Lace Music Products AlumiTone

This is the single coil size Alumitone. It's been kicking around my parts drawer for a couple of years looking for a permanent home after trying it in a couple different configurations.

It's an passive fairly med/low impedence that uses the idea of a P-bass pickup in that there are two mini-coils to buck hum, but they each cover three strings, and a sort of transformer deal under the shiny aluminum skeleton.

Three wires: you combine a pair for common and the other is hot. Easy to change phase.

I initially bought this because it looked like it was thin enough to fit under the strings of an acoustic archtop I had, but was not.

Then I tried it out in a Les Paul knockoff with a Rio Grande "BBQ" humbucker in the bridge. It was useful when combined with the bridge pickup because it brightened up the tone when heavily distorted and added some harmonics and chirp/pinch harmonics. But the guitar wound up being sort of a one trick pony and that was its only trick. The Alumitone then became a drawer queen for a couple of years...

...until lately when I purchased one of those Gibson reissue Melody Makers with the single adjustable single coil bridge pickups, which I just loved and has become my main guitar. But a single bridge pickup guitar is REALLY a one trick pony!

So I routed out a spot for the Alumitone right at the base of the neck and installed a push-pull 500K AllParts pot in place of the Gibson standard tone pot, retaining the stock Gibson tone cap (0.022mf?), for an either/or pickup selection (no combination position).

I REALLY like the result on the Melody Maker!
The Alumitone's ceramic magnets are close to the strings, but do not seem to add magnetic pull that changes the basic character of the guitar when on the stock Gibson single coil bridge pickup (which I like because it has a snarly growl about halfway between a P-90 and a Tele bridge).

By itself (the only other option on this guitar's setup) the Alumitone has a great full bodied and broad spectrum range that has the crispness of a single coil, but a little rounder and full bodied like maybe a hot mini-humbucker. No mud, but yet doesn't have a high end "ping" that ruins it in the neck position for certain types of music (like jazz). It's a great strat neck pickup sound with no detractions, IMHO.

Terrific for a modern jazz or Blues tone in the neck position. It can also get a nice acoustic quality, and responds well with the pots on the guitar and the tone cap as-is. I don't really hear any harshness from the ceramic magnets.

For hum it's as silent as an EMG!

I'm sold on the whole concept and sound of this single-coil size Alumitone, and intend to use more of them in the future, probably on a strat type guitar.

I love single coil sound, but hate the inherent noise of the plain ones, and the common stacked humbucker designs really compromise the open quality of standard single coils.

This pickup is the best of all worlds for my uses. Great sound, and silent for hum!

Humbucking size - chrome - passive AlumiTone

I replaced both stock pickups from a Gibson 335.
The AlumiTones did not specify neck or bridge.
I was looking for a better tone, specifically better highs.
The stock pickups were to nasal sounding.
I was taken in by the reports that these had a wider frequncy response than other pickups.

Output is strong.
I use Fender amps - twin - super - deluxe - pro - vibrolux.
I have a Mesa Boogie Road King but haven't used it in a while.
The tone of these is better than the stock ones.
But it's not as advertised - the overall frequency response is a little better and smoother - not noticably wider.
Also - they are not totally noise free - they're susceptable to hum - but not bad.
Overall, these are nice, smooth sounding pickups.
But don't expect more high end or low end than other pickups.

The best thing about this is they are beautiful looking.
I probably would not buy them again.
I've been playing for about 35 years. I've got several guitars and amps. Single coil pickups have captured my heart for the last 10 or so years. But the noise is a killer.
These do not sound like single coils - they are nice humbuckers.
I wish they had some high end sparkle - they don't.
They also don't have deep clear low end.

Chrome version of the Alumitone pickup w/humbucker in the bridge and single coil in the neck. A high output but low resistance design w/ a unique lightweight aluminum frame. Very eye-catching appearance!

