I have the same guitar as Smokin' Frets here, never seen another one and love it, again, I bought it for what it was not really knowing much about Buddy Guy at that time. The Lace Sensors are great, OK .. very different from the pups in my 57AVRI, but the guitar as a whole is the most versatile I have ever owned, by some way, what with the mid boost and all. The Laces themselves are terrifically touch sensitive to every little nuance and harmonic, and that's their strength, some may call it 'hi-fi', I simply call it bell-like and super-sensitive.

Interestingly, I converted the Buddy Guy for a while with a drop in pickguard with Bare Knuckle Slowhands, and took the actives out..... it was good but never quite gelled right for me, and when I put it back to stock the guitar just 'made sense' and came alive again.

Main reason I originally wanted to try sensors was the EC sound of the 80's/90's, but, whatever, I love mine. I guess they *are* a little out of mainstream at the moment what with a general obsession for 'vintage' these days, but they are just another choice of pickup, "fashion" doesn't really matter ... it's a funny thing in music as in everything else ... like everyone playing a particular little green overdrive

Anyhow Lace's have their own characteristics, another choice on the shelf .. long live diversity

Not sure why Fender thought the blue sensor was appropriate for the neck position, that always sounded very muddy to me. After some experimenting I found the blue in the bridge position to be very satisfying. For years afterward I always installed them as: gold - neck;silver - mid and blue - bridge.

I just purchased a 1990 Fender Ultra Stratocaster guitar w/four (4) Lace Sensor pickups installed.
Cannot wait to get it next week. I am eager to read about the responses in this thread.

Especially about comparisons between Lace Sensor Pickups, Fender Pole Magnut pickups,
and the newer Fender Noiseless Pickups.

Who has tried all three?
Who likes what?

Thanks. Toppscore

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Steady on old boy, you will frighten the horses!

(please excuse my prepubescent school boy humour )

you are correct though, it is a brammer of a guitar

What is "brammer" mean?

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I just switched to Lace Sensor Hot Golds for my new FSR lefty Strat... I've used active Bartolinis for over 20 years and they're the cat's meow. I decided I wanted to try passive this time though and Blackmore, Townshend, etc. say they're the ultimate so I'm giving them a shot. As soon as I get my Strat back from having an Earvana nut installed we'll see how they sound. Fingers crossed.

That being said, the stock American Standard pickups sounded *great*. Not enough gain for me, but an amazing tone....

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Kindest regards from Germany, Dee
My recordings --> http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_mu ... dID=564337
STRATS ROCK!!! but Teles and Firebirds, too!

Sooooo . . . . What do you think of the Lace Sensor pickups???
Better than the "cat's meow"

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Nope. To me they only look appropriate in a Graffiti Yellow Strat Plus the same way Don Johnson's white suits and teal t-shirts looked good when he was driving a white Ferrari Testarossi. Lace Sensors fall into that category as far as I'm concerned. They can be cool if you appreciate stuff like that, but I think they definitely look dated.

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It raises an interesting point though, this whole thing, from a visual point of view .....

'Cos if the Lace Sensors look 'dated' .... 80's style, (and one could also say they have that "EMG vibe") .. then what on earth can you say about our ''expected" Strat pickup with exposed polepieces .. if that isn't 'dated' I don't know what is ..... 50's style !

I actually like the 'vintage' look .. but it does kind of show how perceptions are...kinda funny really

To illustrate further .. the look of Lace Sensors still makes me think of cheapie pickups as fitted to the original Bullets, and I find that hard to shake ... no rhyme or reason there, it's some sort of visual associative thing.

Main characteristic of Laces though is their sonic characteristics ... I still like them where they are in my Buddy Guy, but I love my 57/62's in my AVRI thank you very much

I really, REALLY wanted to like the '69s, and I did like the neck pickup, but I play throught the middle position a lot---lacking. I like a little more output than they give, and the Strat they were in just sounded wimpy. The Laces, though 'hi-fi,' do deliver every time. It's easy to bash them, but today's 'dated' is tomorrow's 'retro.'

Man, some things are just "classic". Timeless. Perfect from the moment they were created. Like this car.

Or Marilyn Monroe. Steve McQueen. Or the Empire State building. Harley Davidsons. The Strat looked cool and new when it first came out, and it's become such a pop culture icon that it's still cool today. The same way you could have a crazy rack mount system with all kinds of flashing leds and $@!&, but ultimately a Marshall half stack or Fender Blackface Twin just looks cleaner, more subtle, and ultimately cooler. Some things just stay cool forever. Why mess with a good thing.

I knew nothing about Strat Plus guitars in the mid 1990s. I was at a resort in the mountains of Montana and heard music coming from the small bar there. I peeked in and saw a guy playing solo with midi-tracks and he had this guitar with plastic covered pickups. The bar was basically empty, and I sat down and listened to his last set. Afterward I started talking with the guy and asked about the guitar. It was a Black Strat Plus. He said, "I figured if the pickups were good enough for Clapton, they are good enough for me." I was thinking, "plastic covered pickups??? Man, that ain't right.......

But then I bought a Strat Plus and then...well.... a few more.. and then a Clapton Strat & Burton Tele. Life has never been the same since!

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Xhefri's Guitars
www.xhefriguitars.com

I want a Burton Telecaster.
What is on it to make it different than other Fender Plus Telecasters????
Toppscore

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