Lindy Fralin pickups

pyrobob

Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 251
Auburn, CA

Posted on Feb 14 2008 10:24 AM

Has anyone heard of, or experienced Lindy Fralin Jazzmaster pickups?
I found a set of these on E-bay, it says they are brand new, hand wound to the specs of 60's jazzmaster's pickups.
Doesn't seem like a bad deal for $160.

Any thoughts...anybody...anybody...

Bob Bitchin'

Top

Rob_J

Joined: Sep 29, 2007
Posts: 500
Sacto, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:16 AM

Bob,

I found a small bit of info here, but I'm sure you've already done the "google thing". This is probably not all that helpful:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1833022.html

I have no first hand experience with Fralins, but Strat owners rave about them.

Top

Stormtiger

Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:53 AM

Have you considered Curtis Novak pickups?
http://www.curtisnovak.com/pickups/jazzmaster.shtml

They are the same price as Fralins, with no auction pressure. I'm about to order some Jaguar pickups from him on the advice of that Slacktone guy.

Last edited: Feb 14, 2008 12:20:47

Top

PhatTele

Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445

Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:57 AM

I heard that Lindy just started making JM PUs. He's been rewinding old ones for years, but I think he just recently got tooled up to produce those. He's here in town, but I haven't been by the shop in awhile to talk to him about them. Based on everything else that comes out of his shop, you can bet that they're among the best sounding versions of those PUs available. Plus, if you were to get them directly from Lindy (instead of a reseller), you can have him wind them to whatever specs you want.

Top

pyrobob

Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 251
Auburn, CA

Posted on Feb 14 2008 04:09 PM

Good info...

Top

kenposurf

Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 1650
Santa Rosa, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 14 2008 05:33 PM

I had Lindy rewind the neck pup for a 72 Tele..sounded great..very balanced and vintage.
I've played some of his strat pups and imo they were very harsh sounding. Might also check out Curtis Novak.

—

www.northofmalibu.com

Top

ShaunNecro

Joined: Mar 06, 2007
Posts: 524
Bay City (Michigan)

Posted on Feb 14 2008 08:33 PM

kenposurf
I've played some of his strat pups and imo they were very harsh sounding.

From what I understand, alot of people who say that have used the pickups with 500K pots instead of 250K pots.

—

I am super sweet
www.myspace.com/thetremblors

Top

dp

Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3546
mojave desert, california
United States

Posted on Feb 14 2008 09:53 PM

Stormtiger
Have you considered Curtis Novak pickups?
http://www.curtisnovak.com/pickups/jazzmaster.shtml

They are the same price as Fralins, with no auction pressure. I'm about to order some Jaguar pickups from him on the advice of that Slacktone guy.

I've got a Novak in my '51 P-Bass...sounds totally sweet! And, Novak is a swell guy and easy to work with.

Top

dutch

Joined: Apr 27, 2007
Posts: 143

Posted on Feb 15 2008 09:52 AM

I have some Fralin P90s in my Mosrite knockoff that sound really sweet...I dont remember if I had changed out the pots on it or not. If I had to say, it would probably be "no", but again, I dont really remember.

—

Top

pyrobob

Joined: Apr 27, 2006
Posts: 251
Auburn, CA

Posted on Feb 15 2008 09:55 AM

Bitchin'...I'll have to check this all out. I'm glad I didn't jump the gunn & just buy those pickups, sounds like there's more options to check out.
What about prices though? How do the Novak p'ups compare to Fender AVRI in price? The Fralin p'ups on ebay were 160 bucks for the pair.

Bob Bitchin'

Top

WR

Joined: Feb 27, 2006
Posts: 3832
netherlands
2 Link Pins

Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:14 AM

guitarpartsresource.com has the avri's for just under 140 a set , and 5 variations of seymour duncan jazzmaster pups for either 115 for the regulars and just over 140 for antiquity I or II.