I installed these in a Fender Baja Telecaster. I am a pro guitar tech with my own repair shop and this is one of my shop guitars that I use as a demo model for customers. I routed it for a humbucker in the bridge and kept the traditonal Tele neck pickup position. This guitar had an Adder Plus Brad Paisley model neck pickup and Adder Plus Persuader humbucker. Both are great pickups just tend to try new stuff after awhile to showcase unique mods for customers. This guitar was already wired w/a 4-way selector and I was using 500K pots/.047 mfd capacitors for the old pickups. When I corresponded with Jeff Lace about these he suggested 250K pots and .022 caps but I didn't have time to rewire it all. I would agree that those would be ideal after testing it, since they were a touch trebly on some settings, but rolling the tone knob back 2 notches and they were perfect. Jeff did suggest not mixing these with other pickups as they would overpower them w/noticeable volume drops when combining pickups or switching between them and I could definately see what he meant when comparing a stock Tele side-by-side through the same amp on the same settings.

Okay, where it really matters: TONE-n-SOUND! If you are like some of my friends and believe true tone has to have vintage sound by single-coil pickups w/60-cycle hum then don't read any further. These are not vintage and they are quiet without background noise, but loud for output! Like Lace Sensors (which I do like in their own way...they are just different) these are their own animal. If you derive your tone from your pickup and have a set idea of what traditional tone is than you will have a hard time with these unless you can look outside the box and consider your tone coming more from your hands and your amp. These are a true hi definition pickup with a broad frequency reponse. Because of that they are probably one of the most dynamic pickups I've ever tried. I had 3 players try them out. The first played some metal and classic rock style riffs and leads through a Fender Twin Reverb for clean and then through a Mesa Dual Rectifier w/the gain maxed. Through both amps and settings they were amazingly clean with excellent note definition. They translated the tone/gain of the amps perfectly without ever getting muddy. The second played finger-style through a Blues Jr and they were crystal clear. The 3rd played some Hendrix-style riffs and big, open acoustic-style chords through a Fender DeVille. This is where I noticed the dynamics coming into play. The attack on the strings really had some of the most dramatic effect on driving the signal that I had ever seen. Even the player remarked that he had never seen an electric guitar pickup capture the dynamics of his acoustic playing style so dramatically. The more he dug in the more it really drove the signal. This guitar has the 4-way switch w/1.bridge, 2.bridge and neck parallel, 3.neck, 4. neck and bridge in series. With all 4 settings you had were able to get a good mix of single-coil and humbucker tones. Compared to a standard Tele I think the Alumitone single coil tended to be a little more balanced with a smoother top-end and a more defined bottom-end. The humbucker had the same characteristics with a little more mid-range response. I think w/the humbucker or single-coil models you could pretty much play any type of music appropriate to that style pickup and sound good with some EQ tweaking on your amp.

I am very impressed with these pickups. Ratings on here are to be taken with a grain of salt since if you are taking the time to write a review you probably either love or hate the item being reviewed. I will replace these with something else at some point just because of the nature of my business, but I would definately recommend these to customers looking for something outside the box. Again, if you want specific traditional tone stick with a specific traditional pickup. Because of the hi-def approach to these they will only sound as good as your rig you are playing through. If you have a cheap, crappy rig than you'll get crap for tone from these. Because of the dynamics and note definition of these they will also hilight your playing for better or worse. As side benefits they are amazingly light weight (would love to try them in a Les Paul in the future) and very cool looking. I've had a ton of customers in the week since I installed them ask me about them because the unique appearance (especially in a Tele) caught their eye. Just be prepared to do some routing with a Dremel on your pickguard (or have one made/buy a loaded pickguard) because they will not fit the standard holes due to the squared ends on them) and possibly on the pickup routs (they were a little wider than my neck pickup cavity). The installation aspect is mainly what I'm knocking these down for and the aspect that because of their design you will have to install these as a full set. My particular humbucker did not come with the white wire for some reason which prevented me from being able to do some additional switching such as coil split, etc. Although if I'd felt that strongly I could have returned it I suppose.

