Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

[Maynardo]

So I traded my custom 8 for this pickup about two weeks ago mainly 'cause I wanted more highs and more gain. My Tweaker is a really warm amp by itself and my 2x12 is loaded with Emis GB128 also warm speakers, so I usually had the treble pot dimed and bass reaaaally low when using c8.

This pup is bright in a good way, has a ton of output with ridiculously small magnetic pull and it's super transparent it really lets the guitar tone come out, is not mid scoop like EMG81 ( I happen to like that one but ONLY for metal chugs), so in my opinion is not a metal pup 'per se'. It's a loud, crunchy and transparent mud free pickup.

Also it has particular "skill", for some reason it crunches in cool way when you hit it hard with gain on top, it kinda makes one string palm mutes sound like a power chord. It's a crunch is not the 'chug' an EMG would give you, kinda have to play it to feel it.

So to sum up, I highly recommend this pickup. I'm using it in my one pup super strat with OFR, maple neck/fretboard and marupa body (marupa sounds like korina, very clear round and 'airy' tone when unpluuged)

BTW I wanna stretch the fact that it came from Bill and Becky Lawrence not "Bill Lawrence USA" owned by Jzchak Wajcman, they make a different pup just with same name.

you can read more about the difference with "other one" here: http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Washburn_PurchaseOrder.htm

 

[Tototapuz]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Bill & Becky makes great pickups
i dont like the regular L500XL by bill

 

[Frogman]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Good review

I've got the L90's and everything you said kinda sums those up too.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

People are on both sides on this forum. So be prepared.

I'm one of the rare ones i think both make great pickups you just have to find the version that works for you. AND they are all versions even Bill and Beckys version is different from the original patents. L500's are a bit like PAF's now in that you can buy different takes on them from different companies.

Arguing which are more "real" is pretty silly. If it sounds good and does what you want it to that to me would make it pretty real

 

[Maynardo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I'm one of the rare ones i think both make great pickups you just have to find the version that works for you. AND they are all versions even Bill and Beckys version is different from the original patents. L500's are a bit like PAF's now in that you can buy different takes on them from different companies.

Arguing which are more "real" is pretty silly. If it sounds good and does what you want it to that to me would make it pretty real

The thing is I never said anything about the sound of the other one, I've never tryied it. Just wanted to make sure everyone knows the review is about the wilde one. About the other one all I know is what I can read on the wilde page:

We also measured several Wajcman pickups that he falsely calls an "L-500XL." We don't know what it's supposed to be but it's not an XL neither an L.

The Wajcman pickup he calls an XL has about 24.3% lesser output than Bill's original L-500XL AND a 25.9% frequency shift to the higher midrange resulting in a dramatic loss of lows

Since I hardly beleive they're gonna lie about the measurements, that tells me they are differents pickups.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Since I hardly beleive they're gonna lie about the measurements, that tells me they are differents pickups.

Yes but what are they measuring? Bill himself says you cant measure output and even rants about people asking for millivolt measurements on his website.

Thing is even the Wilde pickups are different from the original L500XL's

Oh and keep in mind that more than once Dimebag Darrel state in interviews that he bought the L500's in his Deans from Stew mac who only sold the BL USA versions.


Yes they are all different takes on the same pickup. But you didnt link a page that was just to their pickups showing exactly which one you were talking about you linked a page that was calling the other ones "false"

 

[Maynardo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Yes but what are they measuring? Bill himself says you cant measure output and even rants about people asking for millivolt measurements on his website.

Thing is even the Wilde pickups are different from the original L500XL's

Oh and keep in mind that more than once Dimebag Darrel state in interviews that he bought the L500's in his Deans from Stew mac who only sold the BL USA versions.


Yes they are all different takes on the same pickup. But you didnt link a page that was just to their pickups showing exactly which one you were talking about you linked a page that was calling the other ones "false"

Well I never talked about Dimebag, and again, I'n not saying the other one sucks or anything.

About the measurements thing since he always published the inductance of pickups, I'm guessing that's what he measured.

 

[Metalblaze]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I have a Bill and Becky L500XL and it's a great pickup. From those that make the "high performance pickup" indication to sound real.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I have a set of 3 L500's: xl, l and R. The R works so awesome in the neckspot of a les paul. It's warm yet superclear and transparant. split makes it superstratty, it goes 'quack!' with the middle pickup (either split or parallel). the bridge is so, so awesome. its crunchy, tight, clear and superarticulate. I can play 90% of a set with just that pickup.

 

[clcwarlock]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

So I traded my custom 8 for this pickup about two weeks ago mainly 'cause I wanted more highs and more gain. My Tweaker is a really warm amp by itself and my 2x12 is loaded with Emis GB128 also warm speakers, so I usually had the treble pot dimed and bass reaaaally low when using c8.

This pup is bright in a good way, has a ton of output with ridiculously small magnetic pull and it's super transparent it really lets the guitar tone come out, is not mid scoop like EMG81 ( I happen to like that one but ONLY for metal chugs), so in my opinion is not a metal pup 'per se'. It's a loud, crunchy and transparent mud free pickup.

Also it has particular "skill", for some reason it crunches in cool way when you hit it hard with gain on top, it kinda makes one string palm mutes sound like a power chord. It's a crunch is not the 'chug' an EMG would give you, kinda have to play it to feel it.