I have no clue what that allmans, just felt like adding to the confusion

good luck man, owning a jazzmaster must be a heavy burden.

—

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

Top

PhatTele

Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445

Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:38 AM

The Duncan Antiquity JMs I have are nice though a little brighter than the stock AVRIs I have. I like the tone, but I tend to use that guitar for country, twangy music more than the surf stuff. They sound great through a tweed amp. If wanted to go a bit warmer, I'd probably talk to Lindy about his set.

I read an article in The ToneQuest Report awhile back where they compared Jazzmaster MIJ, AVRI, and Lollar PUs. The Lollars were the big hit and AVRIs did pretty well too. If I recall correctly, the Lollars were wound just a skosh warmer than the AVRIs. The MIJs they reviewed were underwound by comparison to the other two and probably sounded a little sterile to their ears.

This is why, when you order boutique, it's nice to work directly with the shop to be able to dial in your sound. If your guitar is sounding too warm or too bright or if you need to push the amp a bit harder or whatever, these guys will work with you to get the PUs wound correctly. That's where the extra $$s spent are worth it. If you buy off the shelf or through a third party to get a deal, that's fine but you loose a little bit of that flexibility. It's a trade off and you need to weigh that trade off into your purchase decision.

Top

Stormtiger

Joined: Dec 12, 2006
Posts: 2688
Ventura, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:57 AM

How do the Novak p'ups compare to Fender AVRI in price? The Fralin p'ups on ebay were 160 bucks for the pair.

$160 a pair plus $5 shipping for Curtis Novak pickups.

Top

kenposurf

Joined: Feb 23, 2007
Posts: 1650
Santa Rosa, CA
United States

Posted on Feb 15 2008 11:09 AM

As long as you're at it, you might also want to check out the Jason Lollars...I have a pair of his P-90 and his black face strat pups in my JM and love em

