Sunbucker Blues®
Brighter, Scooped Mids PAF Tone
$175 – $350
The Sunbucker Blues is perfect for those who want a traditional humbucking tone, except we magnetize one coil of the Sunbucker Blues stronger than the other coil to give this Humbucker a bright, scooped mid-range tone. This is great for those looking for a brighter, more single-coil sounding humbucker, with a perfect balance of traditional Humbucker tones.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
Polite PAF Tone
Want to learn more about our Sunbucker Blues®? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
The Sunbucker Blues by Lindy Fralin is a cleaner-sounding humbucker with scooped mids. This pickup is based on the specifications of the original 50’s Gibson® P.A.F. pickups, with a few minor tweaks to give this pickup a unique sound. The Sunbucker Blues will give you a vintage, clean tone that’s more articulate than our Pure P.A.F., while leaning slightly towards a Single Coil tone.
Lindy designed the Sunbucker Blues to solve the problem created by a dark-sounding pickup in the neck position of a guitar. To give this pickup its unique tone, we magnetize the screw side of the pickup stronger than the slug side. Building the model this way scoops some midrange and gives you a clearer, more articulate and cleaner tone than traditional humbucker designs.
Features:
- Clear, Clean, Articulate Humbucker Tone
- One coil magnetized stronger than the other, giving it a scooped midrange tone
- Late, smooth breakup
- Bright wound strings, pure-sounding plain strings
- Compensated Overwound Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
Clean and articulate. The Sunbucker Blues will stay clear as it won’t break up as early as modern humbuckers, and you’ll find that it has a tight bottom end and a shimmery top end. Built with AlNicCo V and 42-gauge plain enamel wire, the Sunbucker Blues is an instant solution to a dark-sounding humbucker in the Neck position.
When playing clean, you’ll find that this pickup sings what you put into it: it’s incredibly dynamic and warm. With distortion, you’ll find that the breakup is smooth and late, with a pronounced pick attack and pure-sounding plain strings and bright wound strings. Furthermore, we find that you’ll be able to get some sweet blues and clean tones out of this pickup.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Doing this gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone.
Finally, we assemble each pickup one at a time by hand. Hand assembling pickups allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. After assembly, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Sound Samples for Sunbucker Blues®:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Sunbucker Blues®:
The tonal graph below for our Sunbucker Blues® features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Videos for Sunbucker Blues®:
Humbucker Lead Color Codes
Gibson Braided Lead
Gibson-Style instruments
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
3-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
4-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Series Parallel Wiring
Coil Splitting
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Sunbucker Blues®.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 8.2K 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading : | 9K 1 |
| Neck Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor Lead |
| Bridge Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor Lead |
| Magnet Material: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Wire Material: | USA-Made 42 Gauge Plain Enamel |
| Baseplate Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Cover Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Pole Piece Material: | USA-Made Steel |
| Bobbin Material: | ABS Plastic |
| Baseplate Leg Depth: | 6mm |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| 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:
This is a Hum Cancelling Pickup.
If you're buying a set from us, all pickups will work together seamlessly. If you're buying a single pickup, all you need to worry about is Coil Direction.
To ensure your pickup will work, make sure you select multiple leads (2-Conductor, 3-Conductor, or 4-Conductor if available), or the 3-Wire modification so you can reverse the coil direction, if need be.
Covered Humbucker
Uncovered Humbucker
Sunbucker Blues® FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
-
What Ohm Readings does your Sunbucker Blues® have?
Navigate to our Tech Specs Tab for complete Ohm Readings and more useful information.
-
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.
-
Is your Lead Time of 2 Weeks 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.
-
What pickup height do you recommend setting your Sunbucker Blues®s 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 Sunbucker Blues®. If you have a question that you don't see listed here, click "Ask" in the Quick Links section above.
-
Can you overwind or underwind this pickup?
While we can discuss options, we don’t recommend underwinding the Sunbucker Blues. This pickup already sounds like a Vintage PAF, and underwinding it even further would make it a bit too clean.
Regarding overwinding, we can discuss options! Give us a call to discuss.
