Lace Pickup

**Earl Gamage** · Jan-25-2017, 2:48pm

Will the Lace pickup work with J74 strings? Also, do you need a preamp with it?

I have no experience to speak of with pickups but the Lace looks easy.

**pops1** · Jan-25-2017, 5:08pm

While I don't have any experience with these particular pickups, they are magnetic so unless they wound they to sense only the core of the string you will need a string that is magnetic. Also I don't like adding mass to my bridge and the whole thing seems to be moounted to the bridge. Since the gap in bridges is different and I change mine with the weather this would not be for me. I have also lightened my bridge as much as possible for tone and would not want to add mass and kill the tone I want to pick up.

**mandroid** · Jan-26-2017, 12:47pm

Yes Physics of Electromagnetism..as a Magnetic pickup, all it will 'see' is the steel core wire
the non magnetic bronze is wound around.

To have the whole string sensed by the magnetic pickup the winding also needs an Iron content..

your magnetic pickup will be fine plugged into any guitar amp, made to amplify
a guitar's Magnetic Pickup.

...

**Bad Monkey** · Jan-26-2017, 5:47pm

Like mandroid stated above, it'll work with J74's. As long as you're running it into an amp you won't need a preamp. If you're running direct into the board you'll need a DI box to match impedance.
All that said, I wouldn't recommend the Lace PU. I picked one up because it looked like the easiest install out there. It kinda is, but it does add mass to the bridge. A big chunk O' mass in fact. I didn't like the way it mounted to the bridge either; it sticks through the gap between the major pieces of the bridge and has screw on tabs to keep it from pulling through again. Clunky at best and fussy to get just right. Add to the mix that it just doesn't sound very mandolin-ish at all. without a ton of processing it makes a nice mandolin sound like a cheap plinky piece of junk. I can't recommend the Lace at all. Just my opinion, but you would be much better served by going with the K&K (or similar). They really are easy to install, especially if you go with the external jack.
If you are nervous or just unsure of playing around with the install it's well worth the expense to have it done by a luthier.

sorry for the negative review, but IMO the lace would be a mistake. I never got any use out of the one I bought. I've installed K&K's on a mandolin, zouk, and a buddies PRS acoustic since with great satisfaction.

**pops1** · Jan-26-2017, 8:59pm

While magnetic pickups work with any string J74's are only magnetic on the plain strings, the wound strings only the winding's so they may sound thin compared to electric strings.