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SKU: GS20497
SSV+ = Single Screw Vintage Plus
The SSV+ is a hotter version of the SSV, and is recommended for the bridge position only. 50mm or 53mm pole spacing is available.
Acme stocks Suhr's exposed-coil humbuckers with two screw coils (DSV+), in black, white, and zebra. We stock Suhr's covered humbuckers with one screw coil and one slug coil (SSV+) in chrome and gold. All bridge pickups are available in either 50mm (Gibson) spacing, or 53mm (Fender) spacing, with the exception of white bridges, which we only stock in 53mm. Other options available by special order. more information »
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SKU: GS20418
Great for any humbucker-equipped guitar, and Strat-style guitars with a single-single-hum or hum-single-hum configuration. We have also sold these to Tele players who like a humbucker in the neck. Fralin has devised a humbucker that looks normal but sounds brighter on the wound strings than two single coil Pups side by side.
Fralin Unbuckers have their two coils wound with different amounts of wire. While a typical 8K humbucker would have each coil wound to 4K, an 8K Unbucker would have a 3K coil and a 5K coil. This makes the pickup brighter. A typical 8K humbucker would have one of its 4K coils combined with the single coil, typically closer to 6K. There is somewhat of a mismatch between the two pickups, with the 4K humbucker coil being thinner sounding than the 6K single coil. If an 8K Unbucker is used instead of an 8K humbucker, the Unbucker would have its 5K coil combined with the 6K middle pickup. This is a much better match, and more closely approximates the sound of two single coils combined.
The second benefit of the Unbucker is that some people think they sound better when used as a humbucker (when both coils are on in series). Lindy is in this group. He says that his personal PRS McCarty never sounded so good as when he replaced the stock humbuckers with a pair of his Unbuckers. He thinks that the mismatch between the coils yields a more complex humbucking tone than two matched coils provides. So the Unbucker is not just for use in a Fender-style guitar where a humbucker is being used in conjunction with a single coil, they are also a great upgrade for any guitar that uses humbuckers.
Downside: the hum-canceling is slightly compromised. While an Unbucker is still hum-canceling to a large extent, it is a little noisier than conventional humbuckers.
Available models:
Gibson pole spacing - black, zebra, nickel, gold
Fender pole spacing - black, white more information »
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SKU: GS20345
More power, longer sustain, and faster grind than Fralin's normal humbuckers. Wound with smaller 43 gauge wire (42 gauge is normal) from 12.5K to 13.5K with Alnico 4 magnets. The smaller wire allows more turns to fit on the bobbin, increasing the output another 5-10% over stock. Don't be confused by the numbers, a jump from 8K to 12K doesn’t indicate a 50% increase in output - the smaller wire of the 12K pickup has a higher resistance per foot, so the numbers get skewed. These are a notch up from Fralin's normal PAFs, they will push the amp harder, but they're not super-overwound like some of the offerings from Duncan and DiMarzio.
Vintage Guitar Magazine compared Lindy's humbuckers to Tom Holmes humbuckers and Gibson PAFs (both old and new - '63 humbuckers; '78 reissue PAFs; and '57 Classic and Classic Plus PAFs), and had this to say:
"All of these pickups are pretty cool, and each has it's own personality. The old Gibsons were great for reference, but believe it or not the panel preferred most of the new pickups to the old ones. This may sound unbelievable, but the opinions of the panel were very consistent and differences in the pickups were very substantial. This is what we heard..."
"Grand Prize: Lindy Fralin PAF in a unanimous decision. This pickup had the most output, most character, and most pleasant compression. It has smooth response and great overdriven tones. Biggest and smoothest, hands down. This was the obvious favorite. Double fat!"
As with all pickups, more turns of wire gives more power, thicker mids, and less highs. When ordering a set, we recommend a stronger bridge pickup (for instance, 12.5K neck / 13.5K bridge).
All models are designed to be hum-canceling when the tapped humbucker is combined with a Strat RWRP middle (Single-Single-Hum or Hum-Single-Hum). We order all our Fralin humbuckers with 4-conductor leads so they can be tapped.
Available in black, zebra, or with nickel or gold covers. more information »
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SKU: GS20366
These are humbuckers in size and shape, and they are quiet, but the sound is pure single coil. Built like a P-90, the P-92 has flat Alnico magnets underneath the pickup, with adjustable pole pieces. It's fat but still has clear, bright wound strings. Available in 8,000, 9,000, or 10,000 turns. Covered only, in black, nickel or gold. more information »
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SKU: GS20297
The pickup that redefined the Texas blues sound. Overwound, calibrated, vintage style Stratocaster pickups with plenty of midrange chirp, crystal highs and tight bass. Alnico 5 magnets and enamel-coated magnet wire create the increased output that demands respect! Throw in a reverse wound/reverse polarity middle pickup for hum canceling in positions 2 & 4 and you're transported back to Austin to watch another set from Double Trouble. OEM on the Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, American Texas Special, and many Custom Shop Stratocasters. Available in white only. Sold as a set of 3. more information »
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SKU: GS20424
This is the set that Fralin built his reputation on. The name comes from the Vintage neck/middle, and Hot bridge. The hot bridge helps to alleviate what Fralin feels is a traditional Strat's Achilles heel, which is the weak (thin) bridge pickup. The neck and middle pickups are ‘50s specs, while the bridge is as hot as possible with this wire (42-gauge Heavy Formvar). Beveled Alnico 5 magnets, with cloth leads.
