Blues Special Strat
Versatile, Thick Tone for Strat®
$105 – $315
Are you seeking a thicker Strat sound, that still sounds like a Strat? Look no further than our Blues Specials. One of our best-selling Stratocaster sets, Blues Specials provides more output and a thicker sound while retaining that Stratocaster tone we all know and love.
Manufactured by hand in Richmond, VA with 100% USA-Made materials, instantly transform your Strat into a versatile powerhouse and discover what you’ve been missing with our Blues Specials.
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All Strat Tone, Only Thicker.
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Strat? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Blues Specials are our second best-selling Stratocaster single coil set, and for a good reason: with a thicker, warmer tone, they are perfect for balancing out a bright guitar and pushing your amp hard, all while retaining “the” Strat tone!
If you are looking for a thick, warm sound out of your Strat, you will love the sound of these pickups. With more turns per coil than our Vintage Hots, these slightly overwound pickups sound a bit thicker and hotter than vintage-voiced models.
Plugging in, you’ll immediately get inspired by the powerful, slightly compressed, and creamy Strat tone coming out of these pickups. You’ll notice the tight and warm midrange coupled with crystal-clear lows and round highs.
Features:
- 5% more coil than our Vintage Hots: 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
- RW / RP Middle pickup for Hum Cancelling in positions 2 & 4
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets and wire 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, locally-sourced fiberboard Bobbins for unrivaled quality control
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
- Risk-free 30-day exchange policy
It starts here: Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control and tonal bliss. Blues Specials consist of locally-sourced fiberboard, USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets, and USA-Made 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon Wire.
We wind each pickup by hand using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique, one at a time in Richmond, VA. Winding this way is more labor-intensive, but it gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup in a neutral wax to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Sound
Whether playing clean or dirty, Blues Specials feature a thicker midrange and rounder highs than vintage-voiced Strat models like our Real 54’s or Vintage Hots. Although they are an overwound Strat pickup, they are not too aggressive and feature a very open and dynamic tone. Blues Specials sound more like a traditional Strat pickup, unlike our Steel Pole 42’s, which lean closer to the sound of a P90.
Expect a thicker high-end and low-end growl, which will push your amp or pedals hard and provide a versatile and creamy breakup that is ideal for many music styles.
Lastly, cut through in the mix when soloing with a thicker, rounder single note and a powerful attack. Chords sound warm with a great string-to-string definition. Blues Specials sound powerful and bold – a great way to take your guitar’s tone to the next level. You’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch earlier.
Sound Samples for Blues Special Strat:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Blues Special Strat:
The tonal graph below for our Blues Special Strat features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Videos for Blues Special Strat:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Strat.
Blues Specials are made with 100% USA-Made parts.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 6.3K 1 |
| Middle Ohm Reading: | 6.3K 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.1K 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 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Recommended Cap Value: | 0.02mfd 2 |
Additional Technical Info:
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.
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
Note: We depict all our coil directions from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Blues Special Strat Dimensions:
Our Strat® replacements are standard Stratocaster sizing and spacing. All string spacings are 52mm.
Pickup Pairing
Our Blues Special Strat pairs well with the following models:
Blues Special Tele - Set
Starting At: $ 120
Pair a middle with a Blues Special Tele Set for a versatile and punchy Telecaster Tone
Get It Prewired
Get our Blues Special Strat prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
117 Genuine Reviews for Blues Special Strat
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Brought My Silversky SE to LIFE!
I own a beautiful Stone Blue PRS Silversky SE and I love the look, fit, finish, and playability of the guitar. However, the stock JM Pickups that came in it never spoke to me. They did plain, vanilla very well BUT they lacked the character I wanted and thus, made the guitar feel lifeless in a mix with my worship band. I wasn’t insoired to play this guitar. Until . . . .
After a LOT of research and speaking with someone at Fralin via email I decided to take the huge financial leap to upgrade my Silversky SE with a set of the Blues Special single coils from Fralin.
To be honest, the price tag hurt, especially for a guitar I bought used for $675. However, I wasn’t playing the Silversky SE with the stock pickups because they felt dead and lacked character before. So, it was worth the leap. First, Fralin has exceptional customer support! Jon took a lot of time talking with me about specs and my options. I told him what I wanted from pickups and he made a recommendation.
Then, when I placed the order, Fralin followed up with 3-4 emails about how to optimize my new pickups and install them best. No obtrusive, annoying advertisments but actually helpful articles about pickups and installation tips. I took those articles to heart, in fact, and bought better solder. It has been a game changer for my soldering game!
Next, the Blues Special pickups were easy to install. They literally changed the entire character of my Silversky SE. The Blues Specials have a more full, balanced tone compared to standard single coils and they have way more expressive character. I love them! I even did an A/B comparison between the upgraded Silversky SE (with Blues Specials) and an American Professional Strat. The Blues Specials had a more balanced tone. They were more clear and focused than the Am. strat Pickups. The Blues Specials are not thin like aome vintage single coils but they are not too thick either. They hit an amp a little harder than a standard single coil but do not overdrive and amp in an unnatural way like cheaper “hot” pickups. Further, they are INCREDIBLY RESPONSIVE. These Blues Specials sing and are an extension of my hands. Whatever I do with my freting and picking hand is transfered perfectly to the Blues Special pickups. I cannot say enough about how incredibly responsive they are. You have to hear it for yourself.
I highly recommend the Fralin Blues Special Pickups. Now to save up thw cash to try more Fralin pickups in other guitars.
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I have a 2017 American Professional Stratocaster. I couldn’t stand the stock pick ups. I’m a huge fan of John Mayer, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Mark Knopfler, but also of Freddie King, Magic Sam, and Robert Cray.
