Lace sensors or.....?

[JDM]

Hi guys,

I will be ordering a neck soon for a warmoth strat style body that has been sitting in my closet for about 9 years. I would have ordered the neck a few weeks ago ('59 roundback) but I played an older Peavey Wolfgang and really liked that neck too, so I have since been debating/obsessing over what to get. Anyway, the body is chambered Swamp Ash with a Koa top. The neck wood will most likely be Indian Rosewood/Ebony.  I have been thinking about either the Lace Hot golds set or the Lace Burgundy in the bridge, Hot Gold in the mid, and a Light Blue in the Neck. It seems like the the lace sensors have a hardcore love-hate thing going on. Seems that people either love them or hate them lol. I think some of the hate comes from people who where hoping for a TRUE strat sound. I am not interested in that for this particular guitar. I have my somewhat more legit strat sounds covered on my other Warmoth Strat with Texas Specials and was thinking that the Sensors would be something that would give me something totally different. I play mainly jazz/rock a la Steely Dan, Crusaders etc..., classic rock, and jazz. I think that the glassy sound that the sensors do well would sound pretty good on my new build. Does anybody have any thoughts about these pickups? Are there other pickups I should look into that does that glassy sound?

Thanks,

Jeremy

 

[TroubledTreble]

Welcome,

I have not tried the exact models your interested in but I think they will work well for what you have in mind. You are correct about the love hate with those pickups. Those that hate were expecting the traditional strat sounds when that is not at all what they were about. Since you have a guitar set up with somthing a bit hotter already I would go for the models other than the hot gold. I have tried the chrome domes which are supposed to be very similar and liked them fine however.

The Lace pickups are very smooth and a great design as long as your not expecting to sound like Hendrix. Which you know.  I would maybe think about some underwound sets that would have a little more headroom and broader pallet than the Lace. You have plenty of time to check out a lot of stuff.

Look locally. There may be a local pickup maker with whom you could get to know and they could create exactly what you want. Something custom for a custom guitar. :icon_thumright:

 

[JDM]

Thanks for the reply!

I have been looking at the Fralins, the Bardens, the Kinmans, Fervor, OC Duff, Lollar, etc.... It is pretty overwhelming to me. Especially with my OCD lol. How much hotter are the normal Sensors opposed to the above mentioned? They hey have resistance and henries measurements on their site, but it really doesen't mean much to me.

Welcome,

I have not tried the exact models your interested in but I think they will work well for what you have in mind. You are correct about the love hate with those pickups. Those that hate were expecting the traditional strat sounds when that is not at all what they were about. Since you have a guitar set up with somthing a bit hotter already I would go for the models other than the hot gold. I have tried the chrome domes which are supposed to be very similar and liked them fine however.

The Lace pickups are very smooth and a great design as long as your not expecting to sound like Hendrix. Which you know.  I would maybe think about some underwound sets that would have a little more headroom and broader pallet than the Lace. You have plenty of time to check out a lot of stuff.

Look locally. There may be a local pickup maker with whom you could get to know and they could create exactly what you want. Something custom for a custom guitar. :icon_thumright:

 

[TroubledTreble]

I did not find them much hotter than the standard stuff. The hots to me just start to equal a pickup of standard construction.

Resistance, Henries, etc,... Don't really tell you what the end result will be. That's great if all things are equal, i.e. apples to apples, but there is much more to consider. Listen to sound clips, check reviews... that will only help with you OCD a little. :laughing7: You would probably be very happy with the Lace. I was just adding my 2 cents. Maybe other can pitch in a little too.

 

[Watershed]

I have played around with quite a few of the Lace models.
I would not describe the light blue as "glassy", although I do like the pickup quite a bit.
I think it's pretty warm.

I played the burgundy in a buddy's tele and also liked it.
Not really "glassy" though.

I do like the Lace pickups, they are unique and do provide a nice tone.
I also have several guitars without Lace sensors, though.

So for me I was willing to try something different with the Lace.

 

[JDM]

Thanks for the reply again! I will keep researching.

I did not find them much hotter than the standard stuff. The hots to me just start to equal a pickup of standard construction.

Resistance, Henries, etc,... Don't really tell you what the end result will be. That's great if all things are equal, i.e. apples to apples, but there is much more to consider. Listen to sound clips, check reviews... that will only help with you OCD a little. :laughing7: You would probably be very happy with the Lace. I was just adding my 2 cents. Maybe other can pitch in a little too.

 

[JDM]

Thanks for chiming in! I too have a few different guitars with different pups. That was why I have been considering the Lace Pups.

So the light blue is kind of warm huh.?.?. Would you describe it closer to a P90 or bucker in sound rather than a SC?

The guitar player in a band I used to see before they broke up (Percy Hill... a great band by the way if you like Steely Dan.) had some laces and he had a really nice glassy sound. He may have had the golds or Hot golds in there. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

I have played around with quite a few of the Lace models.
I would not describe the light blue as "glassy", although I do like the pickup quite a bit.
I think it's pretty warm.

I played the burgundy in a buddy's tele and also liked it.
Not really "glassy" though.

