Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

rhmcfarland

rhmcfarland

New member
Does anyone have experience with these?

1-Is the Antiquity Tele (n) an A3 mag? Does that make a lot of difference?

2-Does it make any sense to buy these, or, having already purchased an Antiquity bridge, would it be easier to just add a .047 cap?

Maybe a dumb question, but I had to ask.
Thanks!
 
Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Never tried the Zep-O-tone set.

The ant neck is not A3, Duncan has no A3 single coils.

I assume you want the early Page/Zep tones?


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Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Jimmy's "Dragon" Tele aside from the custom paint was a stock, late 50s Tele.

There are a few things to keep in mind about that tone.

First is the amp and that is a deep rabbit hole on its win but trust me that a small, low wattage/low headroom open back combo that's not real crisp on the top will get you there.

So, no Deluxe or Princeton reverbs!

Next is the fuzz and wah in that first album....

The wah was a very old, pre Clyde McCoy wah but in a pinch a Clyde style will do...it'll be throater and less shrill but it'll get close enough to have a good time.

Fuzz-a MK II Tone Bender is a HUGE part of he LZ I sound. I can not stress enough how important this is.

Now the guitar.

Jimmy's Tele was one of the sort if rare Telex from that time that had string through body holes and a bridge that was set up for thru body AND top loader.

It is worth noting that Jimmy string it as a top loader.

Now the pickups. Stock Kate 50s pickups. You're talking Alnico 5 for both neck and bridge, small poles on the bridge, staggered magnets on the bridge and a low wind, I'm talking 6k or so. Neck pickup, again standard specs of the time. I have a custom pickup in my Esquire that OC Duff wound for me, 5.9k with staggered small alnico 5 poles and it's got the sound!

The closest thing from Duncan would be the Vintage 54 bridge.

2 other very important things to remember about that tone and Jimmy's Tele is the wiring. The way a Tele was wired then was bridge, neck and neck with a cap in line with a master volume and tone. So , remember no combine pickup sounds. Last, strings...In those days Page ran 8-38 strings and trust me , that has a huge effect too!


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Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Thanks for the info!
I was reading some things that Don Mare posted.
He said the Tele was probably a late '59 model because of the rosewood fretboard.
He added that the MK-II was modded by Roger Mayer, and was essentially a Maestro FZ-I with OC81 trannies, and Wima caps (not familiar with those). FWIW, Page mentioned Roger Mayer during "It Might Get Loud," and the video flashed to what outwardly looks like an old-style MK-II fuzz. Interesting stuff!
What has always surprised me is how great a '50's type Tele sounds through a good fuzz (Lovepedal Ezekiel here), and a good, warm tube amp. Add some warm delay (Echoplex, Chandler Digital Stereo Echo, whatever else like that), and you've got an awesome classic rock sound with a lot of versatility from the guitar tone and volume. Yep!
 
Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

A huge part of Page's sound is the way he miked his amp and the room. That appears to me to be the real secret.

Page has said so himself - that the way the amp was miked as well as the way the room was miked was the way that sound was achieved.

It's not just the guitar, the pickups, the amp or the speakers...or the player. It's also the brand and model of the microphones and the placement of the microphones.

(Although of all those elements I do think the player is most important.)

Personally, I don't think that sound can be achieved with the "right" pickup.

I think it's more important to find a tone that's close enough, and then forget about gear and just play it with feeling.
 
Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Don says a lot and I have no idea where sine of it comes from.

As for the fuzz I can tell you this...I have spent a lot of time with the MK I circuit and never once heard a Zep type tone, with a MK II found it in about 15 seconds!!

I agree though, a Tele, a Tone Bender, a wah and a tape echo can cover a lot of ground!


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Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Lewguitar said:
A huge part of Page's sound is the way he miked his amp and the room. That appears to me to be the real secret.

Page has said so himself - that the way the amp was miked as well as the way the room was miked was the way that sound was achieved.

It's not just the guitar, the pickups, the amp or the speakers...or the player. It's also the brand and model of the microphones and the placement of the microphones.

(Although of all those elements I do think the player is most important.)

Personally, I don't think that sound can be achieved with the "right" pickup.

I think it's more important to find a tone that's close enough, and then forget about gear and just play it with feeling.
Click to expand...

Yea, mic technique has a lot to do with any recorded tone but some pieces of gear can help get close.


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Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Yep, you're right.
"Distance is depth..." Something I think Page referred to in the recording of LZ1, and maybe the others as well.
Its pretty counter-intuitive that some of the heaviest classic rock tones ever were cut with a Telecaster strung with 8's, into a fuzz of some description, a little Supro amp, and then some really intricate, room specific mic'ing techniques that made it sound huge. I always thought the guitar sound was drenched in tape delay, but, if I'm not mistaken, Page much later on said it was plate reverb. Hmmm... Interesting, for sure....
 
Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

I used to have Fralin Blues Specials in my Tele.

I'd plug it into my Boss DS1 and that into my 5E3 tweed Deluxe and rock out on Communication Breakdown and have a ball.

None of it was what Jimmy Page used but it sure sounded good. :)
 
Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Tele's and Tweeds are a formidable combination, for sure.
There was a '59 Tweed Deluxe at Sun Studio where we did some sessions.
I was tempted to commit a felony.... Yep, I was. :)
 
Re: Don Mare Zep0Tone Telecaster pickups

Interesting that Don Mare made that pickup, because when I saw him play one night at a club in Burbank, I thought to myself that he's a perfect cross between Roy Buchanan and Jimmy Page.
He has all the fine elements of both those players firmly in his grasp.

(for those who don't know, Don Mare is a forum member from way back who's known as the best Roy Buchanan tribute guitarist......he's known as Buck Cannon)
 
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