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nickname009 « the BETTER 500XL.. »
Published on 04/04/11 at 20:54Ok let's get this over with! The war between the 2 BL pickups!! I've owned both and though I no longer own them, I can honestly say that I had a better experience with the bill and becky lawrence pickups. I bought a set a couple of years ago and put them in a les paul standard and had the greatest sounds for years!!
This is the better 500XL for sure for many reasons: one it is NOT as bright and shrill as the USA, second it cleans up better when you roll the volume down. In which the blUSA one did not.
It's main characteristic is still bright however, and sharp. Just not AS sharp. So putting this in something like a mahogany bodied guitar was a perfect balance! My LP standard sounded great every night!
Though the cleans are still not as great as other pickups it's still very usable if you're plugged into a clean amp like a fender. The distortion is where it's at. It's clear and you can hear every note in a chord ring through, harmonics jump out at you! A great pickup for rock or heavier music.
Though there's one thing I wanna say here, people keep talking about turning the pickup around to change the sound and make it warmer. THIS IS NOT TRUE FOLKS, it's ALL A MYTH. First of all, the 2 magnetic strips are MIRRORED POLES, they've been designed to be IDENTICAL. Second, I've A/Bed it with a small crowd listening and there was literally NOBODY that said they heard a difference!! Don't be fooled by such myths! Sometimes we guitar players fool ourselves into thinking such crazy things. We gotta stick together and keep it REAL! really!!
This is the better 500XL for sure for many reasons: one it is NOT as bright and shrill as the USA, second it cleans up better when you roll the volume down. In which the blUSA one did not.
It's main characteristic is still bright however, and sharp. Just not AS sharp. So putting this in something like a mahogany bodied guitar was a perfect balance! My LP standard sounded great every night!
Though the cleans are still not as great as other pickups it's still very usable if you're plugged into a clean amp like a fender. The distortion is where it's at. It's clear and you can hear every note in a chord ring through, harmonics jump out at you! A great pickup for rock or heavier music.
Though there's one thing I wanna say here, people keep talking about turning the pickup around to change the sound and make it warmer. THIS IS NOT TRUE FOLKS, it's ALL A MYTH. First of all, the 2 magnetic strips are MIRRORED POLES, they've been designed to be IDENTICAL. Second, I've A/Bed it with a small crowd listening and there was literally NOBODY that said they heard a difference!! Don't be fooled by such myths! Sometimes we guitar players fool ourselves into thinking such crazy things. We gotta stick together and keep it REAL! really!!