I'm considering getting some new pick up/s and was wondering what others would sujest for Celtic or Country sound? on a american std strat.

I have been considering:
Lace Sensor Emerald
Lace 3 gold sensor set.

Thanks for any help

Stephen

_________________
Fender American Standard 2009 (Sienna Sunburst /w Rosewood Neck)
Fender Blacktop Telecaster '10 (Black Maple)
Fender Bassman 100 (Rola 12UX)
Fender Twin Reverb '77 Ultralinear

Well, first off as with all things of this nature, I would say that your choice of pickups should probably be based on the sound that -you- want to achieve. In regards to tone issues, things like "the right" pickups can always be a little subjective in that what sounds right to me or anyone else here may sound completely wrong to you (and vice-versa).

I can't really say too much in regards to the Celtic music...while I do love listening to good Celtic music, I've certainly never played any myself. That said however, it's not something that I would really associate with "electric guitar", Strat or otherwise so I'm not really sure I can offer much advice on that spefically. With country music however it's been my experience that many (if not most) country players tend to favor a more "classic" tone from something like a Strat. I know this is probably a stereotype but personally I tend to think of most country players running either a Strat or a Tele through a Twin or a Super or something similar for that classic "chime-like tone" (especially with a Tele). So with that said...and this is just my own personal opinion as always here but I wouldn't think of Lace Sensors as my first choice if for no other reason then that they are typically pretty hot pickups...great for really driving the amp but not always conducive to getting a great clean sound (depending on your amp of course!). There are exceptions of course...as I recall James Burton is well known for using Lace Sensors in his Tele's but more often than not, I tend to think of something cleaner and more traditional there.

If it were me and I were looking to stick with genuine Fender pickups on a Strat to use for country, I'd probably lean more towards something like the "Vintage 57/62's" or if you need pickups that are a bit quieter, even something like the Vintage Noiseless...the VN's produce some very good clean tones, are very responsive to your playing and they are certainly quiet. If you're willing to consider aftermarket then I'd take a close look at the Seymour Duncan APS-1 series...those are supposed to be really sweet for stuff like country, rockabilly, etc..

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim

Come to Ireland lomitus and you will see how associated Celtic music is with electric guitar!

CC

_________________
Fender Stratocaster (parts build)
Fender Telecaster 72 Custom RI
Fender Telecoustic Deluxe
Gretsch Electromatic Pro-Jet
Gibson Les Paul Standard Plus
Gibson ES-135
Zenith Type-17
Marshall 70's JMP Superbass 100w
Blackstar HT-5

Or come to Newfoundland,said to be the most Irish place in the world outside Ireland.A lot of our dialects here are almost identical to those in many places in Ireland.As in Ireland you can tell where someone is from by listening to his dialect,there are literally hundreds of dialects here and a lot of linguists and folklorists have done thesis's on NL for doctorates and such.Celtic music is absolutely huge here and Paddy's Day is only outdone by Christmas.Anyway on the topic of guitars when I think of country I think of Tele,as versatile as the Strat is it seems that only the Tele has the proper"spank"for country.The Strat would be great for Celtic though.

_________________
'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

I cant see anything aside from piezo saddles and a fishman preamp doing it. If you really must go electric imitating acoustic then 69's or vintage noiseless would be the way to go. Something with no mids and little power.
Or go with a graphic eq pedal and scoop out all the mids and keep the volume down.


Really you'd be better off getting a cheap acoustic instead of pickups.

_________________
No no and no

Many players have a drawer full of pickups and pickup sets, all as a direct result of the various styling genres they were into throughout the years (or even months). If you are essentially satisfied with the overall tonality of your present pickups yet are looking to tailor your guitar now and again to certain specific sounds and chances are, you'll be looking for something else again down the road, a superior EQ is definitely your best bet. It is surely cheaper in the long run and you can tweak in, out, up and/or down the exact frequencies to your exact requirements now and in the future.

_________________
You dig?

Which would you rather have? Broccoli or a Buick?

_________________
James Burton Upgrade Telecaster
Hot Rodded Am Fat Strat Texas Special (now featuring Kinman Traditional II pickups)
Fender Blues Jr.
SWR California Blonde
Pedals Pedals Pedals

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

decided not to change my pick ups got the county feel out of my other guitar after playing around with the settings .

I could use Garageband's EQ, i probably just need to get some experience by playing with settings.

_________________
Fender American Standard 2009 (Sienna Sunburst /w Rosewood Neck)
Fender Blacktop Telecaster '10 (Black Maple)
Fender Bassman 100 (Rola 12UX)
Fender Twin Reverb '77 Ultralinear

Am I too late? I was actually going to suggest the LS gold. I have found LS to be the most versitle pups I have ever played.

_________________
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

Well The Lace Emeralds are not what you're looking for as they are for a bluesy SRV-type sound according to the website

Are Kinmans a good choice?