Lace Cybercaster

Recent Lace Cybercaster (2005?), Mahogany body with Rosewood veneer top. Two Lace hemi humbucker pickups, one volume, one tone with push-pull to switch to single-coil.

The Lace humbucker pickups are very hot and sound fantastic. The tone control also works extremely well to create a variety of tones. This guitar creates wonderful rock and funk rhythm sounds, but has a tendency to be a bit thin for jazz or lighter styles. I use it with a Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Fulltone OCD, and it has a deep, ballsy sound that I really like.

I bought it on ebay, so I don't know how it was originally set up. I have had to do a lot of tweaking to correct the intonation, and also added an earvana compensated nut. I have the action set pretty low, and the only complaint is a comparatively weak-sounding low e string. Plays very smoothly, though, with a natural feeling neck. For a $400-$500 guitar, not bad.

Use it out all the time - no problems.

Not needed.

I've been playing 25 years, and would definitely buy it again if it were stolen. In fact, I bought another one, the American-made, twist-neck version. I've gotten a lot of compliments on the tone when playing out. It's a unique, great-sounding guitar. A real value.

2003 Lace Cybercaster made in California, USA. 21 Fret work of modern art. The guitar was clearly inspired by a 52 Tele - it has a butterscotch sold wood finish and gloss maple neck, but this guitar has a twist - literally. The neck is twisted 10.8 degrees to better accomodate the natural positioning of your hand as it moves up the fretboard. GimmicK? Some critics might say yes, but I think it is fantastic. No buzzing or fretting out - I do not know how they did it. It is VERY comfortable to play.
Another twist - this is not your dad's tele! The body is elongated and the carbon fiber pickguard tells you that this is a modernistic take on a classic design - I imagine if the tele were designed today it might look like this.
The pickups are Lace Hemi humbuckers (Lace is obviously well known as respected for their pickups) and they deliver a variety of sounds from thick to twangy. The fretboard is totally clean - not a fret marker to be found and the truss plate and plate on the back of the neck are milled aluminum - very hip. There is a modern take on the Tele bridge - this is also a string through body. and the input resembles a strat.
The guitar is not featherweight, tele/strat range I'd say and it is very well balance and comfortable to hold and to play sitting and standing. Single chrome Volume and Tone control (like the tele, but the volume is well placed to do swells.
Nicely designed headstock - the designer told me it was intended to resemble a ballet dancer's foot and it is indeed very graceful and integrates well into the design of the guitar.
And there's the name - CYBERCASTER - how cool is that?
As versatile as any solid body guitar I own (I own 41 guitars at last count and I play 'em all)
It is refreshing to see a NEW take on guitars. Mine is serial # 148 so there is a good chance I could take it out on a gig and never run into anyone who owns one or has seen one - a shame really, because it is ultra cool and redefines hip electric guitars.

No batteries, no preamps, a single voulme and tone and 3 way pickup selector. Ultra simple and straightforward. I like to play music, not be an electrical engineer.

I play everything frmo Led Zep to Beatles to Blues and this guitar is extremely comfortable - great sustain and terrific sound. I generally end up on the bridge pickup with most of my guitars because sometimes the Neck pickup gets muddy. This guitar's pickups are great - very versatile, roll off the volume and go from warm to crunch.

The guitar came to me in the factory sealed box and it was set up beautifully. It did arrive with one annoying flaw - when I plugged it in there was nothing. Turns out one of the wires under the pickguard was being pinched and therefore shorted the guitar out. Kind of annoying, especially at this price instrument, but the guitar itself was a work of art. The problem took perhaps 3 minutes to repair. The pickups and action were exactly to my taste, The frets were finished beautifully, no rough edges. The finish is mirror gloss and perfect. It looked like a tele in the hands of the Christopher Lloyd from "Back to the Future"

NOTE - I think the rating must reflect the problem I experienced, but notwithstanding that one time annoyance, this guitar would receive a 10.

Now that the short was addressed, I would have no problem gigging without a backup. As I said - no batteries, not fancy electronics to deal with, solid piece of wood and two pickups - thats it. - just straight ahead guitar - country to blues to rock.

The folks at Lace are awesome. I called them at 5:15pm when I received my guitar via UPS and noticed the electricla problem. Don Lace told me he was very embarassed and would I like to come to the factory the next day to have it repaired. The Lace headquarters are an hour out of Los Angeles (where I live) and I went to the factory and was treated to a one hour tour of the facility and a peek at new designs etc. What a treat! They were very apologetic and I got a free Lace Tshirt for my troubles and I had a lot of fun as well.
Excellent customer support and service. In fact, the reason I decided to buy the guitar in the first place came following an hourlong phone discussion with one of the staff a week earlier. They directed me to their dealer listing and I contacted a dealer and arranged to purchase the Cybercaster and have it shipped to my home.
These people are passionate about their product!