—

www.northofmalibu.com

Top

pyrobob Joined: Apr 27, 2006 Posts: 251 Auburn, CA	Posted on Feb 14 2008 10:24 AM Has anyone heard of, or experienced Lindy Fralin Jazzmaster pickups? I found a set of these on E-bay, it says they are brand new, hand wound to the specs of 60's jazzmaster's pickups. Doesn't seem like a bad deal for $160. Any thoughts...anybody...anybody... Bob Bitchin' Top
Rob_J Joined: Sep 29, 2007 Posts: 500 Sacto, CA	Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:16 AM Bob, I found a small bit of info here, but I'm sure you've already done the "google thing". This is probably not all that helpful: http://acapella.harmony-central.com/archive/index.php/t-1833022.html I have no first hand experience with Fralins, but Strat owners rave about them. Top
Stormtiger Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 2688 Ventura, CA	Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:53 AM Have you considered Curtis Novak pickups? http://www.curtisnovak.com/pickups/jazzmaster.shtml They are the same price as Fralins, with no auction pressure. I'm about to order some Jaguar pickups from him on the advice of that Slacktone guy. Last edited: Feb 14, 2008 12:20:47 Top
PhatTele Joined: Jun 05, 2006 Posts: 445	Posted on Feb 14 2008 11:57 AM I heard that Lindy just started making JM PUs. He's been rewinding old ones for years, but I think he just recently got tooled up to produce those. He's here in town, but I haven't been by the shop in awhile to talk to him about them. Based on everything else that comes out of his shop, you can bet that they're among the best sounding versions of those PUs available. Plus, if you were to get them directly from Lindy (instead of a reseller), you can have him wind them to whatever specs you want. Top
pyrobob Joined: Apr 27, 2006 Posts: 251 Auburn, CA	Posted on Feb 14 2008 04:09 PM Good info... Top
kenposurf Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 1650 Santa Rosa, CA	Posted on Feb 14 2008 05:33 PM I had Lindy rewind the neck pup for a 72 Tele..sounded great..very balanced and vintage. I've played some of his strat pups and imo they were very harsh sounding. Might also check out Curtis Novak. — www.northofmalibu.com Top
ShaunNecro Joined: Mar 06, 2007 Posts: 524 Bay City (Michigan)	Posted on Feb 14 2008 08:33 PM kenposurf I've played some of his strat pups and imo they were very harsh sounding. From what I understand, alot of people who say that have used the pickups with 500K pots instead of 250K pots. — I am super sweet www.myspace.com/thetremblors Top
dp Joined: Feb 26, 2006 Posts: 3546 mojave desert, california	Posted on Feb 14 2008 09:53 PM Stormtiger Have you considered Curtis Novak pickups? http://www.curtisnovak.com/pickups/jazzmaster.shtml They are the same price as Fralins, with no auction pressure. I'm about to order some Jaguar pickups from him on the advice of that Slacktone guy. I've got a Novak in my '51 P-Bass...sounds totally sweet! And, Novak is a swell guy and easy to work with. Top
dutch Joined: Apr 27, 2007 Posts: 143	Posted on Feb 15 2008 09:52 AM I have some Fralin P90s in my Mosrite knockoff that sound really sweet...I dont remember if I had changed out the pots on it or not. If I had to say, it would probably be "no", but again, I dont really remember. — Top
pyrobob Joined: Apr 27, 2006 Posts: 251 Auburn, CA	Posted on Feb 15 2008 09:55 AM Bitchin'...I'll have to check this all out. I'm glad I didn't jump the gunn & just buy those pickups, sounds like there's more options to check out. What about prices though? How do the Novak p'ups compare to Fender AVRI in price? The Fralin p'ups on ebay were 160 bucks for the pair. Bob Bitchin' Top
WR Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 3832 netherlands	Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:14 AM guitarpartsresource.com has the avri's for just under 140 a set , and 5 variations of seymour duncan jazzmaster pups for either 115 for the regulars and just over 140 for antiquity I or II. I have no clue what that allmans, just felt like adding to the confusion good luck man, owning a jazzmaster must be a heavy burden. — Rules to live by #314: "When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is." https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/ Top
PhatTele Joined: Jun 05, 2006 Posts: 445	Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:38 AM The Duncan Antiquity JMs I have are nice though a little brighter than the stock AVRIs I have. I like the tone, but I tend to use that guitar for country, twangy music more than the surf stuff. They sound great through a tweed amp. If wanted to go a bit warmer, I'd probably talk to Lindy about his set. I read an article in The ToneQuest Report awhile back where they compared Jazzmaster MIJ, AVRI, and Lollar PUs. The Lollars were the big hit and AVRIs did pretty well too. If I recall correctly, the Lollars were wound just a skosh warmer than the AVRIs. The MIJs they reviewed were underwound by comparison to the other two and probably sounded a little sterile to their ears. This is why, when you order boutique, it's nice to work directly with the shop to be able to dial in your sound. If your guitar is sounding too warm or too bright or if you need to push the amp a bit harder or whatever, these guys will work with you to get the PUs wound correctly. That's where the extra $$s spent are worth it. If you buy off the shelf or through a third party to get a deal, that's fine but you loose a little bit of that flexibility. It's a trade off and you need to weigh that trade off into your purchase decision. Top
Stormtiger Joined: Dec 12, 2006 Posts: 2688 Ventura, CA	Posted on Feb 15 2008 10:57 AM How do the Novak p'ups compare to Fender AVRI in price? The Fralin p'ups on ebay were 160 bucks for the pair. $160 a pair plus $5 shipping for Curtis Novak pickups. Top
kenposurf Joined: Feb 23, 2007 Posts: 1650 Santa Rosa, CA	Posted on Feb 15 2008 11:09 AM As long as you're at it, you might also want to check out the Jason Lollars...I have a pair of his P-90 and his black face strat pups in my JM and love em — www.northofmalibu.com Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Lindy Fralin pickups