Product: Lace Music Products Helix Neck-Thru Bass Guitar
Price Paid: USD 599 USED
Submitted
02/04/2009
at
03:41pm
by
Sean Combs
Features
:
9
Don't know the year, but here are the specs:
* Patented Lace Helix Body Shape
* Multi-6 Laminated Thru-Neck Maple with Mahogany Sides
* 34" Scale C Shape Neck -21 Frets
* 1 5/8" Nut Width - 15" Radius
* 2 Lace AlumitoneTM BassBar Bass Pickups
* 2 Lace DAT Volume Knobs with 250K Pot
* 1 Lace DAT Tone Knob with 250K Pot
* Heavy-Duty Chrome Bridge
* Heavy-Duty Sealed Chrome Tuners
* Rosewood Fretboard with Twisted "H" inlay at 12th Fret
* Colors: Trans Black, Trans Red, Trans Blue, Trans White, Natural Finish, Matte Black
* Weight: 7.6 lbs
* Red Label Design Gig Bag Included
Mine is the Trans Red finish - fretted with two pickups. I bought it lightly used from eBay - it came with the Lace soft gigbag and straplocks. It has that distinctive Lace body style - no one will mistake it for a Fender, that's for sure!
One thing I don't like is the placement of the cable jack on the back, tilted at an upward angle. This seems to put a lot of pressure on my cables, whether playing seated or standing.
The only other thing I don't care about is the placement of the strap locks - the neck lock is on the BACK of the bass, so it constantly pokes me in the stomach, and I have a difficult time keeping my strap from twisting up.
Other than that, the shape is odd, but fits my hands well. It is also amazingly light for a bass with this big sound.
Sound
:
10
Personally, I think this is where the bass truly shines. The Alumitone pickups give this bass a wide range of sounds available to the player. You can get sharp percussive tone by pushing the neck pickup and opening the tone up. By dialing the tone down and enabling both pickups, I get a rumble that rivals (and in some cases surpasses!) the high dollar basses I have tried out. I don't know that I have ever played a bass that gives you as much variety in sound without pushing it through a single effect pedal! Definitely my favorite feature of this bass...
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
It was used when I bought it, so I can't speak to the factory setup.
When I received it, the action was pretty high, so I lowered it to fit my playing style better.
Overall, this is a beautiful bass, the neckthru design is gorgeous, the finish is very glossy and cleans up very easily. The pickup selector feels very stock, but the pots are a total departure from any other bass I have seen. They knobs that are similar to adjustments found on most modern electronics, oversized with a lot of play in them for the amount of adjustment that occurs.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I have had this bass for three months now, and it seems very reliable. Because of the light weight, I wouldn't want to push my luck by abusing this bass, but I feel confident that with TLC, this bass will last me for years to come.
The bass stays in tune far longer than most other basses I have owned. The neck seems very solid and wide and is very comfortable to a player like me with larger hands.
I always have a backup - but haven't needed one with this bass.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Haven't used it - but have heard very good things.
Overall Rating
:
10
If this bass were lost or stolen, I would definitely get another Lace Helix as a replacement. I love that I can get an amazing range of sounds without having a ton of gear. I have yet to find a style/sound that I can't get from this bass.
I compared it to a lot of other basses before I purchased this one. After months of research, I was leaning towards a Schecter Damien 5-string, but when I heard the Lace, I had to have it!
I also love that not many people have this bass, so it gives you a custom look and feel without spending a CUSTOM amount of money!