Its not the problem that is as important as how it is handled and these folks stepped up to the plate and were gracious and kind.

I love this guitar. I have been playing for 33 years and I own 41 guitars at last count, electric and acoustic. This one is a keeper and a player! Plus my wife and kids ooo'ed and aaaah'ed when they first saw it - after 40 guitars to get THAT kind of reaction is rare.
It feels great (the 10.8 degree twist is novel but NOT a novelty) and sounds great too. If it were lost or stolen I would have to find another.
At $1100 it is not inexpensive, but I have purchased guitars for 2 and 3 times that an not felt as excited to play or even look at them.

2003 Huntington Beach California, USA produced. 2-piece solid Ash body.
Strong chrome knurled (1)volume & (1)tone knobs; (1) 3-way toggle. (2) Chrome Lace HemiBuckers. Shimmering, very thick, transluscent butterscotch finish. Black carbon-fiber pickguard, 21 medium frets, maple neck/fretboard with side markers only (very clean look), and of course, the patented 10.8 degree twister neck (my favorite feature). Gotoh tuners. String thru chrome tail-plate (similar to Tele). Looks like someone stretched out a Tele on some computer software; elongated appearance; very progressive body shape. It is very well balanced. 25 1/2" scale. Has grooved billet aluminum trus rod cover and neck plate. Absolutely gorgeous! Hardshell case (that's pushing it actually, it is a rather flimsy excuse for a hard case).

I play classic rock, blues, grunge, some metal. Some Nashville if held at gunpoint. I use the Vox Valvetronix amps exclusively. As is widely known, Lace pups are noiseless. HemiBuckers represent the best of noiseless single-coil bell, glass, and quack paired with the buttery, bottom heavy tones of humbuckers. They do it all IMHO. THERE ARE NO DISLIKE HERE.

Outstanding out-of-the-box. There is a miniscule gap @ neck pocket; could be tighter for the $$. Otherwise, FLAWLESS in every detail.

Feels very strong; sturdy, durable. Time will tell.

Interacted with Don Mare on a couple of occassions; very professional, knowledgable; no brand egocentricity; fair and impartial.

I have been playing for 26 years, semi-professionally with many years of circuit gigging. I also have a Squier Cherry-Burst Stratocaster with equally innovative Lace Alumitone pups; a fabulous Pawar Turn of the Century Player; Schecter Swamp-Ash USA Custom Shop 'S' series strat ; Fender MIM Standard Series Telecaster; and an ESP/LTD EC-300 gold-top with P100 pups. Amps include a Vox ValveTronix AD12OVT 2x12 Celestion combo, Vox ValveTronix AD120VT Head with 4x12 Celestion NeoDog Cabinet. This guitar is futuristic and innovative in its' design and function and will therefore be shunned by many; so be it. More for me to buy. I literally have not played any other guitar since I have gotten this one. It's just that comfortable. If lost or stolen I'd definetly replace. Only back-up I'd use would be another CyberCaster. I guess my next will be the Moon-Eyes Branson.

This review is for a 2002 USA Branson Cybercaster (the upgrade to a Branson has binding around the body). It has 2 Lace Hemi pickups with a 3-way switch and was shipped with Gotoh tuners. The body style is a comfortable 'futuristic' design unique to Lace as well as the proprietary neck which has a 10.8 degree twist for ergonomic comfort (which is my favorite feature!!!). It comes with a hard shell case.

This is where the guitar really shines. Besides the Lace, at the moment, I have 2 G&L's (a Fullerton strat and a custom ASAT Z-3), as well as a 1989 Les Paul Standard that I take on the road. I thought that it would be a great backup to the Les Paul, but since I got it, the Gibson is my backup, and the G&L's have been left at home. I play in a relentlessly touring modern rock band that needs versatility and this is the best all purpose guitar I have ever owned. I play it through a Matchless Superchief 120 and the Lace Hemi pickups give the best of both worlds sound wise-the bottom end of a humbucker with out the uncontrollable feedback and the bite and mix cutting ability of a single coil without the noise- brilliant!!!
I can imagine any type/ style of player enjoying the chameleon- like ability of this guitar...

The guitar was set-up nicely at the factory, with only minor adjustments needed due to my picky nature.

If I didn't break strings so often on any guitar I play, I'd definitely play this guitar without a backup... I think my only complaint would be the case. It could be a little more rugged, then again, my guitars may get abused more than average, and all of my cases eventually get trashed.

