Few people have impressed me with their talent and personality as Bill Lawrence has. He joined me for a gig about 30 years ago, and during the whole evening I listened to his playing and kept thinking, Oh WoW ! An experience I will be forever proud and grateful for. keep up the good work Bill Becky and Shannon Thank you
Few people have impressed me with their talent and personality as Bill Lawrence has. He joined me for a gig about 30 years ago, and during the whole evening I listened to his playing and kept thinking, Oh WoW ! An experience I will be forever proud and grateful for. keep up the good work Bill Beccky and Shannon Thank you
i´m 30 years old, 17 playing guitar and i hit my head on the wall 100 times asking myself : "why nobody tell me about Bill Lawrence Pickups before?" Now i know the answer. A smelly kid who listens crap music of today, don´t have the capacity of enjoy all twin blade sound in its full range... you HAVE to try every pickup you can just to make sure that L500r, L and XL are the bests pickups for a real heavy metal player. Thank you bill for your contribution to us !
Love Bill, so please take this as commentary on the pathetic'ness of youtube and the general nastiness of people who anonymously criticize for no good reason, but if this wasn't O-G Pioneer Bill Lawrence- if it was some random middle aged white guy in his kitchen- this video would have 1/2 dislikes and a comment section full of idiots saying he sucked, including a lot of the people who are now saying how great it is.
But, good to see a great player and innovator get the respect he deserves.
i sat staring at the screen for a minute after this vid ended... must be the steel reserve. but still awesome playing. classical piece on a jazzed out blues guitar at the end was a trip.
@IPushHard The new generation is not interested in giving respect, just getting it. Entitlement mentality on display for our viewing pleasure. Sad but true. My wife is a school teacher, you wouldn't believe what some parents allow their children to get away with. My Dad, RIP, would have kicked my ass for acting like that. And I would have deserved it.
To each, their own. But let's put it this way, when Fender came out with the SCN's they touted them as "vintage stratocaster tones" plus additional tones with the S1 system. The vintage tones part was a load of BS.
I've got nothing against the guy, but the guitar sounds like crap. The SCNs on my Am Deluxe Strat sound like crap ... dull, void, no sparkle. You can't fake single coil.
I met Bill in ST. Louis, Missouri at the International Steel Guitar Convention several years ago. I could have talked to him for hours. Listening to him talk about pick up design made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. A genuis and a living legend. And I use/used many of his pick ups in my guitars. I love the Noiseless SCN Tele pickups most of all! Why have they been discontinued????
Bill's the man! The info on his site is insane. A one-man (and wife) pickup designing, manufacturing, direct selling machine! Freaking magic smart dude... I have a pile of ripped out Duncans and Dimarsio's to prove it. They all sound like mud by comparison.
Nice jazz improve of Secret Love. I love the guy, and I have L-280's on one of my 92 Strat Plus guitars, and SCN's in the other wired straight up with no S-1 type switching.
in the last 6 months I have purchased both Wilde Pickups Keystones for Strat and his L-90 humbucker sized P-90 sounding pickups.....these pickups are something really special, and they are VERY affordable ! The pickups he is playing here are, I believe the L-45's ($46.00 !!!!) . By the way, he of course probably has the treble rolled off for the Jazz he is playing.......see WildePickups
After over a year of friendly, persistent persuasion, Bill & Becky have *finally* agreed to reissue an L-500 that conforms to the same 1980 specs as the one used by Dimebag Darrell -- the one he put in the bridge position of pretty much every guitar he ever played. The pickup with have a whopping (over TEN henry) inductance, authentic '80s-style blades, and Bill's exclusive chromed "bathtub" housing. Unlike all the imitators, it will conform to Bill's famous L-500 patent.
@Doomzdayxx go to his website and leave his wife (through the Contact Us tab) an email explaining what you want, they will get back to you personally. Their customer service is the kind that just doesn't exist anymore. the link is:
w w w.b i l l l a w r e n c e.c o m (note - three L's in a row!!)
Bill my good man, you're amazing!! Show these young turks on what it's all about. Heck, show the young ladies what a good set of well-coordinated & talented hands can do to brighten their day while you're at it!
@Dimewings Uh, ok mate. Now my turn: GET REAL YOU TWAT. I made a simple comment, disagreeing with another comment that I disagree with: Improvisation isn't a dying art, it's alive & well. Wasn't personal or offensive. What's got you so upset?Maybe you just haven't had a good YouTube-comments fight in a while & you're feeling lonely? Well why don't you take your mushy slop of a brain & pick a fight somewhere else you useless time-wasting turd.
