BILL LAWRENCE USA L500XL VS WILDE USA L500XL Differences (Dimebag-Nuno humbucker)
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- BILL LAWRENCE USA L500XL VS WILDE USA L500XL
who is the"real" ?
Dimebag Darrell and Nuno Bettencourt are the two mostly famous artists related to this humbucker
but which is the real used back in time from those artists ?
Brief:
"The controversy is, there is really no guy named Bill Lawrence. There is the old guy who is really named Willi Lorenz Stich, who calls himself Bill Lawrence, at www.billlawrence.com, and then there is the guy who started the Bill Lawrence company with him, EZ Wajcman, who sells Bill Lawrence pickups at www.billlawrenceusa.com.
The first guy claims HIS pickups are the real deal. He is the guy who calls himself Bill Lawrence, and clearly at some point he worked with the second guy.
The second guy claims HIS pickups are the real deal, still wound on the same machines using the same processes as when the company started., and those are the ones you can get through Stewart Macdonalds.
The prices are the same, the models look almost the same and are described the same. So this video will explain in depth the differences about those two humbuckers also with a sound test"
Let's see what's your opinion about them, in the comment section below
WEBSITE:
www.wildepickup...
billlawrenceusa...
MUSIC IN THIS VIDEO IS ROYALTY FREE AND PROVIDED BY:
www.audioblock... - "feeling ready for it"
The difference is night and day. That Bill Lawrence certain sounds better than the other Bill Lawrence. Thanks for making this video sir. Thumbs up.
But I liked that Bill Lawrence. The other Bill Lawrence sounds just ok to me.
@@ikemedanizu1917 yeah but the one bill lawrence is hotter
Yes i like bill lawrence
XD
I prefer the BLUSA. It's more Dime.
Yep, the one thing Wilde pickups have always had is the clarity of all the notes no matter what volume is at. I have them in multiple guitars. I prefer higher end and clarity, adding bottom end is easy with eq'ng. Thanks for the comparison.
I agree, the High/Mid range is most important for me and my tone needs, Low end can be tuned much easier (or compensated for by the bassist)
i like how the tone isn't as harsh
The Wilde is more expensive but I still have to go with it. To me, it sounds better, and I want to support the family of B. Lawrence
Wilde version has more bottom end and note clarity under heavy gain while bill lawrence is too aggressive and muddy. On cleans, Bill lawrence has obvious high while the wilde has warm tone
It is NOT possible for a Bill Lawrence to be muddy. It's wired up wrong, or you have the treble rolled off.
@@chrispile3878 the USA ones are epoxy potted instead of lightly wax potted, this will affect the highs to an extent, as will the thickness of the blades.
As someone who has played both for years, this is spot on. And to the comment about the BLUSA wiring being wrong, they are wrong. The mud becomes worse as you tune down, while the Wilde version retains clarity. I just got done doing many back to back comparisons with my 2 LP studios too. I just swapped the BLUSA one with a Wilde. I think I’m done with BLUSA so long as I can still find Wilde pickups out there.
Quite hard to tell the proper differences as the mic is on a different position so it's adding an extra variable if I'm not mistaken.
Exactly, you cant really make a direct comparison. Dont know what this guy was thinking or why he did that.
As if he has moved the microphone 😂 that’s probably the main difference that we are hearing
I've been using a L500XL since 1985. Love that pickup.
Wow. Wilde USA is so focused and tight sounding. Very charterful pickup with tons of Dime's and Nuno's sound charater.
Had the chance to play on the real 500xl one time and it was one of my favorite pickups I ever tried. I went EMG personally at the time due to needs in the band I was in. That authentic 500xl is still calling to me.
I used to be a emg fanboy but I’m over that phase. They sound lifeless and flat. Passives ftw
fawien but hey to each their own 😭
They were fine for the application I needed, I demoed many styles and they just fit every way. For the style of play and rig setup I was using, active gave me the best results. Now that I'm more mellowed out and just enjoy casual stuff, I prefer a good inactive.
EMGs aren’t lifeless of you replace your passive tone pot with one of their active ones. They make a huge difference
@@sebastianramirez5807 The EMG 81/85 are some of the best PUPs ever made. Don’t understand the hate, especially since they make passives/alnico loaded PUPs.
