Lawrence L500/XL500, Stew-Mac, etc... - Yet another pickup q

Wicked Blade · #1 05-06-2001, 10:02 AM

Hi guys,

I'm thinking about replacing the bridge Evo on my JEM7BSB with a Lawrence pickup (I really love Bettencourt's tone on Extreme's Pornograffitti).
I already have one on my Washburn N2 but it's a Stew-Mac, not a genuine Bill Lawrence', and besides I can't remember if it's a L500 or a L500-XL... But it's the kind of tone I'm looking for.

So I need your help. I would like the output voltage of the new pickup to match the voltage of the neck Evo. Do any of you know which of the XL500 and L500 is closer in that regard ? What are their voltage output ? And what are the tone differences between the two ?

Second thing, I know that the Washburn N4 is equipped with L500, but it's not clear who makes them between Bill Lawrence , Stew-Mac, or even Washburn... I noticed there are some N4 owners out there, so could they tell me ? If it can help, I know that the Bill Lawrence blades are much thicker than the Stew-Mac blades (as you can see on the Lawrence website and Stew-Mac site), and besides the finish quality seems a bit higher with genuine Lawrence pickups...

Lastly, there's much talk on the Harmony Central website and on the Lawrence website about the quality and tone differences between Lawrences and Stew-Macs. I'd like to know if anyone actually compared them and what they thought. I guess I could have asked on the Harmony Central forum, but I trust the people here much much more :biggrin:

Thanks for your help !

tomizm · #2 05-06-2001, 10:23 AM

I got an L-500 from someone in a trade and the pickup seems really weak. *Im curious to see what info you're able to attract.

Wicked Blade · #3 05-06-2001, 11:58 AM

Tomizm,

is it a Stew-Mac or a genuine Bill Lawrence ?

I begin to suspect that the pickup on my N2 is an XL500 (also called L500-XL). It's a very hot pickup : it easily saturates the clean channel on many tube amps (I can't get a totally clean sound out of the Peavey Classic's or 5150... only Fender amps are able to handle this pickup and still deliver a clean tone, in my experience - kind of like the Evo).

Let's see what our friends can tell us...

tomizm · #4 05-06-2001, 03:54 PM

I wouldn't have the slightest clue where it's from. *It's in a plastic chrome painted pocket. *I dont know if that will distinguish between the 2. *It's kind of like sexing a rat snake. *You have to have the 2 side by side for a visual comparison until you become real familiar with it.

Wicked Blade · #5 05-06-2001, 06:51 PM

Actually, it's rather easy to distinguish them, once you know what to look for. Becky Lawrence answered the same question this way :
"If your L-500 *looks similar to ours on the website with the thicker blade, it is definitely one of ours, even if it is flat and not curved. If the blades are thinner, then it is not one of ours."
And, looking at the pics on the 2 sites, I'd add that the Stew-Macs seem to be filled on the side. I don't know if you see what I mean (english not being my native tongue, plus I don't know if I could even express this in french...). Oh, I'll try with a pic :

(I marked the filled area with a red arrow - the pic is of a Stew-Mac, of course).

armadillo · #6 05-07-2001, 10:49 AM

Hi,

*I got a 1991 N4, first run.... And I can tell you it is definitely like the pickup on the picture above..So it must be a Stew-Mac... The side are "filled" like on the picture..and the blades are the same width...

*I always thought it was a Lawrence..But I just learned here that it isn't...Doesn't bother me at all, cuz it got a killer tone..Just like pornograffitti...

*H.

Wicked Blade · #7 05-07-2001, 11:51 AM

armadillo,

I was surprised too when I learned that the pickup I thought was a Bill Lawrence L500 on my black Wasburn N2 was actually a Stew-Mac Lawrence L500 ! My surprise was also due to the fact that some people overtly despise this brand and prefer the genuine Bill Lawrence's, and my L500 sounds so good I thought it could not be a 'bad' one...
That's kind of logic, too, as Bill Lawrence's are supposedly handmade and I don't see how he could cope with the production necessary to supply Washburn's N2, N4, and Dime...

Anyway that's part of the problem solved. Do you happen to know the output voltage of your pickup ? It would help distinguish L500's and XL500's, as I'm not sure what I have...

armadillo · #8 05-08-2001, 10:10 AM

Hi Wicked Blade...

* BTW, I just noticed you are from France...I don't know if you speak french, but I am from Quebec..So I do too...Nice to see you...

* Anyway, back to the topic...I don't know what the output is..Is there a way to measure it?..With a multimeter or something else.. Just tell me and I will do it...

* Have a Nice Day...

Wicked Blade · #9 05-08-2001, 11:51 AM

I do speak french : I am French, so that's kind of logic

I'm not an exiled north american (but my english already betrayed that, I guess)... Bonjour à nos cousins du Quebec !

Back to the topic, as you say. I'm not sure how to measure the output voltage. When I tried to I just plugged the multimeter at the output jack and stroke the strings. But it might not be the way, because then the multimeter is plugged in parallel with the pickup, and I think it should not (if I remember my electronic courses right - wouldn't that expose the multimeter to damage ?). Anyway when I did that I measured about 350mV, I think (not sure : that was long ago and I don't have a multimeter at hand).

A bientôt...