Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

[Gerr]

I have a 2013 Gibson Les Paul 60's Tribute that I got earlier this summer in a 2nd attempt to learn to play guitar. I play it through a Blackstar HT5 amp. However, I just don't like the Burstbuckers that came with it. I like a wide range of music from 70's classic rock to Metallica with a main focus on 80's rock and the Burstbuckers just can't handle that range. My favorite bands to play are AC/DC, GnR, & Metallica and while they do AC/DC fine, they fail on the other two.

After doing some research on this topic a few months ago, I ended up liking Kojak's recommendation of an 59-A4 in the neck & Custom-A8 in the bridge. However, something came up and the funds for that project had to be used elsewhere, so I left the guitar stock and have mainly been learning on AC/DC since.

Now I have the funds and want to upgrade the guitar. Besides new pickups, I am having a tech give it a wiring overhaul using 500K Bourns pots and high quality traditional wiring, not this new circuit board crap. To throw a wrench in my plans, my guitar tech recommended that instead of the Duncan set I mentioned, I should go with Bill Lawrence USA pickups. He recommended the 500R in the neck and the 500XL in the bridge. He said this was a very good set of pickups, better than the Duncan set I was thinking about, and would do an even better job of spanning the range of music I wanted. He also said these pickups clean up much better than the Duncans and also sound better when coil-tapped.

I did some research on the Lawrence pickups, so I know the difference between Bill Lawrence USA & Wilde pickups, and would likely go with the Bill & Becky series since most people tend to favor those over the BL-USA ones. I asked my tech about the difference and he said that the differences are very minor at best and he just goes with BL-USA as they get him the pickups much faster than Wilde can.

This takes me to my original question. Knowing my equipment and the type of music I like to play, would the Lawrence pickups be better or worse than the set of Duncans I was planning to get? I am also open to other suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Bill Lawrence pickups are a great value and are very well made. However better is subjective and reflect the tech's preferences. The 500 series are applicable to the sound you're after but they are quite different than the set you originally had in mind.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

IMO, you're barking up the wrong tree. This is an issue of having the right amp and knowing how to set it up. Burstbuckers can do practically anything you need them to do, and you already have them. Just learn how to use your amp, your guitar, and your playing to get them to sound how you want. They're quite versatile, basic humbuckers.

 

[Inder_Cine_Mann]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Im not trying to sound like an ass, but work on your technique. I think its awesome that you are wanting to upgrade and trick out your guitar! Dont get me wrong.

It sounds like the tech is sold on certain pickups. Which is great because they obviously work very well for him.

You have a great rig. The C8 and 59 would be awesome in thatguitar. So would many other pickups. I will say im happy i got into aftermarkets after playing for about 10 years. Im not an amazing guitar player by any means, but i know what i like, and that literally just came with playing a lot.

Im rambling.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Put the Slash AlnicoII slash set in and be done with it. The aInico II Slash are a bit overwound but in a really good way. They should easily cover what you are after, but if you are just learning be patient and work on your technique and the gear you have. You will learn that you probably don't have to do anything other then practice, practice, practice


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[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Bill Lawrence pickups are a great value and are very well made. However better is subjective and reflect the tech's preferences. The 500 series are applicable to the sound you're after but they are quite different than the set you originally had in mind.

I know the 59/C8 set can hit the sounds I want, but from the way my guitar tech was talking about the Lawrence pickups, he made them sound like the holy grail of pickups. That's why I am asking about them here to get more opinions as to if they are as good as he says and if they can span the range of music I want. I know they can do the heavy stuff, but can they give a good Classic Rock & AC/DC crunch?

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

IMO, you're barking up the wrong tree. This is an issue of having the right amp and knowing how to set it up. Burstbuckers can do practically anything you need them to do, and you already have them. Just learn how to use your amp, your guitar, and your playing to get them to sound how you want. They're quite versatile, basic humbuckers.

I have a Fender Jaguar Blacktop HH with Duncan Designed pickups(Jazz/JB) that I need to sell and it can hit all the sounds I want. However, when I use the Burstbuckers, while they can do the Classic Rock & AC/DC and most 80's Rock just fine, they just sound "off" when I use them for higher gain stuff like GnR & Metallica, no matter what settings I use on my amp. I could get a metal petal, but those tend to sound synthetic to me, so would just prefer new pickups that can do a wider range of sounds.

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Im not trying to sound like an ass, but work on your technique. I think its awesome that you are wanting to upgrade and trick out your guitar! Dont get me wrong.

It sounds like the tech is sold on certain pickups. Which is great because they obviously work very well for him.

You have a great rig. The C8 and 59 would be awesome in thatguitar. So would many other pickups. I will say im happy i got into aftermarkets after playing for about 10 years. Im not an amazing guitar player by any means, but i know what i like, and that literally just came with playing a lot.

Im rambling.

Of course I need to work on my technique, but if it doesn't sound right to my ears, it's not as enjoyable to play. I know the 59/C8 can do what I want, but from the way my guitar tech was talking about the Lawrence pickups, he made them sound like the holy grail of pickups. That's why I posted here, to get more opinions. I know they do the heavier stuff well, but can they do the crunch I need when playing Classic Rock and AC/DC? I don't want a metal guitar as Metallica is as heavy as I get and am worried that's what the Lawrence pickups would turn my guitar into.

