special pickups made me fall in love with my telecaster all over again. Very present, balanced, and articulate from clean all the way to fuzz/distortion. My other guitars are getting seriously neglected at this point. Cannot recommend enough!
Bruce Bacon (verified owner) –
Better than advertised.
Everyone told me these pickups would take my tone up about 10 notches … but that’s an understatement. I finally am getting what I’ve heard in my head (or on a professional recording), but was never able to attain.
Helmut Zahn (verified owner) –
Great set of pickups!
Got these for my 2003 MIJ 62 reissue Tele. Did not care much for the Tex Specs it came with. The Blues Specials give it a fat beautiful sound, but still retain the essential tone of a Tele. Add a bit of dirt and you get wonderful sustain and dynamic response. Thrilled to bits with them?
Greg Seigmund (verified owner) –
Best, Vintage Tele tone, you can’t put the guitar down!
David Vogel (verified owner) –
Telecaster Blues Special Review – This is the second bridge pickup, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Traditional to modern it suits all of my amps.
James McCormick (verified owner) –
Stratify a bright Tele. Darker with nice round tones like a Strat neck pushing up to a tubular edge.
Nigel Houghton (verified owner) –
Simply Outstanding!
I bought the tele set after being extremely impressed with a set I bought for my Strat. They are simply outstanding. Easily the best pickups I could put in my tele. I’ve had a few over the years and I’ve finally found the ones I needed (I have a ‘74 Telecaster) all along.
Michael Evans (verified owner) –
Great pickups! Best and most versatile telecaster pickups I’ve ever owned.
Brett Mathison (verified owner) –
Phenomenal, fantastic sounding pickups. Worth every cent. Definitely going to use Fralin pickups for future builds. I dig ’em!
Henry Johnson (verified owner) –
2016 Fender American Special Awakens!
Excellent sounding set of pups. This is my first experience with Fralin pickups and now I get all the positive reviews. I’m 62 and have been playing/recording since the late 70’s. I have a few old Strats with Arcane pups and SD pups in them and would compare this set sonically to the Arcane set in my ’99 Strat. A very nice sounding, well balanced set of Tele pups that I installed along with Lindy’s Pre-Wired Custom Tele control plate with the pup selector switch in the rear. Well done Lindy Fralin.
jdiego (verified owner) –
I bought them for my beautiful Fender TL62B MIJ. It sounded too bright and thin with the stock japanese TL-Vintage pickups (very bad pups). Now with the Fralins it sounds as I wanted, like a real tele, just a little bit hotter.
The whole stuff is of very good quality, but there was a small dent on the bridge’s low E pole piece
http://imgur.com/a/Z5bhrzY
Neck pickup DCR was 7.70 K (North to strings) and bridge pickup measured 7.45 K (South to strings)
ckmaddox (verified owner) –
I recently got a set of Blues Special pickups from Lindy, he was very helpful in helping me pick them out, I put them in a Squier Classic Vibe Thinline telecaster, I am totally astounded at the sound quality, I will definitley be back to get more pickups for my next upgrade. Thanks Fralin Pickups!
you guys are awsesome!
Charles M
Aaron Costello (verified owner) –
Excellent tone. Great clarity. Big Tele sound! Put these pickups in my main Tele and could not be happier. They draw out all that’s good about the guitar. Thanks
Elie Haroun (verified owner) –
Over-wound Tele Blues Special: Sounds great, thicker as I expected. A+
Johnnie Bias (verified owner) –
These pick ups are church. Pretty much changed my life.
Rubén Ruiz (verified owner) –
Finally! I love teles and classic rock. I’ve had a few that I loved, but somehow they never delivered “that” sound I was after…until now. Thank you Lindy for putting an end to muy tele tone quest! Now I’ve gottaramble on! ?
Paul Stebner (verified owner) –
Super Tasty. Always love my Fralins!
Fraser Thomson (verified owner) –
Amazing.
These pickups are so bright, musical, and percussive. I’ve built two guitars with them, and am starting a third, and I’m completely satisfied. Thank you so much for this product!
Nathan Manansala (verified owner) –
Love it! This and a Fralin/Analogman Big-T went into a Momose tele with a swamp ash body and rosewood/maple neck. The guitar was already pretty good before but the stock bridge pickup was a little too bright and lacked mids, and the stock neck pickup lacked clarity. Now, it’s perfect.