@theanthill1001 hahahaahahahah hey dude i'm not trying to pick a fight in youtube, what are you going to do? punch me?? hahaha whatever man, i wrote fuck off to you because jbarbes wrote: True improvisation. That, my friends, is a dying art., and your reply was: No it's not. and that asshole was what it pissed me off so again fuck off and plus go fuck yourself and your mother, what?? you didn't like that one?? if you dont like that one maybe you can suck my cock piece of shit
@jbarbes I must agree, many people plays so many scales followed by arppegios and sweeps and they insist that they know how to improvise, when actually they doesn't even know how to jam.
Yea I have one of each.The dimebucker has more gain & has a real fat sound.The XL500 is almost there in gain but its a real quiet,clean, & articulate.When your playing Metal tone is more important than gain.Whit all the high gain amps out today.You realy don't need a lot from your pickup.
i got his bass jazz pickup, very wide frequency range great sound. makes a great strat & tele pup and a lot more. this man is a legend in the history of pickups!!!
Super cool! Thanks for posting! I just bought a Framus "Billy Lorento" BL 10 from a pawn shop in Minneapolis. I didn't know what it was, but it looked very German in design, very intriguing. The last owner had strung it all wrong. Took me about two hours to figure out what was wrong, but now it's likely the best $120 guitar I own!
i own a bill lawrence that my guitar teacher gave me. it doesn't say swampkaster (sp?) on it but i have no fuckin idea ANYTHING about my guitar.. anybody wanna help me out?
Bill is a great player and a great guy.....As a customer I've had 1 or 2 legthy converstions with him over the phone...He even played some guitar for me over the phone, demonstrating some things.
This is the legend. He designed the famous L500 pickup line. Bill Lawrence USA actually produces the L500s based on the original patented design. I actually have a USA model and extensively tried a L500 made by the real bill. They sound nearly identical except Bill's have more dynamics on the low end and more output. I personally like the BLUSAs more. Let your ears decide for you...
Bill Lawrence is one under acknowledged legend. His pickups are probably IMO the top pickups and many confuse his company with mainstream Bill Lawrence USA which is highly displeasing, especially the crap job they did trying to mainstream them with Dimebucker, and all the other copycats.
early bebop, check out Joe Pass "For Django" you will probably love it. Also check out Johnny Smith and Tal Farlow, Sal Salvador, Charlie Christian and Django of course. the trick he plays at 1:30 reminds me of Les Paul, Love the Bach quote at 2:30.
I love his pickups. I have his L500XL on my Fender Heavy Metal Strat, L500L on my Epi Les Paul Std and his Keystone pups on my Squier Strat (Made in Japan). I love them all. They are the cleanest, most sensitive and produce a lot output for a passive pup. Highly recommended.
Compared to the duncans, there is no comparson. They just blows them away. At full volume, it just kills. When you turn down the volume on the guitar, it cleans up nicely. I had the Dimarzio Super Distortion and EVOs. The highs are just a bit harsh. I also find the super distortion also muddy.
Yeah the Dimebucker actually has more output but there is a mathematical equation that basically weights tone to output. Usually the higher the output, the less character your tone has. The Dimebucker doesn't even give you natural clean because it slightly overdrives any clean channel which IMO is lame.
Bill is rocking here and I have only had the most positive experiences dealing with them. The pickups are awesome and pretty much the only ones I consider buying at this point.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
My mom worked for Lawrence Sound Research from 1983 until it went under in 1984. Bill Lawrence is an amazing engineer with an IQ of 160+, but he's not what I would call a good man.
I don't remember all the details, but according to his (ex) wife, he intentionally set the company up to fail (for reasons only known to him) and ran off to Germany. He apparently has a history of that sort of thing.
This was 25 years ago, so maybe he's changed. But I would not want to go into business with him.
I know but I already saw them there even back when I posted my comment over a month ago. Problem is there is no price and no way to order that or the the only other pickup I am wanting the L48T tele bridge rails pickup. Calling or emailing them doesn't help. I have heard they are extremely busy but it shouldn't be THIS hard to be able to buy their products. Not slamming them as I bought brom Bill n' Becky 2 or 3 times already.
he doesnt make pickups for "hardrockers" he makes hum canceling pickups. hum canceling pickups just so happen to get a little "dirtier" when they get overdrive/distortion added to them.