I’ve got a Schecter V-1 with the coil splitting 81 in the bridge and that thing has been unmatched for my melodic death metal project.
The microphone placement is not the same at all. The Bill Lawrence recording is much closer to the center of the cone, the wilde USA is more towards the outside of the cone. That is why they sound so drastically different. That's not a good comparison.
Thanks for your response ! the micking position is almost the same (maybe little bit difference in millimeters) , It seems to be lot of difference because in the wilde comparison the cabinet is more angled to the right with a closed camera , and the mic seems to be on the edge of the speaker but it's not , I accuracy took measurement with a meter...
@@Redbunker I counted the lines on the grille cloth, theres a pretty big difference. The wilde pickup sounds very muffled. That, from my experience, is clearly different microphone placement. Also, other comparisons of those two pickups arent nearly as different. You would be better off recording direct and not using a mic. I think this video doesnt give a good impression of the difference in sound.
@@Redbunker also, you can see where the microphone arm crosses the side of the cabinet and see that the microphone is placed much lower on the wilde pickup. This all matches up with what microphone placement does to tone. It looks like it's much further from the center of the cone, and the further away it gets from the center, the dark and more muffled the recording gets and that's exactly what it sounds like.
as said the angled cabinet tricks you a little bit, the comparison was recorded by a long time frame between the 2 pickup ,about 1 month , so also the mic arm is not in the same place and same distance near the cabinet , but I carefully took measurement to put back the mic in the same speaker range ..although your point is totally valid, an edged mic position sounds more gloomy and muffed and could be in a difference in tone, in this case the aggressivity the distortion and the definition of the sound while playing can not be tricked by a slighty different mic position, ...
anyway a direct comparison without a mic beetween this two good pickup is also a good idea for a next video! thanks
Adding to that, you can see that the settings on the amp are different for each pickups, Bill Lawrence USA has less midrange setting than Wilde, add that to different mic placement and that's why it sounds less full and a bit more muddy.
Awful amp choice for comparison. Essentially a fuzz box.... Little fact on the side.... The original l500xl pickups had ceramic magnets whereas the bill n Becky ones have alnico v magnets. Try the bill and Becky with a 1 meg volume pot and 500k tone. It really opens it up.
You can see numerous pictures of Dime's Dean from hell with both versions in the bridge throughout the years. At times he's even had one in the neck. You can tell by the thick and thin blades easily.
used L500xl USA that came with N4. I then replaced it with Wilde L500XL. The Wilde/Bill & Becky sounds so full and thick. the USA one sounds to thin and it went straight to Ebay to an unsuspecting buyer LOL
u a hoe for that 😂
It sounds like the amp settings changed, or a mic got moved. They shouldn't be "THAT" different, I don't think. Actually yeah. I just counted the squares from the bottom up to the microphone, it's different in both clips. The mic got moved.
Yep, not much point in a comparison when the mic is moved to a completely different position so one pickup sounds fuller before a note is plucked!
yup the mic is in a totally different place - you are right that essentially no humbuckers would sound this different with this amount of gain, even a PAF vs a JB - the audio comparison is worthless - we are hearing different speaker/mic placement
Actually the amp settings are different too - definitely useless audio comparison
Nice Comparison man! I like them both, but for my playing style, I prefer the Bill Lawrence USA. I will purchase the Wilde someday to give other tones for my arsenal!
@2:46 mark you will notice that the Bill Lawrence USA pickup on the left uses plastic ears where height adjustment screws go. These always break 😡 I have gone through two Seymour Duncan DIMEBUCKERS with this same issue. You go to adjust pickup height and then the ear cracks and the pickup falls into the cavity.
