Bill Lawrence L500, L500XL

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MississippiMetal

MississippiMetal

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I've been looking at the L500 model in it's various incarnations, and was wondering if someone could offer up some helpful experience with the L500 Vs L500XL, and Bill & Becky's versions Vs the BL USA versions?

They're basically the same price from both sources, but I'm wondering if there is a construction/tonal difference between the two incarnations? It also seems a bit shitty that Jzchak would scalp Bill's name and carry on making his Pickup, but I dunno the full story behind that.

I'm a huge fan of Nuno, and I love his pinch harmonic technique and his percussive palm muted single note stuff, so rather than looking for a Dimarzio or Duncan pickup to do that job, so I said why not go straight to the source? I'm not trying to ape his tone, I'm just looking for a pickup to help facilitate some of the stylistic points and techniques I cop from him.

I know we got a lot of Washburn N4 owners around these parts, maybe they can hook a brother up with some input on the pup's performance?

Thanks guys.
 
Get the Bill & Becky version...

Both versions are bright, agressive sounding pickups but I found, when comparing in the same guitar, that the B&B version just had more body to the tone whereas the BLUSA was just harsh and a little too shrill.
 
get the BLUSA version....

more consistant, and MUCH better tone IMHO....

I've had many of both, and find that the BLUSA is just all around better.
 
Harsh and shrill... remember that because that is all you will get with a BLUSA. I love Nuno, but I don't think he has very good tone. I have the B&B version in a couple of my N4s to keep them "correct", but they are still not my best sounding.
 
I disagree, and so will Mr. Gutierrez, we have both had 50+ of these pick-ups over the years, I've had some B&Bs that sounded good, and had some that sounded like single coils under water, the USAs on the other hand have always delivered.


Plus I wouldn't buy ANYTHING from B&B, Becky is a lying bitch and tried to call me out on HC, once I proved her WRONG, she ran and never came back.....


FWIW: I usually have a couple of the USAs at home just because I like them. Also, I would take the SD Dimebucker over the B&B as well. like I said though IMHO. ;)
 
My favorite guitar is my old Ibanez RG520 with a L500XL (B&B) in it. It just slays, tone-wise.

One thing you'll come across is the debate about which pickup Nuno, Dime and other used. I got this sorted once with Becky & Bill who explained where the confusion lies.

Originally the had the L500-L ... somewhere along the line they started making a lower output version of this, so they added new naming, calling the new lower output pickup the L500-L, and renaming the original to the L500-XL. So when you hear someone say Dime never used the XL, he used L, they are referring to the originally named pickup, which actually is today called the XL .. and so on.

Just for clarity, and if that's at all important to you. I've had them both the L and the XL, and they're both great. The XL was exactly what I wanted though.
 
And Becky is full of shit when it comes to Dime, she claimed to me on the phone AND on HCAF, that Dime NEVER used a BLUSA, then I posted the video where he said he gets all his pick-ups from Stew-Mac, which were the BLUSAs, and she went running for the hills cause she was just trying to cash in on his name, now if she had said yeah he used both, then fine...

I was at Dimes house, I saw MAYBE a handful of the B&B pick-ups there, but there were boxes full of the BLUSAs.....
 
I have B&B L500s in my 2 BC Richs (Bich and Mockingbird).....love them both, one of my favorite pickups. I never tried the BLUSA ones.
 
I don't care to get involved in the who used what debate (for the record both Dime and Nuno used both versions), but out of the two versions I like the sound of the B&B better.

Frankly, neither pickup is that great compared to what else is available.

I have a few BLUSA in the parts box if anyone is interested.
 
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