A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

I have a Korean-made Washburn N3. Originally it had a Washburn pickup in it. I put a JB in, but it's leaving me a smidge flat in that guitar,

Anyone ever used a Bill Lawrence L500XL? I note that the Bill Lawrence USA models are reasonable on eBay, if not made by Bill Lawrence. Any thoughts?

I've tried one of the ones actually made by Bill:

https://www.wildepickups.com/products/l500

His stuff is really good but maybe not for ever body. They've got great clarity and respond really well to tone vol/tone controls. Some say they're hifi. I've liked his stuff but it's not really the right choice for people who want something that sounds a bit more traditional. Personally I'm the type to use something lower output than the XL but if you're looking for something passive that's high output and has great clarity it's a great choice.

The Bill Lawrence USA is made by a former business partner of his that Bill had a falling out with. The Wildes are made by his wife and daughter now that Bill has passed.

It's more that I was unhappy with the JB, so why not look at what comes in the N4s? I could also drop the original Washburn back in -- to my ears it was pretty close to Nuno's recorded output.

As for the Wilde vs. BLUSA, I can get the Bill Lawrence shipped here to Canada for less than the cost of the Wilde without shipping. The guitar has hard-lounted pickups, and I would feel less bad about modifying a cheaper pickup.

Of course, I could also find a used Dimebucker, I guess.