For guitarists chasing that classic bell-like tone reminiscent of the 1950s, Lace Guitar Pickups have emerged as a game-changer. Among these innovative designs, the Lace Sensor Gold stands out as the original that started it all, delivering vintage warmth without the vintage noise. If you’re seeking pristine single-coil sound for genres ranging from vintage rock and blues to funk and indie, understanding the magic of Lace Sensor pickups is essential.
The Unique Technology Behind Lace Sensor Pickups
What sets lace guitar pickups, particularly the Sensor series, apart from traditional designs? It boils down to their groundbreaking technology. Unlike conventional pickups that rely on exposed magnetic poles, Lace Sensors incorporate a patented “Radiant Field Barrier” system. This ingenious design encases both the coil and magnets, creating a shield against external electromagnetic interference. The result is a dramatic reduction in the dreaded 60-cycle hum that plagues many single-coil pickups, allowing your guitar’s true voice to shine through, unmarred by unwanted noise.
Further enhancing their tonal capabilities are Lace’s Micro Combs. These innovative components replace traditional bobbins, contributing to a broader sonic palette and superior string balance. This means that each string’s output is more evenly captured, leading to a richer, more harmonically complex sound across the fretboard.
The Lace Sensor Story: Innovation for the Modern Guitarist
Lace Music Pickups pioneered the Sensor line to address the inherent limitations of traditional single-coil pickups. The goal was clear: capture the coveted vintage tone while eliminating noise and improving overall performance. The Lace Sensor Gold was the first in this revolutionary series, meticulously engineered to replicate the sought-after sound of early Fender single coils. With its crisp highs and bell-like clarity, the Sensor Gold quickly became a favorite for players demanding classic tone in a modern, noise-free package.
How Lace Sensors Redefine Pickup Performance
The secret to the Lace Sensor’s exceptional performance lies in its unique approach to capturing string vibrations. Traditional pickups typically generate a limited number of magnetic fields – often between 4 and 12 – focused around individual magnetic poles. In contrast, lace guitar pickups boast an astounding 36 separate magnetic “sensing” fields. These fields create a much wider and more detailed area for “reading” string vibrations. This expanded sensing capability translates to a more nuanced and complete capture of your guitar’s sonic output.
Adding another layer of innovation, Lace Sensors incorporate Radiant Field Barriers. These metal slides frame the inner core of the pickup, serving a dual purpose. Firstly, they act as a shield, protecting the pickup from external noise and 60-cycle hum. Secondly, they shape the magnetic field into a broader yet more focused “umbrella,” further enhancing the pickup’s sensitivity and clarity compared to standard magnetic pickups.
Less Noise, More Harmonics: The Sonic Advantage
The expanded sensing area of lace guitar pickups offers a significant advantage: they capture a greater physical area of the string’s vibration while simultaneously minimizing the pickup of external interference. This results in a signal-to-noise ratio that is truly remarkable for a single-coil system. Guitarists benefit from pristine clarity, even at high volumes or in noisy environments.
Beyond noise reduction, Lace Sensors excel at capturing a wider range of harmonic content. The increased sensitivity and broader sensing field allow these pickups to reproduce the subtle nuances and overtones of your playing, delivering a more complex and richly detailed tonal response.
Enhanced Sustain and Truer Pitch: Performance Benefits
The efficient design of lace guitar pickups allows them to utilize magnets with significantly lower energy compared to conventional pickups. This seemingly small change has profound implications for sustain and pitch accuracy. In traditional pickups, the strong magnetic fields can actually dampen string vibration, shortening sustain and even slightly altering the pitch of notes.
Lace Sensors, with their lower energy magnets, virtually eliminate string dampening. This translates to a dramatic increase in sustain, allowing notes to ring out longer and more freely. Furthermore, because the strings vibrate unimpeded, the pitch remains truer for the duration of each note, enhancing the overall clarity and intonation of your playing.
Optimizing Your Tone: Adjusting Lace Sensor Pickup Height
To achieve the optimal tone from your lace guitar pickups, proper pickup height adjustment is crucial. Lace Music recommends the following starting measurements, measured with the string fretted at the 21st fret:
High “E” String Distance:
- Neck Pickup: 1.5mm
- Middle Pickup: 2.0mm
- Bridge Pickup: 1.0mm
Low “E” String Distance:
- Neck Pickup: 2.5mm
- Middle Pickup: 3.5mm
- Bridge Pickup: 2.0mm
Remember to measure from the bottom of the string (closest to the pickup) and adjust these measurements to your personal preference. Experimenting with pickup height is key to unlocking the full tonal potential of your lace guitar pickups.
Explore the Lace Sensor Family: A Pickup for Every Sound
While the Lace Sensor Gold remains a cornerstone of the series, the Lace Sensor family offers a diverse range of pickups, each with its own unique sonic character:
- Lace Sensor Silver: A hotter 70s-style single coil with increased output and midrange, ideal for the middle position.
- Lace Sensor Light Blue: Warm and punchy, excellent for jazz and blues neck positions or for a thicker tone in the middle or bridge.
- Lace Sensor Burgundy: A slightly hotter bridge position pickup with a fuller tone than standard Sensors.
- Lace Sensor Blue: Higher output with a warmer, 50s humbucker-like sound in a single coil format, versatile for jazz and rock in neck or bridge positions.
- Lace Sensor Red: The hottest Sensor, perfect for bridge positions demanding fat, humbucker-like output.
- Lace Sensor Emerald: Designed for Texas-style twang without the noise, exceptional for country and singing neck positions.
- Lace Sensor Purple: A hot overwound single coil, bridging the gap between the Burgundy and Blue, designed for the bridge and offering a P-90 type tone in the neck.
- Lace Sensor Hot Gold: A modern take on 60s vintage tone with a full bottom end, singing midrange, and sparkling highs, available in neck/mid and hotter bridge versions.
Whether you’re aiming for the classic 50s chime of the Lace Sensor Gold or exploring the broader palette of the Lace Sensor family, these lace guitar pickups offer a revolutionary approach to achieving exceptional tone, noise-free performance, and enhanced playing dynamics. They are a testament to innovation in pickup design, providing guitarists with the tools to sculpt their sound with unparalleled clarity and versatility.
