I was asking a Fender dealer about strats with Lace Sensors and his response was "Lace Sensors are overrated". I doubt that EC or Buddy Guy would agree with that. Any Lace users care to comment?

Lace Sensors are NOT overrated. I have been using Lace Sensor(golds) for about a year now and I must say they make a huge difference. Definitely more sustain, less noise and very responsive to picking dynamics. Plus, they look cool! =)

Try your best to find a guitar with them installed and see if you like them. If you can't find one then you'll just have to take my word for it. I promise you will not be disappointed.

That's what I thought. I think the reason he said that is because he didn't have anything in stock with the Lace but he might have suggested ordering the Buddy Guy American!

Kinda like my friend who recently walked into a car dealership and was ready to buy. He said he wanted a 4x4 and the dealer said, "what do you want that for? It never snows here!" and then offered him a $500 discount on a $30,000 car! This dealer called my friend the next evening on his cell. He was at another dealer, just then signing the paperwork... he got the car for $24.500.

With all of the hyperbole and snake oil surrounding our favorite hobby/profession, I sometimes think everything is overrated.

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My other guitar is a Strat.

I used them for several years, but i decided i don't care for them. but overrated? i don't think so. over rated means they are liked much more than they deserve to be. But i don't see a ton of lace love, do you? i think they have thier place and the amount of love for them to me seems pretty much about where it belongs. Most people like real SC's more, but it shows. In short, there is not a heck of a lot of love for laces, so to say they're over rated suggests theres a lot more love for them then there is. I gotta sy tho, i don't use them any more and i prefer real SC's, but i do have a soft spot for them. i'd almost consider having a 3rd strat just to have a set of lace in for that different sound/feel.....almost, but not quite. But they certainly don't pull enough love to be considered over rated. by the way, the best laces i had were the holy grails. I felt they lacked certain details of a real SC the same as i felt about SCN's. But i actually preferred them over SCN's. I was actually close to liking them enough to keep them, but real SC's won out as always.

So I suppose EMG has a vintage pickup that would "out run" the old Lace design?

I find the comment interesting as I would tend to disagree. Rather, they seem to parallel popularity wise with desirability.

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You dig?

The core of the Lace Sensor technology, of course, is the manner in which it functions as a transducer in comparison with other designs. The line has expanded since the introduction of the Gold Lace some twenty years ago.

As with other subjects of our great debates, the philosophy of 'different strokes applies.'

Doc

My Strat Ultra is stocked w/blue, gold, and red Lace sensors, in an HSS arrangement (with 2 reds in a 'dually' setup). They are great and have little noise. They are setup as directed by Fender, as close to the string as possible, and shows increased sustain. They sound best overdriven, but keep an articulated sound, sensitive to the way the string is picked. I have an old '70s Stratocaster, and the difference in pickups is palpable. I can't compare w/ noiseless SCN pu's because I don't have a guitar with those installed.

The Lace sensors work; I like them. Fender used them in the '90's because their noiseless pickups were still in development. Overrated they are not. I like the sustain.

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2007 Classic Player Baja Telecaster
1991 Strat Ultra
1990 Gibson ES-347
1986 Yamaha SBG2100
1980 Gibson L6-S
1971 Stratocaster
Fender Stage Lead Combo
Marshall MOSFET 100 watt Amp

From what you describe they sound really sweet. I just unpacked my new Tele with the EMGs and man, it really wails. Oops, sorry, got off topic!

I have an 88 Strat Plus w/ gold lace sensors and they are definitely not over rated. They sound extremely good clean or distorted. I've tried EMG's but they have no dynamic to them. Don't get me wrong, they're nice p/ups but nowhere near the caliber of Lace Sensors. Just my 2 cents.

I hope you slapped the guy and left the store.

Even the Powered by Lace humbucker I picked up for $30 sounds great. Especially for the price.

Sorry, camera phone pics suck.

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-Classic 50's Strat.
-Std. Telecaster.
-Mike Dirnt P-bass.
-Custody of SE Strat.
-Peavey Predator/Dean Evo/Epiphone DR150/Gibson Slide (much older than me).

Rellik Productions Inc.

ill put my homebrew clapton strat with Lace Hot Golds up against any strat anyday of the week... they are far from overrated. just go ask anybody at the FDP forum. IMO I think the hot golds crush kinmans, bardens, etc..

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"If the blues are a living thing, Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson taught it how to walk; Muddy and Howlin' Wolf taught it to run and Stevie and Eric may have made it rock but it was T-Bone Walker who made it electric."

that dealer needs shot.



I own a '91 Strat Plus with Golds and a TBX circut with Mid Boost. I also owned an original 1st Gen Strat plus '88 model from the corona plant with a Blue, silver, red configuration on it (I am an expert on the Strat Plus Line)


Since Lace Sensors were the Framework for the next-gen Noiseless pickups, I guess he is saying those are overrated too

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This is some really great feedback - thank you all. I thought that his statement was really uncalled for. After I get my Charvel So-Cal. I WILL get a strat with Lace Sensors!