Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
If both offered the identical pickup I was interested in, at the same price, which would you go with, and why?
This is not a trick question...
This is not a trick question...
Fralin vs. Lollar
- Thread starter Hexabuzz
- Start date
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Antigua Tele
Friend of Leo's
Lollar is more professional, IMO. The Strat coils are taped, the packaging is better. You get a fiber board guitar pick that has Lollar etched into it. Fralins come in a cheesy carboard box, wrapped in bubble wrap. Lollars have the pickup name hand written on the underside, Fralins have a little teeny paper tag on the lead wire, which falls off almost immediately after unboxing. Fralin's QC hasnt been that great either, IME.
That being said, if buying Strat pickups, I'd rather have vintage stagger, even though Lollar tries to pedal flat pole pieces, and charges more for stagger.
That being said, if buying Strat pickups, I'd rather have vintage stagger, even though Lollar tries to pedal flat pole pieces, and charges more for stagger.
Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
mojosman
Tele-Meister
I think this question is like asking which is better BMW, or Mercedes. They both put out a quality product. One must decide which one suits their specific needs better. In my case, D. Allen’s have been my go to aftermarket pickup maker. However, it seems he isn’t making any at this point. I think if I wanted a P-90 set I would lean towards Lollar.
Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
I realize that they're both top name makers with great reputations - just looking for that little "something extra" that might send me to one rather than the other.
Thanks for the input!
mabley123
Friend of Leo's
Throbak 55/56 set, for P90s for me.
Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
I'm looking for Alnico Pole P90s, not just the regular ones.
From Lollar:
We started with the classic soapbar setup and added A5 pole pieces to create a P-90 with all the clarity, snap, and sparkle of an "F" style single coil pickup.
From Lollar:
We started with the classic soapbar setup and added A5 pole pieces to create a P-90 with all the clarity, snap, and sparkle of an "F" style single coil pickup.
tedbergstrand
TDPRI Member
I think Lollar likes distorted tones better (or on the edge of distortion) and Fralin prefers a cleaner edge. I have Fralin Pure PAFs in my Epiphone Sheraton II and they're wonderful.
Edit: My judgements are based purely on music I've heard Jason Lollar and Lindy Fralin play. Fralin seems to like jingly high ends and I've only heard Lollar play in the Southern Blues/Rock style.
Edit: My judgements are based purely on music I've heard Jason Lollar and Lindy Fralin play. Fralin seems to like jingly high ends and I've only heard Lollar play in the Southern Blues/Rock style.
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Antigua Tele
Friend of Leo's
Do you know the DC resistance of their respective AlNiCo pole P-90s? The one with the lower DC resistance will probably be a bit brighter, and that will probably matter more in the long run than anything else.
Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
@Antigua Tele
From Austin Patterson at Lollar - For the Alnico Pole P90s
Neck 8.3K, Middle 8.8K, Bridge 9.3K.
Antigua Tele
Friend of Leo's
Fralin says The Stock Set of Alnico Rod P-90 reads 8.8K in the Neck and 10K in the Bridge. The outputs are compensated and all sets have matched volume. The Hum-Cancelling P-90 With Alnico Rods uses Single Poly Nylon wire and USA-Made Alnico 5 Magnets. https://www.fralinpickups.com/product/hum-cancelling-p-90-alnico-rods/
The Lollar is ALNiCo 5 also. It appears that the Fralins have a little more wire one them. If you prefer clean tones, maybe go for the Lollars, else the Fralins.
Hexabuzz
Friend of Leo's
In that case, probably the Lollars, although I've seen listings for the Fralins with various underwound configurations:
https://reverb.com/item/6953063-lin...o-pole-pieces-cream-covers-with-15-neck-cream
mistermikev
Tele-Afflicted
haven't tried lollar so can't comment on that...
have a set of fralins in a lp and they stand out quite a bit from other pickups. I don't think they are for everyone. Not great for gain above overdrive imo. they really shine at clean and overdrive tho.
compared to seymour custom shop alnico 2(similar winding) they have a lot more highs and a very nice transparent quality. Due to the 'more highs' and possibly potting (I'm not sure these are potted) they tend to squeal a bit on high gain and the sound really doesn't suit higher gain imo.
afa splitting - they split better than any other pickup I've tried in terms of matching output between bridge and neck and also just sounding good while split.
I would guess it would depend on what this particular guitar is going to be for you... but hope this helps.
have a set of fralins in a lp and they stand out quite a bit from other pickups. I don't think they are for everyone. Not great for gain above overdrive imo. they really shine at clean and overdrive tho.
compared to seymour custom shop alnico 2(similar winding) they have a lot more highs and a very nice transparent quality. Due to the 'more highs' and possibly potting (I'm not sure these are potted) they tend to squeal a bit on high gain and the sound really doesn't suit higher gain imo.
afa splitting - they split better than any other pickup I've tried in terms of matching output between bridge and neck and also just sounding good while split.
I would guess it would depend on what this particular guitar is going to be for you... but hope this helps.
Jimmy Owen
Tele-Holic
When I had to get the neck pickup on my old strat rewound, I had Fralin do it. And I’ve got a set of Fralin 54s in my other strat. And a Fralin p 90 on my Epiphone coronet.
For my ears, Fralins sound vintage.
For my ears, Fralins sound vintage.
frankencat
Tele-Meister
They are both excellent. For Strat pickups its hard to beat Fralin Vintage Blues but I don't like them as much in a Tele. For those the Lollar Special T's are very nice. For humbuckers Fralin Pure PAFs are simply amazing as are Lollar Gold Foils. Right tools for the right job I would say.
LOSTVENTURE
Friend of Leo's
Lindy Fralin's shop is just north of here. I get up there to visit every so often and have purchased several pick ups from him. Having talked to him and his associates has been a real learning experience, they know the vintage stuff like nobody else I know.
Those guys build their pick ups on demand for the most part. My last order was for a set of P90 wound to 1946 specs, and I'm very happy with them.
With that experience, and having several other models of his available to me every day, I'm going to go with what I know.
Those guys build their pick ups on demand for the most part. My last order was for a set of P90 wound to 1946 specs, and I'm very happy with them.
With that experience, and having several other models of his available to me every day, I'm going to go with what I know.
tfarny
Poster Extraordinaire
I have bought a few Lollar pickups but never Fralin. I don't doubt they are both excellent and the differences are pretty marginal, as the differences between "boutique" and "standard" level pickups are already pretty marginal. If I were buying P90s from either company I would go with Lollar because of how much I love the one I already have - a 50s wind neck P90. Still, over $100 for any single coil pickup is pretty excessive in my book.
Lollar for humbuckers and Fralin for single coils. My eyes and ears tell me that they've each spent a lot of time and energy studying and fine tuning certain designs while others are in their catalogue to round out the offerings. It may have no basis in reality but my perception is that Fralin has been very dedicated to the single coil craft for a long time and it comes through in those SKUs.
Rockerfeller
Tele-Meister
I've used both and loved them both. Both of my Tele's have Lollars in them now, because they came with the guitar and sound great. I wouldn't hesitate to use either.
