Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots vs. Blues Specials

[spoonie g]

I have a strat deluxe I dig, but want to upgrade to some lindy fralins with. I used to have a strat plus I put some vintage hots in but am wondering if I might like Blues Specials even more. I loved the guitar post pickup change (wayyyy better than the lace sensors) but if I remember correctly, wouldn't have minded a bit more output. However, will this sacrifice that pristine tone the fralins had? I mostly will be playing hendrix and gilmour type stuff on this guitar.

[rummy]

I have Blues Specials in two of my Strats. I was afraid these BS pickups would be too beefy and middy to be Strat like, but no, these have plenty of chime. While I do like the VH set, and I hope I get another Strat for them, but for what I do (blues, rock), I think the BS set was spot on. Unmistakable Strat tone with a bit of grunt.

[Austinrocks]

Blues Special in my strat, they are more output, there is a warm chime tone that I like in the pup, the base plate on the bridge pup makes a lot of difference, I added it after installing my pups, really love the base plate.

[spoonie g]

has anybody compared the two?

[strat6866]

Yes, I compared them last night.

The Blues (with baseplate) is a lot fatter and heavier tone, alot more crunch with O/D. I find that it loses alot of its strat chime clean. Warm and fat.

The VH (w/baseplate) is smoother with O/D and glassier and more chimey played clean.
Bright, chimey and smooth.

[candid_x]

Have had both but not in the same guitar, so the comparison isn't A/B.

The VH's were in an ash body, maple board that had been converted (don't ask) to a two point trem. The VH's sound downright horrible in that guitar, which sounded better, actually, with the darker sounding Lace pups. Way too bright, thin and tinny in that set up. I was gigging regularly and quickly picked up a hardtail Legacy, as the Fralin VH's in that strat just didn't cut it at all.

Had VH's in a nice Warmoth alder body, but with a very thin and unstable rosewood board neck. They sounded ok, clear and pure, but not great, until the amp was cranked up clean. That's when the VH's shined. I don't care for position 2, even with the bridge plate, in overdrive. Always sound too fizzy to me. I think if the neck on that guitar were stouter, the VH's would have sounded better at all volumes, but, as has been said before, tone often follows the neck.

The BS were in a MM Silhouette Special, and once the honeymoon was over, they left me m'eh, especially in the high E and B strings, which lacked bite and presence. Not bad, just not very inspiring to me. Kinda sterile, but part of that may have been that particular guitar, as I never got it sounding extraordinary.

I've been considering replacing pups in my 08 Am Standard, but Fralins aren't on my short list anymore. Believe it or not, I'm enjoying the hell out the cheapo Tex Mex's in my JV more than I did the Fralins. They're hot, but not blimpy or bloated sounded, which both Blues Specials and Texas Specials are to my ears, and can be trimmed and lowered down to vintage strat, or cranked up to a very hot output.