Get It Prewired
Get our Sunbucker Blues® prewired into a Prewired Pickguard!:
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
22 Genuine Reviews for Sunbucker Blues®
-
I have an old ESP Kamikaze-I that needed a refresh after cycling half a dozen different sets of pickups, not finding the perfect options. I was never able to find the balance I needed, until I came to find the Sunbucker Blues. If it did what it said on the tin, then I had found the perfect pickup. It does indeed do what it says on the tin. It is a very bright, vintage-PAF sort of tone that has those sparkly cleans that those are famous for, and the response to light overdrive is quite brisk and nearly P-90-like. We all love that stuff, and this does it perfectly. Where my honeymoon always ends with this kind of pickup is the high distortion: usually these types of pickups get grainy, almost like if a strat bridge pickup was being put through a powerful overdrive pedal with the highs turned up all the way. The Sunbucker Blues does NOT do this, it holds its character even at the most ridiculously high distortion levels, and at least on my rig, it actually rounds off slightly rather than going brittle and wimpy like other PAF clones. I opted for +5% winds on my order, and I think that was the right call. I combined it with a High Output Strat single in the neck and the two are perfectly balanced. I could not ask for more, I am sold. Fralin knows what he’s doing. 10/10 score.
-
Sounds great! In the neck position, this pickup has a kinda ‘fat strat’ sound and attack. All the mud and rumble that is usually present in the neck position is cut leaving the pristine fundamental note with a soulful tone. One note is that, in consideration of the output, this pickup tends to sound quieter than it is. Almost like being in a room that is carpeted wall to wall with velvet. Very tasteful.
-
Exactly what I was looking for, exactly as described on the Fralin website, and it pairs very well with the Fralin Pure PAF 8.2k (Alnico III) in the bridge. I ordered the Sunbucker Blues with a 5% underwind for the neck position of my PRS Sunburst Series 22 (a limited run Custom 22 from 2009). It replaced a DiMarzio Eric Johnson humbucker. It was a tall order to beat out the DiMarzio but the Sunbucker Blues is the winner. The Sunbucker Blues is bright, but full, and has amazing clarity and string separation (the latter being very similar to the Pure PAF). It sounds great played together with the Pure PAF in the bridge, it sounds very much like a set (which was lacking for me before). It is very quiet noise wise. The sound is on the bright side but that is what works best in my opinion in the neck position–very crisp and punchy, no mud. Like a single coil but with the fullness of a humbucker, an excellent fusion of a single coil sound and a humbucker sound. It has the excellent articulation and clarity that Fralin’s PAF style pickups are known for. It also splits very well with the addition of a partial split resistor on the tone pot (and when split the 60 cycle hum is not significant). This is a very useful design and I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a clear, clean, brighter neck humbucker that can also be split. Excellent customer service as always, I spoke directly with Lindy and he answered all my questions. Huge fan of Fralin pickups and the company. This is a USA business to support.
-
This was a journey trying to find the right sound I was looking for. Originally I struggled with what to get. I was struggling between Sunbucker Blues set or a Pure P.A.F. set. Both sounded so beautiful, but there was so much more information and demo sounds I could listen to for the PAF set. For Sunbucker Blues, I only found the one video on here (which sounded beautiful), but it’s very short. I searched everywhere and couldn’t find anything more. I wanted a really great blues sound and everyone said Pure P.A.F. set was the way to go. So I did, and it was beautiful when I installed them, but the neck wasn’t quite what I wanted. I wanted a clearer sound that had a little more twang, and sounded just a little brighter.
I wrestled over it for about a week and finally emailed Lindy about it. I loved the Pure P.A.F. set, but it was difficult to explain the sound that was in my head. Lindy actually called me on my phone and actually played two different guitars to compare the sound for me over the phone between the two pickups. I couldn’t believe it. It was awesome and decided to trade in the neck PAF for the Sunbucker Blues. Eventually it came, and I’ve had a hard time putting my guitar down since. It is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I can achieve every blues sound I’m looking for with this. I’ve played both clean and dirty with it. Every artist’s sound I’m looking for is here. Most importantly, the sound in my head, is here. It takes pedals perfectly or straight into the amp. The sustain is gorgeous. I can play with a kind of emotion that didn’t exist with my previous pickups I’ve used. I feel like the Sunbucker blues pickup is the translator of what’s in my mind. It’s weird and hard to explain beyond that. I have never been more happy with a pickup.
-
Fantastic clarity and single string articulation. Even when playing power chords. Love them!
