Steel Pole 42 Tele
Perfect Balance of P90 and Tele Tone
$130 – $260
Enter the world of the almighty P90 pickup, and discover what you’ve been missing with our Steel Pole 42’s. Featuring the perfect balance of a traditional Tele pickup and the P90 tone, we’ve achieved hybrid tonal bliss! Expertly crafted by hand, we guarantee this tone will inspire you for years to come.
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Telecaster, Meet P90.
Want to learn more about our Steel Pole 42 Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Steel Pole 42 Tele pickups are an exciting blend of a P90 and a traditional Tele pickup. Thicken up your Telecaster’s tone with a snarly and warm midrange and a stiffer, percussive treble. Hand-built with USA-Made Steel Pole Pieces, Ceramic Magnets, and a low-output wind, we guarantee the unique tone produced by this set will inspire you.
Featuring a thicker and warmer tone than our Stock Teles, you’ll be impressed by the unique pick attack and versatile nature of this set. Hand-built with Steel Pole Pieces and Ceramic Magnets, Steel Pole 42s feature a stiffer top-end and midrange snarl. If you play with distortion, you can expect a faster break up and a “chainsaw” grind.
Perfectly fusing the clarity and dynamics of a Tele pickup and the midrange aggression and bark of a P90, we’re sure that this is one of the most versatile and unique-sounding pickups on the market today.
Features:
- Original Fender Size, Lindy Fralin Design
- Strong and bold – lots of midrange and snarl
- USA-made Ceramic Magnets for aggressive tone and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- RW/RP Neck pickup for a hum-canceling middle position.
- Adjustable Steel Pole pieces for fine-tuning string balance
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
Steel Pole 42’s sound larger and richer than traditional Tele pickups. You’ll notice more midrange, especially in the lows and highs when played clean. The midrange is prominent on this pickup, and it sounds great on 250K pots. These pickups are not as dark as a P90 but have a beautiful openness and clarity. Steel Pole 42’s sound thicker in the midrange with more of a “chainsaw” grind. For musicians looking for more of a traditional P-90 sound, we recommend our Steel Pole 43 Pickups.
Finally, Steel Pole 42 Pickups are for those who need more output from their stock pickups. If you’re looking for something different, these may be right for you. Also, if your current pickups are too bright or thin, you will love these. These tend to be warmer-sounding, and a bit aggressive.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Steel Pole Pickups consist of a precision injection mold and USA-Made Steel Screws. We use aggressive USA-Made magnets to make this model scream. Each bobbin is carefully inspected and cleaned before winding.
We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Winding pickups this way gives each pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sound Samples for Steel Pole 42 Tele:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Steel Pole 42 Tele:
The tonal graph below for our Steel Pole 42 Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Stiff & Percussive
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Steel Pole 42 Tele.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.7K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 6.7K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Counter Clockwise Coil Direction, North To Strings |
| Bridge Polarity: | Clockwise Coil Direction, South To Strings |
| Magnet: | Ceramic |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge / 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| 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).
Steel Pole 42 Tele Dimensions:
Pickup Pairing
Our Steel Pole 42 Tele pairs well with the following models:
Steel Pole 42 Strat - Middle
Starting At: $ 115
Pair with a Steel Pole 42 Reverse Middle for a Smokin' Nashville Tele tone.
Split Steel Poled Tele - Bridge
Starting At: $ 150
Our Split Steel Pole Tele Bridge is the perfect noiseless companion for our Steel Pole 42.
Get it prewired
Go the extra mile and combine our Steel Pole 42 Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
Customer Reviews
54 Genuine Reviews for Steel Pole 42 Tele
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I’ve been using Fralin pickups for 25 years. I must have recommended them to 50 people or more. His pickups are of the highest quality possible. They sound exactly like the description says. Not to mention the stellar customer service. If you’re interested in the best pickups money can buy, there is no better choice.
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I have an SX Furrian 3/4 size guitar, that I put a Split Steel Pole Tele Bridge pickup in. I did the online CONTACT US form to ask what would be a good match for the neck position, they recommended a vintage split blade. I wired them to a 4 way switch, this is the way to go for any tele style guitar. The two in series is…..magical.
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I needed to replace the neck pickup on my old Am Std tele with a more muscular midrange (keeping the stock bridge pu.) The Steel Pole 42 Tele neck is ideal. Nice throaty clean sound and pushes solid drivier sounds I want from my amps. Works well in combination with the bridge, particularly with the 5-way Bill Lawrence switching I use. Also the pickup was initially listed to be shipped after a three week wait but it was shipped in less than a week. Frailin is a great company.
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I ordered Blues Specials from a music store in CA to put in a new Tele build, but SP 42s came by accident. I was going to return them, but after reading reviews, decided to put them in my personal guitar. I didn’t put them in the new build because I didn’t want to hand somebody a Tele that was for all intents a funny shaped SG. (which, as it turns out, would not have been the case).
