ampage Tube Amps / Music Electronics	For current discussions, please visit Music Electronics Forum.

ampage archive

Vintage threads from the first ten years

previous: Ed Rembold I need to correct some mis-informa... -- 11/19/1999 5:51 PM

Re: wait a sec-

11/22/1999 12:04 PM
anonymous	Re: wait a sec- Hi Ed, I don't want to have an argument with you on that topic below: > I said all that to say this- the Real Bill Lawrence 280 > series pu's are stacked humbuckers (with space between the > coils) and alnico 5 rod magnets (No ceramic magnets on > each side or anywhere else for that matter) They are very > quiet,and to me almost too sparkly w/500k pots. I tested an Keystone K-280 made by Bill Lawrence. This is the predecessor of the L-280. It is not from Stew-Mac, I got it for testing from a person who was formerly working as distributor for Bill Lawrence. He told me, that these pickups use AlNiCo magnetes, too, but this is not true. This is what I saw: The K-280 is a stacked humbucker that uses nickel plated steel rods that extend through both coils, but there's a gap between the coils. In this gap, ceramic bar magnets are attached from both sides. I peeked into the cover and was able to see black - ceramic is black - bars. The lower coil has conductor traces to solder on the cables. Ed, please tell me: - do the pole pieces of the L280 look like the rods in a Gibson style humbucker taht is spiral grinding pattern undereath nickel plating or like the straight grinding pattern of Fender Strat single coils? AlNiCo rods are not not nickel plated. - if you move a wrench to the middle of the side of this L280, are they attracted? Ed, you are right that they are very quiet, but they don't sound as bright as stock strat pickups. I tested them with a 250k volume pot and no tone pot, thus it's identical to your setup with two 500k pots. Bill Lawrence may have produced a good pickup, but in my opinion the design target - vintage strat single coil sound - is not met.

11/22/1999 12:04 PM

anonymous

Re: wait a sec-

Hi Ed,

I don't want to have an argument with you on that topic below:

> I said all that to say this- the Real Bill Lawrence 280
> series pu's are stacked humbuckers (with space between the > coils) and alnico 5 rod magnets (No ceramic magnets on
> each side or anywhere else for that matter) They are very > quiet,and to me almost too sparkly w/500k pots.

I tested an Keystone K-280 made by Bill Lawrence.
This is the predecessor of the L-280.
It is not from Stew-Mac, I got it for testing from a
person who was formerly working as distributor for Bill Lawrence. He told me, that these pickups use AlNiCo magnetes, too, but this is not true.

This is what I saw:
The K-280 is a stacked humbucker that uses nickel plated
steel rods that extend through both coils, but there's a gap between the coils. In this gap, ceramic bar magnets are attached from both sides. I peeked into the cover and was able to see black - ceramic is black - bars. The lower coil has conductor traces to solder on the cables.

Ed, please tell me:
- do the pole pieces of the L280 look like the rods in a
Gibson style humbucker taht is spiral grinding pattern undereath nickel plating or like the straight grinding pattern of Fender Strat single coils? AlNiCo rods are not not nickel plated.

- if you move a wrench to the *middle of the side* of
this L280, are they attracted?

Ed, you are right that they are very quiet, but they don't
sound as bright as stock strat pickups. I tested them with a 250k volume pot and no tone pot, thus it's identical to your setup with two 500k pots.

Bill Lawrence may have produced a good pickup, but in my
opinion the design target - vintage strat single coil sound - is not met.

Replies:

Ed Rembold Re: wait a sec-part 2 -- 11/24/1999 5:59 PM