Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Ptolemaeus

Ptolemaeus

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Title.


I've been looking to try something new in terms of both sound and aesthetic. I haven't seen a whole lot of convincing videos on the matter and there aren't a whole lot of threads here about it either.


So, does anybody have anything to say about them?
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

They're a current-driven design as opposed to a voltage-driven design like most pickups. They capture more lows and highs and the mids are crisp and clear, if somewhat neutral. String pull is low and the tonal qualities can make your effects sound a little more present. They're great if you're looking for something that will retain definition under high gain.
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Summoning Demanic... *uses a roll of high gain amp schematics as a smudge stick*


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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Ptolemaeus said:
Title.


I've been looking to try something new in terms of both sound and aesthetic. I haven't seen a whole lot of convincing videos on the matter and there aren't a whole lot of threads here about it either.


So, does anybody have anything to say about them?
Click to expand...

A few thoughts.
1) The deathbuckers sound way better than the standard alumatones IMO.
2) They cut a substantial amount of weight from the guitar. They won't turn a boat anchor into a feather, but it is noticeable.
3) They can be found used cheap sometimes. I have quite a selection of them I found on ebay. Some of them I got for under $35.
4) They don't sound the same on every guitar or amp. I found they sounded odd on my mesa rectifier (I no longer have it, I sold it) without a buffer in between guitar and amp, but just with the rectifier. If they sound really freakishly weird, put a buffered pedal in between the guitar and amp and all will be right.
5) They sound much more conventional than other alumatones. IMO this is a good thing.
6) If you have a dead sounding guitar, they will sound dead. In a lot of ways these are pretty transparent.

Its a solid choice. I like them.
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

I've been interested in combining some Deathbuckers with some Sensor Golds in a HSS axe (odd I know, but I want vintage single sounds with a metal capable bridge).

How do the DBs compare to other Lace high outputs like the Hemis and Drop n Gain?
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Demanic said:
S

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Click to expand...
What I meant to say was, Deathbuckers are radical in their design, and effective. They are a hi-fi pickup and retain clarity with whatever sort of gain you throw at them. But with crushing lows and crystal clear highs.

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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

From what you guys are saying, they have a very flat eq. Are there any other quirks about how they're voiced, or are they just incredibly neutral?
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Oh, and another thing: What is a good neck pickup option? Do the regular Alumitones go well in the neck, or would something else be appropriate?
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

When I put them in an Epi korina explorer, I used them in both the neck and the bridge. Both sounded just fine separately and together.

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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Demanic said:
When I put them in an Epi korina explorer, I used them in both the neck and the bridge. Both sounded just fine separately and together.

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Click to expand...

How did it sound in the neck? Bassy, trebly?
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Clear but fuller than the bridge. About what you would expect the neck position to sound like in relation to the bridge in a perfectly matched set of pickups.

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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Ptolemaeus said:
Oh, and another thing: What is a good neck pickup option? Do the regular Alumitones go well in the neck, or would something else be appropriate?
Click to expand...

I have tried regular alumatones and deathbuckers in the neck. Deathbuckers sounded better to me. Though splittable alumatones did fine as well. Non-splittable ones were considerably weaker.
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

Deathbuckers are both high output and transparent. If you have a guitar that you like the acoustic tone of, as I did that Epi, then that's the pickup for it.

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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

I don't have any personal experience with them. I got the Deathbuckers for that Epi because, as much as I love Duncan's, I wanted something different for it. I had never seen a pickup with as radical of a design so I figured I'd give it a shot. I have not regretted it. If I didn't like the D-Activators that came in the Ibanez V I just got, I probably would put another set in it.

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Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

If you mean Lace in general, I do like the drop n gain bridge as well. Its a really cool pickup, with some demos that are very odd. The wino demos sound nothing like the tones I get from it. There are some good ones out there.

But the deathbuckers are really cool.
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

I don't understand the appeal of Deactivators. I've never used them, but if they're just trying to copy EMG 81s/85s in a passive package, used EMG pups can be found cheaply online these days. If one prefers passives with a similar sound, the HZs are fine.
 
Re: Lace Deathbuckers. Are they worth it?

They are, for want of a better word, more "organic" than EMG's. Fantastic warm but tight clear sound, and then, when you get dirty, they hold it together real well.
 
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