Twangmaster
True Fender Single Coil Tone
$175 – $350
Transform your humbucker-equipped guitar into something different and experience the Lindy Fralin-Designed Twangmasters. These humbucker-sized pickups don’t sound like traditional humbuckers, and that’s the point! Lindy specifically designed the Twangmaster to sound like a Fender Strat – with no hum. Featuring a warm and clear midrange with a familiar Fender sparkle, we guarantee that the Twangmaster will inspire you.
Quick Links
Jump to Sound Clips and more Info:
Pure Fender Tone, Humbucker Looks.
Want to learn more about our Twangmaster? Here's all the information you'll need:
Features
Are you looking for an authentic single-coil tone out of a humbucker size? The Twangmaster is the pickup for you. Featuring Lindy’s unique left-right coil design, the Twangmaster features clear wound strings and round, sparkly treble strings – all with zero hum.
Our Twangmaster® uses USA-Made Alnico 5 magnets for a clean, bright tone. This pickup is the clearest and cleanest humbucker we make – clearer than our Big Single 42 and cleaner than our P-92.
Features:
- Lindy Fralin Original Design
- Clean Fender Tone in a Humbucker Cover
- Hum-Cancelling Design with hum-free operation
- Clean and clear, lots of Fender sparkle and twang
- USA-made Alnico 5 Magnets for optimal tonal balance and output
- Compensated Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Backed by our 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
- Risk-free 30-day exchange policy
Sound
How do Twangmasters sound? Clean and bright, articulate, and expressive. They sound best on 250K pots.
Give your Humbucker-routed guitar the voice it thought it could never have: a fender-type sparkle. The Twangmaster is slow to break up, with a clean, snappy tone that’s smoother than our P-92. Featuring a Fender-type sparkle and attack, the Twangmaster accurately sounds like a Fender Strat pickup, with slightly thicker mids and zero hum. That way, you can stand out in the mix and hear more of what matters most – your tone.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. Our Twangmasters consist of USA-Made bobbins, baseplates, magnets, and wire. Sure, it’s more expensive, but we want the highest-quality materials we can get. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time, using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique, which gives the Twangmaster a sweet, clear tone. Then, we assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand. Assembling this way allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. Finally, we wax-pot the pickup to prevent microphonics and preserve the pickup for years to come.
Sound Samples for Twangmaster:
About this Sound Clip:
All sound samples are played from Neck Position First and Bridge Position Last.
Tonal Graph For Twangmaster:
The tonal graph below for our Twangmaster features Lows, Midrange, Highs, and general Output.
Attack: Bright & Sharp
Videos for Twangmaster:
Lead Color Codes
See below for our Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead
Gibson-Style instruments
Phase Reversible
Coil Splitting
2-Conductor Lead
Phase Reversible
Tech Specs:
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Twangmaster.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading (Stock): | 7K* 1 |
| Bridge Ohm Reading (Stock): | 8K* 1 |
| Polarity: | Reversible with 2-Conductor Lead |
| Magnets: | USA-Made Alnico 5 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42 / 43-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Bobbins: | USA-Made Precision Injection Mold |
| Covers and Baseplate: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Baseplate Leg Depth: | 6mm |
| Available String Spacing: | 49.2mm |
| 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.
* Due to the unique design of this pickup, ohm readings are not useful when comparing to other models. This pickup is medium output, and leans to a cleaner, clearer tone.
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.
Twangmaster Dimensions:
All Twangmasters have a string spacing of 50mm.
Twangmaster FAQ's
General FAQs
Here are quick answers to common questions we get:
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What Ohm Readings does your Twangmaster 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 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.
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What pickup height do you recommend setting your Twangmasters 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 Twangmaster. 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 do I orient the Twangmaster in my guitar?
The Twangmaster features a Raised D pole piece. Make sure the tallest magnet is under the D string.
