A good quality Gold Laced should truly just be a golden brown with black lacing. A "black" Laced Red is just that - It's a gold laced with the mahogany gene (what Rhode Island Reds and Black Copper Marans carry) to turn the golden feathers a deep, lustrous red.
Physically, most BLRW's aren't the best, although some breeders like Foley's truly have nice birds. Otherwise, there are a LOT of poor quality BLRW's out there, but the same goes for Gold Laced.
In general though, since gold laced is an accepted color and has been for a loong time, they generally have a better body.
