Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
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idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
Lace Sensors aren't stacks. Lace Sensors are single coils that are extensively shielded to be low noise, but not completely noiseless. Basically the idea is you take a single coil and build a farrady cage around it to shield the coil from hum rather than use phase cancellation for noise reduction. On top of the coil you have a comb filter which leaves small sensing windows for the magnets to reduce magnetic pull while also reducing the window for interference to enter the coil. This is what Lace call their "Radiant Field Technology". The first on the left is a Lace Sensor.
Lace Sensors aren't stacks. Lace Sensors are single coils that are extensively shielded to be low noise, but not completely noiseless. Basically the idea is you take a single coil and build a farrady cage around it to shield the coil from hum rather than use phase cancellation for noise reduction. On top of the coil you have a comb filter which leaves small sensing windows for the magnets to reduce magnetic pull while also reducing the window for interference to enter the coil. This is what Lace call their "Radiant Field Technology". The first on the left is a Lace Sensor.
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Mistreated
New member
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
"That plane went down like a Kardashian at a NAACP convention."
LoL
"That plane went down like a Kardashian at a NAACP convention."
LoL
Mistreated
New member
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
I swapped out a fender noiseless with a lace sensor blue in the neck position on my strat. Was not all that impressed.
I swapped out a fender noiseless with a lace sensor blue in the neck position on my strat. Was not all that impressed.
GAS-a-holic
New member
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
FWIW, the blue lace sensor is voiced like a vintage humbucker - it's a nice sound if that's what you want but not a classic strat neck sound.
FWIW, the blue lace sensor is voiced like a vintage humbucker - it's a nice sound if that's what you want but not a classic strat neck sound.
Falloffthebonetone
New member
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
I like the Lace Sensors (gold and hot gold) more than almost all of the typical stacked pickups I have played, but I like true strat single coils even more than the Sensors, and I had the sensors for years. If you're looking for stratty sounds with a lot of flexibility and low noise Laces are a great way to go. I found it much easier to get humbucker tones even with the gold laces and the tone control than I did most other strat pickups. Their top end isn't as metallic sounding as most true single coil strat pickups so that is what I kind of ended up missing. Haven't tried the other colors though.
I like the Lace Sensors (gold and hot gold) more than almost all of the typical stacked pickups I have played, but I like true strat single coils even more than the Sensors, and I had the sensors for years. If you're looking for stratty sounds with a lot of flexibility and low noise Laces are a great way to go. I found it much easier to get humbucker tones even with the gold laces and the tone control than I did most other strat pickups. Their top end isn't as metallic sounding as most true single coil strat pickups so that is what I kind of ended up missing. Haven't tried the other colors though.
idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
Technically the Holly Grail series are coaxial humbuckers which use phase cancellation to reduce noise. They are like a stack in that they use two coils, but they are horizontal and not vertical. However the design of the Holly Gail's isn't really new since Gibson EBO bass pickups feature the same central magnets flanked by two humbucking coils. Second from the left. EBO pickup for comparison.
Technically the Holly Grail series are coaxial humbuckers which use phase cancellation to reduce noise. They are like a stack in that they use two coils, but they are horizontal and not vertical. However the design of the Holly Gail's isn't really new since Gibson EBO bass pickups feature the same central magnets flanked by two humbucking coils. Second from the left. EBO pickup for comparison.
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Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
I just put a set of the Blue, Silver, Red Lace sensors in my latest Strat build. I've already got a couple Strats with true single coils and several with buckers so I wanted something different...something in-between those.
That's just what I got. The Blue neck and the Red bridge sound kinda P-90ish (which is great because I'm a HUGE P-90 fan). The Red may be just a tad hot and sounds midway between a P-90 and a bucker. This is ok with me, I don't mind a fire-breathing-monster-with-clarity in the bridge. Much better than a bucker IMO. The Blue neck sounds VERY P-90ish. Love that sound.
The Silver in the middle sounds very stratish, kinda in between a Strat and a P-90 sound (more toward the Strat sound).. That's ok with me too. I think it sounds really great. I use the middle position in a Strat quite a bit.
The #2 and 4 positions still have some Strat quackiness (certainly not as much as true Strat single coils, but there IS some resemblance there).
And absolutely no hum in any position!
All-in-all I think I got what I was after. Now I've got a Strat with Lace Sensors, a couple Strats with '57/'69 singles, one with HSS, several with HSH, and one or two with HH. This is in addition to a couple Teles and many LPs.
I'm a very happy camper.
I just put a set of the Blue, Silver, Red Lace sensors in my latest Strat build. I've already got a couple Strats with true single coils and several with buckers so I wanted something different...something in-between those.
That's just what I got. The Blue neck and the Red bridge sound kinda P-90ish (which is great because I'm a HUGE P-90 fan). The Red may be just a tad hot and sounds midway between a P-90 and a bucker. This is ok with me, I don't mind a fire-breathing-monster-with-clarity in the bridge. Much better than a bucker IMO. The Blue neck sounds VERY P-90ish. Love that sound.
The Silver in the middle sounds very stratish, kinda in between a Strat and a P-90 sound (more toward the Strat sound).. That's ok with me too. I think it sounds really great. I use the middle position in a Strat quite a bit.
The #2 and 4 positions still have some Strat quackiness (certainly not as much as true Strat single coils, but there IS some resemblance there).
And absolutely no hum in any position!
All-in-all I think I got what I was after. Now I've got a Strat with Lace Sensors, a couple Strats with '57/'69 singles, one with HSS, several with HSH, and one or two with HH. This is in addition to a couple Teles and many LPs.
I'm a very happy camper.
idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
The Lace Sensor Purple has even more of a P90 vibe. It sounds good in the bridge but I think it makes a good neck position too. The light blue also sounds pretty good if you're looking for something between the silver and dark blue for the neck position.
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Lake Placid Blues
New member
Re: Lace sensor pickups and stacked pickups
I gigged with them a bit back during the 90s. I then switched sets for Bill Lawrence noiseless, which I assume are stacks, that I liked a bit better. I only have one guitar with noiseless pickups now, as I like true single coils much better than even the best available noiseless or low noise pickups.
It kinda depends on what styles of music you play with Lace Sensors. They work better, in my opinion, with high gain amps and the styles of music where you use a high gain amp, than either stacks or true singles. With the Lace Sensors you can crank up the pickup right close to the strings without any problems; where they work for high gain applications.
I gigged with them a bit back during the 90s. I then switched sets for Bill Lawrence noiseless, which I assume are stacks, that I liked a bit better. I only have one guitar with noiseless pickups now, as I like true single coils much better than even the best available noiseless or low noise pickups.
It kinda depends on what styles of music you play with Lace Sensors. They work better, in my opinion, with high gain amps and the styles of music where you use a high gain amp, than either stacks or true singles. With the Lace Sensors you can crank up the pickup right close to the strings without any problems; where they work for high gain applications.