Michael Coburn (verified owner) –
Blues Specials in an MIM Nashville Deluxe Tele
I was fortunate enough to talk to Lindy directly when I called with questions about this set prior to ordering. He answered all of my questions and we had a discussion about whether I prefer the 2 and 4 positions on that guitar or if I’d ever modify it to allow for bridge and neck to be on at the same time. Without boring you with all the details of that discussion I’ll say that the customer service was top notch.
These pickups did what I hoped they would for my sound. The output is a bit hotter and the overall tone is rounded out. The noiseless PUPs that come with that guitar were good, but the high end could be a little shrill. Now it pops without being offensive, especially when I’m hybrid/finger picking. The low end also tightened up. Prior to these pickups it could get farty, but now it’s got the tight punch I like when I pull on the low E or A strings to bend a half step low on the neck.
Playing a Nashville tele through a Fender DRRI with a Ted Weber 12F150 50W speaker.
John Lowther (verified owner) –
Great Pickups
I put these pickups in a Telecaster I built. I own a Strat, LP Studio, and PRS S2. These Fralin pickups are the best. More versatile than I thought they would be. Much more dynamic than other single-coils. No noise issues so far.
Benny Landa –
Lindys Blues Specials turned my 94 American Std Tele into a workhorse monster. Got them in 2008/2009 (can’t remember) Feels and sounds like a real deal vintage tele now. I can do any gig or session with this guitar now. And real good with pedals too! Not that any of this surprises me. 🙂 Might have do this agin for my other tele!! cheers, Benny
Robert Mahmarian (verified owner) –
Fantastic Tone. Hey there. My guitar teacher is from the Chicago fusin band Marbin. Dani Rabin. He was floored when I brought the tele over for a lesson after I had your custom Pickups installed. I love them. Totally rock!! Bob.
J.C. Opton (verified owner) –
I originally replaced my stock pickups in my American Standard Tele with Vintage Noiseless. They were ok but I wanted more. The Blues Specials are simply amazing. The guitar is much warmer and full sounding. Very responsive to finger and pick dynamics. I have a few guitars and this Tele is my new #1. I can’t put it down.
Dave LiCari –
Replaced the stock pickup in my MIM Esquire with this model as I love the bridge pickup in my Michael Kelly T-style (see above) and I couldn’t be happier! Love them Fralins!
Gary Cox (verified owner) –
I love these pickups! Installed in a parts guitar that I assemble and couldn’t be more happy with the way it all turned out.
Kyle Hollinger (verified owner) –
Wow! They sound so good. I mean really good. Like, amazing. If you are at all on the fence, just pull the trigger and pick up a set. You will not regret it.
Ryan Aufdencamp (verified owner) –
Easily the best sounding Tele pickups I’ve ever heard. Great investment.
Jenny Quinn (verified owner) –
Best ever! Sounds fabulous, pics coming soon of the Esquire clone it went in!
Thierry Jaoul (verified owner) –
Great sounding pickups – greatest pickup I have ever played on a Telecaster.
Steven Cox (verified owner) –
Really great sounding pickups in my Tele. I play through a Fender Princeton.
Edward Jones (verified owner) –
Super high quality and very versatile pickup.
Trevor A. (verified owner) –
Went with the covered neck. Gotta say, I was nervous, but these are a winner in all three positions. Tyler was very helpful with his insight, and all my expectations have been met. Playing a maple fret Tele with an ash body, I was thinking these would be too dark, but they are JUST right! There’s always a little play in the tone knob one way or the other. And the neck is immaculate. Full bodied with clarity that really sings. Great job Lindy & Company!
Doug Smith (verified owner) –
Been buying Fralin’s for 20 years…
These pickups never fail to please. The true Blues Special in the neck position on a Tele, w/o cover is a no brainer if you want a nice, thick, juicy tone for your guitar. Hands down, the best tone money can buy!
Joseph Amodeo (verified owner) –
Great Range! These pickups have great dynamic range and tone up and down the neck. They have a sweet voice and deliver everything from ultra sharp highs to that funky muddy blues tones that I particularly like. And the sustain rivals my Les Paul.
Nick Koff (verified owner) –
Only complaint is the cloth wire. I really hate the pushback wire on these pickups. It’s really a drag to work with. Other than that, I like ’em fine!
Dave Garrett (verified owner) –
Very happy with these pickups. They have good definition on a clean channel and still have the Tele twang. The bridge responds well when you crank up some gain.