Already covered by other reviewers; Thanks guys.

I installed this into my Ibanez S2170 in the neck position, replacing the stock DiMarzio IBZ. I also installed a Lace Sensor Silver in the middle, and a Lace Sensor Red/Red Dually in the bridge. There was nothing wrong with the stock pickups; they were pretty good, but really the only "pretty good" thing on the guitar, so I decided to do the rest of the guitar justice and make it the best it could be (in my opinion). I'm not aware of any hugely famous artists using the Alumitone yet, but it shouldn't be long.

Okay, so the only reason I gave this pickup a 9 instead of a 10 is due to how loud it is, particularly when playing clean. When switching from other pickups, there is a noticeable jump in volume, which wouldn't be a problem if I had independent volume controls, but I don't. It isn't a huge problem, but I had to find some flaw.
As most other people have said, this pickup is very bassy/ mid-ey. When I first played this clean, it was mind-blowing how full the sound was. That's probably how I would best describe its sound: full. Has great warmth and depth.
I play either straight into a Fender Ultimate Chorus or through a Native Instruments Guitar Rig 3 pedalboard (also a very cool toy. check it out some time).
Through distortion this pickup is just as good as when clean. Like Lace Sensors, it has very, very, very little noise, even when on high gain settings. Just like when clean, bass and mid's are very prominent through distortion, though not muddy at all. Also, incredible sustain.
The only reason this is only in the neck position is because I could resist getting Lace Sensor Red-Red for the bridge; it's just so sexy. The Alumitone is suitable for neck, middle, and bridge.

I've been playing fairly intensively for about five years now. The Alumitone is probably my favorite neck pickup, and in combination with the other Lace Sensors, is part of my favorite pickup set-up. If this pickup were stolen, first of all, I would go ape-sh** because this is one of the first times I've wired my own pickups, and I'm proud of my work. I would definitely buy another, though. The Alumitone completes my perfect guitar essentially. The only pickup's that come close for me are DiMarzio Evolutions, but I would put those in a completely different category of sound.
Bottom Line: This pickup, along with most Lace products are in a league of their own. I'm surprised more people don't use them. Lace continues to come up with creative pickup designs that both sound incredible and manage to look sharp as hell.

Passive low impedance humbuckers. Very good looking pickup. Not your traditional design but very well could be the way of the future. Can be set very close to the strings due to low magnetic field which means there is a higher output then you would expect. Also the strings vibrate true without the effect of a high magnetic field surrounding them and this leads to getting all of the tonality of the instrument. I hope I am not sounding like an ad because these pickups blow me away.

I put these into a Les Paul copy and I can say that this instrument has come to life and shown it's full potential.

They are both the neck and bridge position and are replacing a cheap Chinese pickup so near anything would be an improvement.

The sound of these pickups is simply incredible. They cover the full range without getting muddy at any point. Case in point: How many guitarists would play their instrument using the neck pickup with the tone control turned to "0". I never have before but with these pickups it doesn't go muddy and thick but has fantastic bass with clarity. Through my "Damage Control Demonizer" on this setting is something to be reckoned with.

You can use them clean. You can use them dirty. you can use them filthy. The pinch harmonics would leave many "metal" pickups to shame while still being able to deliver that jazzy clean sound if you need. I don't think I have ever played a more versatile pickup. It's like the pickup is doing it's job - reproducing the sound of the guitar, without adding it's inherent limitations. This means that the controls on the effects and amp that you use aren't being coloured by the pickup.

Using the controls of the amp and effects I have managed to get the good ol' Les Paul to sound like a Strat, a Tele, anything I want. It is a different way of thinking because most of us are used to doctoring the limitations of the pickups we use and getting the best sound we can from that. The Lace's give you a whole new playing field and it took me a while to get used to the idea that I could do what I wanted with them.

I play many styles but love Blues and it's child - good old Rock. I also play anything from Country rock through to Sabbath. I have been playing for over 32 years (am I that old?) and currently own 10 guitars from vintage to modern.

