Lace Sensor Pickups

[TexxasJam]

Anyone use the Lace Sensor style pickups? How are they?  I was thinking of building a Jeff Beck Signature style strat and those are the kinds of pickups Fender used in its construction.  I know the Clapton signature axe was outfitted with them as well. In Clapton's and Beck's hands they sonund killer. But, I have no experience with them so I was seeking some feed back. Looking forward to your replies. 

 

[DiMitriR33]

they can sound killer with a hot bluesy tone but they can also sound sterile, if you want a single coil esque sound but no noise it's not a bad pickup at all i just don't think they are for everyone.

i think there are better sounding pickups out there, the clapton signature eventually went to the vintage noiseless, maybe he wanted a more traditional look to the guitar, maybe he likes the vintage noiseless better, i dunno :dontknow:

the clapton model also has an active mid boost so just installing the pup's wont get you his tone, (also nothing can make you sound like that but practice and natural talent)

i don't know about the beck model.

 

[TexxasJam]

What do you mean by "sterile"?  I have heard others on this forum refer to certain kinds of pickups as "sterile".

 

[DiMitriR33]

just flat sounding, like the sound comes out clean but it seems like it's missing something, just doesn't inspire you to play in a certain way. the qualities of sound are so subjective, i'd just say to find a beck model and play it, then find an american standard and play that, you might not feel the same way i do.

also keep in mind there are numerous lace sensor models, some hotter that others with there own sound. i've only tried the golds which i believe are the ones on the clapton strat

 

[artnaz]

I love my Hot Golds. Very smooth and not noisy. This might help you too:

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goi9jXCerds[/youtube]

 

[Neo Fender]

I have them in my Strat Plus that I bought new in ’98 (three golds).  They are sterile in the sense that they do not catch the vibe that even a so-so single coil has.  Not much sparkle, clarity or “glass” - whatever you want to call it.  They are dead quiet.  If you don’t mind not nailing the stereotypical Strat tone and you run a lot of effects or processing and need a quiet pickup – they may be for you.

 

[Alfang]

hey dimitr33, I know exactly what you mean, one of the benefits to following a forum like this for so long, is that those sound terms that we use to describe guitars and pickups, start to have a meaning.

crunchy, fat, thin, brittle, thick, soft, sterile etc....      sterile is a new one , but I know exactly what you mean, no character, just bland tone without emotion.

we should have a dictionary made for sounds and tones

 

[TroubledTreble]

I played the deluxe set for a while. ( blue, silver, red ) They don't have the character that other pups have. I thought that maybe it was the guitar they were in so I put a set of Chrome Domes, which are hot golds, in another guitar. They were the same way. I like to play just plugged straight to the amp. I agree that they may sound better through a chain.

To me "sterile" = lack of character.

 

[greywolf]

I had the blue  (neck)  silver (mid) and red  (bridge)  in my Strat for a few years , very clean but lacked soul for me , switched them out for a set of Fralins, with a blender part .. Much sweeter.

 

[OzziePete]

I have them in my Strat Plus that I bought new in ’98 (three golds).  They are sterile in the sense that they do not catch the vibe that even a so-so single coil has.  Not much sparkle, clarity or “glass” - whatever you want to call it.  They are dead quiet.  If you don’t mind not nailing the stereotypical Strat tone and you run a lot of effects or processing and need a quiet pickup – they may be for you.

I knew a guy who's first Strat - after many years being a Gibson only player  -was a Strat Plus. He bought specifically because of the Lace Sensors (he hated the 60 cycle hum in single coil pickups). He also bought that because they had 3 Golds, just like the Clapton model (he was a fan of Clapton's but couldn't afford the signature model). This was 1990 - 1991 or so.

In a band rehearsal they didn't sound like your average Strat pickups, which is I suppose the way he wanted the guitar to sound.

IMHO, the Lace Sensors sounded 'processed' even if you run straight to amp. They seems to be more of an emulator of the tone rather than a transparent sensing of the string vibration. And yes, they seem to be 'sterile' in the sound they gave too.

And it wasn't just Malcolm's playing -  he was a very good player at the time, and I have heard similar results from Strats installed with Lace Sensor Golds since.

Personally, I would never put one in a Strat I would own. I'd look at their dual humbucker ones for the tone they give, but alongside the other humbuckers on the market, not as a typical Strat pickup.

I can understand that folks using a chain of processors in between guitar and amp might find their noiseless abilities a bonus, but I can think of other pickups that would represent a Strat tone better, and be capable of being used in a rack full of effects (EMGs, Kinmans) without much - if any - noise from the pickup itself.