We stock this set with or without a baseplate on the bridge pickup, or with a Steel-Pole 43 bridge pickup. We also offer the set with a hybrid stagger rather than the vintage stagger. The baseplate is a steel plate that is attached to the bottom of the bridge pickup, then wax potted to eliminate microphonic feedback. Its purpose is to fatten up the pickup a little by inserting a ferrous metal plate into the magnetic field; it's a good choice for those people who find a stock bridge pickup to be a little too bright. This option adds $10. The Steel Pole 43 bridge pickup is Lindy's hottest single-coil pickup for Strats. It is built just like a Gibson P-90. It will add mids and hit your preamp harder than a stock Strat pickup. It works perfectly when combined with other Fralin Strat pickups in terms of hum-canceling. It is a great upgrade if fat bridge tone is your thing! This is a no-cost option.
If you're putting these pickups in a guitar with a fretboard radius of 10" or flatter, you may want to consider Fralin's hybrid stagger. Fender's original stagger pattern was devised at a time when all Fenders had a 7.25" radius. There are still plenty of guitars out there with a 7.25" radius, so pickups with the conventional stagger are still the norm. However, guitars with a 10" or flatter radius will probably benefit from the flatter hybrid-stagger.
Pickup Covers: We order Fralins with white covers. If you want other colors we have Fender covers available, and we have knobs to match them.
more information »
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SKU: GS20348
More power, longer sustain, and faster grind than Fralin's normal humbuckers. Wound with smaller 43 gauge wire (42 gauge is normal) from 12.5K to 13.5K with Alnico 4 magnets. The smaller wire allows more turns to fit on the bobbin, increasing the output another 5-10% over stock. Don't be confused by the numbers, a jump from 8K to 12K doesn’t indicate a 50% increase in output - the smaller wire of the 12K pickup has a higher resistance per foot, so the numbers get skewed. These are a notch up from Fralin's normal PAFs, they will push the amp harder, but they're not super-overwound like some of the offerings from Duncan and DiMarzio.
Vintage Guitar Magazine compared Lindy's humbuckers to Tom Holmes humbuckers and Gibson PAFs (both old and new - '63 humbuckers; '78 reissue PAFs; and '57 Classic and Classic Plus PAFs), and had this to say:
"All of these pickups are pretty cool, and each has it's own personality. The old Gibsons were great for reference, but believe it or not the panel preferred most of the new pickups to the old ones. This may sound unbelievable, but the opinions of the panel were very consistent and differences in the pickups were very substantial. This is what we heard..."
"Grand Prize: Lindy Fralin PAF in a unanimous decision. This pickup had the most output, most character, and most pleasant compression. It has smooth response and great overdriven tones. Biggest and smoothest, hands down. This was the obvious favorite. Double fat!"
As with all pickups, more turns of wire gives more power, thicker mids, and less highs. When ordering a set, we recommend a stronger bridge pickup (for instance, 12.5K neck / 13.5K bridge).
All models are designed to be hum-canceling when the tapped humbucker is combined with a Strat RWRP middle (Single-Single-Hum or Hum-Single-Hum). We order all our Fralin humbuckers with 4-conductor leads so they can be tapped.
Available in black, zebra, or with nickel or gold covers. more information »
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SKU: GS20391
These are humbuckers in size and shape, and they are quiet, but the sound is pure single coil. Built like a Tele bridge pickup, the Twangmaster has non-adjustable Alnico 5 rod magnets for pole pieces; and it's even clearer than the P-92s, with the sound you would expect from Alnico 5 rods. Available in 8,000, 9,000, or 10,000 turns. Covered only, in black, nickel or gold. more information »
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SKU: GS20379
Wound with 42-gauge Polynylon for a slightly more solid (and darker) than stock sound, these are perhaps Fralin's most popular Tele pickups.
About Magnet Staggers
We carry Fralin's Tele bridges with a stock stagger or hybrid stagger. The stock stagger is conventional, the magnet heights are staggered per Fender's '50s specs. The hybrid stagger is flat with a raised D. Fralin feels this is the more appropriate choice for many modern guitars that have a flatter radius than the original 7.25" radius used on vintage Fender guitars and vintage reissues. Additionally, the original stagger was optimized for guitars with a wound G string. Because plain G strings are the norm today, some players (Fralin included) feel that the stock stagger doesn't provide as good a string-to-string balance as the hybrid stagger. A third stagger (Broadcaster - all poles flat) is available. We don't stock these because they're so similar to the hybrid stagger, but will happily special order them for you. If you want this option, please order the pickup with a stock stagger, and include a comment that you want us to substitute the Broadcaster stagger (lead time will be approximately 4 weeks). more information »
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SKU: GS20427
This set has plain enamel wire as used in the '60s, instead of the Formvar wire used in the earlier pickups (and in Fralin's Vintage Hots). These are ideally suited for use in late '60s and early '70s Strats where the gray bobbin and enamel wire are "vintage correct". The Woodstocks have the same number of turns of wire as the Vintage Hots, and the same Alnico 5 magnets which yields a similar output. This follows Fralin's logic of having vintage neck/middle pickups, but with a hotter bridge. We also stock this model with reverse staggered polepieces The reverse-staggered magnets also makes this set ideally suited for use in left-handed guitars when a Vintage Hot output level is desired.
Regarding Pickup Covers: We order Fralins with white covers. Lindy actually makes his own covers in four colors, but we don't have knobs to match so we don't stock them. We used to, but kept running into problems with disappointed customers whose covers and knobs didn't match, so now we order Fralin's pickups in white, and if you want other colors we have Fender covers available, and we have knobs to match them. more information »
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SKU: GS20466
Patterned after the original split coil humbucking bass pickup wound to early '60s specs. Scatter wound for more harmonic presence. Punchy with good definition. Hand-beveled Alnico 5 magnets, vintage cloth covered wire. Wax Potted. more information »
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