Lace Music Products | Since 1979

Acoustic Guitar Magazine Review LF-150SCE

2008-02-22

Read the review for Lace's LF-150SCE Flattop concert acoustic. The article AND video review from Acoustic Guitar:

Video: Lace Acoustic Guitar Review

Founded in 1979, Lace Music Products made its name in the world of electric-guitar pickups. The company initially made a splash when its hum-reducing single-coil Lace Sensor pickups became the backbone of the first Eric Clapton model Stratocasters.

Since then, Lace has applied this experience with magnetic pickups to units designed for acoustic flattops and even resonator guitars—leading to successes including the diminutive Acoustic Blade.

Recently, Lace diversified into the guitar market with a line of acoustics and electrics that utilize Lace electronics on guitars of its own design. The product family now includes the LF-150SCE, which mates magnetic and piezo pickups in a grand concert-size guitar.

SOLID CONSTRUCTION, DISTINCTIVE STYLING
The Lace LF-150SCE makes a bold, contemporary styling statement right out of the case. A distinctive headstock that features an open slot in its center and a vine inlay that flows from the third to the 17th fret lend the guitar a signature look.

The review instrument’s solid spruce top had even grain with a hint of a bearclaw pattern, but a touch of grain-run-out resulted in a slight color variation between the two top halves. The Indian rosewood back and sides were a rich, dark color and featured some subtle, yet beautiful, grain patterns. The body is bound with authentic maple, and its rosette is made from some particularly colorful abalone. With the exception of a section of the soundhole that was enlarged unevenly to accommodate the Acoustic Blade pickup, the guitar’s construction was quite clean.

CAPABLE PICKUP DUO
The Lace LF-150SCE is one of very few stock guitar models that include both magnetic and piezo pickups—a combination that is often assembled from expensive after-market parts by experienced players who are modifying their stage guitars. The most notable element of Lace’s two-pickup system is the company’s own US-made Acoustic Blade. While most other magnetic pickups obstruct a large area of the soundhole and inhibit top vibration with their added weight, the Acoustic Blade is mounted directly to the end of the fretboard, away from the player’s hand, where it has less impact on top vibration.

Lace supplements the Acoustic Blade with a preamp and an undersaddle piezo pickup by Korean manufacturer Artec. Powered by a nine-volt battery (or phantom power by way of an XLR jack), the side-mounted preamp is home to a master volume, four-band EQ, separate high and low EQ for the magnetic pickup, and a blend control. A phase switch, battery compartment door, and LEDs for low battery and phantom power complete the control panel.

EASY UNDER THE FINGERS
After restringing it with a fresh set of light-gauge D’Addario phosphor-bronze strings, the instrument came to life, bringing forth a delicate voice that favored highs and mids over rumbling basses.

The guitar’s setup was excellent out of the box. And the combination of a low-profile neck and the guitar’s low action resulted in an electric guitar–like playing experience. That playability came with some trade-offs—low action on a guitar that already has a somewhat bright sound can yield a bit of brashness when digging in with a flatpick, and this was certainly the case on the LF-150SCE. But the same combination of low action and fast neck makes the Lace an ideal candidate for nimble-fingered chord-melody playing or soft fingerpicking.

PLUG IT IN!
The appeal of matching an undersaddle piezo pickup with a magnetic pickup in the same guitar is that the two sources have inherently different sounds, and the combination can yield highly versatile tones.

The LF-150SCE certainly capitalizes on the potential of this pickup configuration.

I started my exploration of the Lace’s capabilities by plugging in to a Fishman Loudbox 100 amp, using a standard ¼-inch guitar cable. Initially, I was somewhat confused by the control layout on the guitar’s preamp. While most two-pickup systems include a dial to fade between the sources, the Lace’s Artec preamp has a master volume that controls the undersaddle pickup and a slider that adds the magnetic pickup to this existing sound. That means the magnetic pickup can’t be used by itself.

In a similar fashion, the preamp’s four-band EQ affects the undersaddle pickup signal only, with the magnetic portion being served by the simpler “high/low” slider. At first I thought that this design choice would be limiting, but after playing with various settings during my picking session, I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of available tones. The guitar’s undersaddle pickup had a bright tone and snappy attack. But adding the Acoustic Blade to the signal changed the sonic picture radically—reshaping the brighter, edgier tones of the undersaddle. With as much Acoustic Blade dialed into the overall signal as the system would allow, the Lace sounded almost like an amplified archtop, especially when I rolled off the treble for a fat jazz tone. With the guitar’s easy playability, I couldn’t help playing a few bars of “Misty,” followed by some jazz-inspired single-note lines, all of which were a joy to play.

Trying to achieve more typical flattop sounds for some fingerstyle playing in dropped-D tuning or when strumming open chords, I found that the Acoustic Blade offered almost too much richness, and I got the best results by backing it off in the mix, thereby allowing a bit of the undersaddle pickup’s sparkle to enhance the Lace’s tone.

THE WRAP
The Lace LF-150SCE is a unique instrument. With buttery-smooth playability, a slim neck, and amplified tones that range from cutting piezo sounds to mellow jazz vibes, the guitar should appeal to those looking for an easy-to-play flattop with an expansive selection of plugged-in tones. Lace’s combination of features are hard to find elsewhere at the LF-150SCE’s affordable retail price, making it an ax worth checking out.

Go back to news page