Don Lace is one of the coolest guys in the industry. He is professional and courteous and always returns my calls. The guys in the custom shop are very knowledgeable with experience 2nd to none. They won't ever leave you hanging!!!!

I have been playing professionally for close to 10 years, and never purchase anything without thorough research. The pickups and the 10.8 degree twisted neck on this guitar are worth the price alone.

this is a brand new 2002 cybercaster,made in usa, 21 fret maple neck/fingerboard. 2 pickups that work as single coils or humbuckers.the boby is alder , the shape is a futuristic take on a fifties tele. tele style tailpiece, gotoh tuners medium frets 25 and 1/2 scale.with a gig bag

I am the guitarist for the monkees and usually play a tele. I cover country /rock /rockabilly to jazz and broadway-ish styles in the course of a show. it has all the tele sounds nailed as well as a full humbucker sound, but the humbuckers still retain the there high end and clearity when in use. the lace picups are noiseless, which is a must. i play it thru a AC-30 and a tweed bassman. some times a tube screamer, delay, tremolo or chorus. the pickups are very versatile,and run the effects wells.

it came set up with .010 strings ,medium action. i had to readjust it to my playing style,and re-set the intonation ,which was a bit out.i also needed to re-slot the e and b string on the nut ,which cured a slight tuning problem. this minor adjustment made it a perfectly in tune guitar, even when i play aggessively!. it is finished like a fifties tele,buttersctocth finish .beautiful! with chrome hardware, like a tele of the future.

i have already flown with it on comercial airline 6 times, and it fit great in the overhead compartment due to its small body shape. what a plus.!!! it was the only guitar i had with me for a two week tour, totally built like steel and dependable. its body shape and the strap botton placement made it super comfortable to play standing up. the wieght is like a medium wieght tele.

with lace, you can talk directly to the people who work on the guitar. easy to reach on the phone or email. i called about a slight modification ,and it was addressed the same day.totally friendly and professional.

i have been playing 35 years and have been a touring professional for over 20 years.over the years i'ved played and or owned almost every make and model. i normally play a variety of strats and teles on tour. this guitar covers all that ground and then some. i have a/b'd it with many other of my axes and it retains the true fender type sound with some added mids, and more guts ,per say. as a traditional long term tele player, i think other tele players would totally dig it once they got comfortable with the modern body design. it's a winner

Lace Cybercaster.2002. Made in the good ol USA. 21 frets. No neck dots on fingerboard. One piece Alder or Poplar the literature doesn't say. One tone one volume nice heavy knurled chrome knobs. 3 way switch. 2 Lace Hemi passive humbuckers. 10.8 twisted hard rock maple neck, maple board. Very shiny and smooth finish all over even on the fingerboard. Stretched Tele body shape with tele style bridge string through body. No tremelo. Tuners are mini Gotoh. Nice billet thick headplate and neckplate. Hard case.

The sound is full with a crispness to all pickup combos. Not as bright as the Tele twang but different and very clean. The neck pickup gives you a deeper bass with a sustain that gets down. I am a relative new player trying for that Mark Knoppfler or Angus Young bell like sound and this guitar seems to do it. I am using a Crate Vintage tube amp with no pedals so I can't say how it sounds with distortion. Hoping to hook it up to a Marshall and play till my dying day.(There's a song title for you)

First noticed the name on the case says HELIX not Cybercaster but since I am told the Helix is being stopped maybe they have too many cases. The case is nice but wimpy corner protectors and there was a hard glue seam that rubs the finish inside. The pickups have a small cheesy sticker that I had to put back on and probably won't stay there for long. The set up is very good the action low. The controls are tight and feel good. The finish is very nice but I wonder if the neck tone is affected by the layer of Nitro. It is a very nicely polished guitar with no finish flaws other than a screwdriver scuff I polished out.

Everything seems solid as it should for an instrument of this price range $1400. I am not a pro but I believe this is made for the rigors of gigging. Would have liked to pay less than the Man. Suggested price but since I bought it from the Lace Company I got no breaks and later realized I could have picked up a used PRS for around the same price..

Very friendly people at the Lace office. Not very much printed information to go with the product.

I have a few other guitars and this is THE most expensive up there with the best sounding but once again the price you pay, you should expect the best sound without having to swap the pickups. I wanted the twisted neck to make it THE guitar for ease on my wrist, however I haven't really noticed that big of a difference yet I may after awhile as I am pretty new to playing. The neck is awsome,fast,tight and the frets seem to be very well tuned. I was dissapointed there are no neck dots as it seems like a small detail that got left off to save costs or to make it different>>> Hey Lace put some dots on that match the pickguard!!!!! I absolutely love the style but don't think I would spring for that much money if it were stolen and If I see the same guitar for alot less money I'll be pissed.