Split Blade Tele
Pure Telecaster Tone, No Noise
$135 – $270
A Lindy Fralin original design! Split Blade Tele pickups are noiseless pickups for your Telecaster. They feature a noiseless operation, with all the clarity you expect from a single-coil pickup. Split Blades are available in 4 outputs to help you fine-tune your tone and find your sound.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
All Tele, No Hum.
Want to learn more about our Split Blade Tele? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Split Blade Tele Pickups: revolutionary design, pure Telecaster tone, no hum. Unlike most pickups, we designed our Split Blades with a left-right coil design, giving you a truer and more balanced single-coil tone. These pickups will drop right into your Telecaster, with no modifications necessary. You’ll get all the single-coil traditional tone, with no hum at all.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Split Blades consist of a precision injection mold and USA-Made Steel Blades. 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. 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.
Features:
- Lindy Fralin Original Design
- Unique 4-Split Blade design for Humbucker and SSS tones
- An interesting and unique look
- Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
- USA-made Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Three Blade heights available for different fingerboard radiuses
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
SPLIT BLADE TELE SOUND:
Unhappy with Hum-Cancelling Fender Pickups, Lindy designed the Split Blade. It’s a hum-canceling pickup with traditional Fender-type sparkle. They’re unique: they offer a single-coil sound, no hum, and dashingly good looks. Expect fantastic a warm, full-bodied tone with incredible string articulation and enhanced detail. Wound strings sound clear and articulate due to a narrow magnetic field. Plain strings sound thicker than a single-coil with more of a sonic footprint. Chords will sound smooth and buttery, and single notes will sound large and full. Split Blades will not pull the strings out of tune – even if they get close to the strings. Also, adjusting the pickup’s height allows you to fine-tune your tone to your needs. Expect thick, warm, and dynamic tone with distortion.
Sound Samples for Split Blade Tele:
Compare Outputs
We have 2 outputs of our Split Blade Tele. Compare them below.
About these Sound Clips:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Our Split Blade Tele pickups feature a traditional Telecaster tone with no hum. These sound clips were recorded through a Mexican-made Fender Telecaster with a Lindy Fralin Telecaster Neck. Sound Clips are recorded by Phil Heesen III
Tonal Graph For Split Blade Tele:
The tonal graph below for our Split Blade Tele features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Vintage Output (250K / 300K Pots:
Attack: Dynamic & Full
High Output (250K / 300K Pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Blues Output (500K Pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Super High Output (500K pots):
Attack: Dynamic & Full
Videos for Split Blade Tele:
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Split Blade Tele.
Since we have a few different outputs for Split Blade, we've grouped them by their recommended Pot Value:
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Vintage Output Ohm Readings: | 4.7K Neck / 5K Bridge* 1 |
| Vintage Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| High Output Ohm Readings: | 6.8K Neck / 8.4K Bridge* 1 |
| High Output Recommended Pot Value: | 250K or 300K |
| Blues Output Ohm Readings: | 5K Neck / 5.8K Bridge* 1 |
| Blues Output Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Super High Output Ohm Readings: | 7.2 Neck / 9.5K Bridge* 1 |
| Super High Output Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43 Gauge Single Poly Nylon, Depending On Model |
| Magnet: | Ceramic |
| Polarity: | Hum Cancelling, Request 3 Wire If Buying Single |
| Pole Piece Material: | Steel |
| 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.
* Due to the unique design of this pickup, ohm readings aren't very helpful. Our Vintage Output is close to the a Vintage Strat Pickup output.
Polarity Information:
Here's how we wind and magnetize our pickups:
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.
Split Blade Tele Dimensions:
Split Blade Tele FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Split Blade 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.
Product FAQ's
People frequently ask these questions about our Split Blade 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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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Split Blades to?
Split Blades sound best a little closer to the strings than a standard Strat or Telecaster pickup. Split Blades don’t pull your strings out of tune like a regular pickup, either. Feel free to get our Split Blades close to the strings – you’ll love their tone when you do! Check out this video of Lindy setting the Split Blade Height.
Get it prewired
Go the extra mile and combine our Split Blade Tele with a Telecaster Control Plate!:
Customer Reviews
139 Genuine Reviews for Split Blade Tele
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Pros: Sounds good and has that deep, mellow sound that I was looking for to play Jazz. I had to take a lot of bass off my amp settings to compensate.
Cons: Was not Drop in on my Squire Classic Vibe Tel even though I had email exchanges confirming that it was.
My guitar Tech had to screw it down in place by going through the cover plate. Not sure if I can adjust anymore but shouldn’t need to as it does sound good and he set the guitar up really well.
There is no need to roll off everything to get a warm tone. but I do still get a slight hum from it, but very much improved -
Lindy is the man! I love that he has continued his personal style of communication while still making world-renown high-quality pickups. This split blade pickup has the bite, response, and clarity you’d expect from a tele bridge pickup, but with the silent quality of a humbucker.