Bill did for guitar what no man since its creation has. He was the only person to try and figure out why pickups hummed or buzzed a little no matter what you did. His creation caused a hole new clarity in guitar music, between bell tone like clears to gut wrenching harmonics, this mans pickups lead the way. SRV and Dimebag were just a few of his dedicated users. Nice to see the ole fella jazzing it up. My hats off to the man.
i just oredered a L500XL. i want to get one from back when bill and becky owned the company so i can get closer to that dimebag sound. but when i money im gonna get the L500R i think it is. what ever the neck version is called.
If you don't use a Q-filter and if the neck pup is going to be only for clean sound then go for a 500C. Trust me I have a 500XL and a 500R, it's not compulsory having so much impedance eventhough you play heavy stuff (I play heavy stuff 95% of the time). If I new it before I'd have bought a 500L/500C set...but I use a Q-filter, it compensate. If you could talk to Becky or Bill about that they're very helpful.
I'm installing a pair of his NF pickups (202TN/290-TL) in my Tele this afternoon -- can't wait!! :)
siriusisastar 2 weeks ago
Much love Bill. Thank you for all the wonderful music friend. :)
musiccalgary 2 months ago
I was a EMG player for years. One Bill Lawrence L500XL changed that. Now all my guitars have these pick-ups. The L500XL will eat an EMG 81 alive.....
randynelson1 2 months ago
I put a set of Bill Lawrence noise-free pickups in my Tele. It makes the guitar sound magical. Roy Buchanan swore by them.
wakajawako 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Few people have impressed me with their talent and personality as Bill Lawrence has. He joined me for a gig about 30 years ago, and during the whole evening I listened to his playing and kept thinking, Oh WoW ! An experience I will be forever proud and grateful for. keep up the good work Bill Becky and Shannon Thank you
amarillo9003 4 months ago
Few people have impressed me with their talent and personality as Bill Lawrence has. He joined me for a gig about 30 years ago, and during the whole evening I listened to his playing and kept thinking, Oh WoW ! An experience I will be forever proud and grateful for. keep up the good work Bill Beccky and Shannon Thank you
amarillo9003 4 months ago
i´m 30 years old, 17 playing guitar and i hit my head on the wall 100 times asking myself : "why nobody tell me about Bill Lawrence Pickups before?" Now i know the answer. A smelly kid who listens crap music of today, don´t have the capacity of enjoy all twin blade sound in its full range... you HAVE to try every pickup you can just to make sure that L500r, L and XL are the bests pickups for a real heavy metal player. Thank you bill for your contribution to us !
danielhanger 4 months ago
@danielhanger Now Now...don't be so hard on yourself.... The Dime Played Bill Laurence Pickups.
Did you ever listen to his crap or improvisions son?
;p))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
I like EMGs but I really like Bill Laurence Pick ups! Sise by side they can keep up with EMGs to me anyway.
AldridgeHalenFreak 4 months ago
This man is a genius.
elitemathlete 5 months ago
After seeing some p/u demos, B&B should force people sign a waiver-asking people not to make demos for youtube...
bugietube 5 months ago
Other than the great Bill Lawrence, (seeing him for the first time)....That strat sounds like a big ol' jazzbox.
bugietube 5 months ago
Love Bill, so please take this as commentary on the pathetic'ness of youtube and the general nastiness of people who anonymously criticize for no good reason, but if this wasn't O-G Pioneer Bill Lawrence- if it was some random middle aged white guy in his kitchen- this video would have 1/2 dislikes and a comment section full of idiots saying he sucked, including a lot of the people who are now saying how great it is.
But, good to see a great player and innovator get the respect he deserves.
LandonInFlorida 5 months ago
wow! from Jazz to Bach! can't remember the last time I've seen someone pull that off.
survivor030406 5 months ago
5 people don't understand a fuck about the music played with heart.
e797979 7 months ago 2
Truly a hidden gem in the guitar world, that man is.
dudemanguyguy 7 months ago
Wow! Very cool.
rfarrell84 7 months ago
i sat staring at the screen for a minute after this vid ended... must be the steel reserve. but still awesome playing. classical piece on a jazzed out blues guitar at the end was a trip.
chavjones 8 months ago
People are going to talk down a legend like Bill Lawrence? Only on Youtube huh? Never ceases to amaze me.
Your parents should have raised you to respect your elders.