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Put the Slash AlnicoII slash set in and be done with it. The aInico II Slash are a bit overwound but in a really good way. They should easily cover what you are after, but if you are just learning be patient and work on your technique and the gear you have. You will learn that you probably don't have to do anything other then practice, practice, practice


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How are the Slash pickups compared to the 59 & Custom pickups? They seem like they would be very different due to an A2 magnet. I am sure they do GnR, but how wide of a sound are they able to produce and are they hot enough for Metallica through a high gain amp? This is a suggestion that got my attention, so asking questions as I don't see many comparison reviews on them.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

The 500XL is a pickup that is entirely different from everything else. It really isn't "better". In general, Bill's pickups are kind of unique. If you have the funds they are nice to experiment with because they are very fairly priced and resell well. But if you have not experienced different pickups at all then I recommend that you stick with PAF-style polepieces (slugs and screws) for a while, and explore different wire thickness first.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I am NOT a metal guy so I really can't compare that style but I will say IMHO the AII's are the warmest sounding humbucker I think that SD makes. Yet at the same time they maintain a lot of clarity and don't loose any high end. Very well balanced but not a high output pickup. Too me they are the perfect HB for what I do which is blues and blues rock


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[Lucy Diamond]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Holmes...let me save you a bunch of trouble and a lot of money.

Buy an overdrive pedal.

Nope...I'm not being sarcastic at all.

If your rig is flat out NAILING everything you want but just not GnR and Metallica, the answer is an overdrive pedal.

Get a Maxon OD-820 and you won't even know it is there.

New pickups can certainly help you out but an overdrive will get you where you need to be so you can work on everything else that is involved with learning what you want to learn.

Good luck and enjoy your quest.

~LD

 

[Bludave]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Holmes...let me save you a bunch of trouble and a lot of money.

Buy an overdrive pedal.

Nope...I'm not being sarcastic at all.

If your rig is flat out NAILING everything you want but just not GnR and Metallica, the answer is an overdrive pedal.

Get a Maxon OD-820 and you won't even know it is there.

New pickups can certainly help you out but an overdrive will get you where you need to be so you can work on everything else that is involved with learning what you want to learn.

Good luck and enjoy your quest.

~LD

Great advise!!

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I appreciate the advice, but I have made up my mind that I want new pickups along with a wiring overhaul. Now, anyone able to chime in on the pickup question as to if the Lawrence pickups would be any better/worse/different than the 59/C8 set I was going to get and if they would clean up decently and give me a good OD crunch and not just a high gain metal sound?

 

[LonePhantom]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I think you've already had your question answered here by a few people, it's just that you are not accepting it. The Lawrence are not any better or worse than Duncans, just different.

Your guitar's stock pickups are doing almost everything you want, bar some higher gain sounds you are going to get better value for money out of the aforementioned overdrive pedal. The Blackstar HT-5 is perfectly capable of getting what you want from it, especially with the addition of the overdrive.

I've been playing a HT-5 for over 4 years now in both a home and band/live environment and I know what it is capable of doing. Throw an OD in there and you'll get exactly what you want from your rig. I recommend either the MXR Custom Badass Modified OD, TC Electronic Spark Booster, or the Digitech Hardwire CM-2 Tube Overdrive. All are well priced and brilliant overdrives.

If everything is still not exactly what you were hoping for then maybe replace the pickups. The overdrive will still be a valuable asset in your rig. I think you'll be happy with what a good overdrive will do though.

 

[SFW]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I have had my Les Paul loaded with a 59n/Custom, 59 set, Slash set and the L500xl. They will all take you where you want to go. They all have their own unique way of doing it. I play hard rock (some would call it metal, but I don't.) I love the L500, but you have to be willing to do a lot of adjusting to find the sweet spot. I currently have the Slash set in my Standard. I can tell you that they will get heavy if your amp can do some lifting.

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I have had my Les Paul loaded with a 59n/Custom, 59 set, Slash set and the L500xl. They will all take you where you want to go. They all have their own unique way of doing it. I play hard rock (some would call it metal, but I don't.) I love the L500, but you have to be willing to do a lot of adjusting to find the sweet spot. I currently have the Slash set in my Standard. I can tell you that they will get heavy if your amp can do some lifting.

TY!!! This is the info I was looking for. Someone mentioned the Slash set as an alternative and it got my interest, mainly because I don't have to void the warranty by replacing the magnets. My amp is a high gain amp and I do have an OD pedal for it, so I think I can get heavy with the Slash set. I will have to do more research on the Slash set as it sounds like it might be more of what I want. My only worry is the A2 magnet, just doesn't seem like a good hard rock/metal magnet.

Also, I am just a bit worried the C8 might be a bit too high output to have an acceptable clean and/or the Classic Rock crunch, so was also thinking of a 59b with an A8 instead.

Thanks again for the info and if anyone else wants to chime in on this, please do!

 

[LtKojak]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

I am just a bit worried the C8 might be a bit too high output to have an acceptable clean and/or the Classic Rock crunch, so was also thinking of a 59b with an A8 instead

The cleans of the Custom 8 are nothing less than superb, mind you, but an A8'59b paired up with an A4'59n might be an slightly better choice for what you're asking for.

HTH,

 

[Gerr]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

The cleans of the Custom 8 are nothing less than superb, mind you, but an A8'59b paired up with an A4'59n might be an slightly better choice for what you're asking for.

HTH,

I saw that an A4/A8 59 set was your 2nd favorite, so was debating on which A8 pickup might suit my needs better. Thanks Kojak!

Any opinion on an A8 59/Custom hybrid? Only thing that worries me on that pickup is the slight hum from having mismatched coils.

 

[dominus]

Re: Pickups: Bill Lawrence vs Seymour Duncan?

Another vote for an overdrive pedal.

You need to hit your amp harder.

The Slash set WILL NOT DO THAT. If you're dead set on replacing pickups to hit the amp harder, you want a higher output bridge pickup.