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What is the concensus on Fender's lace Sensor Pickups?


derivicus

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I have them on my Strat Plus obviously and I like them. (I have golds... silver at bridge)
Some say they don't sound like Fender... I don't agree.
At the time when I was buying my strat, I was deciding between G&L Lagacy (Seymour Duncan) and Strat Plus. I went with the Strat 'couse it sounded more like a Strat to me. (I don't know which pups exactly were on that G&L at the time)
:thu:


If you want example how they sound... let me know.
;)

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They seem to be designed with compromise in mind. Hum canceling but not really a humbucker. No single noise character.

I think they might be a nice pickup to use in one slot of one guitar if you have a bunch of guitars...but not the pickups I'd want in the only guitar I could have on a desert island.

A moderate output one like the Gold one... maybe stuck in the middle or neck position of a strat might be a good application. A nice go-to pickup if noise is a problem. They also seem to mix interestingly with other pickups. Sort of a slight phase cancelation thing that's clean and quite usable in high gain situations or with effects.

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They are OK if you use processors and digital stuff in your setup. Playing them plugged straight into a big tube amp and cab, to me it was like I had clipped off the sound on the top and bottom in some notched way. It did make me realize also that noise from a pickup is also a positive thing for me. When you are a bombastic player like me noise is part of it. There are some config considerations to them also. I do not know the options there.

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I can't understand why these pickups get {censored} on so much. I recently dropped a set of lace golds into one of my strats and I have been pleasently surprised. I'm convinced the whole "steril" comment thing is just internet hearsay bull{censored}, that doesn't mean much. I mean do you ever hear that term thrown around for another pickup? no. its almost a freakin cliche.

I really think its all about what sound you are going for. And I can totally understand if its not somebodys thing. I play mostly blues stuff. Run through my rig: foxrox cc2->boss sd-1->t9s->dd3->tu-2->classic 50 (4x10)...they sound fantastic. very smooth and creamy when used with the fuzz or a good bit of over drive.

Isn't Clapton still using them in his guitars? How can you listen to the Cream Reunion CD and not think these things sound great? (even if claptons playing isn't yoour thing.) I wouldn't call it processed. I think hes only using his preamp boost running into some custom shop twins and a leslie.

just my .02

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I have three golds in my Strat Plus too, I get plenty of Strat style quack and the neck pickup is just as warm as a trad Strat pup. The only thing for me about the gold lace sensors is they're just not hot enough. When I need real crunch I used the Les Paul.

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Originally posted by 59refin

I have three golds in my Strat Plus too, I get plenty of Strat style quack and the neck pickup is just as warm as a trad Strat pup. The only thing for me about the gold lace sensors is they're just not hot enough. When I need real crunch I used the Les Paul.

 

 

I'd agree with that....the golds from what I recall are supposed to be the "vintage" sounding ones so they would not have a lot of "hotness".........I, like you, have three golds in my strat plus and I love them for strat type sounds. But also like you I have a Les Paul for the crunch type stuff. I don't know.... I could easily change the pickups in my strat but I really don't see a need too, I get great tone from my strat....so the lace sensors have stayed for 17 years.

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L like them all except the red, which is too harsh for my taste.

I think the whole "sterile" thing comes from two sources. One is people who don't realize how little magnetic pull the Lace Sensors have and how close to the strings you can adjust them without problems. The tome imoroves closer to the strings.

The other is Lace's fault, as they did market the Gold as having a vintage Strat tone, which it doesn't. It is a smooth, glassy, compressed sound, and I like it better than normal Strat pickups, but it is different.

The Holy Grails are the Lace which IS designed to sound like a conventional Strat pickup.

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Originally posted by BootRoots

I can't understand why these pickups get {censored} on so much. I recently dropped a set of lace golds into one of my strats and I have been pleasently surprised. I'm convinced the whole "steril" comment thing is just internet hearsay bull{censored}, that doesn't mean much. I mean do you ever hear that term thrown around for another pickup? no. its almost a freakin cliche.

just my .02

 

 

I think there is some truth about this whole "sterile" thing being a cliche. Maybe they don't have what purists might consider "vintage" tone, but I certainly don't think they are sterile. I've experimented with a variety of pickups in my Strat and have settled on Lace Sensors. I originally had two Golds and a Red, but am currently using Silver/neck, Gold/middle, Blue/bridge. I had the Red in the bridge for a year, but found it too edgy, compared to the warmth and smoothness of the Blue, which is usually found in the neck position, but sounds great in the bridge. The Silver in the neck is awesome.

 

When it all comes down, tone is subjective. We all play different kinds of music and look for different kinds of tones. But I don't think Lace Sensors deserve the bad rap.

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