Lindy Fralin pickups are HOW MUCH?

[Shorty Medlock]

I had a set of Fralin pickups in one of my St Blues guitars from the 80's.

Great sound and I was waiting to buy a set for my cheapo Strat ascsoon as funds were available.

I got an email last week about Fralin making a few models more readily available as they must have a backlog of custom bits.

Soooo.... I look at their web page. $315.00 for a Strat pickup!!!

I'm frugal but not a cheapskate when it comes to quailty parts but $315 just took me out of the market for a Fralin.

This Strat has one SD SSl-1in the neck position, and one Earl Slick (?) in the middle. I was looking for a good match for the SSl-1 maybe ditch the Slick and buy two.

Dunno now...

 

[Jakedog]

That’s not for a whole set??

 

[Chiogtr4x]

That’s not for a whole set??

I just looked,
LF Blues Specials ( set of 3) are $315.
Everything costs mo' money today, we know...
Our amp tech buddy has Lindy Fralin 'Vintage Hot' pickups in his MIM 'Shop Strat' and boy they sound fantastic!

 

[Jumbotronic]

$315 for a set isn't all that bad for what you get (Fralins are excellent). Heck, your most basic DiMarzios will run to $240.

That said, I'd only get Fralins if I was looking for something they had that nobody else did (e.g., split blade). If you're just getting something vintage spec, you can get the equivalent for cheaper.

 

[Timbresmith1]

$315 for a set is reasonable for Lindy’s expertise and quality, imo.
Plenty of cheap pickups out there to kick the tires on. Name brand stuff is a known quantity. Pay once or fart around and maybe get lucky. Both approaches are perfectly valid.

 

[Jakedog]

Yeah, for a full set of Fralin’s I don’t think the price is unreasonable. The OP gave the impression that price was for one pickup, which I would find entirely unreasonable. I wouldn’t pay $315 for one pickup no matter who wound it.

Now watch, in another 10 years $1k for a set of pickups will seem totally normal.

 

[Ron R]

That's the price for a full set, and well worth it.
I've had 2 sets of Fralins now - vintage hots that went into my Squier Strat that was stolen, and the split rails in my Tele.
Both sets provided sound that was nothing short of amazing.

 

[noname_dragon]

The value of 'things' haven't changed, but the U.S. dollar has lost value... hence the higher prices.
I use Fralin PU's in all my guitars.

 

[FlarbNarb]

I get mine from Bootstrap out of Michigan. They are way cheaper and I mean WAY cheaper than the big name boutique winders. You can spec them custom with magnet type, pole configuration, resistance readings, etc. or go with his many rather interesting “stock” selections. And you can buy individuals as well as sets. Still custom, still US made, still “hand” wound. But way more budget friendly.

I know that these boutique builders know their craft and make a good or even great product but the prices some of these folks charge for readily available magnets and a few ounces of wire…. Especially if you compare them to some of these one or two person shops. I just don’t know. Look at how much a Lollar or Novak gold foil is! That’s like the absolute cheapest of the cheap pickups on the planet. And $100 + for one? So yeah, I am rather torn on how I feel about custom winders when I see that degree of price difference between them.

 

[Vegetable Man]

Fralin's customer service is also excellent.

Never had a post sale issue (every pickup has been great), but they've always provided helpful answers to my questions in a reasonable amount of time.

It's something that I factor into the price of anything these days.

I've been ignored by other companies (bargain and boutique) and they lost my business because of it.

 

[schmee]

Many years ago I bought a set of Fralin Blues Specials for Strat. I heard ZERO difference from the Fender Texas Specials I had recently installed. But back then there wasn't much difference price wise.
There isn't much rocket science involved in pickups really.

 

[rand z]

How much?

I paid $130 each, for Joe Barden/Gatton Tele pickups in '91/'92.

It was a lot of $$$ for me.

And, I could only afford to buy 1, at a time.

But, great "Hi-Fi" pickups that still live in my '76 Tele...


imo.

 

[badinfinities]

I'm done with boutique premiums. The exchange rate really hurts these days.

If I want to gussy up a Tele or Strat, I'm going to hit up Cavalier. If I want humbuckers, I'll hit up Vineham. The prices are right, the quality is top tier, and they sound great.

I have yet to try Bootstrap or Guitar Madness, but I would be happy to in the future.

I'd love to start winding my own, but I'm still stocking up on luthier tools. One day!

 

[BigPapa-53]

I get mine from Bootstrap out of Michigan.