This guy has more creativity, talent, and brains in his pinky than you disrespectful little You-tube snots have in your whole body.
This coming generation of spoiled, undisciplined, disrespectful, whiners, is gonna have far a tougher time than my generation... which created them.
Great playing Bill!
IPushHard 8 months ago 3
@IPushHard The new generation is not interested in giving respect, just getting it. Entitlement mentality on display for our viewing pleasure. Sad but true. My wife is a school teacher, you wouldn't believe what some parents allow their children to get away with. My Dad, RIP, would have kicked my ass for acting like that. And I would have deserved it.
tatsandteles 6 months ago
Bach Double Concerto?
six13team 8 months ago
Bill 爺さん・・・う、上手いと言うか・・・TONEの表現力が凄すぎる・・・
okinawa69ROCK 8 months ago
I'm not impressed by the guitar ... but very much by his playing. Nice! Now give him a good sounding guitar and I'll listen again.
Amerigo73 9 months ago
To each, their own. But let's put it this way, when Fender came out with the SCN's they touted them as "vintage stratocaster tones" plus additional tones with the S1 system. The vintage tones part was a load of BS.
BRowlandq 10 months ago
I've got nothing against the guy, but the guitar sounds like crap. The SCNs on my Am Deluxe Strat sound like crap ... dull, void, no sparkle. You can't fake single coil.
BRowlandq 10 months ago
@BRowlandq
they sound awesome. and they're not single coils, nor is he trying to sound/fake single coil.
LfunkeyA 10 months ago
I met Bill in ST. Louis, Missouri at the International Steel Guitar Convention several years ago. I could have talked to him for hours. Listening to him talk about pick up design made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. A genuis and a living legend. And I use/used many of his pick ups in my guitars. I love the Noiseless SCN Tele pickups most of all! Why have they been discontinued????
stringbender57 10 months ago
maybe he will learn to play when he grows up...like everyone who gave a comment knows how to play
shelliebellie3672 10 months ago
what a fucken player
TheMullerFan 1 year ago
THE FATHER OF THE ELECTRIC GUITAR PICKUP.
ROCKSTARCRANE 1 year ago
NAMM 2012 i'll be fucking there.
canihaveanyname 1 year ago
This COOL old dude created pickups used by THEE Sickest Guitarists like DIME BAG FUCKING DARRELL! \m/ R.I.P "Getcha Pull"
24FRETSHARKFIN 1 year ago 2
does anyone know which bach piece he was playing? (at least i think its bach)
nepalnt21 1 year ago
Bill's the man! The info on his site is insane. A one-man (and wife) pickup designing, manufacturing, direct selling machine! Freaking magic smart dude... I have a pile of ripped out Duncans and Dimarsio's to prove it. They all sound like mud by comparison.
CraigWGA 1 year ago
awesome, didn't know he's german.
MParseface38 1 year ago
That two handed lick at 1:09. Crimeny!
aliensporebomb 1 year ago
He makes Chuck Norris look like a fag!
laughingboy0068 1 year ago 14
Nice jazz improve of Secret Love. I love the guy, and I have L-280's on one of my 92 Strat Plus guitars, and SCN's in the other wired straight up with no S-1 type switching.
pcollenYT 1 year ago
is this bill lawrence wich created the scrubs XD?
Wetsch93 1 year ago
NICE! :D
deathmetal44 1 year ago
in the last 6 months I have purchased both Wilde Pickups Keystones for Strat and his L-90 humbucker sized P-90 sounding pickups.....these pickups are something really special, and they are VERY affordable ! The pickups he is playing here are, I believe the L-45's ($46.00 !!!!) . By the way, he of course probably has the treble rolled off for the Jazz he is playing.......see WildePickups
rhykko77 1 year ago
This guy invented the SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless) pickups. Amazing! Plus, he can play like a mofo, hope I get that old and rock like that!
gordorich1025 1 year ago
nice !Mr T looks him with a lot of interest
andrewjeff 1 year ago
This is mesmerizing. I wonder how many, or how few there realize the greatness they're witness to.
tymsrfr 1 year ago
I hope he outlives us all, because I want to use only his pickups for the rest of my life.
REDKLOK 1 year ago
He's the real pickup builder... all the rest might as well just be tinkerers!
:D
notbendable 1 year ago
Does anyone know how to get a REAL BL xl-500 pickups? not the "Bill Lawrence USA" version.