Wilde pickup for me this time. Notice the metal threads used for screws.That alone for me is huge in my decision making. Plus no more springs too 🙌🏼
This literally just happened to me on my dimebucker. I have since bought a Wilde L500XL lol
Tame the Bill Laurence and it blows doors. It's easier to tame a bright powerful pu than try to improve a thicker scooped type sound of Wilde pu.
how would you advise taming it
@@zakcritch8706 exactly
@@zakcritch8706 I use the USA l500xl in my flying v, i had the same problem trying to figure out how to tame the top end all i did was flip the pickup and adjust the pickup height to taste
wrong
They're eq'd differently (windings, wiring type, bars and likely magnets). The "fake" one actually has a lot more presence and has more mids. Other one sounds more bassy and compressed like a Dimebucker. I personally like the fake fake version a little more.
This video was really helpful thank you! Just ordered the Wilde L500XL 👌 it absolutely nails that classic Nuno Bettencourt tone and is very affordable
How long did it take before you got it?
About a month I think, their workshop is pretty small and I ordered from the UK so it took a little bit of time but totally worth the wait
did you get colored ones or black? im wanting red ones, but i noticed smearing on the lettering on the pups themselves. cheers
I LOVE the MUCH THICKER sound of the Wilde! To me that is world's better than the Bill Lawrence USA, which is quite sad as I have not one... not two, but three guitars equipped with the Bill Lawrence USA ones... sigh. Now I have to get the bloody Wildes.
Or you could take into account the microphone placement is different, making the Wilde one sound so much better.
Ok owing to the fact that we don't know how new the strings are, the environmental conditions or camera microphone set up for the different shoots, I'd have to say that the Wilde Bill pickups sound better. They have a better, more full spectrum sound with less brassiness. The BL USA pickups low end was overwhelming and mushy at the same time. They also seemed to lack a lot of mid-range voicing.
Just my two cents worth, have a great day.
I have been selling, installing, and using BOTH pickups for decades. Slight differences, but neither has a clear advantage over the other. BOTTOM LINE - BOTH kick ass.
I have been going through tons of things about opinions and this is true. Someone else mentioned in UG forums, both are great, both kickass! It depends on personal taste or preference!
Maybe you can tell me, do I ground out the braided wire.
I did, because I assume that is correct, but I'm getting very low volume.
Original Bill, btw.
@@danielnugent7046 - Did you follow the schematic on the Bill & Becky Lawrence (Wilde) website?
@@chrispile3878, I had trouble finding exactly what I was looking for.
Mine has a red+, green/white(taped together), black ground, but they are all surrounded by a braided shield, then a standard rubber coat.
This has been driving me crazy forever, but this is my second time at really diving hard, and I'm getting delirious.
I'm going to check their site again.
Not much luck.
Thanks for the video. Wilde sounds so much better imo. Just purchased one. FYI, Dave Mustaine also used a Bill Lawrence pickup back in the day for a time.
Dave used bill Lawrence pickups for a while in his bc rich bich then he got his custom shop king v and put a l500 in the neck just as a extra fret the bridge pickup was a stock Jackson pickup
@@jacobgarcia2660 Indeed. He also used a Seymour Duncan JB-4 in place of the Jackson stock for a time as well. This was the pickup setup for Peace Sells and Rust in Peace I believe.
@@dice1820 Dave didn’t put a jb in until rust, before that the bridge pup was a stock Jackson high output pup which was wasn’t bad tone wise, it kinda sounded like a jb with less output at least to my ears
well, actually bill changed the recipe on his newer wilde L500 series, notably the magnet. older L500 used by dimebag etc had ceramic magnet, same like what BL USA had since they follows bill's original specs. while the wilde had alnico magnet. and yes, it sounds different than the old one. in fact, the BL USA L500 sound more close to old L500 from the 80s rather than the wilde one for me.
i agree. the sound is lively too.the wilde pups is kinda scooped-mid sort of.
I have and use both the USA and wilde. but for dimebag dean copy I built, I use the USA on there. it just better for playing those stuffs. while the wilde, I use those in other guitar.
From my conversation with Becky at least 20 years ago Nuno Bettencourt used the L-500L. Diamond Darrell used the L-500XL.
Nuno also uses Kahlers not Floyds.
I have no interest in the BLUSA vs. Wilde "debate," but assuming identical amp settings, the BLUSA is more aggressive, and the Wilde is smoother but with an even deeper scoop. I had a BLUSA once, and I really liked it--it sounded great regardless of guitar. I regret getting rid of it, and I definitely plan on getting another one for my latest project!
