lindy fralin blues special tele with sd 59

[vtpcnk]

would these be a good match : fralin blues special for tele in the bridge with seymour duncan 59 fullsize humbucker at the neck?

Blues Special Tele® Style BRIDGE specs :
Wound with 42 gauge Polynylon to 7.3K for 5% more power and 5% darker than stock sound.

sd 59's specs :

DC Resistance: 7.43 k
Resonant Peak: 6.8 KHz
Magnet: Alnico V Bar


for strats i have heard that the fralin blues specials sound similar to texas specials but with more definition and clarity. texas specials for tele apparently doesn't sound tele at all, but fat and good for rock (which i would like) - but i'm not sure how similar fralin blues special for tele is to the texas special for tele. i'm not really looking for a tele "twang" pickup - but rather a single coil which will sound good in the bridge which i can use for blues and rock n roll.

 

[Mor Paul]

It will work, even though the neck pickup might need to be lower than you're used to.

A rio grande dirty harry might work nicely.

 

[Tempest]

You'll have to lower the neck pup a bit to get a good volume match.

Blues Specials sound fantastic.  My guitar teacher has a set in his tele, can get that twangy tele sound AND get darker and more rockish.  :headbang:

 

[neuftone]

I've got the Fralin Blues special in a tele, paired with an underwound alnico polepiece P90 in the neck.  If you genuinely are not looking for any tele twang, you can spend your money better elsewhere...the blues special may be a bit overwound but its still a tele pickup, and sounds accordingly.  I think it sounds good with mild AC/DC style overdrive, myself...that crunchy good rhythm sound that isn't over-gained.

But its still pure Tele goodness though.  Caveat emptor.  The underwound P90 (fralin, and 15% underwound) still kind of dwarfs it a bit, so a medium output humbucker might be a bit hot for it unless set somewhat low in the mount. 

I think its a great pickup but when you specifically say you aren't looking for tele twang...I wonder if you might be happier with another style of pickup in a tele pickup form factor.

 

[tfarny]

I'm sure that the blues special through a fender tube amp will be happy to chicken pick you till you're twanged out - I've got the Lollar 'special T' which is his most overwound tele pickup, and it's wound similarly and very happy to twang through a cleanish trebly amp. Maybe you should look at something like a SD quarter pounder for tele, or the Fralin SP series for tele, to avoid twang, get a big rock sound, and match output with a neck bucker.

 

[callaway]

I have a 59 in the neck (full size) and a Joe Barden in the bridge. Obviously the Joe Barden bridge is a true Tele sound, so it may not be what you're looking for. But I think it pairs very nicely with the 59 in the neck, at least for what I do... which is currently learning jazz and playing/gigging various styles from classic rock and blues to Radiohead-type influences.

I really would recommend against one of the single-coil sized humbuckers in the bridge though, because I think they all sound terrible. If you buy a 'lil 59 for example, you won't be happy with it's impression of a real 59 sound. (Of course my Barden bridge is a humbucker, but it's different... it actually is not trying to sound like a big humbucker. Instead, it's voiced to sound like a very clear Tele single coil and it totally pulls it off.) Unless you have played many Teles before and are sure you don't like the Tele bridge sound, then I would actually recommend trying a traditional Tele bridge pickup. If you're worried about twang, you can dial it out with pickup height and amp settings.

Of course, any of the blues or overwound bridge pickups will emphasize the midrange more, which should help eliminate twang.

 

[vtpcnk]

with a humbucker in the neck and  a single coil in the bridge, i only plan to use them individually or together (middle position) in songs.

i don't plan to play part of a solo with one pickup and then switch to another pickup for another part of the solo.

when this is the case how important is it to match the volume of both pickups?

or will it sound odd in the middle position?

 

[vtpcnk]

btw any recommendations for a volume matching humbucker for the fralin blues special bridge (thanks max, i noted the dirty harry)?

sd seth lover?

or sd alnico 2 pro?

or sd jazz (but i have heard that this is too clean and not sure if it is what i am looking for).

 

[Mor Paul]

Okay... if you raise the bridge and lower the neck pickups, you won't have anything to worry about. I've got a stock Fralin tele bridge and a Dimarzio PAF 36th. In the middle position, it sounds like the PAF, but with the tele bite. Really neat. I've also got 250k pots in there. With an overdriven amp, I get some Led Zep sounds out of it.

 

[vtpcnk]

the more i look at it, the combination of a sd 59 in the neck and a sd jerry donahue at the bridge seems like a good choice.

if anybody thinks it isn't, give a holler pls - as i want to place the order soon.

 

[callaway]

With my thinline, I love the combo of 59 neck and my Barden bridge on at the same time. This instantly became one of my favorite sounds. I just love everything about it---it's got meat, definition, and bite. Roll down the tone and it's just very warm without ever becoming muddy.