I do like the Lace pickups, they are unique and do provide a nice tone.
I also have several guitars without Lace sensors, though.

So for me I was willing to try something different with the Lace.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I had Lace Sensors (Gold) in a '98 Strat I used to have, and I didn't like 'em at all. The Dimarzio "Area" series pickups are da bomb-shizzle. All the luscious Strat tone, with none of the hum.

 

[Dan025]

henries are an indicator of the warmth of the tone, resistance is an indicator of henries if core material and dimension, wire gauge and alloy, the insulation type and thickness, and the tension of the wire on the winding machine are all equal.

output is a product of inductance measured in henries, impedance, load, magnetic gauss(sp?), field shape, magnetic properties of the string material, mass and velocity of the string, capacitance, eddy currents, Q, and probably many other factors that i dont know about.

as far as the sensors go, i think they can get a passable strat tone if all the components are picked carefully. the construction is way different from a traditional strat pickup so the output and tone is hard to compare by specs alone. i have no bias for or against them but i think many people associate them with the eric clapton tone which has more to do with the active mid boost than the pickups.

 

[shanejw]

I've been toying with putting a set of Chrome Domes on my strat.  Too Many decisions.

 

[JDM]

See, I am not really looking for a "true" strat sound for this build. I am looking for a sound that is somewhere between single coils and P-90's. I want some of that strat "glass" but I also want (as close as I can get with single coils or at least the single coil size) that P-90 "snarl". For some reason I have been thinking that the sensors, depending on the color, might be able to get me there somewhat.

 

[Watershed]

Thanks for chiming in! I too have a few different guitars with different pups. That was why I have been considering the Lace Pups.

So the light blue is kind of warm huh.?.?. Would you describe it closer to a P90 or bucker in sound rather than a SC?

The guitar player in a band I used to see before they broke up (Percy Hill... a great band by the way if you like Steely Dan.) had some laces and he had a really nice glassy sound. He may have had the golds or Hot golds in there. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

I have played around with quite a few of the Lace models.
I would not describe the light blue as "glassy", although I do like the pickup quite a bit.
I think it's pretty warm.

I played the burgundy in a buddy's tele and also liked it.
Not really "glassy" though.

I do like the Lace pickups, they are unique and do provide a nice tone.
I also have several guitars without Lace sensors, though.

So for me I was willing to try something different with the Lace.

Oh I'm sorry, I was talking about the blue, the regular blue.
I see there is now a light blue.  I have not tried that one.

All my comments (even though I said light blue) were about the regular blue.
I would describe the blue as more of a bucker tone.
I have one in the neck of my strat.

See, I am not really looking for a "true" strat sound for this build. I am looking for a sound that is somewhere between single coils and P-90's. I want some of that strat "glass" but I also want (as close as I can get with single coils or at least the single coil size) that P-90 "snarl". For some reason I have been thinking that the sensors, depending on the color, might be able to get me there somewhat.

From what you describe, the chrome domes would be pretty close.
The descriptions on the Lace website are fairly accurate, and from the description of the light blue, that might work for you as well.

James

 

[JDM]

Thanks for the reply. I will look into the chrome domes as well. Nice, another pickup I can stress and obsess over lol!

Thanks for chiming in! I too have a few different guitars with different pups. That was why I have been considering the Lace Pups.

So the light blue is kind of warm huh.?.?. Would you describe it closer to a P90 or bucker in sound rather than a SC?

The guitar player in a band I used to see before they broke up (Percy Hill... a great band by the way if you like Steely Dan.) had some laces and he had a really nice glassy sound. He may have had the golds or Hot golds in there. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

I have played around with quite a few of the Lace models.
I would not describe the light blue as "glassy", although I do like the pickup quite a bit.
I think it's pretty warm.

I played the burgundy in a buddy's tele and also liked it.
Not really "glassy" though.

I do like the Lace pickups, they are unique and do provide a nice tone.
I also have several guitars without Lace sensors, though.

So for me I was willing to try something different with the Lace.

Oh I'm sorry, I was talking about the blue, the regular blue.
I see there is now a light blue.  I have not tried that one.

All my comments (even though I said light blue) were about the regular blue.
I would describe the blue as more of a bucker tone.
I have one in the neck of my strat.

See, I am not really looking for a "true" strat sound for this build. I am looking for a sound that is somewhere between single coils and P-90's. I want some of that strat "glass" but I also want (as close as I can get with single coils or at least the single coil size) that P-90 "snarl". For some reason I have been thinking that the sensors, depending on the color, might be able to get me there somewhat.

From what you describe, the chrome domes would be pretty close.
The descriptions on the Lace website are fairly accurate, and from the description of the light blue, that might work for you as well.

James

 

[drewfx]

I have a 90's Strat Plus that came with 3 gold Lace's. I replaced the bridge with a blue one(supposedly a vintage HB sound), as the bridge was a bit too thin and glassy for my tastes.

I would describe them as "hi-fi" rather than "warm", and very responsive to every little detail in your playing - like a really good acoustic.

And when you want to fatten them up a bit, they sound really fantastic if you run them through a comp pedal (not being a boutique guy, I use an MXR Super Comp).