Doomzdayxx 1 year ago
@Doomzdayxx If you google Bill Lawrence, it should be the first website to come up. There's a link to the pickup website - Wilde pickups I think.
polishedbullet 1 year ago
@Doomzdayxx
Both sound the same, I promise ;) But take a look at e-bay. It's the only way - as far as I know.
Infactz0p 1 year ago
Comment removed
editorjuno 1 year ago
Comment removed
editorjuno 1 year ago
@Doomzdayxx --
After over a year of friendly, persistent persuasion, Bill & Becky have *finally* agreed to reissue an L-500 that conforms to the same 1980 specs as the one used by Dimebag Darrell -- the one he put in the bridge position of pretty much every guitar he ever played. The pickup with have a whopping (over TEN henry) inductance, authentic '80s-style blades, and Bill's exclusive chromed "bathtub" housing. Unlike all the imitators, it will conform to Bill's famous L-500 patent.
editorjuno 1 year ago
@editorjuno That's cool man, I'll check it out. Thanks.
Doomzdayxx 1 year ago
@Doomzdayxx go to his website and leave his wife (through the Contact Us tab) an email explaining what you want, they will get back to you personally. Their customer service is the kind that just doesn't exist anymore. the link is:
w w w.b i l l l a w r e n c e.c o m (note - three L's in a row!!)
laughingboy0068 1 year ago
Get out the way youngin', we are a real threat.
hartistry1957 1 year ago
I have a 1977 Gibson Marauder with pick-ups designed by Bill Lawrence :) love that guitar, very very underrated
Fender1976uk 1 year ago
Yeah I just received my Bill Lawrence pickups the other day.... they look great, I cant wait to get some time to install them.
NewOscarGuy 1 year ago
legend...just to think that without this man we would never have that great dimebag tone....genious
bbgambino99 2 years ago 3
Bill my good man, you're amazing!! Show these young turks on what it's all about. Heck, show the young ladies what a good set of well-coordinated & talented hands can do to brighten their day while you're at it!
bptorre 2 years ago
Bill Lawrence plays jazz?! On a Strat no less?! Awesome!
daysinthewake 2 years ago
He drinks pickups for breakfast.
TheMrJB 1 year ago 6
Bill I hope you can keep making your great pickups and playing forever, you mean a lot to the music industry.
doneaster 2 years ago
Awesome playing... How the heck does he move his hand that fast at 1:31?
minorthreat141 2 years ago
the force is strong with bill lawrence. eat your wheaties, breakfast of champions.
faqyaself 2 years ago
Inventor, musician, superb pickup craftsman (not just a winder) and all around great guy. Thanks for everything Bill. :)
bluestudio67 2 years ago
Cool playing by a legend of the industry. That is a sweet lookin' axe, too.
einaroneeye 2 years ago
lol at 2.20, he plays the "bach double," a famous violin song written ages ago
cmswim 2 years ago
@cmswim Well, but him and Bach are/were German. ;)
MatteusNova 1 year ago
Wow, very nice playing. Tasty lines galore, too.
quarktron 2 years ago 4
God bless him!
awesomejohnnet 2 years ago 6
He rules!!
AtheistThrasher 2 years ago 3
He's so awesome. I want to hug him!!!
fetusjuice 2 years ago 28
@fetusjuice an interesting comment for someone named "fetusjuice" hehehehehe
UZOFusion 6 months ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
gret man guitar player at these days suck
kharlos84 2 years ago
True improvisation. That, my friends, is a dying art.
jbarbes 2 years ago 37
best pickups and best improvisation
JeanGuitar100 1 year ago 2
@jbarbes No it's not.
theanthill1001 1 year ago
@theanthill1001 FUCK OFF
Dimewings 1 year ago
@Dimewings Uh, ok mate. Now my turn: GET REAL YOU TWAT. I made a simple comment, disagreeing with another comment that I disagree with: Improvisation isn't a dying art, it's alive & well. Wasn't personal or offensive. What's got you so upset?Maybe you just haven't had a good YouTube-comments fight in a while & you're feeling lonely? Well why don't you take your mushy slop of a brain & pick a fight somewhere else you useless time-wasting turd.