I agree. I have them in my Tele and ordered for my Strat.

They're in Mount Gilead, OH, though.

 

[FlarbNarb]

I agree. I have them in my Tele and ordered for my Strat.

They're in Mount Gilead, OH, though.

Thanks for the location correction! I don't know why I was thinking MI was the place. I'm in the Pacific Northwest so Montana is back East to me! At any rate, Bootstrap has really impressed me and I'm sure there are a bunch of other folks out there quietly winding away in a spare bedroom or garage making great pickups that don't break the bank.

 

[Chiogtr4x]

Thanks for the location correction! I don't know why I was thinking MI was the place. I'm in the Pacific Northwest so Montana is back East to me! At any rate, Bootstrap has really impressed me and I'm sure there are a bunch of other folks out there quietly winding away in a spare bedroom or garage making great pickups that don't break the bank.

So you live in LOLLAR pickup country! !
(Oregon, I think)

Back in the early 2000's, a very generous friend/,guitar student GAVE ME ( yes!),
an Agile '56 Les Paul Goldtop clone with ceramic P-90's.

Me, wanting to automatically upgrade, w/o really giving the ceramics a chance, literally did a COIN FLIP between Lollars and Fralins, as I had read ( no direct experience) that these two, made the best P-90's.

Lollars won...
( and they sounded fantastic- super dynamic; rolling up the LP Volume knob was like Tele> Rockabilly w/breakup> Allman Brothers!)
...but I will always regret ( just curious) not getting the Fralins, too.

Guitar is long gone- hated to sell a beautiful gift, but we needed the money asap (NOT the first time).and I knew I would get good $$.

 

[Jakedog]

I have the most versatile and great sounding Strat I’ve ever had right now. It’s because of the EMG DG-20 set.

$350 for the fully loaded pickguard with no soldering required.

Three SA active singles, standard five position switch, plus the full preamp option. The first tone control is the “EXG” which boosts treble and bass simultaneously for an excellent array of deep and sparkly mid-scoop sounds. The second tone is an “SPC” control that boosts mid range like a Clapton strat.

No tonal loss of any kind with volume knob manipulation, and totally noise free.

The only thing it will not do is the dull, dark, pillow over the amp sound you get from rolling off a traditional tone knob. That doesn’t bother me because I can’t imagine ever wanting that sound. But it’s worth mentioning because I know some people really like their traditional tone knobs.

It’s not for everyone, but I really dig the practical applications. It’ll just do so much, and all of it without any hum.

 

[FlarbNarb]

So you live in LOLLAR pickup country! !
(Oregon, I think)

Back in the early 2000's, a very generous friend/,guitar student GAVE ME ( yes!),
an Agile '56 Les Paul Goldtop clone with ceramic P-90's.

Me, wanting to automatically upgrade, w/o really giving the ceramics a chance, literally did a COIN FLIP between Lollars and Fralins, as I had read ( no direct experience) that these two, made the best P-90's.

Lollars won...
( and they sounded fantastic- super dynamic; rolling up the LP Volume knob was like Tele> Rockabilly w/breakup> Allman Brothers!)
...but I will always regret ( just curious) not getting the Fralins, too.

Guitar is long gone- hated to sell a beautiful gift, but we needed the money asap (NOT the first time).and I knew I would get good $$.

There is always the "one that got away". I know I've had at least a couple of those. But there is always another out there somewhere.

I think you're right about them being in OR. But remember, out here we have counties as big as whole East Coast States! The drive from the eastern border of OR to Portland (which isn't even on the coast) would take roughly six hours via the Interstate without traffic. So yeah I live in Lollar country if the country is the size of France!

 

[fender4life]

Look into van zandts. The're what SRV used in some of his strats that did'nt have the original pups. Look at the reviews. Been using them since 1990 and IMO you won't find better and most won't be as good. I'm just assuming there are some as good because i haven't found any that are, and i'm extremelyobcessive about strat pickups. Trust me, they are killer and for WAY less than you quoted a set. https://reverb.com/marketplace?query=van zandt strat set

 

[gwjensen]

I just looked,
LF Blues Specials ( set of 3) are $315.
Everything costs mo' money today, we know...
Our amp tech buddy has Lindy Fralin 'Vintage Hot' pickups in his MIM 'Shop Strat' and boy they sound fantastic!

The Tele Vintage Hots are my favorite Tele pickups. I have them in a couple different guitars. Had a set of Blues Specials in a Strat that I since sold that were fantastic. Fralins are top shelf, no question.