I recently acquired a ’74 Fender Telecaster Custom, and I loved the wide-range pickup, but the bridge pickup was shot, and I needed something that would stand up on its own, but not overpower the neck when using the middle position. Within a minute of calling Fralin, I was on the line with Lindy and we discussed the wiring, the pots being used (1 meg), and he steered me to this amazing pickup. Couldn’t be happier!
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I love it. This is an amazing pickup. Blends perfectly with the Sunbucker in the neck. Great communication and service. Thanks, Lindy & company! Y’all really are top-shelf. Rock on!
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It’s dead quiet, super hot, and sounds killer. I love it!
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Just warmth no mud.
I got the vintage output for the neck at customer service’s suggestion to go with a Split Steel Poled Tele in the bridge and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve not been a big fan of neck pickups in the past because they are either too muddy for my tastes, or feel weak with not enough warmth. This thing has made me realize I just hadn’t found the right pickup and the neck position can be amazing. This thing is nice and articulate, no mud, and has the sweetest warm tone.
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Customer added no additional comments
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Split Blade Tele Neck Pickup (Vintage Output)
Installed them into an alder body with a maple neck, stainless steel frets, and modern hardtail strat bridge. Traditional pickups sounded dull with this combination. In contrast, the Fralin pickup sounds beautifully in this guitar. (I have tried only clean amp settings by now.) The pickup must be set sufficiently close to the strings to avoid weakly sounding g and d strings on my guitar. Due to the usage of blades instead of rods, no need to worry about string spacings and rod spacings. Everything fits perfectly. Very quick delivery to Europe.
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I have to say I really like these pickups. They have that Tele vibe going strong but are a little bigger and rounder to my taste. I especially like the vintage neck. I have the blues Bridge and it is a great compliment with the vintage neck. I will try the vintage bridge on my next build. And to top it all off they are dead quiet even on temporary outdoor stages with noisy power! Thanks, Lindy
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Was already using a Tele split blade in the bridge position and the split blade neck pickup that I just installed sounds just the way I predicted, awesome! Now have the Tele sound that I’ve been searching for!
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Great pickup with Steel pole 43 in the bridge. Perfect match. Have a 4-way switch and both in series are killer. Reacts nicely to volume control. When backed off it cleans up real nice.
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Amazing pickups. Change my SD 5-2 Tele pups on Split blades and it’s great amazing sustain and bends with no end, really gold standard of pups, Thanks to all Lindy team.
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Nice!
Killer tones without the noise! -
Split Blades-Tele
bought Lindy Fralin for my Mexican telecaster Fender. The guitar gave a strong background with the Fender pro junior iii. The background is gone, the tone is magnificent. I am very glad. Thanks Lindy. -
Finishing touch
I built a partscaster with a resonator cone and figured a way to get a bridge pickup along with the neck pickup. The design of the split blade gave me some wiggle room tolerance as far as installation goes. The tone is exactly what I wanted. Tele twang with a bit more. I play blues-rock lead. -
Clear Crisp
These fit and sound great in my chambered Tele. -
Split Blades Tele
Fantastic pickup. Lindy is incredibly knowledgeable, professional and more importantly a super nice guy.
Thank you for a great pickup. -
I’ve been playing in the Jim Messina band for over 25 years. Talk about a Fender tone monster! Well, for the last year I’ve been playing a partsoTele on the road with him, along with -minimal- pedals, and my tone holds down the fort! I even have a 16″ radius fingerboard and these pickups do not have a divot in the sound. With all of the choices I’ve encountered these days I took a chance on these. I was gonna go simple-stock when these presented themselves. I cannot recommend these highly enough. Quiet, spanky yet polite, and no compromise in TeleTonality. Get ’em!
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Excellent!!! Best noiseless strat and Tele pickups hands down. Great job guys!
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My search is over!
I had the split blades installed in a fender players Tele along with the Emerson prewired 3-way treble bleed kit. That’s a $400 upgrade on a $600 Tele. This by far is the best Tele I’ve ever owned. I’ve had several $4000.00 custom shop Tele’s with hand-wound twisted Tele pickups and I wouldn’t trade this Tele with the Fralin split blades for any of them. All the picking nuances just come up naturally. No hum and the best tone I ever experienced. I’ve always used the bridge pickup on tele’s just never liked the neck or both position until now. The neck pickup is so warm and fat I love if for blues solo’s from clean to just bluesy brake up. The split blades are truly awesome and worth it. For me, the search for my fender tone is done. It only took 45 years. Lindy thank you so much my ears no long search for that elusive fender tone any longer.
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Awesome pickups! Love these pups!
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