Michael Dunne (verified owner) –
Very articulate , warm tele tone. Excellent range of tone from country chickin’ Pickin’ to jazz . Extremely versatile .
Sean Yurick (verified owner) –
Maybe the best!
Wow, truly love these pups. The attack response from these are incredible. Can range from punchy to smooth depending on your play and settings. Rich sustain with a smooth tail. Even the noise from these sounds good… If you haven’t tried these Blues Specials, and you are looking for an upgrade with this tone, then you need to look no further. These may be the best! ???
Ed Whitney –
Just completed installing a set of Blues Specials in my MIM Telecaster and couldn’t be happier. These along with a set of Thomastik Infeld flat wounds have turned my Tele into the guitar I’ve always wanted. Full, rich tone without being muddy and just enough twang on the bridge to play the occasional country lead. I won’t ever be mistaken for Don Rich but it gets as close to the Bakersfield sound as I want to get. The most versatile pickups I’ve ever used, the perfect set for a one axe player. Thanks Lindy.
davidchamberlin –
I just popped these in as a replace the for some Duncan Alnico IIs, which I’ve been using for over 10 years. I really like the higher definition and “zing” these are giving me. They’re not ice picky at all but definitely have more clarity than the Duncans, which I like. Great pickups!
John Bateman (verified owner) –
Great Tone – I put a set of Blues Specials in my 09 Telecaster Deluxe.. the sound is Truly Amazing.. plenty of Low end Grind and Funk .. with plentiful High End pluck .. I love this guitar now …
John Kleopfer (verified owner) –
Customer added no additional comments.
David Kell (verified owner) –
I have a G&L ASAT and absolutely love the guitar expect for the very poor MFD pickups it came with. I tried the G&L Alnico and still wasn’t happy. Was I being too pernickety?? No. These Blues Specials are everything I hoped for and more. They make the guitar come alive and have all the power required to make my Rift Amps Tweed 15 really sing……. also ordered the 4 way switching control panel which adds a whole different dimension to play with. Love it.
Dennis Cassidy (verified owner) –
I borrowed a set of Seymour Duncan “Vintage” Tele, pickups from a friend for my project “Tele/Partscaster”. I was reading and shopping around for set of pickups of my own. My buddy bought Lindy Fralin, Tele “Blues Specials”. He loved the sound so much he bought another set for his Strat. The service and support he told me about was very impressive. He said he called the Lindy Fralin shop to ask a technical question and Lindy himself answered the phone and talked to my buddy. He bragged up the pickups so much that I bought a set. I love the sound I am getting from my Tele, and also I get emails from the Lindy Fralin support staff asking how I like my new “Blues Specials” pickups and “Magic Caps”. They ask if there is anything they can do to help me out with technical support or any other aspect of my purchase. I am really pleased. The after sales service and concern for customer satisfaction is second to none. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Lindy Fralin products, not just for the quality and craftsmanship, but also because I feel I am treated and respected as a valued customer and to me, that means a lot!!!! Cheers; Dennis Cassidy, fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada.
Justin Miller (verified owner) –
Fantastic Pickups! These slightly hotter pickups really make the difference. I have a semi-hollow G&L bluesboy with this blues special in the bridge and a Sunbucker in the neck. The combo works flawlessly and I couldn’t be happier with the sound these pickups make. If you are looking for that classic Tele bridge sound but want a little more edge, this is the pickup for you. Thanks so much to Lindy Fralin for making an awesome product and for a quick turnaround. You Rock!
James White (verified owner) –
I’ve been wanting these pickups for over 2 years now and I finally got them! They shipped them out to me the same day I ordered them and they got to me 2 days later!! These are seriously awesome pickups and this is an amazing company!
Dan Schrader (verified owner) –
I was told by a luthier on the East Coast to try these pickups . I bought a set and put them in a guitar I built and wow ! I now use them in my guitars and in 90% of my builds ! Lindy and Co have left the others in the dust . I can’t say enough about how great these and their other pickups are . I saw a loaded Strat pick guard on 920 D and bought it immediately . Why ? Because it was loaded with Fralin’s now I’m building a Strat around these pickups !
I built two Tele’s for my Daughters for Christmas , you guessed it Fralin stock Tele’s in one Fralin Blues Specials in the other .
I am now a life long customer . The guitar I built for my friend ? That’s Paul Bell from the Nighthawks . He loves the Blues Specials !
