Don Mare SuperSport Tele Bridge

single coil, Alnico 5 flatpole magnets

Using in 6 lb ash.maple parts tele. Using Mare SuperSport in bridge, with MIM 50s Classic tele neck. The MIM pup is very underrated, sounds great with the Mare, and only costs $20-25 on eBay. Many have commented on this MIM model being as good as many boo-teeks, I agree. Also, they operate together as RWRP, for hum-free middle tone. I wanted to try this model after using other low power Mare pups like 2324 and Joel Foy.

Medium output, exactly as advertised: this is the tone you think of when you think tele: well balanced, strong, twangy and smooth. No icepick. This pup has less steely highs than 2324 or Foy, but the bottom is way better, in fact, the sound of the low strings was startling at first, by comparison. I play country rock, blues, classic rock, R&B, works great for all these styles, although if you want a really steely & twangy high end for faux pedal steel stuff, you may want to go with Foy or Hayrides.

I've used em all: Fender & CS pups, Duncan, Rio, Van Zandt, Hamels, Duffs, Suhr, Bardens, etc etc. Don Mare is the king of Fender vintage-style pickups, he's got the vintage recipes all figured out. Don't get me wrong, there are still lots of great pickups out there, but after playing Mares, nothing else will do for vintage-style pups, even old reliables like Duncan Broadcaster and Alnico 2 Pro (great pups) seem ho-hum and pedestrian by comparison. The only other tele pups I'd even consider using again would be Joe Bardens, but those are a different animal all together. If you haven't tried Don Mare pickups yet, check em out, they pop up used once in awhile if you stay vigilant on the tele boards or ebay. Once you get a set, you'l probably start planning for your next set...they're that good.