I don't know about anyone else, but I was having a real time trying to get my newest Strat to sound something like a Strat should with the R-S-B Lace sensors. I finally dropped the pickup heights way below Lace's recommendations, and that helped some. Anybody else have experience with these pups? If so, do you know any other little tricks that might help? Thanks as always for the help.

I love this configuration, as it was part of the late '80s-'90s American Deluxe lines named "Plus" and "Plus Deluxe" and a variation named "Ultra" (with two reds, split).
That said, You'll have a hard time getting a signature strat tone out of them, and i suspect this is why most people didn't like them. I find them to be very consistant tone wise, though each LAce Sensor model does seem to have a very unique voicing. They are the original "noiseless" strat pickups though and do solve the 60 cycle hum issue pretty well.

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SG.
"Walls" video from Zero in the Sun by Villains of Yesterday

I have a Blue/Red Fender Lace Sensor dually that I pair up with 2 American Vintage 62 Strat pu'ps in the neck and middle position of my American Series Strat. It makes the guitar very versatile. I just keep the whole setup loaded into an HSS pickguard and swap it out depending on the situation/band I'm playing for. I'm sorry to say this, but the reason I have that setup is so that the bridge position won't sound like a Strat!

I should not though that I've got a coil splitter/tap built in with that dually, and if I select just the blue pickup, it sounds a whole heckuva lot like my 62 vintage coils, and when I select just the red, the guitar gets some serious attack/spank that reminds me a bit of my 54 CS pups in one of my other Strats.

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Some Guitars played through an amp...

Hi shadowgrass3: I have an R-S-B set of Sensors in a Strat and I love 'em. Though I put the Silver at the neck for a jazzy sound in that position and a "calibrated" output as I head from neck towards bridge.

I get warm jazzy sounds at neck with the tone rolled off, a bit more oomph in the middle, and way out aggressive attack that kicks the amp over into full drive for a solo at the bridge. Neat.

However, for sure it ain't a "classic" Strat sound. I can play anything I want on 'em, but for that chimey Fender sound (early Knopfler for example) I use different Strats with '50s or '60s type pickups in.

Horses for courses.

Cheers - C

Try putting the Blue in the bridge position. I like the red but it's a little too hot to get the signature strat sound. Don't get me wrong, I like the red (I have one on my Jaguar). I have an unusual combo on my Strat plus: Gold-Silver-Blue. The blue just has that twang that the red is missing. It still sounds great for all styles of music.

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Live guitars: 2009 LTD Truckster, 1989 Strat Plus, 2001 Am Standard Strat, 1996 MIJ Jaguar, 2007 Gibson Explorer 76 reissue, 1999 Ibanez RG7621, LTD MH-301, LTD FM400, 1999 Jackson Kelly, Mystery Les Paul, Hamer Chaparel, Fender FM 62SCE A/E Mandolin

I tried the Blue in an Esquire for the same reason, as the Red can be "too hot" (not really!).

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SG.
"Walls" video from Zero in the Sun by Villains of Yesterday

Those pickups were not voiced for vintage tone. The gold Lace Sensors were. Stock on the original Strat Plus, they were also on the Clapton until the introduction of the Vintage Noiseless, and remain on the MIA Buddy Guy. Notwithstanding, I've always felt that the golds still had a darker, richer, less 'glassy' voice than the vintage tone.

The red is too hot for what you want, and the blue is voiced like a PAF. As Ceri noted, the silver has more of a jazz voicing. I would concur in his recommendation that you choose an option either by Fender, or one of the other after market suppliers, which is specific for 50's vintage.

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"Another day in paradise!"

I appreciate the help, guys. I already had Strats with EMG SA's and Fender Hot Noiseless pups, so I just had my mind made up to try something completely different. The sensors aren't bad by any stretch, I was just expecting more "Strat-itude" from them. I may end up moving the blue to the bridge and the silver to the neck with a gold in the middle. Just an idea. For now, I use this one as my number two guitar. The "benefit" of these pickups is that switching from my main guitar with EMG's to the Lace sensors gives me a really broad tone spectrum out of only two guitars.

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Strat+Tweed=Tone