So to sum up, I highly recommend this pickup. I'm using it in my one pup super strat with OFR, maple neck/fretboard and marupa body (marupa sounds like korina, very clear round and 'airy' tone when unpluuged)

BTW I wanna stretch the fact that it came from Bill and Becky Lawrence not "Bill Lawrence USA" owned by Jzchak Wajcman, they make a different pup just with same name.

you can read more about the difference with "other one" here: http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Washburn_PurchaseOrder.htm

+1 Bill and Becky great pickups.

 

[formula73]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Funny you should mention an 81 as scooped. I hear a LOT of mids. The L500 is scooped, regardless of the model, and regardless of the manufacturer. To the other stuff, I'm going to say this: they sound the same. It's not like a Super D vs a PAF sounding similar because they're humbuckers; it's like a frickin old Super D vs a new Super D. Effectively, the difference between the Wilde and USA, tonewise, is nullified by moving your treble knob on the amp down about .5.

The arguments are completely ridiculous and just mudslinging on the part of both companies.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

..........

 

[DeanSweden]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

FWIW, BLUSA still uses the SAME winding machines with the SAME settings
since back in the day when they both were partners.

 

[Maynardo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

FWIW, BLUSA still uses the SAME winding machines with the SAME settings
since back in the day when they both were partners.

That's the thing Bill Lawrence says he measured some of their pups and they are not to spec, actually a lot out of the original specs. On the contrary he says Dimebucker is almost they same specs as one of their old prototyes L500+.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

Have used Bill's pickups since the 80's....
And still uses his stuff, got a L500C in the neck and a L500L in the bridge on my Ibanez R540RR.....no "scooped" sounds there(they never had that in the last 25+ years )

 

[DeanSweden]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

That's the thing Bill Lawrence says he measured some of their pups and they are not to spec, actually a lot out of the original specs. On the contrary he says Dimebucker is almost they same specs as one of their old prototyes L500+.

come on... Wajczman is no pickup designer, he knows how to make money, that's it

 

[Maynardo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

come on... Wajczman is no pickup designer, he knows how to make money, that's it

I think he's saying the guy is no pickup winder, at least the numbers tell'em that, right ?

 

[Strat111]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I've got one of the very old (early 80's) double cream L500's that were made by Bill Lawrence before the split. It has the bar poles that are above the bobbins. This was the oruginal design of this pup. I loved this pup when I played metal in the mid 80's. In 86 or 87, I bought another on that stated it was L500 XL, all black with the bar poles all the way in the bobbins like they are now. But when I installed it, it squealled & fed back like crazy. I called up the number I got for Bill Lawrence and spoke to Bill himself and he told me that this was a fake and that it was a copy and that it was not his pup, and not his warranty. I didn't know anything about a split. All I knew was that I had a Bill Lawrence pup that was worthless, and nobody wanted to fix this thing. I ended up throwing that piece of junk away, and it took me almost 20 years to try anything else by Bill Lawrence.

 

[Maynardo]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I've got one of the very old (early 80's) double cream L500's that were made by Bill Lawrence before the split. It has the bar poles that are above the bobbins. This was the oruginal design of this pup. I loved this pup when I played metal in the mid 80's. In 86 or 87, I bought another on that stated it was L500 XL, all black with the bar poles all the way in the bobbins like they are now. But when I installed it, it squealled & fed back like crazy. I called up the number I got for Bill Lawrence and spoke to Bill himself and he told me that this was a fake and that it was a copy and that it was not his pup, and not his warranty. I didn't know anything about a split. All I knew was that I had a Bill Lawrence pup that was worthless, and nobody wanted to fix this thing. I ended up throwing that piece of junk away, and it took me almost 20 years to try anything else by Bill Lawrence.

You can get them from the guy himself

http://wildepickups.com

 

[formula73]

Re: Bill & Becky Lawrence L500XL [almost a review]

I've got one of the very old (early 80's) double cream L500's that were made by Bill Lawrence before the split. It has the bar poles that are above the bobbins. This was the oruginal design of this pup. I loved this pup when I played metal in the mid 80's. In 86 or 87, I bought another on that stated it was L500 XL, all black with the bar poles all the way in the bobbins like they are now. But when I installed it, it squealled & fed back like crazy. I called up the number I got for Bill Lawrence and spoke to Bill himself and he told me that this was a fake and that it was a copy and that it was not his pup, and not his warranty. I didn't know anything about a split. All I knew was that I had a Bill Lawrence pup that was worthless, and nobody wanted to fix this thing. I ended up throwing that piece of junk away, and it took me almost 20 years to try anything else by Bill Lawrence.

So THAT'S how it started...the 'fake' thing. That was back before anybody knew (or cared) that they'd split and I imagine tensions were running pretty high between EZ and ol' Willi. Bill sold his shares to EZ and split to West Germany and made his pups under the OBL logo-I had a set. They were pretty nice! EZ kept all the stuff and kept making pups but there were some that shouldn't have made the cut. Every one I've had has been exemplary, but then, they've all been relatively recent, like the last 10 years or so. What's really sad is that these two old men who were probably pretty good friends won't have a goddamned thing to do with each other. Bill's not doing too well these days, either. I've got a few Wildes and more than a few USAs lying around the house back home and I really have to say, other than the USAs having a *slightly* ruder edge to them, they're more-or-less interchangeable.

I wish they'd bring back the L350s. Now THOSE were some vintagey-yet-grumpy mofos. I wish I'd brought them with me but they're in a guitar that doesn't have a case...(not the one in the pic, at least, not anymore)