I have the Wilde l500xl and I love it so much.
the bill usa sounds like a can of bees.
I've been wanting a padauk N4 for the past 15 years
honestly sometimes i prefered the non-wilde.. so there you go. Dunno which i'd pick as an overall. I do have a Wilde pickup though
Don't forget Dave Mustaine used them for his BC Rich Bich and Jacksons from Peace Sells to Rust in Peace ;)
After hearing u guys like the Wilde's I think I'll order one when I can, if I can anyway. The chrome surround version looks cool on the site. I think $20 more than the usa but idc as long as its better, kinda crazy the prices on some of these new pickups these days, I doubt they're any or much better than this originalal anyway. I'm rocking a dimebucker now, can be a little shrill sometimes on my 91' Ibanez s540fm that just underwent a complete overhaul. I didnt know what I was doing when I started, buy thx to youtube it is a badass machine. Shimmed neck,fret level and crown, new electronics, tuners, all hardware etc, kinda proud of the result. Looking back I shoulda bought a cheap guitar to practice on, coulda went bad quick. Got lucky I guess. Lol
Excellent video. I was perplexed between the two. I decided in purchasing both. 😁😁
I have the thin blades and is the best pickup I've ever used ..paired with my randall...really chunky lows ..really squeliy harmonics and just has a nice warm tone too it too ..so u can dial it back a bit or have it bite and for $60 how can u go wrong ...tones in your fingers mostly..but this pickup is toned beautifully
Thank you for this and the extreme riffs
You're wrong. Dimebag and Nuno used the Bill Lawrence USA pickups, not the Wilde USA pickups. Dime said that he buys them from * I forgot the name* that was a dealer for the BL USA pickups. There is a yt video called 'Dime clinic part 2' where he said this. Before there was the BL L500XL Dime used the L500L and that was a Wilde pickup. Btw; they have different magnets because Bill and Becky pickups had problems with thier supplier for the magnets. They then just used different ones.
Wilde for the win! Bills sounds too over the top, muddy overly distorted! Like others have said.
The USA especially in the cleans sounds like a low fi old crusty transistor radio, and the Wilde is just much more warm and musical sounding & very big sounding without being overbearing.
About 10 years ago, I bought a new Bill Lawrence USA L500XL, and was really disappointed by it. Shrill top end, thin and lifeless. More hum than I was expecting from a humbucker. Etc... really made me think it had some build defect. Overall quality seemed poor. I'm convinced the pickups BL USA makes these days is no where near the quality they used to be. I'm rebuilding a guitar and plan to buy a set of Wilde pickups for it, so I can give that version a try. I think it will be much better. I'm impressed that Bill continued to refine and improve his designs and knowing that his family is still assembling them all makes it feel like a genuinely boutique product. I don't see any of that with the BL USA pickups; just some people copying the same old design from the 80's with no real clue about what made it good in the first place. Stew Mac doesn't even sell them anymore, which should be a clue.
I own both pickups, I prefer the Bill Lawrence USA over Bill and Becky's. Just sounds better for my setup which is a Randall RG100ES, furman pq-3 and sometimes a fullbore heavy metal pedal.
i just bought me a vintage 80s bl usa it took me months to find one. and thats a dope ass setup man all i got is a line six atm but going to try and get a randall sometime when i can afford it.
@@shredbacca where did you find an 80s one?
@@andrewescobar434 ebay my guy they are they but hard to find just make sure its the real deal cuz some ppl will sell the bill and becky ones and try to pass it off as a og 80s model
Curious if you set the pickup height the same for each one. Certainly the wilde pickup has much more bottom end but they recommend twice the distance of the treble side. I have quite a few BL USA pickups in my guitars and that method is horrible for them. They almost need to be identical or 1/32 lower on the bass side....All my opinion of course but curious what you set yours too.
This video has been so useful to identify which Bill Lawrence I had in my old second hand Ibanez RG. Thank you!
Talking about the Bill Lawrence U.S.A (fake one) are you able to tell which wire is which? I mean, I found a wiring diagram and installed it accordingly but it's not working.
