Anyone tried Don Mare pickups?

[blues]

I’d rather he take a year to make them than have him rush them out the door at the cost of sacrificing quality. I have a pair on order.

There are plenty of good pickups that you can have in your hot little hands tomorrow, but they aren’t Don Mare quality.

I'm getting the Hot Bakelite set. I am curious about the A3 magnet Bakelite bridge pickup. I think the wait time for the most part is he only makes so many pickups a day/week.


I can wait,Budz has been so good to me I use some of his pickups. His Dano set is really good. Great guy too. I know I will have another Tele or two so both sets will be used.

Btw how is that Road Worn treating you?

 

[skydog6653]

I’d rather he take a year to make them than have him rush them out the door at the cost of sacrificing quality. I have a pair on order.

There are plenty of good pickups that you can have in your hot little hands tomorrow, but they aren’t Don Mare quality.

Atta’ boy; no gray area. Black & white!

 

[teletail]

Atta’ boy; no gray area. Black & white!

And this is why people wind up on my ignore list. No reason to be rude and snarky.

 

[wineocaster]

I'm getting the Hot Bakelite set. I am curious about the A3 magnet Bakelite bridge pickup. I think the wait time for the most part is he only makes so many pickups a day/week.


I can wait,Budz has been so good to me I use some of his pickups. His Dano set is really good. Great guy too. I know I will have another Tele or two so both sets will be used.

Btw how is that Road Worn treating you?

I have a Hot Bakelite set, was the first set I ordered from Don. I find the bridge to have the ability to push the from end of the amp better than the “hotter” pickup that was in the guitar. I expected the lower wind to be brighter but they were not, which allowed me to use a greater sweep of the bright knob on my amp. I hope you enjoy them.

The neck pickup that came with this set is fantastic. Probably more of a surprise improvement than I expected.

My HB bridge is 6.48k ohms and 3.44 Henries if you’re at all interested

 

[skydog6653]

And this is why people wind up on my ignore list. No reason to be rude and snarky.

Right back at ya’. “Hot little hands“ was both rude and snarky.

 

[El Tele Lobo]

Brothers, please, be reconciled to one another. Don’t get this excellent thread shut down. TDPRI is a community of tele aficionados. Let us be gracious to one another as befits a community.

 

[Ben Harmless]

Going to ONLY express my personal and direct experience here. Not going to editorialize about Don.

A good 15 or so years ago I waited more than twice the directly quoted time for a single bridge pickup. During that time, Don made any number of self-promotional posts on the TDPRI, including posting a newspaper article featuring him relaxing on a beach somewhere, which was difficult to see at that point. When I got it, the pickup was miles from what I thought we had discussed. These are all just my direct experiences. I'm sure that there have been others, and I'm sure many of the pickups sound good.

Cavalier Pickups are also a terrific value made by a someone who understands traditional tone and how to achieve it.

In contrast, the first time I discussed a pickup with Rob, he made a recommendation, I altered it, I got the pickup in days, and he was right all along - though it was close enough that I made it my #1 and stopped my pickup search. I ordered my second one about eight years later, and it also arrived in days, precisely how it was described. I would order from Rob again - for the sound, not even for the speed.

AND he is a class act to say nice things about Don's work in this very thread.

 

[blues]

A good 15 or so years ago I waited more than twice the directly quoted time for a single bridge pickup. During that time, Don made any number of self-promotional posts on the TDPRI, including posting a newspaper article featuring him relaxing on a beach somewhere, which was difficult to see at that point. When I got it, the pickup was miles from what I thought we had discussed. These are all just my direct experiences. I'm sure that there have been others, and I'm sure many of the pickups sound good.

People have a life outside of their jobs. Sorry it did not work out for you.

 

[skydog6653]

Don posted Wednesday that batch #189 was on the bench and almost finished and that batch #190 should start Monday 3/20 for those interested.

 

[Tenderfoot]

Don's pickups are top tier! I had a set of his pickups, until I gave the bridge to my son. I still have the 54-neck pickup in my parts locker.

 

[Telecaster1954]

Don posted Wednesday that batch #189 was on the bench and almost finished and that batch #190 should start Monday 3/20 for those interested.

Good deal. I ordered 24 May 2022 so I think I fall in batch 190.

Looking forward to them (hayride). They will be my first Mare pickups. Fortunately, I have guitars to make noise on so I wasn’t in any rush.

 

[skydog6653]

Good deal. I ordered 24 May 2022 so I think I fall in batch 190.

Looking forward to them (hayride). They will be my first Mare pickups. Fortunately, I have guitars to make noise on so I wasn’t in any rush.

I ordered a set of Hayrides on 5/23!

 

[fenderchamp]

I ordered a set of Hayrides on 5/23!

heh

 

[blackbelt308]

Another Hayride set here! (5/20)

 

[skydog6653]

 

[Wyatt]

USPS lists an inbound package from Long Beach. I'm guessing it contains my May 20 order (batch 188? IDK), a Hot Bakelite set and a 0038 bridge. I currently have no builds for them, but I guess I'll have to start thinking about something.

I do have an older set of Hayrides in my 2021 build and they really are everything I would want from a Tele PU, very open sounding, bright, twangy, versatile from Buckaroo to London Calling. But I figured I would take the opportunity to try some earlier Fender flavors and see what they offer, but I doubt they will displace the Hayrides.

I'll confirm when these arrive, ETA Thursday.

 

[skydog6653]

@Wyatt, I’m hoping you’re in batch#189!

 

[Wyatt]

For those tracking, my May 20 order arrived yesterday (my mail comes late).

 

[skydog6653]

Thanks! My hope is renewed! I didn’t feel this anxious waiting on my KOT and that was 4 years, 2 months!

 

[Fenderbaum]

Got my Hayrides today.. 10 months wait.
My old Q-Pickups are pretty good. Comparing them, the Don is slightly warmer. But very similar in sound.