how do the chi sonics compare to dark stars. looks like lakland copied fred .....
I have a Dark Star Decade and a 55-02CS. A CS is not a copy of a DS as much as an alternative. For one, the CS pole pieces are not encased, not adjustable, and there may be other internal construction differences. Sonically, a DS saturates and blooms in a unique way, whereas Laklands have a more well-produced sound (Dan's description). I think Lakland's main goal was to have a steady supply at reasonable cost, since they build almost all their own pickups now. One other point of difference is you can order a Chi Sonic as single coil only, or a CS humcanceller that is switchable to single coil (though some say the pure single coil version has sonic differences).