I’m very glad I kept them. They have a .47 orange drop tone cap and a .001 treble bleed. As advertised, they have more oomph and snarl than a regular tele PU, but they sound excellent running them straight into a tube amp- no boost, fuzz, flange, verb or whatever is needed to dial a complete and thick, but still tele-ish tone. I’m just an amateur who builds guitars for friends, but these things rock. Having said that, they probably don’t country. The bridge PU, at least in my hands doesn’t do the Twang Thang, but for my purposes its an excellent trade off
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Incredible pickups. I wanted something that could go from immaculate cleans to flamethrower distortion as I front a ska-punk band and these deliver in spades. My beloved Tele has never sounded better and I don’t think I’ll ever buy non-Fralin pickups again for any of my guitars!
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Steel Pole 42 in neck and Blues Special in bridge…incredible…they replaced SD Antiquities that were way too brittle to my ears…with this pair of Fralins it’s the perfect combo of twang and growl…Both pickups can go from clear and bright with nice warmth and sustain to full on growl and grind in a flash depending on string attack and pedals…very happy
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Simply put, I installed a set of Telecaster Steel Pole 42’s along with the prewired Control Plate in a Telecaster that I have had for years, and the difference was exceptional. The guitar sounds so good that I have a hard time putting it down. In a world of compromise the quality and craftsmanship are first class. I am not an expert but the staff at Fralin are experts and they guided me to the right combination. Thank you for a really enjoyable product.
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I put a set of the Steel Pole 42’s in a Highway 1 Tele to bring it closer to a P-90 sound without sacrificing too much the Tele character. The result was what I’d hoped for: extra authority from the bridge pickup, fuller neck pickup tone, and a guitar that still sounded familiar — but more substantial. Nice appearance too with the open-top neck pickup option.
The customer support from the Fralin team is full-on. Useful documentation was supplied in advance of delivery, and the support team were available and attentive throughout the install when I needed it. This upgrade gets a 10 out of 10.
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Love the new tones my MIM telecaster makes. Sounds excellent.
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Outstanding pickup and outstanding customer service from Lindy Fralin and his team. I ordered a bridge pickup and it sounds just as described: a hybrid of tele/P90. I’m very happy with the sound. This wasn’t my first time ordering Fralin pickups, and I’m sure it won’t be my last!
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Ordered the Steel Pole 42 Bridge for my T-Style guitar. Couldn’t be happier with the sound. Lovely midrange and highs, and reacts to your picking dynamics much better than the original pickup. Very Happy!
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Very good pickups that sound exactly as described: somewhere between P90s and traditional Tele pickups. Excellent sound, for sure.
Why not 5-star? Installation wasn’t so smooth, with some quality issues to fix (maybe just bad luck) and I would welcome a more qualitative top cover, as the current one is a bit too plastic looking.
I am still very happy I bought these. -
To quote my customer who had me put these in his telecaster; “f@#$%^g awesome! I wish I had ten sets!” But, then he would have to have ten telecasters.
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Replaced the neck pickup in my 2010 Acoustasonic Tele, and turned a very ordinary guitar into a great one. Thank you!
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Without doubt the absolute best ever, pickups. So fat and sweet and all the good quack!
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I installed these pickups in a costumers 2012 telly and he is thrilled with them thanks much Jim
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Amazing pickup! Strong, clear, and quiet, with incredible detail. Every nuance of the pick/finger to string contact is reproduced. Superb. Surpassed my expectations, which were high.
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Fralins Steel Pole 42’s: Fender Offset Tele and a 68 Princeton Reverb, 0 pedals required
There’s a beach in a glacial lagoon in Iceland of coarse pure black volcanic sand littered by chunks of glacial ice – The Diamond Beach ….and I’ve seen the Northern lights pouring color like vitriol on asphalt there …. Black sky, black beach, light through ice washing and grinding against sand …. Total balance and harmony between cold and clarity and rugged texture, so perfect and rare it feels alien …. When I plugged in my custom offset Tele newly equipped with Fralin’s Steel Pole 42s I had that experience again —- the grit, the color, the clarity, and the awe. Fralins customer service responded almost immediately to my initial email inquiries and made helpful tips and suggestions to get the best experience out of my order and set-up —– once I placed my order, they kept me up-to-date with its status and processing times …. Once it was shipped, they emailed tips and schematics for installation. It was nothing short of the peak of customer service, prioritizing quality control every step along the way. I am absolutely thrilled with my purchase —- and will definitely look to them again in the future. Thank-you Fralin!
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Love this pickup!
Sounds exactly as described: between a Tele bridge and P90. I use 13s with a wound G, the adjustable pole pieces are as important to me (for adjusting individual string volume) as the tone. Only improvement is if I would’ve bought the neck pickup too! If you’ve never done bought a Fralin and are a lil nervous, DON’T BE! Fralin and crew are incredibly helpful, insightful and make a very well thought out pickup and company. Just fuggin do it! -
Great product, amazing service!
I was looking for a darker and beefier tone on my TC neck and I found it. I was contacted by a Fralin representative to ask exactly how I wanted the guitar set up so they could wire the pickup properly. I didn’t hesitate to order more parts from Fralin and haven’t been disappointed.
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