- Red: hot
- Black: ground
- White & Green: coil tap (so I just soldered them together and taped them off)
Is this correct?
The music at the start sounds like a ps1 game menu
In 1993 dimebag had a clinic in Texas and said he buys his bill Lawrence 500s from stew mac...so that would mean that he used the bill lawremce USA
How do we know Stew only sold BL USA and not Wilde?
What kind of magnets are used for them ?
They both sound great! Just got a USA gonna do a side by side with the dimebucker
If you're comparing two pickups built two, three, or four decades apart, they are going to have tonal differences even if built from the same exact materials and methods. Magnets naturally degauss with age.
Has anyone noticed that the mic was moved for the Wilde pickup, thus rendering the comparison completely pointless?
Admiral Bongo obviously you havent actually compared the two in life, or you shut it up
Russian Account If that was true my recordings would show it, but sadly slight movements even while recording dont effect the tone as munch as a pickup design does. The way you use the guitar pick and the material and pickups are all more infuential than mic placement, mic angle may have more of an effect actually, later, I am only telling this ibfo for the benefit of others and conpletwly know it to be true first hand so not a debate. Thanks ladies
Having both pickups, this sound difference is very indicative of these two designs on the similar ceramic pu designs
Russian Account Then I can prove em wrong, talking to someone that has worked for Bob Carver and more, keep telling yourself it matters but its not as big a deal as the difference in pickup, but hey, each their own, I laugh when guys mark the spot for speaker on cab cloth in tape cause I know better, GL out there
@@idiotburns Dude, judging by the vid, it's about a whole damn inch, it's not a SLIGHT MOVEMENT, it's a complete change of mic position, which would quite explain a giant treble cutoff in a range not explainable by the pickup in any way (unless you were going from a single coil to a super-dark humbucker). I couldn't give two shits who you worked for, as every acoustics textbook will disagree with you. If you don't hear it, then it probably means you should've taken a better care of protecting your hearing at gigs in the past.
I like the wilde more but the bill Lawrence had some tone high points too.
Agree
I’m digging the Wilde myself
Dude you timing is impeccable. I decided today I was going to get the BL L500XL and then saw what shit storm it would seem to be. I heard good and bad things about both brands and seriously thank you for making this video
I really appreciate it !!
Thanks for sharing! What year is that 500XL?
I was using an original set of L-90s w/ Q-Filters long before I even heard of the lawsuit or what pickups were in whose guitar... Now having owned both (L500, etc) for quite some time, what may have been a decent pickup from StewMac back in the day, doesn't appear to be much more than just a simple marketing scheme; name the company "dba Bill Lawrence USA" and emboss it on the back, regardless of where they are actually made or by whom. While my thin blades do not necessarily suck, they aren't great, and I've had 50 other pups that sound just like them - high output and nasal. On the other hand, my Wilde XLs as well as both old & new L-90s don't have me reaching for the EQ and/or gain - just turn it up and go... there is no wrong setting or music style - they sound great all the time. All the hype, while secondary, doesn't really help sell pickups IMHO, especially when you're trying to convince your customers that you're legit, and the actual man is not... what else has E.Z. Wajcman done anyway? Really, besides this, what other significant contribution has he made to music, or anything for that matter? As far as I know, he's just an importer, that's all he does... if that's wrong, please advise, but the only info available is the pickup story and his import business.
So, the only reason these sound so different is because you’ve moved the microphone
Your video is not accurate because Nuno didn't use an L500XL, if you read the article he actully used the L500 Lead pickup
The Wilde suits the Orange Amp. The BL-USA sounds great with MESA boogie Rectifiers 👍🏼
Which ones have more low end? I'm lacking bottom end out of my current rig and I need something to fill that void.
Thank u for the comparison. I think the BL USA version sound better on clean, more open and with more definition.
My original is giving me such low volume. Am I supposed to ground out the braided shield wire, because I have.
Im looking for nunos actual pickup he uses or used to use on the albums i think wildes bill lawrences are the ones he used not the bill lawrence usas that they put in the washburn signatures of his
On Pornograffitti he used a Steinberger with an EMG (I think an 85) as it was the only guitar in the studio that would stay in tune.