Don't think I am a Lace freak though I do love their pickups their customer support is the worst of any pickup company I have ever dealt with. If you are after customer support then go elsewhere these guys have absolutely no idea what the concept means.

Another thing to mention is that due to the low impedance a guitar equipped with this style of pickup can go straight into a mixing board without going through an amp.

I am loath to give anything a "10" but the Alumitone is worth it. I will always have a guitar equipped with these pickups so if one is stolen or destroyed by the god of guitars then, yes, I would immediately replace it.

Through my Marshall these sound so good both clean and very very very dirty. I love that they allow you to have full control over your sound. I think most guitarists just accept that the sound from their guitars have limitations without even realising that they do. These pickups take the limitations away. At first when I put them in and had the amp set to what I am used to I was impressed but not overly. Itr wasn't until I discovered that the sound of my instrument was now a palette for me to play with and not being restricted by the pickups inherent limitations that I really started to appreciate what I could do with them.

Try it. Be prepared to change your settings on both your amp and effects and then discover all the possibilities and limitations of those amps and effects because your alumitone pickup isn't limiting the equation.

I have to admit that I didn't think these things would do what they have but respectfully have to concede to the superior design technology Lace have come up with. I have never been driven to do a review before but honestly the Alumitone has made me.

Cool new look, good output, great clarity. Very low impedance, but adds clarity when wired in parallel with other pickups. Very cool passive pickup. COMPLETELY noise free even when run through THREE separate distortion effects.

I installed a humbucker size Alumitone in my B.C. Rich Warlock to get some good, clean tones out of the neck position. This pickup is replacing a tapped single coil B.C. Rich stock humbucker and sounds great. My reason for the change was to get more low and high end and eliminate the noise when distorted, all of which it does. I have tried it in the bridge position, but it loses the crisp, nicely scooped tone of the neck position and takes on a hollow, almost nasally quality. (Note; that sound is coming solely from the Alumitone, I did not wire it out of phase with the neck pickup) The other pickup in my guitar is a Quad Rail.

The output is much better than any traditional single-coils, and is more crisp and round than many current humbuckers. I play many styles of music, ranging from hippy strumming to heavy metal. When distorted in the neck position, this pickup gives my Quad Rail a run for its money, at it produces LESS excess noise when not in use and captures more than enough sound from the strings. My only regret about getting this pickup is that I did not get two. For acoustic or clean playing, this pickup is best used in the neck, while for dirty, distorted playing, this pickup will do fine in either position. Primarily, I run my guitar through a Digitech Metal Master distortion pedal, into a Digitech Death Metal distortion pedal, into a Behringer GMX212 amp.

As an overall rating, if it was lost or stolen, I would save up and buy another. In total, I have been playing guitar for about 2 years, a few weeks with this pickup. The best part about this pickup is the crisp, round tone you get while playing clean in the neck position, the least thing I like about it is the lack of good tone while playing clear in the bridge position. Others may say differently, but I think that that is its worst quality. Currently, I can compare it to a stock BC Rich Humbucker and a Monsterbucker Quad Rail purchased from TOG. It outperforms both in clarity, matches the stock humbucker in volume and low end, and is in very close competition with the quad rail for high end and low end volume. I do wish it had just a little more top end, to add clarity when strumming, but overall, it is great.

Full set of three single coils with I meg pots.

In a custom Strat

Output is moderate, but frequency response is wide, making articulation outstanding.

Besides the cool retro look, when shielded properly, these pickups make NO NOISE. For a studio guitarist or anyone else who despises noise, that is worth the price.

USA made, SG-inspired guitar. I actually like the shape a little better than the Gibson SG. Tune-o-matic style bridge, 22 Frets. Solid mahogany body with set mahogany neck and a cocobolo fretboard. Sperzel tuners. Volume and tone for each of the two humbucker pickups and a three way selector switch. Mine came with a flawless black finish.

