I'm really confused... will the real Bill Lawrence please stand up?

[Easto]

Ok, I've been looking around for some new pickups for my Tele'. I'd been flip-flopping between some Fralin, Rio Grande and Bill Lawrence pickups. Just when I think I'm ready to make a decision I come across something that has me confused.

I was looking at the Bill Lawrence L280s at Bill Lawrence's site. Then while surfing the Net for prices I come across Bill Lawrence USA and they claim to be the original maker of these pickups and namesake. They actually go as far as bashing the previous mentioned Bill Lawrence.

What actually is going on here? Anybody familiar with this?

[Middleman]

I prefer Seymour Duncans. Not sure what's going on there.

[Scottgman]

Apparently Bill Lawrence has had alot of legal problems. I bought some of his humbuckers and I love them. If you buy directly from his website, you can be sure you are getting the real deal.

Here's the story from their website about fake Bill Lawrence pickups:

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/BLFAKEALERT.htm

[Aaron Cheney]

You have just hit on the reason I haven't and won't buy BL pickups. Every time I go to that site there are new pages of rants and bad blood between them and anyone that's ever "done them wrong". They chase down people at trade shows and photographing them "covorting with the enemy" and post it all over the site. They even write paradies of their problems using cute little charactors. It's weird. It's unhealthy. It's like they've built their whole brand identity around being victimized.

I understand that it sucks to have been taken advantage of. It's happened to all of us. But I don't want to hear about it. I don't want to have to care. All I want is a good pickup. If there is brand confusion (which there seems to be in this case), then clarify it with one non-emotional paragraph, but keep it freaking positive!! Sell me on the quality of your pickups and leave it at that.

There are plenty of other great pickup makers out there that will sell me their pickups without trying to convert me to "their side" and make me angry at the world.

A

[Chill]

I have a pair of BL L500's in my SG and they sound pretty good. When I was looking into that I found some of the story, and IIRC it goes something like Bill Lawrence and the now-BLUSA guy were doing business. They split and BLUSA ended up with his name and sold Bill Lawrence or 500 series pickups to Stew Mac, but most folks did not think they sounded as good as the originals. Too bad they have his name and then sullied it with arse pickups, but it apparently happened.

The BL L500's are good pickups for the right price but if you need pickups now, look elsewhere, because they can take a while to get to you.

[Scottgman]

Originally Posted by Aaron Cheney

You have just hit on the reason I haven't and won't buy BL pickups. Every time I go to that site there are new pages of rants and bad blood between them and anyone that's ever "done them wrong". It's weird. It's unhealthy. It's like they've built their whole brand identity around being victimized.

There are plenty of other great pickup makers out there that will sell me their pickups without trying to convert me to "their side" and make me angry at the world.

A

They should be trying to protect their brand and I can understand them getting a little over-zealous about it. But I think you are right, it's kind of weird. Especially the way they try to lionize Bill Lawrence like the guitar universe would be radically different if he never graced us with his presence. I remember reading a statement on their website that went something like: "Could you imagine what the guitar world would be like without Bill Lawrence?". Another said something like there should be a bust of Bill Lawrence on MT. Rushmore or something like that.

Anyway, I really like the L-450s I bought from them. I'm willing to try anything in the quest for tone. But Chill is right, they are pretty slow. It took 2 or 3 months after I ordered to actually receive the pickups.

[Easto]

I have to agree that I'm not too fond of all the name bashing at either of the sites but I was just having a bit of a problem figuring out what the hell was going on. I'm also a little leary of your reports of pickups taking 2 to 3 months to arrive, Yikes!

[Clive Hugh]

I have their humbuckers on a guitar and the Precision replacement on a bass, they are both excellent and they do take awhile to get to you but they warn you when you order and their time frame was pretty close, and lets be honest a couple of weeks ain't gonna kill you, it might even do you good.
As far as the dispute goes, you don't have to read it.

[Aaron Cheney]

Originally Posted by Clive Hugh

As far as the dispute goes, you don't have to read it.

No, you don't have to read any more than you have to buy their pickups.

However, they have made that content a prominant enough part of their website that anyone going there simply to learn about their pickups is very likely to run across it. They have made it a part of their brand identity, which unfortunately ultimately does them more harm than good IMO.

A

[dalon]

I had some BL pickups, didn't like them at all. I really prefer Vintage Vibe PUPS. http://www.vintagevibeguitars.com/pickups.htm