Jarrod DeArmitt (verified owner) –
I picked these up to replace the pickups in a 63 Fender Custom Shop Tele that were a little too thin and bright. I really can’t believe the difference that these pickups have made; the bridge pickup is clear and punchy without ever being shrill and gets a fantastic, creamy, bluesy sound with the tone control rolled back. The neck pickup is round and warm but clear enough that I can actually hear all the strings…it’s basically perfect. These pickups are truely special, and they are never leaving my guitar.
Josh –
The Fralin team recently added blues specials to my American ash/maple Tele and out of my collection it’s become my favorite guitar again! These pickups are absolutely fantastic. I got the -Tone Cap: 02 – 0015 w/push-pull – bridge position pulled and neck position pushed are my favorite settings. I previously had N3 noiseless stock Fender pickups and they were average at best. Now, the guitar produces warm lows and clear highs – no more shrills or stingy sounds, and the harmonics are beautiful. I couldn’t be happier and never knew what a difference superior quality pickups would make.
Moving forward, I’ll be going through the Fralin team for all of my pickup needs – you guys do stellar work!
Cody Brown (verified owner) –
Just recently put a full set of Blues Specials in my Standard Tele after modding it with a bunch of Fender aftermarket vintage parts, I thought I was in love with it’s look the most until I put these pick ups in. They sound incredible! They eliminate that harsh, high pitched twang you sometimes get on higher notes on the Tele, but keep the low crunchy tones. They sound great both clean and dirty, giving off a sound somewhere between a vintage Tele and a well worn Strat. I ordered the uncovered neck pickup, and the output difference is astounding. Easily the best Tele pickups I’ve come across, I highly recommend them for any Tele enthusiasts and I’ll definitely be coming back to Lindy Fralin if I need any other pickup.
JohnCz –
Great set of Tele pickups….incredibly versatile, both live and in the studio. You can stick with the clean traditional Tele voice or drive them and get warm, fluid tones. Fingerpicking, flatpicking, or hybrid picking styles are all well-served by these pickups. Whatever I do with them, they retain richness, clarity, and articulation while still having color and character. They are very well made with quality materials. On top of that, the company is nice to work with and always helpful. Can’t recommend them highly enough.
Gordon Bastow (verified owner) –
These pickups are Great! I tried 3 different pickups till I got it right. These Blues Specials make my Tele sound like what I imagine a vintage Telecaster would sound like without being harsh or ice-picky. I highly recommend! I bought the set and it even sounds good in the middle position. Kinda like that Straty quacky sound. Amazing!
Dave LiCari –
Bought a Michael Kelly t-style because it came loaded with these pickups. I replaced the 500k pots (yeah, what’s up with that?) with Emerson pots and cap. Hokie smokes, Bullwinkle! It is one of the best sounding, and playing, t-types I have ever owned. These pickups wail! And they are the quietest single-coils I have ever heard. Great pickups!
Lauren Aase (verified owner) –
I ordered the Fralin Blues Special bridge pickup for my 1999 Fender Telecaster American Standard. Excellent presales service to ensure seamless installation. The pickup sounded good but I ended up reinstalling the original Fender stock bridge pickup. The Fender stock pickup seemed to sound more compatible with the Fender Twisted Tele neck pickup that I have on this guitar. Perhaps the Fralin Stock Bridge Pickup would have been a better choice to go with the Twisted Tele neck pickup. The Blues Special bridge was just a little too dark as was the Twisted Tele bridge pickup that came in a set with the Twisted Tele neck pickup. The 048610 Fender stock bridge pickup seemed to be clearer in tone and with more sustain than either the Twisted Tele Bridge or the Fralin Blues Special Bridge. Good sounding pickup, just not compatible with the Twisted Tele neck pickup.
Andrew (verified owner) –
Beautiful-sounding, inspiring pickups! Sounds great clean or dirty. I was leaning towards the stock Tele pickups but Lindy recommended these and I’m glad he did! I went with the covered neck, 2% output and it feels nicely matched to the bridge. Based on your touch they can be fat and warm or gnarly and bright. As Gershwin said, “Who could ask for anything more?” 5 stars!
Bob –
Just outstanding. Upgraded a Roadworn 50s w Blues Specials and it instantly became a beast! Very responsive to both touch and controls and easily moves from warm and clean to crunchy when digging in. Couldn’t be any happier with them.