Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

papersoul

papersoul

New member
Maybe one of you guys could clear this up?

A buddy of mine is buying some Bill Lawrence pickups - or is he? This is what he had said.

"I ordered them from a site where the guy stocks them. It's a confusing story. The guy I bought them from claims that he sells the official pickups of Bill Lawrence, but Bill Lawrence doesn't make them??? Bill Lawrence on the other hand does make his own pickups but they are not official....whatever that means. Anyway, I just ordered them and if I don't like them, I'll order another set from Bill himself and try those. As far as the models...I forget, but I know it's the Dimebag ones."

Any thoughts? I don't know the full story behind Bill Lawrence.

Thanks
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Here's the problem. It seems dealers are selling "Bill Lawrence" pickups that are fake. Yes, I said that correctly, fake. I've heard multiple cases of pickups being sold on forums and on eBay that don't sound good and they aren't made by Bill. I have no idea who's bright idea it was to make fake ones and I think dealers that are selling them should be shut down (and fined accordingly).

Bill and Becky are your typically "mom and pop" shop. Bill individually does each one and thus the lead times on them can be a few weeks. People don't want to wait and see cheaper prices elsewhere so they purchase them from somebody else. It's always a chance. Strangely enough, I've never heard of fake Dimarzios or Duncans or Fralins or the like.

The couple are very nice, warm and genuine people when I called and ordered his patch cable set. Blows away George L's "bang for the buck" wise and the quality is identical (he's been doing high end patch cable sets since the 80's and has artists like Eric Johnson use them).
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Does he have regular guitar cables?

I actually think there is more to the story than that. Apparently there actualy are different Bill Lawrence pickups being made but both are legitimate.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Something wierd happened like Bill left his original company and kept making pickups. There was a lengthly thread about this not that long ago, someone else here will know the details.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Forbes said:
Something wierd happened like Bill left his original company and kept making pickups. There was a lengthly thread about this not that long ago, someone else here will know the details.
Click to expand...
Bill Lawrence tells his side of the story at his website. If I ever was to order Bill Lawrence pups, I'd go to that website or call Bill and Becky directly.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

The BillLawrenceUSA aren't really "fake", per se. They are legitimately made by the Bill Lawrence company.

Here's a very brief outline:

Two guys got together and started building pickups under the brand name of "Bill Lawrence". Neither was named "Bill Lawrence".

They parted ways. One guy, legally retained the Bill Lawrence company name. The other legally changed his name to "Bill Lawrence", which was a variation of a stage name that he used.

Both guys still build pups the same way they always did, although, the two pups are slightly different.

One guy still does business as BillLawrenceUSA, and the other does business as Bill and Becky Lawrence that many refer to as the "real" Bill Lawrence.

The first guy gets called "fake", and he may be, for all I know, a jerk. But his pickups are just as legitimate and "real" as Bill and Becky's.

Thats it in a nutshell. ;)

Artie
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

It’s actually pretty simple. There’s Bill Lawrence the corporation, and there’s Bill Lawrence the man. The man is no longer affiliated with the corporation (he used to be the co-owner).

IMO, and in most people’s opinion from what I’ve read, the man makes much better gear than the corporation. I’ve bought two sets of pickups from the man and his wife, Becky, and they’re great.

Still clear as mud?
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Ooops . . . almost got caught up in the very thing I hate about the BL forum. :smack:

Sorry all.
 
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Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Why I consider the corporation the "fake" ones is by testimonies that I've heard they just don't sound near as good as the ones Bill himself are producing now by himself. People think they are getting the ones from the man himself and get a pickup with the same name that doesn't sound as good.

Thanks for straightening the story out. That would explain why it's legal to still sell them. I wish there was a distinct marking between the two, but alas, there are none.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Yeah . . . I've done quite a bit of reading up on this, simply because its a good soap opera. There's a lot of activity on this subject in the rec.guitar.something newsgroup.

There's a lot of controversy over who's who.

There's no controversy over which pup sounds better. :laugh2:
 
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Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

I dunno. I really like the old black label-style Tele pickups in my Bill Lawrence Swampkaster T, so they must fake it pretty good at least some of the time.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

If you want the real deal, go with Billlawrence.com. Bill was and is the mastermind behind them (not the guy at Billlawrenceusa.com) If you dont order them from Bill and Becky, you dont have the "good ones". They can be had off of ebay once in a while but, you have to know what is real and what isnt. Beware, 95% of them on ebay are not the genuine article.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

theodie said:
If you want the real deal, go with Billlawrence.com. Bill was and is the mastermind behind them (not the guy at Billlawrenceusa.com) If you dont order them from Bill and Becky, you dont have the "good ones".
Click to expand...

All of the so-called "fakes" I've used have sounded just fine thank you. I've used them for many, many years and friends, band-mates, audience members all agree that they are excellent sounding pickups.
 
Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

Bluesman75 said:
All of the so-called "fakes" I've used have sounded just fine thank you. I've used them for many, many years and friends, band-mates, audience members all agree that they are excellent sounding pickups.
Click to expand...
In what part of my posts did I say they were bad sounding pickups?
I didnt say they were bad sounding pickups at all. They are at least decent or good in my book. I have used them also. I just think the ones I have been talking about (Billlawrence.com) have more mojo to them and an overall better sound. We all have different opinions and preferences though.

BTW, I said "good ones" in a previous post reffering to the Billlawrence.com (bill and Beckys). I didnt say that meaning that the other ones were bad pickups. I just ment in my opinion Bill and Beckys are a bit better.
 
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Re: Will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

theodie said:
In what part of my posts did I say they were bad sounding pickups?
I didnt say they were bad sounding pickups at all. They are at least decent or good in my book. I have used them also. I just think the ones I have been talking about (Billlawrence.com) have more mojo to them and an overall better sound. We all have different opinions and preferences though.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clearing that up. I assumed that when you referred to Bill's as the "good ones", you meant the others were not.

As to which has an overall better sound, I agree that is subjective - and depends on guitar, amp, etc. they are played with. I've never felt mine (BL USA) lacked anything as far as tone (OR mojo).
 
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