Cool comparo. I use both variations, but buy USAs mostly just due to price. I buy Wilde when i find a good deal on them. Wilde sound much better here on this vid. USA sound kinda tinny compared to the Wilde pickup.
Hate to say it but the knockoff sounds better to me than the original creator's pickup - at least there. I do rather like the wilde bass pickup with a little EQ to take out the boominess, tho. Not just your same old P-bass sound.
I'm confused, why are there 2 different websites, and 2 different versions of this pickup??
Bill Lawrence originally made them, then a protege basically took his stuff and somehow finagled the name and runs a company trying to pretend to be Bill Lawrence's company. Bill's wife and daughter make pickups under the name Wilde Pickups. If you're looking for this type of pickup, get it from Wilde Pickups.
wilde all the way.
i have a bill lawrence l500xl, gonna put it in an ibanez, cant wait to hear the difference it makes to the stock
And?
Wilde pickup sounds substantially better for metal
And sounds a lot better with the volume rolled down.
I like more Bill Lawrence USA , more tight and definition ... autenthic sound
Btw, since Willi passed Becky is making the pickups, still the same but you have your tenses wrong in the above summary.
Sounds like the Wilde one could benefit from a lower pot value. Like them both though
What would that do? I have a 500k in my Rhoads I'm about to install a Wilde in
@@theophany1770 it takes out the shrillness. And gives you more options in a lower range of treble and bass. I do this with my super distortions and Duncan JB's. I love the difference it makes.
@@brandonfairchild5340 thanks, I always thought higher the better
@@theophany1770 to each their own. It has its place.
Need that Q filter from Wilde... it will make a difference in tone flexibility
I have a question, I have a B.L L500XL (exactly the same as in the video) with its red cable, its resin and its name hot stamped on the back. I ask: is that pickup neck or bridge? It doesn't matter? is the same? How can I know that? thank you.
This exact model is often used for bridge position.
It’s not quite the same if you install it in the neck position , but you know , music doesn’t have rules 😊
@@Redbunker Thanks for your answer, I don't know if my pickup is the L500Xl or the L500L (this last one seems to be indicated for the neck position) in appearance they are exactly the same, but... who knows what B.L I have? neck? bridge? thank you.
@@javableakthe 500L isn’t necessarily a “neck” pickup, just a lower output version of the 500XL. You can use either pickup in either position
Right off the bat... The "Bill Lawrence USA" is brittle. It isn't the WORST pickup I've ever heard, but it has a bit of that "icepick in the ear" quality. What I do wish is... A CLEAN demo... Just really fuckin' CLEAN and SHOW the amp settings. No pedals or bullshit.
Both the pickups have ceramic magnet?
I don't know the fact.
This is very nice video.
Wild is better
So the fake one sounds better in other words 😂
I must have one. Where can i get it cuz i can't find them on ebay
I just picked up an old 70s or 80s Hondo lespaul shaped guitar today and it has a Bill Lawrence in it. Now I'm wondering if it's one or the other.
If the pickup is already in it for more than 35 years it's one of the originals.
Getting gain from hot pickups and getting gain from your gear are two different things. I believe that Nuno and Dime really used the L500, which is much lower output than the XL. They usually measure less than 7.5k when you check resistance. The higher that number, the less articulate and toneful a pickup becomes. I have a pair of Duncan Invaders in a guitar and they sound like hot garbage.
I have a question that I hope someone will answer: If in 1980 Alex Lifeson of Rush was using a 500L, which version today is the same?
This use easily dates the Nuno / Dimebag Washburn conversation.
That's a tough question. In 1980, Bill Lawrence owned his company, back before the person who owns the name Bill Lawrence USA swindled him out of his business. The company Bill Lawrence USA today only exists in name to profit off of Bill's reputation, but manufactures poor copies of the official merchandise. Wilde Pickups ( AKA Bill & Becky Wilde), is Bill's family making pickups Bill's way. No matter what, you're guaranteed to get a BETTER pickup from Becky and Shannon at Wilde Pickups, even though it isn't manufactured by the person who swindled the company away from Bill Lawrence.
