Don Mare Telecaster 55/59 Set

Set of 2011 Don Mare 50s pickups. Neck is a 55 and bridge is an alnico 5 staggard 59. Work and sound great. Nickel cover on the neck. Plenty of lead on both pickups.

Measure"

6.4 Neck
5.8 Bridge

The higher neck reading balances nicely with the bridge. Fantastic sounding set.!!

Don Mare '55 Neck Pickup

• Type: Vintage Telecaster neck pickup (replicating Fender's mid-1950s specs). [1]
• Resistance: Around 6.6k ohms. [1]
• Tone: Known for clean, clear, and bell-like vintage tones with a warm, woody character rather than being overly dark or muddy. [1, 2]

'59 Bridge Pickup

• Type: Vintage Telecaster bridge pickup (replicating late-1950s Fender specs, like Don Mare's '59 Redux). [1]
• Resistance: Typically higher than early-50s specs, often measuring around 7.68k ohms. [1]
• Tone: Delivers classic blackguard bite, punch, and increased output/sustain characteristic of late-50s Tele bridge units. [1, 2]

Pairing Characteristics

• Balance: Combining a '55 neck (~6.6k) with a '59 bridge (~7.68k) creates a traditional transition from a sweet, clear neck tone to a punchier, slightly hotter and more aggressive bridge position. [1, 2]
• Builder Status: Don Mare has retired from active production and only fulfills legacy backorders, making original hand-wound sets increasingly rare on the used market (

Note:

5.8k ohms reading on a Don Mare '59-style Telecaster bridge pickup is completely normal. [1]While many standard vintage Telecaster bridge pickups hover around 6.2k to 7.3k ohms, boutique winder Don Mare is famous for advocating lower-wind, low-output formulas. He intentionally designed several of his vintage-correct sets with lower DC resistance readings to capture specific tonal qualities. Why this reading makes sense:

• Don Mare’s Philosophy: Don Mare has actively noted on guitar forums like TDPRI that many of the best-sounding vintage pickups are lower winds. It is very common to find his custom Tele bridge pickups metering anywhere from 5.8k to 6.4k ohms. [1, 2]
• Wire Type Impact: Late 1950s Fender Telecaster specs traditionally used 42 AWG wire on the bridge. 5.8k of 42 AWG wire creates a beautifully clear, open, and slightly "Strat-like" chime in a Telecaster bridge position.