theanthill1001 1 year ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
@theanthill1001 hahahaahahahah hey dude i'm not trying to pick a fight in youtube, what are you going to do? punch me?? hahaha whatever man, i wrote fuck off to you because jbarbes wrote: True improvisation. That, my friends, is a dying art., and your reply was: No it's not. and that asshole was what it pissed me off so again fuck off and plus go fuck yourself and your mother, what?? you didn't like that one?? if you dont like that one maybe you can suck my cock piece of shit
Dimewings 1 year ago
@theanthill1001 lol
wslx0195 1 year ago
@jbarbes fucken jazz man. the bomb
TheMullerFan 1 year ago
@jbarbes I must agree, many people plays so many scales followed by arppegios and sweeps and they insist that they know how to improvise, when actually they doesn't even know how to jam.
lucaswsf 11 months ago
Does anyone know what piece he's doing at the end?
radicoolfool 2 years ago
2:20 he start a bit of Bach, Double Violin Concerto (1st. mov.) but he improvises after that point instead of keeping with the piece... great tone!
appletreemusic1 2 years ago 2
No other pickup maker knows physics like Bill Lawrence.
That's the key of his pickups tone. Knowing about electromagnetic, eddy currents, impedance, etc.
surfco 2 years ago 2
Bill is a role model for all musicians. Amazing...I hope I can play as good at that age.
sennasmp4 2 years ago
The number one pickup designer in the world.
ROCKSTARCRANE 2 years ago
This is humbling and inspiring in equal measure.
Nice to hear what's possible. Great feel and articulation. Even above the crowd background noise.
SeanBoke 2 years ago
wicked sweeping technique! bill rules!
reddracken 2 years ago
Bills a Living legend,
becky is a "saint"
awesomejohnnet 2 years ago
His XL500 blows Symore Duncan's Dimebucker away.Theres no comparison............
randynelson1 2 years ago 5
are u serious?
MVLINEMAN 2 years ago
Yea I have one of each.The dimebucker has more gain & has a real fat sound.The XL500 is almost there in gain but its a real quiet,clean, & articulate.When your playing Metal tone is more important than gain.Whit all the high gain amps out today.You realy don't need a lot from your pickup.
randynelson1 2 years ago
this is like ultra epic/legend
alexfheind 2 years ago
Great playing and genius pick ups.
svenzia 2 years ago
i got his bass jazz pickup, very wide frequency range great sound. makes a great strat & tele pup and a lot more. this man is a legend in the history of pickups!!!
Butcherguitars 2 years ago
Super cool! Thanks for posting! I just bought a Framus "Billy Lorento" BL 10 from a pawn shop in Minneapolis. I didn't know what it was, but it looked very German in design, very intriguing. The last owner had strung it all wrong. Took me about two hours to figure out what was wrong, but now it's likely the best $120 guitar I own!
DailyBrusher 2 years ago
jajaja un tatita guitarrista, reconozco que le pone mucho empeño y es un muy buen guitarrista.
TornadoofDeath 2 years ago
Pretty awesome. Funny he was in charge of Gibson at one point, and plays a strat.
Shamilt3 2 years ago
What a cool cat!Rock on Bill!
NirradGann 2 years ago 4
Always has to be one fucktard who wouldnt know anything about guitars or music even if it bit him/her on the arse.
Great stuff Bill.
peemgee 2 years ago
Brilliant !
loveyourmailman 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
this old guy sucks, wtf is this
lucybrown1 2 years ago
Bill Lawrence is the best. Without Bill Lawrence Larry Dimarzio would'nt know anything about pickups.
Checkout Bill finger tapping better than van halen at the 1:00 mark!!
go Bill!!
ps10iceman 2 years ago 6
i own a bill lawrence that my guitar teacher gave me. it doesn't say swampkaster (sp?) on it but i have no fuckin idea ANYTHING about my guitar.. anybody wanna help me out?
samuelshepard 2 years ago
Bill is a great player and a great guy.....As a customer I've had 1 or 2 legthy converstions with him over the phone...He even played some guitar for me over the phone, demonstrating some things.
tunetonesouth 2 years ago 2
2:26. AHAHAHHAHHAHA!!! Priceless.
Plaugeis 2 years ago 4
Bill Lawrence is awesome
5 stars
guitarttimman 2 years ago 3
Note how even and smooth the tone is all over the guitar fretboard - a tribute to his playing, and moreover, his electronics expertise.
steve03au 2 years ago 2
Smile Notes
motherzombie 2 years ago
Excelent
bluesteelMCN 2 years ago
Just goes to show you dont have to play a billion notes a mintue to absolutley own the fretboard.
toyoubecritic1 2 years ago
grandpa can shred!