Pickup Pairing
Our Twangmaster pairs well with the following models:
High Output Tele - Bridge
Starting At: $ 120
Pair the Twangmaster with a High Output Tele Bridge for a killer H-T combination
P-92 - Bridge
Starting At: $ 175
Use the Twangmaster as a Neck pickup and the P-92 as a Bridge pickup for a Fender-tone in the Neck, and a P90 tone in the Bridge
Split Blade Tele - Bridge
Starting At: $ 135
The Twangmaster pairs well with a High Output Split Blade
Featured Reviews
Reviews We Worked Hard For, and Are Proud Of
Customer Reviews
48 Genuine Reviews for Twangmaster
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The Twangmaster is everything i hoped for. I put it in neck position in my Sterling Mariposa. It’s clear, bright and flexible. Works very well pushed to overdrive. Very happy !
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If you like single coil chime, you won’t be disappointed. I don’t know how they do it but there’s something magical about the sound of these pickups. I find myself enjoying every position, neck, middle and bridge, which I normally don’t do.
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I’m so glad I bought these pickups! I predominantly play Tele’s. I have a Les Paul studio that is the most acoustically resonant electric guitar I own. I found myself rarely playing it because humbuckers don’t work well for my finger-style picking. Now I play it all the time! Sound wise in the Les Paul, the sound is reminiscent of some of my favorite G&L pickups. I experimented with a few different values of resistors in parallel with the stock pots. The Gibson pots were 300K ohm. The neck pot measured 300K but the bridge measured 275K ohm. I wound up liking the neck with the 300K but added some resistance to the bridge to bring the value to 230K ohms. The tone is exactly what I was looking for! I will buy another set to install in a 339.
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I have a Gibson style costume made guitar.
I’ve tried putting many hum-buckers in the neck position, but it was always to muddy, and unusable in like situations. Then I tried a few P-90’s, but it was still the same deal.
So then I started trying single coils, but it was too thin.Finally found the twangmaster and is was what I was looking for the whole time.
I love it.
It’s perfect. -
Holy cow! Is is possible to be in LOVE with a pickup? I’ve swapped out plenty of pickups in my time and these are GOLDEN. Ultimate tone, killer, just killer. It’s got me looking at what other guitars I have that need that need some Twangmasters.
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Thanks, sir can I get another!
This is the best pickup out there to fix that typical humbucker neck pickup tone that’s too warm/dark or lacks clarity.
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Twangmaster in the neck position of a cheap 335 copy??? Hell yes!!! Started as an experiment and ended as my main electric blues guitar. Fantastic pickup! Fralin is a bonafide wizard. Each pickup I’ve bought from him exceeds my expectations. Highly recommend!!!
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Beautiful clean tones
These Twangmasters are just amazing. This is now my second set of pickups from Lindy and I could not be more impressed. I had a set of Gretch-style pickups in my guitar and it just wasn’t working for me. Swap those out and put these in instead and it made all the difference. I prefer low output pickups and love the sound of Strats and telecasters. These perfectly fit the bill. Could not be more impressed. I’m now in love with this guitar all over again.
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I ordered a set with 2% underwind for my PRS SE Custom Semihollow, and it has given me the Strat-like singlecoil sound I dreamed of. My guitar has such a clear, bell-like tone to it now. The neck position is super sweet, the bridge position is twangy, and the middle position even has some quack. Because I also added a push-pull pot to run the pickups in series, I can switch to that to thicken up my sound and I don’t miss having humbuckers. I couldn’t be happier with my purchase!
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This pickup is incredible! Exactly as advertised. My neck pickup now sounds like a strat!
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I’ve had countless neck pickups in my 1993 PRS Artist. The search was over once I installed the Twangmaster pickup, normal wind, in the neck position. Now this one guitar can suggest the tones of both Jimmys in one guitar. Bridge humbucker for Jimmy Page, neck Twangmaster for Jimi Hendrix.
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It’s ALIVE!!!
