How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

[viva_360]

Hi am thinking of getting a Bill Lawrence for my guitar .. the L500XL ... how is it? tonewise and more? is it like a EMG 81 ... ? too much treble ?

By the way how can i tell if i am getting a really Original Bill Lawrence which i am buying one of EBAY .. as this is my only Method... due to the fact i am not living in the US ...

Well thanks!

 

[roadstar II]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

Hi am thinking of getting a Bill Lawrence for my guitar .. the L500XL ... how is it? tonewise and more? is it like a EMG 81 ... ? too much treble ?

By the way how can i tell if i am getting a really Original Bill Lawrence which i am buying one of EBAY .. as this is my only Method... due to the fact i am not living in the US ...

Well thanks!

the real BL pup have wider blades and no logo on the coil and a grey lead wire

the others have a logo and a red lead wire

hope this helps?

BTW you can buy them brand new from bill or becky for $50
http://www.billlawrence.com/

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

the real BL pup have wider blades and no logo on the coil and a grey lead wire

the others have a logo and a red lead wire

hope this helps?

BTW you can buy them brand new from bill or becky for $50
http://www.billlawrence.com/

That's close, but not entirely correct. I did an overview awhile back on how to tell them apart and I still have the pics on my photobucket. Just check the titles and that should give you a pretty good idea of what you're looking at.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v666/brentakafurious9/Bill Lawrence/

 

[roadstar II]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

That's close, but not entirely correct. I did an overview awhile back on how to tell them apart and I still have the pics on my photobucket. Just check the titles and that should give you a pretty good idea of what you're looking at.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v666/brentakafurious9/Bill Lawrence/

thanks for those
and i still say to buy them new from that link i posted
I mean they can be had for $50 new so why go with used?

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

thanks for those
and i still say to buy them new from that link i posted
I mean they can be had for $50 new so why go with used?

I agree whole heartedly. Some people just don't like to wait and would rather pay upwards of $70 for a $56 pickup. On that note, anytime I see one used that's going cheap, or has a good BIN price. I snag it

 

[roadstar II]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

I agree whole heartedly. Some people just don't like to wait and would rather pay upwards of $70 for a $56 pickup. On that note, anytime I see one used that's going cheap, or has a good BIN price. I snag it

I have never heard a real BL 500XL how do they sound?
are they scooped in the mids? high output?

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

They are cleanest most articulate high output passive pickup I've ever heard. They can be a little bright in some woods, but for the most, they are very balanced.

 

[roadstar II]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

They are cleanest most articulate high output passive pickup I've ever heard. They can be a little bright in some woods, but for the most, they are very balanced.

I would use the 500XL in a all mahogany body guitar?
it is a neck thru ibanez RG with a floyd
I did not get overwhelmed by the emg 85 i tried so i may give the 500XL a go?
I need a super tight high output tone that has the crunch of a DD or JB with the
scooped type tone of the 81 along with molten harmonics all over the place?

 

[theodie]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

I would use the 500XL in a all mahogany body guitar?
it is a neck thru ibanez RG with a floyd
I did not get overwhelmed by the emg 85 i tried so i may give the 500XL a go?
I need a super tight high output tone that has the crunch of a DD or JB with the
scooped type tone of the 81 along with molten harmonics all over the place?

It has all of that but, I dont think I would call it scouped. Its fairly balanced. It has all the other things you are looking for in a big way!

 

[roadstar II]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

It has all of that but, I dont think I would call it scouped. Its fairly balanced. It has all the other things you are looking for in a big way!

cool cause i can just scoop my own mids from the amp:smokin:

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

I would use the 500XL in a all mahogany body guitar?
it is a neck thru ibanez RG with a floyd
I did not get overwhelmed by the emg 85 i tried so i may give the 500XL a go?
I need a super tight high output tone that has the crunch of a DD or JB with the
scooped type tone of the 81 along with molten harmonics all over the place?

I wouldn't say they are overly scooped, but Dime pulled it off w/ his so....

I see one problem though, you said the magic words neck through Ibanez...What model? Direct mount pickups?

I've ran into this and someone on the wildegate forum just ran into it on his 3120. The p/up routes aren't deep enuff to accomadate a lawrence pickup. So if you want to use one, you may have to deepen the pickup route.

 

[jmh151]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

The "fake" Bill Lawrence, or Bill Lawrence USA pickups, only recently started putting the logo on the pickup.

To be safe I'd just buy a new one directly from Bill and Becky Lawrence- they're cheap enough and worth the wait.

Tonewise, it is kind of similar to a Duncan JB, but clearer, without any dropout on string bends, and more scream. As far as the low end, think of the riff to Pantera's Cowboys from Hell

 

[jmh151]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

I would use the 500XL in a all mahogany body guitar?
it is a neck thru ibanez RG with a floyd
I did not get overwhelmed by the emg 85 i tried so i may give the 500XL a go?
I need a super tight high output tone that has the crunch of a DD or JB with the
scooped type tone of the 81 along with molten harmonics all over the place?

I strongly recommend the XL500 for a mahogany bodied guitar- I have one in my Korina Superstrat. I tried a Tone Zone, Evolution, Gibson PAF, and they didn't cut through like the XL500. The mahogany tames the trebel that some people find irritating and adds bottom end like Master of Puppets

 

[MonkeyKnifeFighter]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

What's the (sonic) difference between the two manufacturers?

~MkF!

 

[jmh151]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

What's the (sonic) difference between the two manufacturers?

~MkF!

The difference really is quality control. Every pickup manufactured by Bill Lawrence himself is handmade and 100% consistent. The "fake" Bill Lawrence USA pickups are mass produced and inconsistent, sometimes you get a good one, but most of the time they squeal, sound horrible, etc... Kind of like comparing Seymour Duncan to Duncan Designed pickups.

Both of them should sound the same since they're the same pickup, but then again, it's hard to get a consistent Bill Lawrence USA pickups that is up to the specs and quality of the real Bill Lawrence pickups.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

The difference really is quality control. Every pickup manufactured by Bill Lawrence himself is handmade and 100% consistent. The "fake" Bill Lawrence USA pickups are mass produced and inconsistent, sometimes you get a good one, but most of the time they squeal, sound horrible, etc... Kind of like comparing Seymour Duncan to Duncan Designed pickups.

Both of them should sound the same since they're the same pickup, but then again, it's hard to get a consistent Bill Lawrence USA pickups that is up to the specs and quality of the real Bill Lawrence pickups.

Lawrence U.S.A. seems to still be using the initial 500XL design. These a have a lower DC resistence at around 11K. The 2 I tried out seemed to have a very middy nature to them.

The ones From Bill and Becky have a more balanced tone and vary from 14k to 17k.

 

[DeanSweden]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

there is no fake Bill Lawrence pickup

 

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: How to tell you which Bill Lawrence pickup is really?

They are cleanest most articulate high output passive pickup I've ever heard. They can be a little bright in some woods, but for the most, they are very balanced.

The Bill and Becky pickups I've used, all give the natural sound of the guitar they are installed in, good or bad. A good guitar will sound as good as it can be loaded with BL's. A poor guitar may sound worse. Additionally, there is no hiding for the player. They are not really designed to fix precieved problems of guitars, but if improved articulation under gain is a goal, they will noticably improve this nine out of ten times.