FtKiVeR 2 years ago 3
Bill is guitar history royalty.
Framus, Gibson, Fender, Dime, Nuno... so many owe him
BigBlackPug 2 years ago 2
Damn.. this guy has so much feeling.
BigCowz 2 years ago
This is the legend. He designed the famous L500 pickup line. Bill Lawrence USA actually produces the L500s based on the original patented design. I actually have a USA model and extensively tried a L500 made by the real bill. They sound nearly identical except Bill's have more dynamics on the low end and more output. I personally like the BLUSAs more. Let your ears decide for you...
halcyoncmdr 3 years ago
wow so good
gunthypunthy 3 years ago 2
oh my god, this man is truly awesome! I'm blown away! so this is the great bill lawerence?
jashobbsie 3 years ago 2
Have you no respect for anyone Halcomb. Lying to yourself. You are the lowest form of life.
WiIIieThePimp 3 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
you're not going to believe this, but Bill Lawrence is really Tim Halcomb :-|
GovanLarry 3 years ago
Bill Lawrence is one under acknowledged legend. His pickups are probably IMO the top pickups and many confuse his company with mainstream Bill Lawrence USA which is highly displeasing, especially the crap job they did trying to mainstream them with Dimebucker, and all the other copycats.
planzeres09 3 years ago 4
I agree, I'm pretty sure I'll never use any other pickups.
FFFDFEFRFKFFF 3 years ago
hope he doesnt have arthritis
googaboogaloo 3 years ago
that was one hell of a veteran trick at 1:15. hahaha i'm gonna use that on somebody!
HQFT 3 years ago
it'll blow someones mind lol
Rhaabjorn 3 years ago
He built me a pickup about 5 years ago. I was on the phone with him talking guitars. It was cool.
1pick2sticks 3 years ago
he's some kind of guitar hero back in the 40s
bowo89 3 years ago
Bill produces the world's finest pickups! My L500XL sound amazing!
Thank You so much, Bill!
RangioN2 3 years ago 3
What type of music would you all classify his playing in the beginning. I want as specific as possible and descriptive. I loooooved it.
ParanoidArtemus 3 years ago
Bebop.
MillsApparatus 3 years ago
i think it was blues, im not certain but it looks like he was playing blues scale
ChaosRiddenReaper 3 years ago
sounded kinda jazzy to me...
AVman9 3 years ago 2
early bebop, check out Joe Pass "For Django" you will probably love it. Also check out Johnny Smith and Tal Farlow, Sal Salvador, Charlie Christian and Django of course. the trick he plays at 1:30 reminds me of Les Paul, Love the Bach quote at 2:30.
zhivago729 2 years ago 2
He's a genius.
YofterMofter 3 years ago
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he acts a bit weird/dumb in this video!! but hell his L-500XL is the best pickup ever. it has the
ChaosRiddenReaper 3 years ago
He's 78 years old - cut him some slack!!!
cevtv 3 years ago
I love his pickups. I have his L500XL on my Fender Heavy Metal Strat, L500L on my Epi Les Paul Std and his Keystone pups on my Squier Strat (Made in Japan). I love them all. They are the cleanest, most sensitive and produce a lot output for a passive pup. Highly recommended.
rgvilla55 3 years ago 2
dude, just how hot the XL is compared to duncans?? what kind of other aftermarket pickup would you compare it to??
bowo89 3 years ago
Compared to the duncans, there is no comparson. They just blows them away. At full volume, it just kills. When you turn down the volume on the guitar, it cleans up nicely. I had the Dimarzio Super Distortion and EVOs. The highs are just a bit harsh. I also find the super distortion also muddy.
rgvilla55 3 years ago
you are right. the dimebucker sounds loud and noisy compared to the original lawrence XL. I prefer the origianl lawrence over the duncan anyday.
Daluzmmania89 3 years ago 2
Yeah the Dimebucker actually has more output but there is a mathematical equation that basically weights tone to output. Usually the higher the output, the less character your tone has. The Dimebucker doesn't even give you natural clean because it slightly overdrives any clean channel which IMO is lame.
halcyoncmdr 3 years ago
man this old guy is great!
elmo696 3 years ago
Yeah !! Great bop playin' !!
SlikkTim 3 years ago 2
I'm just sad I will not be this cool when I'm old. I'll shitting myself and throwing at the psychiatric nurses no doubt :(
Fordz 3 years ago 5
great player
nomis777 3 years ago
Bill is rocking here and I have only had the most positive experiences dealing with them. The pickups are awesome and pretty much the only ones I consider buying at this point.
