Blues Special Tele
Versatile & Thick Tele Tone
$120 – $240
Love playing your Telecaster again and know it finally has the voice it was always meant to with our Blues Specials. Wound with a 5% overwind from our Stock Teles, Blues Specials feature a punchy, warm tone that tames the harsh top-end from most Telecasters and helps you hear every nuance in your playing. Lastly, customize your appearance with our neck options and make your Telecaster a real eye-catcher with a look that suits you.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
100% Tele, Just a Bit Meaner.
Want to learn more about our Blues Special Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Discover what you’ve been missing with our best-selling Telecaster pickups. Blues Specials feature a 5% overwind that emphasizes the midrange while taming the high-end for a warmer, thicker Telecaster tone that still sounds like a Tele. Built with all USA-Made parts, you can take pride knowing Lindy designed his Blues Specials with the highest quality materials available.
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, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique for a sweet, unique tone. You can feel great knowing that we wound your pickups specifically for you. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Features:
- 5% more coil than our Stock Tele set for a warmer, thicker tone
- Modified Fender specifications, optimized for output
- 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 different magnet staggers for optimizing pickups for your instrument
- 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
Sound
If you’re looking for balance – not too bright, not too dark, this set is for you. While playing clean, Blues Specials sound thick and creamy with open and clear highs and a thicker midrange. The overwound coil tames your highs and bumps your midrange – more than the Stock Tele Pickups, while you can expect more of a traditional Tele Tone than our Steel Pole 42s.
With distortion, you can 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. Finally, Blues Special Pickups are for you if you’re looking for more output from your current pickups, but still want to keep that traditional Tele tone.
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 Blues Output of our Split Blade Tele Pickups
Sound Samples for Blues Special Tele:
Compare Outputs
We have 2 outputs of our Blues Special Tele. Compare them below.
About these Sound Clips:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Blues Special Tele:
The tonal graph below for our Blues Special Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Videos for Blues Special Tele:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Blues Special Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.8K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 7.3K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 250K |
| 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.
*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: We depict all our coil directions from Ground (Black Wire, or Start Wire) to Hot (White Wire, or Finish Wire).
Blues Special Tele Dimensions:
All dimensions include a covered Neck pickup to account for the slight increased size from the cover.
Blues Special Tele FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Blues Special Tele have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
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Will this pickup fit my instrument?
Check our "Sizing" tab for the size of the pickup. No Sizing tab? Check under the product image gallery for dimensions.
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Is your Lead Time of 1 Week accurate?
It depends on the shop capacity at the moment, and the size of your order. Feel free to give us a call for an accurate lead time. We always try to beat our estimated Lead Times.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Blues Special Teles to?
Our recommended Pickup Height is 1/8" (3.175mm) on the Bass Side and 1/16"( 1.5875mm) on the Treble Side. To measure, hold the correct side down at its highest fret. Then, measure from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece.
Product FAQ's
People frequently ask these questions about our Blues Special Tele. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask" in the Quick Links section above.
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How does the cover affect the tone of the Neck pickup?
It doesn’t – we use USA-made nickel Silver, the most sonically-transparent metal for covers. We also compensate the winding technique to make sure the Neck pickup sounds like we want it to.
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What is 4-Way Switching?
4-Way Switching adds a fourth position to your Telecaster’s switch to put both pickups in Series and Parallel. The 4th Position sounds like a big humbucker as a result. Read more on the topic here.
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What is required for my pickups to work with 4-Way Switching?
We apply tape to the magnets before winding to isolate the coil wire and the magnets. If you select a cover, we add a separate ground wire to permanently ground the cover instead of grounding the cover through the coil.
Pickup Pairing
Our Blues Special Tele pairs well with the following models:
Big Single - Neck
Starting At: $ 175
Pair A Blues Special Bridge with a Big Single 42 in the Neck for a killer combination.