Look up Freddy Gabrsek. A few years back he was making re-creations of Alex's Hentor Sportscaster to spec. If I'm not mistaken, he used a Wilde L500L for the bridge pup in all copies.
hi all and thanks for the video.
where do you buy these? i am from Italy and do not trust ebay and such, and cannot find a websitrme with those. also cannot see them on stewmac?
found something in the comments, thanks.
WILDE all the way!
Got a Wilde and gonna flip it like Nuno and Dime did. Didn't see instructions on Wilde website stating which end is "up". Asked Becky and she wasn't quite sure. Any suggestions?
Hi, I think that the verse should match the holes on the guitar for the wirings , so if the wires from the pick-up comes out from the left you should point the pick-up’s wirings towards the hole...
Because if you install the pickup on the other side the cable length could not arrive to the pot or switch...
do you have a different scenario?
@@Redbunker ok, thanks for the help!
Hi , what do u mean by flip it? What goes that do ? Thanks
I am sooo confused I have the Bill Lawrence USA that came with my Nuno N24F and sound way better than both pickups here
Me too.
Different amplifier.
I could always tell them apart from the blade's thickness. The bill +Becky has thicker blades.
The Wilde ones sound better. The BL USA are bright and fizzy.
Thanks tot he mic placement mostly here, although they ARE bright pickups.
Bill Lawrence USA sounds so much better!!
I like the Jimi riffs starting at around 9:40 !!
I dont know which one I like more. The original Bill sounds kinda muddy compared to the Wilde.. Idk
Nunos guitar didnt ever sound so "dirty" thou. Im so conflicted.
So help me understand.
Nuno used the Bill Lawrance USA L500
But Dimbag used the WILDE USA L500XL ???
I need to know
✌😆🎸
Wilde is nuno.
That amp is not a good choice for these comparison videos !
The Marshall mg would have been ten times better !
The Wilde sounds better.
Good shootout.
So... are we saying Dimebag was using the Wilde L500XL? Billie definitely ran the Wilde variant.
Dimes noted in the Randal guitar clinics saying he bought his from Stew Mac which stocked the Bill Lawrence USA models and if you look at the closeups on the Dean website of the original Dean from hell that the pickup is filled with black resin like the BLUSA.
Curious as I've just grabbed a BLUSA L500XL and was tempted to get a Wilde one just to hear the differences myself, aha.
Hmm I think the L500XL's back in time were called simply Bill lawrence so Bill lawrence L500L(ead) and then they update with model even hotter the XL so thats a point. But Back in the day the Bill Lawrence factory made their pickups with slightly wider blades and chrome housing. Today the B.L. USA doesn't give the option for chrome housing anymore, and they use thinner blades. I don't know in what year Dimebag switched to B.L. USA or if he was on B.L. USA from the beginning
Yeah Dime definitely ran the L500L at first you're correct, found a clipping where he said he was experimenting with the new L500XL at the time.
The topic is forever burning it seems and I'd guess without the man himself being here to answer the question we'll never know, aha.
Yeah I've the chrome housing is only available through Bill and Becky now, think it looks pretty cool compared! Find it a pain to find the pickup rings to fit either unfortunately.
Cool video either way, good to see the differences to help identify :)
Back when dime was using them is when the Bill Lawrence guy was an employee of Willi’s. Basically because he filled out the Bill Lawrence USA trademark forms he took the name and that forced StewMac to continue buy from the owner of the trademark and they still sell those. So at one point the OG were built with a hybrid of the techniques, these are 3 types of pickups, originals, BLUSA and Wilde.
@@idiotburns EARLY OG ones were made in 1979-1981, had medium rounded blades and alnico magnets. BLUSA print (the one on the back, white on the front wasn't there until mid to late 90s) started appearing on L500 models since 1982 (when Willi was still in the company) and a switch to thin flat blades and ceramic magnets was made. Willi sold his part of the company in 1984, Wajcman simply kept the operation going. Willi started OBL pickups in 1986, closed it in 1989, started Bill&Becky in the 90s, later renamed to Wilde Pickups.