I have the L500XL, L609, and the tele pair.
norbulator 3 years ago
This guy is like Les Paul. huh he makes cool looking pickups..
wisesatyr72 3 years ago 2
Mr T decided to stop by and check out bill's booth.
GenghisChron 3 years ago
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My mom worked for Lawrence Sound Research from 1983 until it went under in 1984. Bill Lawrence is an amazing engineer with an IQ of 160+, but he's not what I would call a good man.
I don't remember all the details, but according to his (ex) wife, he intentionally set the company up to fail (for reasons only known to him) and ran off to Germany. He apparently has a history of that sort of thing.
This was 25 years ago, so maybe he's changed. But I would not want to go into business with him.
leereyno 3 years ago
my friend has a 1965 gibson melody maker with a bill lawrence rail pickup
TrOoPeR2012 3 years ago
Just stoped by his shop the L45 is shipping next week and the new micro-coil ultra low noise single coils are right behind them...just can't wait !!!
theotherguy11 3 years ago
How come I can't find this pickup for sale on their website? Sounds very nice.
dell4bq 3 years ago
Look for the "Wilde" link at the bottom of the page. The next page has a list of links on the
left, click on "the Wilde collection". You should be able to find the L45 there.
elduath 3 years ago
I know but I already saw them there even back when I posted my comment over a month ago. Problem is there is no price and no way to order that or the the only other pickup I am wanting the L48T tele bridge rails pickup. Calling or emailing them doesn't help. I have heard they are extremely busy but it shouldn't be THIS hard to be able to buy their products. Not slamming them as I bought brom Bill n' Becky 2 or 3 times already.
dell4bq 3 years ago
not only is he the god of pickups, he can play the 1st movement of Bach's Double Violin Concerto on guitar!
Does this mans greatness have any limits!
MasterIsh91 3 years ago
Bah! I thought it was a fugue at first, from like Das Wohltemperirte Clavier. But of course it's the double concerto...
MatteusNova 3 years ago
yeh man that got me too, was sure it was fugue at 1st
ron28688 3 years ago
that's the pickup lord
SzczepsonPepson1 3 years ago
His pickups are great. I used them 20 years ago on a couple guitars after seeing Joe Perry put them on his BC Rich's.
ultradian7 3 years ago
he's a jazzer that makes pickup for hardrockers? :o
OlviMasta77 3 years ago
he doesnt make pickups for "hardrockers" he makes hum canceling pickups. hum canceling pickups just so happen to get a little "dirtier" when they get overdrive/distortion added to them.
JKryanX 3 years ago
Bill did for guitar what no man since its creation has. He was the only person to try and figure out why pickups hummed or buzzed a little no matter what you did. His creation caused a hole new clarity in guitar music, between bell tone like clears to gut wrenching harmonics, this mans pickups lead the way. SRV and Dimebag were just a few of his dedicated users. Nice to see the ole fella jazzing it up. My hats off to the man.
einsteinian 3 years ago
Bill, you are the MAN!!!!!
garytelecastor 3 years ago
me too, I want to be like him when I am old. He's so natural, I can breathe his playing.
tuvalvola 3 years ago
He kicked ass! Awesome playing!
scribblee 3 years ago
I put an l500xl in my washburn N4 & it sounds amazing, it makes you not want to put your guitar down. This guy is a legend & HE KNOWS TONE!
vcprez1 3 years ago
i just oredered a L500XL. i want to get one from back when bill and becky owned the company so i can get closer to that dimebag sound. but when i money im gonna get the L500R i think it is. what ever the neck version is called.
lowriderguy187 3 years ago
If you don't use a Q-filter and if the neck pup is going to be only for clean sound then go for a 500C. Trust me I have a 500XL and a 500R, it's not compulsory having so much impedance eventhough you play heavy stuff (I play heavy stuff 95% of the time). If I new it before I'd have bought a 500L/500C set...but I use a Q-filter, it compensate. If you could talk to Becky or Bill about that they're very helpful.
thesoundpurist 3 years ago
Enter sandman;)
areks29 3 years ago
Cool. His SCN pickups in my Deluxe Strat are sweet.
aweoig 3 years ago
Still waitin on a set of pickups from him. Can't wait!
tehprojekt 4 years ago