This guitar is incredible. It exceeded my expectations. I play bluesy rock & roll and it gets the job done above & beyond the call of duty. Amplifier used is either a Fender black face and also a Marshall 2203. The sustain is incredible. I have five guitars at this time and the SG Gibson is gonna go to a new home cuz the new sheriff is in town with the arrival of the Alumitone and its gutsy & grungy sound I can produce with it. On the the other hand it is capable of sound to the other end of the spectrum as well.

Set up from the factory was perfect. I was gonna tweak it a lil cuz I like as low of action as possible but it was already there right out of the box. Ther pickup will be raised a slight bit but thats no big deal. No Flaws were found, all alignment was excellent. I am gonna replace the strings with a lighter set. The stock set may be alright for alot of folks but I like em light. Can't wait to replace them and let er rip.

This Guitar would certainly & without a doubt perform as a frontrunner for live play. The finish is a high gloss and absolutely spectacular. I think anybody that is gonna play a gig would not be prepared properly without a back axe....so I would have a backup..... but that is not anything against the Lace Alumitone. It's simply murphy's law.If it can happen it just indeed may happen. Be prepared!

This is a real solid beauty that is gonna be around for years to come.

I have played for 18 years. Other guitars I have owned are Fenders, Ive owned Washburns, Gibsons, Guilds, Squier, and more recently of course the Lace and PRS, I plan to aquire an Reverend soon also. I would definitelty replace with another exactly like it if it was lost or stolen. I am profoundly impressed with the quality of this mean machine vs the price I paid for it. I recommends serious guitarist invest into the Lace as I only see the price going up due to the quality /price compared. Simply said this Lace will make the Rock & Roll sawdust fly cuz this thing takes the cake. It is outstanding!!!

These are very low impedance passive humbucking pickups. Really good high and low range, but with mids that still sing nicely. Hi-Tech look.

I installed these in a H/H Strat. I installed these just because I like trying new pickups. It's sort of a hobby of mine...

These pups just scream fat blues. Copy and paste the link below to listen to my recording. It's just a basic mono recording of "Still Got The Blues" through my Torres modified Fender Concert w/reverb and a bit of delay. Lots of gain, but still quite clear.
http://marksmitchell7.home.mindspring.com/AlumiToneBuckerBlues.mp3

I like these enough to keep them installed (I have over 50 sets of pickups and only 10 Strats). They are super quiet and just have THAT sound. Fat, but not muddy. I have the bass control on my amp set to zero with these, so if you are looking for a bucker with a huge low-end, these are a good choice because they are massive on the bottom. They are also the lightest weight pickups in the world I think.

My guitar is made in California, USA.. The body is mahagony as well as the neck. The body is extremely lightweight and neck is fast with great access to upper frets. Nice Sperzel tuners. The workmanship in this guitar is first class

It suits my musical style or tastes just fine. It has a nice set of humbuckers that can sound fat if that is your taste or can be clean and quiet. The guitar is really fun to play.The neck pickup has a fat, thick, punchy sound and the neck is tight and trebly. Both pickups sound good to me. Good sustain both plugged and unplugged. I like the sounds this guitar will produce.

Action, fit and finish is outstanding. There were no flaws at all.The guitar was pretty well set up when I received it, but I did re-set the intonation after making a string gauge change. I lowered the bridge all the way down with no fret buzz!. I love the neck and fretboard inlays. The guitar is an amazing piece of workmanship and I love it.

Everything seems durable and reliable. I find the toggle to be useful and I wag it back and forth quite a bit. All of the hardware looks good and works well. I adjusted the bridge and the intonation without any hitches.

This one is perfect. I can't stress enough how nice this guitar really is.

I've been playing guitar for 35 years. I own quite a few guitars and by comparison, this little knockoff is an outstanding bargain. I love the way it plays and feels. The sound is fairly standard humbucker so you may want to do something different with the pickups. If you don't mind a little oddball approach to an SG, I recommend this instrument. It is absolutely excellent.