@@danielyoung451 It's not all that simple. Originally there were L500L (bridge) and L500R (neck). There were also L510L and L510R, which were made as less hot versions of respective L500 models. Later on, L510R was discontinued, L510L renamed to L500L and the *original* L500L was renamed to L500XL. In other words, the pickup Dime thought was "new" and was "experimenting" with, was nothing more than a confusing renaming of two old models. So yeah, XL is the one he used.
From what i understand USA is made by bill lawrences partner, the Wilde is made by his wife and daughter. There appears to be some misinformation about the usa being a "fake" pickup when they are made in the sandiego shop on the original winding machines used on the origional run of pickups owned by his partner who beat bills family to the patent office or somthing and there appears to be bad blood between the family and his partner but both pickups are in fact bill Lawrence pickups and i don't really believe one is more "authentic" than the other just variants on the patent possibly ordered by court, i don't really get the hate on the USA pickup.
Infact I keep them both :)
@@Skuliboro You make a compelling case, i commend you sir, happy friday!
You think I can buy one from you? Either or. I'm running stock epiphone pups and need any upgrade
actually you can buy them on their site: www.wildepickups.com/ billlawrenceusa.com/ in base of which BL you preferer most
@@Redbunker I was hoping you had one laying around you'd want to sell for $35
The Bill stick PUPS are the real one, they sound awesome, USA obl are terrible sound PUPS
Does the bill lawrence need a coil split switch?
No it doesn’t ...just the standard switch, but is also pre-wired if you want to install a coil split switch
@@Redbunker people also install it "reversed" does that make a difference? I'm only asking a bunch of shit because I have a l-500xl in the box brand new about to be put in something
Obvious to me the family/wilde model sounds way better, the rip off model sounds cheap. Why wouldnt anyone buying one wanna support the man/family who is responsible for the contributions to the electric guitar anyway- idk the whole back story but his former partner is just leaching off his creations, develop your own pup and sell that. Stop buying them on ebay and check out his website. I dont own one yet but I am gonna order one right now- thats enough proof for me that the original is better.
Chris Peterson, my first guitar was a Gibson Challenger II. The Bill Lawrence pickups in that were sh...!
Approximately 8 years ago, I bought another Challenger II.
I decided to put newer Bill Lawrence pickups in it to keep with the Gibson/Bill Lawrence theme.
Dont know about the drama personally, never read into it but I like the wildes better too
Because most people don't know there is a difference. And it sucks. The fake "Bill Lawrence USA" pickup is godawful garbage and won't even fit in many superstrat body routings (ibanez, most jacksons, charvel) because it is too tall and forces you to have high action. It is a complete piece of trash, trebly and thin sound like playing a whiny single coil without any of the characteristics of a single coil. The only REAL way to get that pickup's sound in your instrument is to find an original one from when Bill owned his company. Even the Wilde and Bill and Becky ones are slightly different. Its a shame because the original is a solid pickup and lends itself very well to coil tapping/pairing with an Duncan Jazz.
@@miaouew I've had the BL USA pickups in quite a few Jacksons and they all fit no problem?
USA has this 80´s sound signature, not gentle, no warmth, a strat on steroid, if you like bluesy sound path your way. Now i feel this comparison do not give justice too it. I got two in two different guitars and get beefy bass, I started feeling palm muting with that pup
Wilde is the best. Wilde Nuno's sound.
Amp sounds like ots dying
test is not true sound you can trust
Based on this test, SOUNDS like Nuno used the Wilde L500
Huge difference. Wilde sounds better to me.
Wilde usa version is Scooped
BILL Lawrence has a Mid Bump
That is a 500-L in the bridge, oem was a 500-L. Plus you can here the mids in it. The 500XL has less mid range
But wasn't it made when there were only three models, having the L being the hottest (same as XL today) ? My personal favorite is the current L-500L FYI
From what I been able to find out all the Nuno models came with the 500L, a lot of advertising would say 500XL but Nuno’s go to was the 500-L
@@donsmith5385 Well I'll say again, it depends on When it was made. Early XL's were named L. FWIW
Exactly, the hottest from the U.S.A brand was the 500L ...equivalent to the 500XL today
True the 510 became the 500L, the 500L became the XL.