So What's Up With People Knocking Stew Mac

[Thrash]

Everyone knocks the Stewart McDonald Bill Lawrence pickups. I commonly hear that ony Bill and Becky make the "Real" Bill Lawrence pups and they are so much better.

First: both Bill and Stew were part of the company that made "Bill Lawrence Pickups", then after the company folded both split and continued to make the L500 series pickups. Therefore both are still "Real Bill Lawrence Pickups".

Second: The two well known players using the L500 series, Dime and Nuno, both use the Stew Mac pickups. Both Washburn and Dean use the Stew Mac's and Dime said in an interview he got his from Stew. Maybe they did use both companies at some point but seems like most of the time they used Stew's Bill Lawrence pickups.

I've owned and played a couple Bill and Becky L500XL's and thought they were great. I just don't see why people knock the Stew Mac pups, Especially when the people they brag about "Nuno, Dime" use the Stew Mac's.

[linthat22]

Originally Posted by Thrash

I just don't see why people knock the Stew Mac pups, Especially when the people they brag about "Nuno, Dime" use the Stew Mac's.

I thought it was because the other one was made with cork in it

[elcid]

Originally Posted by Thrash

Everyone knocks the Stewart McDonald Bill Lawrence pickups. I commonly hear that ony Bill and Becky make the "Real" Bill Lawrence pups and they are so much better.

First: both Bill and Stew were part of the company that made "Bill Lawrence Pickups", then after the company folded both split and continued to make the L500 series pickups. Therefore both are still "Real Bill Lawrence Pickups".

Second: The two well known players using the L500 series, Dime and Nuno, both use the Stew Mac pickups. Both Washburn and Dean use the Stew Mac's and Dime said in an interview he got his from Stew. Maybe they did use both companies at some point but seems like most of the time they used Stew's Bill Lawrence pickups.

I've owned and played a couple Bill and Becky L500XL's and thought they were great. I just don't see why people knock the Stew Mac pups, Especially when the people they brag about "Nuno, Dime" use the Stew Mac's.

Im guessing it's because Stew Mac pulled some shady sht in the deal, and really stuck it to Bill and Becky. This was a topic awhile back on another board, I'll have to see if I can find it.

[Thrash]

[quote= This was a topic awhile back on another board, I'll have to see if I can find it.[/QUOTE]


Cool, I don't have a dog in the fight, I'm just curious?

[jaxadam]

I think the whole thing stems from the fact that Bill and Becky were the more "legitimate" makers of this pickup, whereas Jzchak Wajcman or whatever the hell his name is was just a "business" partner at the time.

So in essence, if you're buying from Bill and Becky, you're buying from the guy who made the pickups, whereas if you're buying from Stew Mac, you're buying from a guy who was only a business partner who had nothing to do with making the pickups.

I don't know which ones I've played, but of the ones I've played, they are a really nice pickup, and I really like the L-500L's.

[jim777]

Stew-Mac is a fine company with lots of hard to find parts, and those pickups are some of the tinniest in existence. I don't knock Stew-Mac, but I'm happy to knock those pickups

[losgatosrg350dx]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

I think the whole thing stems from the fact that Bill and Becky were the more "legitimate" makers of this pickup, whereas Jzchak Wajcman or whatever the hell his name is was just a "business" partner at the time.

So in essence, if you're buying from Bill and Becky, you're buying from the guy who made the pickups, whereas if you're buying from Stew Mac, you're buying from a guy who was only a business partner who had nothing to do with making the pickups.

I don't know which ones I've played, but of the ones I've played, they are a really nice pickup, and I really like the L-500L's.

i was under the impression bl had the charachteristic scatterwound, where as stew mac, just tried to do this, but didnt actualy know the method bl used

and from my understanding, at the TIME bl was the sole maker, and stew was the distributor.....other than that stew makes them now, but dimes and nunos pups actually were made by bl, before stew mac started making them, but i dont think they use the same method, they are piggybacking off the bussiness deal

[elcid]

Originally Posted by jaxadam

I think the whole thing stems from the fact that Bill and Becky were the more "legitimate" makers of this pickup, whereas Jzchak Wajcman or whatever the hell his name is was just a "business" partner at the time.

So in essence, if you're buying from Bill and Becky, you're buying from the guy who made the pickups, whereas if you're buying from Stew Mac, you're buying from a guy who was only a business partner who had nothing to do with making the pickups.

I don't know which ones I've played, but of the ones I've played, they are a really nice pickup, and I really like the L-500L's.

That was about the size of it. The Stew Mac BL pickups are just using the BL name, he has nothing to do with them.

[jaxadam]

Originally Posted by losgatosrg350dx

i was under the impression bl had the charachteristic scatterwound, where as stew mac, just tried to do this, but didnt actualy know the method bl used

and from my understanding, at the TIME bl was the sole maker, and stew was the distributor.....other than that stew makes them now, but dimes and nunos pups actually were made by bl, before stew mac started making them, but i dont think they use the same method, they are piggybacking off the bussiness deal

Pretty much.

[David McCarroll]

Oh well, I thought the originals were crap, the Bill Lawrence OBL Strat pickup was a stinker (yep, I did try them) and that Seymour Duncan's Dimebucker was/is vastly overrated (Put one in Isida D's RG570 a while ago - he hated it too)..... so I guess I should stay out of it.....

Bill Lawrence designed the Gibson L6S too - anyone remember them.......

[Thrash]

Originally Posted by David McCarroll

Oh well, I thought the originals were crap, the Bill Lawrence OBL Strat pickup was a stinker (yep, I did try them) and that Seymour Duncan's Dimebucker was/is vastly overrated (Put one in Isida D's RG570 a while ago - he hated it too)..... so I guess I should stay out of it.....

Bill Lawrence designed the Gibson L6S too - anyone remember them.......

What are you talking about, Bill and Becky make great pickups. They are clear, bright, have good harmonics and the L500 series are very accomidating to many styles of music.

[jim777]

Originally Posted by Thrash

What are you talking about, Bill and Becky make great pickups. They are clear, bright, have good harmonics and the L500 series are very accomidating to many styles of music.

Lots of people still hate them To me, this argument is always like 'who makes the best dog food flavored ice cream?' Some people just don't care If you do, cool, more power to you, but the Lawrence pickups aren't for everyone. But then I use Bartolinis, so what do I know?

[Thrash]

Originally Posted by jim777

Lots of people still hate them To me, this argument is always like 'who makes the best dog food flavored ice cream?' Some people just don't care If you do, cool, more power to you, but the Lawrence pickups aren't for everyone. But then I use Bartolinis, so what do I know?

You may be right, honestly I feel the only company that needs to exist is Dimarzio.

[rastachild]

it's a confusing story, but i think elcid and jaxadam pretty much summed it up. to make it even more confusing, nuno and dime originally were using the bill & becky l500s, and then washburn actually got confused and started ordering from billlawrence usa (which is the stewmac brand). so there are n4s & n2s out there with both pickups due to washburn's error. lol. the dimebucker has nothing to do with bill & becky and i've heard nothing positive about this pickup.

but i do have a bill & becky L500 in a few of my guitars and i love it. great pickups, very clear and a little bright.

[losgatosrg350dx]

dimebukers can melt in hell, and for no good tone at all