Lace-Helix?

I LOVE the look of them! Not sure I would drop $900 sight unseen though.

In any case, they are on my "to do" list!

 

Never owned one, but played a couple at GC on separate occasions. Frankly they always left me wanting more. I love the look and the playability, but never could dial in a tone that was anything more than "decent."

 

they look & sound nice, but

this economy has cured my G.A.S.

i ain't buying chit i'll play what i got

 

I've looked into them. I like crazy stuff, but that's way too much cash for what it actually is -- an oddball Chinese bass.

I'll wait until they blow over and get blown out for near-nothing. I'm doubting they'll survive the recession.

[I'm already in vulture mode. ]

 

The look is too radical for me, however the pickups are pretty fierce, I;m saving up to put one of their Aluma-P pickups in a parts P-bass i have lying around. (they have samples on their website) Also they're releasing a more "retro" inspired one with the aforementioned P-pickup and an aged looking maple neck and sunburst finish i think.

 

Hey Guys.

The new neck through models have the new Bass Bars and a wider spacing at the bridge. We haven't raised the price. But we'll be OK through this economic mess - Don't worry about us.

Lot of interest at NAMM - Look for new endorsers soon.

MikeG
Lace Music

 

I got mine from Musicians Friend for $619. (neck-through) Sure wish I had waited and got the new one with the BassBars. It's alright though, it still sounds fantastic and I have two other custom basses I built with the BassBars.

 

Did you have to route much to fit the bassbars into that thunderbird body? That seems like a vast pickup improvement.

 

Mike Watt is really digging his BassBar. He told me not too long ago. His keyboardist in the Secondmen, Pete, said he likes it too. Nice guy, Pete!

Bassbars seem to be the hot item. Also the Aluma-P's are still hot, and the Aluma-J's will be shipping in a few months. THAT is going to be a great sounding pickup!

Thanks RS for diggin our stuff!

MikeG
Lace Music

 

Any chance of an Alumitone for the old style single coil P (and single coil Telecaster) style bass?

I've been using an Alumitone Strat pickup in my "Telecaster" bass and, while it sounds very good, I'm just wondering if one designed specifically for the bass would be any different?

Here's a picture of the Alumitone Strat pickup in the bass:

 

It's a standard EMG soapbar rout.....fits right in -and you are correct about the vast improvement........

 

No, I can't thank you enuff for the great product.

RS

 

Any idea if these are anywhere close to the Bartolini CF in size? I have been toying with the idea of a change in my Cort Curbow 4.

I have been using the Transensors, California Convertibles, and D100 in my guitars for years, and really enjoy their performance.

 

I bet that sounds great! I had a P bass that I wanted to put four of those pickups in. But I couldn't wait so I went another rout.

 

I have a Lace Helix neck-thru 4-string that I picked up off eBay for $500...I freakin love it. I saw the body style once, and was hoping it played as good as it looked...and it does. WIDE range of tones, and always gets a second look out and about. Thanks to the guys at Lace who have made such a tremendous instrument!

 

Are all their basses passive or do they have active models too? Every one that I've seen has been passive.

 

I think all of the Alumitone pickups are passive - I know mine is. From the Lace Website: "The Helix™ bass is equipped with the revolutionary Alumitone® pickup, designed by Jeff Lace. These Alumitones® are a “current driven” design, rather the traditional voltage based pickups, allowing the musician a higher fidelity or “broad-band response” that helps to create a tighter top-end, more mid-range and a huge bottom end. This passive pickup outperforms many active systems, and the sonic output level generally exceeds that of similar preamp equipped basses. With today’s increased environmental concerns, Lace® also wanted to create a lightweight, advanced pickup that doesn’t contribute to pollutants caused by discarded batteries. “By using the Alumitone, ® the need for conventional pickups with a preamp and battery are eliminated, and you lose almost two pounds of weight, without compromising output or performance,” states Jeff Lace."

Don't let that scare you off though, these pickups are amazingly versatile in the tones they produce, and I can get an amazing "active-sounding" tone out of my Helix.

Pics on the way!