MGR/Fez Man « Bill Lawrence L-280S Noiseless Strat-style Pickup »
Published on 10/31/01 at 15:00Bill Lawerence has been a pioneer in electric pickup design since the mid-60s.
Having been a victim of various scoundrels and rip-off artists over the years, Bill has
been forced to continue working well into his 70s. He now sells his pickups directly
from his website: www.billlawrence.com. DO NOT buy products that are listed as
Lawrence from any other place, they are just using his name and he gets no
compensation.
Reason for the purchase: My strat pickups had become microphonic and I was tired
of that continuous hum from single-coil pickups. So I started looking around for a
"noiseless" alternative. After reading several favorable online reviews, I decided to
give Bill Lawrence a try.
The L-280S is a noiseless strat-style pickup that sells for $40 plus shipping.
Because they are hand made, they will take several weeks to arrive in the mail.
I ordered a neck and middle pickup. My existing bridge pickup was already a
noiseless style from a now defunct company, Evans (not the amplifier maker).
I installed the new pickups and plugged guitar into amp. The only noise was the
growling hiss of my 100 watt Fender tube amp. I played a chord. Full and warm
tones rang out. These pickups are unique unto themselves. They do not attempt
to model their tone after some classic strat pickup, but rather Bill has designed
them to sound musical. And that they do. If you want ice-pick'n treble brightness,
then maybe you should look elsewhere (or crank the treble up on the amp). If you
want a pleasant, rich, and detailed tone - these should be seriously considered.
You will be hard pressed to find a better sounding noisless pickup for this price.
In my opinion, once you use noiseless pickups that sound good, you will never
want to go back to the hum-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m.
It took a while for these to arrive in the mail. If you are an impatient person, spend
this time practicing and gigging. When they finally arrive, you will already be a
better guitar player.
As for the construction and finish, these babies are extremely well made. They are
completely sealed, have good quality color-coded wiring, use high-quality plastic
housing, and look like they will last a long, long time. Plus, they are made in the
USA by a genuine craftsman and innovator.
These pickups are the real deal. The price is a steal. Do your Karma a good thing
and support Bill Lawrence. Besides your guitar will love you too.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com
Having been a victim of various scoundrels and rip-off artists over the years, Bill has
been forced to continue working well into his 70s. He now sells his pickups directly
from his website: www.billlawrence.com. DO NOT buy products that are listed as
Lawrence from any other place, they are just using his name and he gets no
compensation.
Reason for the purchase: My strat pickups had become microphonic and I was tired
of that continuous hum from single-coil pickups. So I started looking around for a
"noiseless" alternative. After reading several favorable online reviews, I decided to
give Bill Lawrence a try.
The L-280S is a noiseless strat-style pickup that sells for $40 plus shipping.
Because they are hand made, they will take several weeks to arrive in the mail.
I ordered a neck and middle pickup. My existing bridge pickup was already a
noiseless style from a now defunct company, Evans (not the amplifier maker).
I installed the new pickups and plugged guitar into amp. The only noise was the
growling hiss of my 100 watt Fender tube amp. I played a chord. Full and warm
tones rang out. These pickups are unique unto themselves. They do not attempt
to model their tone after some classic strat pickup, but rather Bill has designed
them to sound musical. And that they do. If you want ice-pick'n treble brightness,
then maybe you should look elsewhere (or crank the treble up on the amp). If you
want a pleasant, rich, and detailed tone - these should be seriously considered.
You will be hard pressed to find a better sounding noisless pickup for this price.
In my opinion, once you use noiseless pickups that sound good, you will never
want to go back to the hum-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m.
It took a while for these to arrive in the mail. If you are an impatient person, spend
this time practicing and gigging. When they finally arrive, you will already be a
better guitar player.
As for the construction and finish, these babies are extremely well made. They are
completely sealed, have good quality color-coded wiring, use high-quality plastic
housing, and look like they will last a long, long time. Plus, they are made in the
USA by a genuine craftsman and innovator.
These pickups are the real deal. The price is a steal. Do your Karma a good thing
and support Bill Lawrence. Besides your guitar will love you too.
This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com