Yanked the Gibson 496R and installed the Fralin Twangmaster in the neck of my ’60 “reissue” LP. Restrung, plugged in, and MY GOD! Now I have a rich and sparkling Strat tone on the neck to contrast the Gibson factory hot and midrange-y tone on the bridge. Couldn’t be happier! And it looks good too. -
Tele tone plus
Great pickup to bring in a powerful Tele sound. Works perfect with a Stock Tele in the neck. This was a different configuration being a 2011 Telebration mahogany body with a humbucker in the bridge and a Strat pickup in the neck. The Stock Tele and the Twangmaster pickups brought it back to a fantastic Tele sound. Love it!! -
Single coil players dream come true!
Amazing Fralin masterpiece again. I love the feel and look of my les paul, but i am a Fender guy through and through and it is absolutely because of the tone and output gain of vintage single coils. After 20 years of playiing strats and teles (w fralin vintage hots and blues of course) i can finally add my Les Paul to my gig rig without a second amp and pedalboard. It just works, like never before and I’ve tried lots of different humbuckers. With HB’s it always sounded muddy and deep with my setup, I’d get frustrated tweaking eq and pedals just to swap guitars for a song or two. If you love single coil tone, and want to add a Humbucker style guitar to your gig setup, get the twangmasters 100% so glad i did. This is my 12th set of lindy Fralin pickups in 20 years.
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Sounds Beautiful
I love the Twangmaster in my neck position in my G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy Semi-hollow. I am getting a 4 way switch put in this week so I can run my pickups in series. My guitar now sounds like a mix of Strat deep tones and Tele bright spank (especially with the MFD G&L bridge pickup) when in parallel. I am excited to hear them in series. I am very happy with the pickup and would recommend it to someone looking for a Strat sounding neck pickup. -
Twangmaster in my ‘08 SG Std (Neck)
This pickup did EXACTLY what I wanted which was to bring a more touch-sensitive, delicate/intricate/complex, single-coil, Fender-y tone to the neck position of my Gibson SG Std. Now it’s Fender in the front, Gibson in the back; chimey cleans to driving leads. Love it!! The only reason why I am giving 4 stars is that the volume roll-off also rolls off a bit of top-end like a humbucker, but maybe that is to be expected in these noise-canceling single coils/p90s. Either way, I still HIGHLY recommend this product!!
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This pickup did EXACTLY what I wanted which was to bring a more touch sensitive, delicate/intricate/complex, single-coil, Fender-y tone to the neck position of my Gibson SG Std. Now it’s Fender in the front, Gibson in the back; chimey cleans to driving leads. Love it!!
The only reason why I am giving 4 stars is because the volume roll-off also rolls off a bit of top end like a humbucker, but maybe that is to be expected in these noise-cancelling single coils/p90s. Either way, I still HIGHLY recommend this product!!
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Customer added no additional comments
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Twangmaster to the rescue
A few months ago I ordered a Duesenberg Caribou semi-hollow guitar. A beautiful instrument with great natural resonance. It came with a P-90 in the neck position and a humbucker at the bridge. Unfortunately, no matter how I adjusted the P90 it lacked definition and sounded muddy. It also overpowered the bridge pickup when both were engaged in the middle position. I’ve been using Fralin pickups for years and have them in both my Strat and Tele, and after reading up on the Twangmaster decided to swap it for the P-90. What a difference!! The guitar sings now and sounds perfectly balanced in every position. The Twangmaster added clarity and brought back the harmonic sweetness missing with the stock neck pickup. Lindy and his Twangmaster to the rescue!
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Looking for Grant Green-esque tone in my Comins GCS-16-1. I replaced a p92 (another great pickup) as I wanted something reminiscent of a McCarty pickguard pickup — i.e. like a p90 with alnico poles. And I wanted humbucking operation as I can never tell what the quality of the electricity in the various venues might be. The Twangmaster has satisfied these requirements. I keep the volume and tone slightly rolled down and it reduces the initial transient just right. I use a heavy 3.5mm Wegen gypsy jazz pick and a 5E3 clone amp.
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