-
I put this in the neck position of a Stratocaster with a Blues Special middle and Pure PAF bridge. It’s a great match with the other pickups. The pickup is brighter and closer to a single coil than the Pure PAF and sounds great split through a resistor.
-
At Lindy’s suggestion I put this in the neck position of my ES-339, and it added the clarity and attack I was looking for! It still has that cool semi-hollow smokey vibe, but without the mush. It’s way more usable and is a vast improvement over the stock pickup. This may be my new go-to neck humbucker pickup!
-
Sunbucker Blues – Les Paul neck
Finally ended a long search for a neck pick up for my les paul that wasn’t too bassy in the low strings. Very clear on clean tones. Breaks up nice on overdrive. Bass strings are articulate and not lost in mush like most other pickups. Still balances well with medium output bridge pickup. Thanks again Lindy for a great product.
-
At last a neck pickup that cleaned up my Les Paul!
Since I purchased my Les Paul Standard back in 2008 I’ve never been to happy with it’s neck pickup sound. About five years ago I changed the stock pickup to a PAF style from another brand and it got better but it was still not the sound I was looking for. Now this Sunbucker is exactly what I was looking for, a full great sounding neck pickup that finally cleaned up all the muddy low end my LP suffered from the start.
-
Paired the Sunbucker Blues Humbucker (neck) with Split Blade Blues Tele (bridge). They sound incredible! I usually think the neck humbucker can sound muddy, the Sunbucker Blues is bright and full. This was my 3rd set of Fralins in the last year. All have been fantastic!
-
Fantastic pickups
I purchased a different model of Fralin pickups and found them to be of the best quality of construction and tone of any pickups I’ve ever had. When I got a new guitar that needed new pickups, I came back to Fralin. These Sunbucker Blues pickups have an incredible tone, are versatile and the quality is as good as it gets. -
I play with a set of your pure paf in 1of my les pauls & it is my go to AX after i filed & polished the frets & its a bad motor scooter. I also have a few newer guitars that i just pulled the plastic off the pick guard
1- High Performance Gibson Flying V
2-Traditional Pro I l Les Paul
3- S G X
4- Blues Hawk -
Customer added no additional comments
-
A humbucker with a difference
As they describe, it sounds a little bit different than expected from a humbucker.
-
I put these in a telecaster body that sold over Christmas. The customer and his friends rave about the tone of this pickup so I am hoping it will lead to a few more sells. Thank you for a wonderful pickup!
-
What the Dr. ordered. Great sounding pickup. Perfect for a clean blues tone. Sounds great with some gain and overdrive. Highly recommend.
-
This is the neck pickup for which I have been searching. It has the fullness of a humbucker and the clarity of a single coil. The clean sounds are gorgeous. The distorted sounds maintain a great deal of clarity – you’re not going to get “woman toan” from this one.
The Sunbucker Blues also splits really, really well. In split mode you get even more single coil clarity and spank.
I was so impressed with this pickup, that I’ve purchased other LF pickups!
-
I outfitted a telecaster with a full set of Fralin pick ups 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.
-
I built a Paulowina tele with a SD SH-2 humbucker screwed into the body at the neck, but it was too dark and muddy. Just replaced with a Fralin Bluesbucker and it’s a huge improvement. Neck now sounds a bit like a chimey Strat neck PU, but with more girth. This pickup is as good or better as any I’ve owned (Bare Knuckle, Don Mare, Bill Lawrence, Seymour Duncan, Gibson, Epi, Fender, Ibanez, etc.). I’m really impressed with the voicing and will STRONGLY consider Fralins for any other replacement PUs. Already looking at my Strats and scratching my chin.
-
I have a Gibson SG 61 Reissue that had 57 Classics in it. These pickups just did not work in this guitar. It suffered from the dreaded “wet blanket” syndrome. The neck pickup was so muffled and boomy. I kept reaching to turn the tone knob up thinking it was turned way down but it was always on 10. I did everything to try and make that pickup sound better, but it couldn’t be done. I needed something brighter and clearer.
This brought me to Lindy Fralin. The Bluesbucker was exactly what I was looking for in the neck. All the muddiness is gone. It’s crisp and clear just like a single coil but has a big full sound like a great humbucker. I paired it with an AlNICO 5 Pure PAF in the bridge and couldn’t be happier.
Hats off to Lindy and his crew. Keep up the great work.
Add a review
Leave a review for our Sunbucker Blues®
