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Lace Helix basses

#4
Smallequestrian said:
I have one on order, should be delivered on Thursday. Its the black bolt on with a single pickup. I played with the proto at the Dallas guitar show in April and have been waiting for them to pop up online ever since.
Click to expand...

Any initial thoughts on the sound, playability, etc, as far the prototype goes?
 
#5
slowburnaz said:
Any initial thoughts on the sound, playability, etc, as far the prototype goes?
Click to expand...

Don't really remember much about the sound to be honest, just have a vague sense that I liked it. Neck seemed nice and it also balanced quite well. I should get it on Thursday, but I am moving to Chicago that day as well, so I may not get to really play it until Saturday or Sunday. I will be sure to let everybody know.

Also, its got a mahogany body, which is always a plus in my book.
 
#10
I just played one.

The pups are amazing; the real deal. They are the first important technology I've heard in a bass since the Alembic Series electronics. Seriously.

The moment I put the bass down, another guy in the shop bought it an the spot.

I am dubious you could change the knobs out; they are recessed into the body. This is one of those leave it bone stock situations.

The bass itself is kind of weird. The design, weight and every practical aspect are excellent. However, being made in China, it has that kind of "not quite right feel to it." Hard to put my finger on it, but it has kind of a thick finish, and I might be concerned about the truss and that kind of thing. But, basically they are weightless and balance amazingly. I know that sounds confused; but the pups sound so good, I really want them in something that has a little more Made in USA feel to it.

Anyhow, I'll have to figure out what to sell now....:ninja:
 
#11
Another point about the pups - they are totally passive. No batteries or anything. Flat out simple. You get two semi retro looking pups, two potentiometers and that's it. Plus, they are dead quiet, and have an amazing array of dynamics and sounds.

I dig it.
 
#19
OK, I actually went and picked one up.

Now that I have it into familar signal chain, I'll have to tone down my earlier comments. The pups are VERY good, but not over the top. The output is a hair lower than a good passive Jazz. The really cool thing is that the pups have a similar dynamic response to single coils, but without any hum at all; great harmonics and lots of punch. They will not replace J's for a die hard single coil Jazz vibe. However, they are very close and a ton better than the humbucking versions out there.

The tone controls are pup toggle, volume and tone. Although the circuit is passive, somehow the tone pot is not just cutting treble. It actually acts like a boost control going both ways.

The bass itself has a great design. Tiny body - the whole thing weighs in at 6.10 pounds!

I'm still struggling with neck setup and strings - you know how that goes, new bass.

They go for about $750 out the door. So, they have about that level of quality in the lutherie. Not totally shabby, but it will take a bunch of tweaking to dial in the setup.

Overall, a pretty cool bass for what it is; and I think the pickups have some real possibilities down the road.

I'll try to post a pic later, but it is essentially identical to the OP, but with trans blue wings.
 

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