Blues Special Strat - Middle
Starting At: $ 105
Nashville Tele? Our Blues Special Reverse Middle is the perfect match
Get it prewired
Go the extra mile and combine our Blues Special Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
360 Genuine Reviews for Blues Special Tele
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I’ve only just ordered my pickup, and can’t wait to try it. But I can’t help but submit a review of the service I received from Fralin support, after ordering .. It’s exceptional. I made a casual query regarding wiring on the order form, and the feedback and follow up I received from support (Ellen) was the best interaction I’ve had from an online company. If the support I received is indicative of the product and the company, it’s 6 stars… Thanks !
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The stars are for the pickup as well as the company. The pickup is unparalleled. Construction is clean and rock-solid. The sound is amazing. Everything you want in a Tele neck pickup; it is twangy (without being harsh), it has an attack and warmth that pushes amp and DI signals in a beautifully and harmonically pleasing way. It also has that unmistakable character that immediately makes tremolo and reverb make sense. Some of the highest quality pickups I’ve ever bought, and I have purchased many from many companies.
But the customer service and care this company has for its clients is second to none. When I ordered my pickup I put in the ‘comment’ section that I was putting it as the middle pickup in a ‘Nashville Tele’ styled setup, but in a Jazzmaster with Jazz pickups. One day after placing my order I get a phone call from Mr. Fralin himself. He was so nice and such a pleasure to talk with. He asked all about what my plan was with the pickup so that he could better understand how to wire the pickup optimally for my planned implementation. Then when I called back to relay some information he’d asked for the person who picked up the phone was just as pleasant and friendly.
We all stand on the edge of a time when this could all continue on with a rich, large table every musician can sit down at and eat or an industry that becomes (once again) bloated and implodes upon itself. It’s up to us which way it goes and people that these, at the Lindy Fralin company, are the ones we should be following in their example and supporting their endeavors. It is the diligent, honest and friendly ones that will keep this train a-rollin’ for years to come and keep the world of sound equipment and music healthy and vital. People will never not need music, but the enjoyment of making it is our responsibility to maintain.
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Fantastic! One of the best pickups I’ve heard. I Have this in the bridge paired with a Vintage Vibe Guitar P-90 pickup in the neck and I can’t stop smiling.
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I swapped these pickups out in my 2020 Player Series. They had the Alnico 5 pickups. And WOW! What a difference these pickups make! The neck sounds amazing and that bridge just has all the twang and kick you’d ever need out of a Telecaster. I highly recommend these pickups.
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I installed these pickups in my Player Telecaster. They are very clear and articulate and respond extremely well to pick attack. I LOVE them. No complaints whatsoever. Just absolutely amazing!
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The blues pick-ups are awesome!! Great tones
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Great sounding pickups and customer service. I was helped with my questions on the phone with John and he was very knowledgeable and helpful. The pickups are described perfectly on the product page. I got the blues special set and even though I liked my original neck pickup this one is definitely an upgrade. The bridge pickup was a major upgrade and helped tame that harsh treble the original ones had. Add some overdrive and they shine even more. I’m more than happy with my purchase and buying experience.
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The pickups have a very nice sound and were fairly easy to install. The sound is strong. I have mostly played Stratocasters in the past, and I was surprised when the middle pickup switch position was louder than the single pickup positions. There is a solidity to the Telecaster that the Stratocaster does not have, and it is brought out very well by these pickups.
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Blues Specials are the best investment for my Tele, Definitely recommend, a true upgrade, can’t stop playing it!
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Great pickups…. Great upgrade to my Fender Elite Tele. Clean tones are clear and fat. Great note separation. This is my first set of Fralins. Highly recommended.
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I installed the Telecaster control plate and Blues Specials about 10 days ago. Wow! A whole new guitar! Couldn’t be happier. You guys do great work! I’ll be back. Frederick Noland – Fountain Hills, AZ.
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Beyond happy with these pickups! They sound incredible.
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Just got these installed and they sound fanatic in my Tele through an Orange Tremlord 30. Unbelievable tone and range. Very articulate and responsive.