The blue special neck and middle really pull off Mayer/SRV/Knopfler and putting the split steel pole Strat on the bridge really helps pull off those more vintage tones of King, Sam and Cray. Especially when combined with the blue special middle pickup.
I couldn’t be happier with the way my guitar sounds, and I will never need to tone search again. At least not with my pickups…
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The BEST sounding pickups I have heard! Most times when someone plays my Strat, they end up purchasing. These pickups “speak,” for themselves.
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These pickups are so incredible it’s hard to believe your ears!
I had a set of Fender hand wound Josefina Dual Mag-II pickups installed in my custom built, Andy Hicks – masterbuilt ’65 Fender Stratocaster.
They sounded ok but I wasn’t totally satisfied with their sound.
After talking with Lindy, I decided to give the Blues Specials a try with a baseplate on the bridge pickup….
All I have to saw is, “Wow!”
They are more balanced, clearer, stronger, articulate, and beefier compared to the fender pickups.
The 60 cycle hum was even reduced by what seems to be twice as much as the fender pickups!
Every pickup and tone combination sounds great now. I was totally blown away at how my masterbuilt Strat came alive after installing these.
The 5% overwinding is subtle but nailed the sound I was after (The Dual Mag-II pickups are overwound too but don’t hold a candle to these).
Here’s the best part: they are about half the cost of hand wound Fender pickups!
Lindy gained a fan for life after I purchased these. I will be buying more for other Strats.
If you want one of the best sounding pickups around, while paying a totally reasonable price, then give some of his pickups a try.
You will not be disappointed. -
I’ve been using Lindy Fralin pickups for years. I recently purchased a set of Blues Specials, and I think they sound fantastic.
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What a great company to deal with in every way! I purchased a set of pickups and two of them were not quite what I was looking for. I was immediately provided with an RMA, and ordered the new set.
These (Blues Special) pickups were exactly what I was looking for. This particular Strat is naturally bright, and needed to be tamed just a little. The Blues Specials roll off the high end ever so slightly. Still plenty of sparkle, but also quite smooth.
Thanks, everyone, at Fralin Pickups for all the help!
Jim
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Not qualified to give scientific based review but I know what sounds good Lindy Fralin Pickups sound best to me. Full stop.
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I installed a set of Blues Special pups in my frankenstrat and I am thrilled with the sound! The body is a 20 or so year old MIM body, Warmoth neck. I previously had Fender Texas Special pups but they are right hand staggered pole units and I’m a lefty. They just were too thin sounding. Thankfully Fralin makes true lefty pups, my guitar finally sounds like a Strat should sound! Excellent installation tips, support and of course the product itself. Five Stars easy.
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I have searched through many different single coil makers and have even tried the top name, top selling single coils, but my search has finally ended with the Fralin Blues Specials. The Quality of Sound is hard to put into words, it’s just something you feel as you play them! Quality! Quality! Quality!
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Excellent Quality Materials and Workmanship, but most of all Excellent Quality Sound! My Vintage Strat Tone Search has Ended with the Fralin Blues Specials!
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I have a home built Strat that I had gone through 2 pick up changes. All were great pups but missed something that I knew was in the guitar.
The Blues Special pick ups found the missing tones somehow I heard in my head.
The guitar now has that voice that I heard in my head.
I went with the base plate on the bridge as well and was not disappointed with the results.
The order arrived earlier than the original estimate. And well packaged.
These pick ups have some special mojo.
Take the time to adjust the pick up height. They are easy to set up, and once they are set they are killer. -
My Fender 59 Custon Strat always sounded a bit thin and had some unpleasant hights.
With the blues specials it’s a complete new instrument now and sounds like I have always imagined ??? -
My Fender 59 Custon Strat always sounded a bit thin and had some unpleasant hights.
With the blues specials it’s a complete new instrument now and sounds like I have always imagined ??? -
Blues Special singles middle/neck in a Tyler Classic. No better super-strat platform to hearing and feeling the difference. Organic sounding with critical touch responsiveness, clarity, chime and PUNCH.
This is my 4th guitar with Fralin’s. After my first Tele set, then the 30th anni strat set, I haven’t considered using any other pickups.
Fralin’s check all the boxes for me.
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I am not new to Lindy Fralin pickups and in fact have been using them for years in a number of my guitars. I am however always blown away by the revelation that I have anytime I buy a new set of Fralin pickups. There really isn’t anything left for me to prove about the amazing quality and clarity of tone that is to be had from anything Lindy produces. Having been sold a long time ago on the Real 54’s I have a whole new appreciation for the Blues Specials that I just installed in one of my Strat’s. These pickups are nothing short of amazing and deliver all of the quintessential tones that a set of single coil Stratocaster pickups are expected to. But these deliver a little more to those classic bell tones with just enough spicy edge to push your tone into overdrive heaven for some bluesy greatness. I have not been able to put down this guitar since I installed these pickups. Thank you Lindy for once again proving to me that you are the best at what you do!
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What a vintage strat pickup should sound like! Great dynamics and lovely tone. I had some questions before my purchase and got all-star service.
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I replaced a set of Fender Fat 50s in an American Strat with a channel bound neck. A very nice guitar, but the sound didn’t move me. Best description was “thin” despite endless pickup height adjustments and a base plate added to bridge pickup. Decided it was time to venture into Fralin Pickups and put in the Blues Specials. I will say that it took me a while to dial in the pickup height. They are a bit hotter, but once I had the height right and the tone balanced, they were great. A fuller sound with more personality. Yes, more mids but plenty of clarity. The guitar now has soul. Love the bridge pickup. It’s what strats are supposed to sound like!
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