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I bought just the bridge pup and matched it with an Unbucker in the neck..I’ve had it for over a month and wanted to make sure I gave it plenty of time before I posted a review……
well the honeymoon is over…this is one of the best pickups I’ve ever heard…….I spent a good bit of time adjusting the pick up height…playing, readjusting, closer to the strings, further away from the strings…the sweet spot came when I had the low E at 1/8″ and the high E a 16th less….
snap, snarl, bite and zip…you name it…its got it….it loves to be overdriven..without being overly harsh or fizzy…and it just loves to play Folsom Prison Blues!….and I can’t help but strut around the room when I’m doing it…..;-0Seriously, this is a fantastic pickup, well worth the money, and I’d give it more than 5 stars if I could……..Thanks to all of folks at Fralin for putting a big huge smile on my face…..
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I had my guitar shop order a Blues Special neck pickup for a Fender Baritone Telecaster that I was hoping to have rewired. The factory pickups were just junk. They finished the install and rewire for me just here the other day and I wanted to write a letter praising the tonal quality of your pickups. I have it with a 4 way switch and paired with a RailHammer bridge P90. Just amazing. The neck tone is buttery smooth, and when run in parallel & series with the P90 its something to behold, especially in series. Previously my baritone guitar sounded muddy and the neck position was almost unusable. My guitar has new life with your blues special neck pickup.
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I had ordered another (reputable) company’s PU’s and was not at all happy with them. I had all but stopped playing my Telecaster because of this. On a recommendation from my tech, I called and actually spoke with Lindy about the issue. On HIS recommendation after our conversation, I ended up ordering a set of the Blues Specials for my Tele. The very minute they were in the guitar I could immediately hear the difference. A few days later, I was using them onstage in front of a large, very rowdy crowd, and the guitar was so alive and responsive… the difference was like night and day. I absolutely LOVE these PU’s!!! Meaty, but not too dark, clear, but not too shrill… VERY toneful, for lack of a better description. Well, maybe that IS the best description… Thanks Lindy. I have my Tele back!!!
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I ordered a set of Blues Specials along with a new control plate for my FCS tele. It all got here fast in about 1.5 weeks. The guitar came with HW Texas Specials which are pretty hot, I love the guitar but hated the pickups. In a nutshell, these pickups are the BOMB. So very lively, powerful, and toneful…my tele immediately sounded so much better. The bridge has the ‘magic cap’ so when dialing back tone it becomes more ‘Gibson’. I like it back when using overdrive and tone on about 8 when playing clean. The middle position sounds incredible, and really cuts through. I got the open top cover for the neck and it sounds & responds very ‘strat like’, which is what I was after. Everything arrived neatly boxed and clearly labeled, including temporary wires showing where to make connections. My only question about soldering the two hot wires across 2 lugs (instead of one lug as I had always done in past) was answered and explained by Lindy himself when I called. I recommend this set to anyone wanting authentic yet bolder & robust tele tone.
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Bought and installed the Blues Tele set for my Tokai Japanese Tele. I used the standard stagger. The neck pickup was sans cover. The new pickups are amazing in tone versus the originals. I wanted more mids and a fuller warmer sound, this I did achieve, with the Fralins. These pickups also have more gain than the originals. I play more rock and am not a a fan of the very thin sounding pickups. It is an upgrade well worth the money spent, I am really loving the guitar. The service from Fralin was great I confirmed the pickup options with them. The interaction was smooth and friendly. Would I recommend these, certainly.
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Love them.
I have them on two guitars.
Blues specials on the bridge for both.
Blues specials at the neck of one, and a p90 on the other. -
I’ve had my Custom Shop ’59 Journeyman Tele for five years and felt it was a tad thin sounding and not quite living up to its potential.
Because I love the guitar, I researched alternative Tele pickups online and it was obvious that the Blues Special Tele pickups were the most highly regarded. Having had a Fralin bridge replacement pickup in my ’62 Strat for over 25 years, I knew of their quality. I bought the Blues Specials in good faith and they perform as I expected: authentic, yet fuller sounding; a nice but subtle mid-range boost and a warmer sound overall but with the classic Tele tonal attributes. This nicely crafted guitar is now allowed to sing to its full potential. Thank you, Lindy. And a shout out to Trevor Healy and team who are my electric guitar doctors.
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