jaxson50 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Jeff and Don Lace of Lace Music Products, makers of Lace pickups have teamed up with legendary pickup innovator Bill Lawrence, effective immediately all Lawrence products including the Keystone and Wilde products as well as all future Lawrence designed products will be built and shipped from the Lace facility, under direction and Bill and Becky Lawrence. Bill Lawrence has been making pickup history for over 60 years, his work with Gibson is well documented and very much sought after. Sadly he has been in failing health lately and keeping up with the demand was taking it toll on Bill and Becky, this move is a huge win - win for both Lace and Lawrence and fan's of Lawrence products. Lawrence has been such a innovator, creator of the Samarium Cobalt Noiseless pickup, he also was the designer of the Gibson L6-S, the Ripper bass, the L-90 twin blade humbucker and much more. We are truly blessed that he survived Allied bombing of Cologne, Germany during WWII and his early experiments with rocket powered bicycles! :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Excellent thread, great info. Bill Lawrence is a legend, though I've never owned any of his stuff I can tip my hat to 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 You may have played guitars made with Lawrence designed pickups or circuitry and not known it. He has worked with Dan Armstrong in the 60's (Armstrong's son Kent was Bill's apprentice), as was Larry Dimarzio. He built the Lawrence audio electric piano that was used by Stevie Wonder and Miles Davis. He designed the FT-145 soundhole pickup, the single blade L-220 and the L-500, the Roscoe Beck signature bass pickup. In the 60's the Lawrence true Sound Pickup was used on Framus and many other European made basses, mandolins and guitars. He is also a pretty darn good player and was friends with Le Paul. He also rewired a strat for a guy named Jimi in 1967. http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/About_Bill/vgarticle.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 DiMarzio? You're absolutely right. I stand corrected. Thank you so very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 thanks for sharing this info and BL is an amazing designer if youve never played a L6-s you owe it to yourself to try one one of Gibson truly under rated designs. L6-s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 And he can still pick a little too. [YOUTUBE] [/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 thanks for sharing this info and BL is an amazing designer if youve never played a L6-s you owe it to yourself to try one one of Gibson truly under rated designs. L6-s You got that right!!!! The L-6S is one if the best guitars Gibson ever made IMHO! And the one in your picture is a real beauty!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Tell me RS59, why are the prices so crazy on them? I've looked at several and been tempted, but the price was always too high or condition too rough. Or both. I guess not many were built in their short lifetime, eh? Cool guitar. Were they all 24 frets? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retrosurfer1959 Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 The L6-s wasn't made in huge numbers compared to some of the others but there's a good number out there. Until a few years ago the L6-s was very affordable 300-700 for great guitars the price started really going up a few years back and it had a lot to do with people hunting the Bill Lawrence pickups and anything else he designed. I still see some good L6-s at decent prices from time to time (The Temp GC had a gorgeous one in black that looked unplayed a few months ago I paid 550.00 for it before they even got it on the floor. But they are getting harder to find and sadly allot of them have been modified and/or beat to hell because they were not very collectable. The one in the photo above is a 77 Maple I bought new at Milano's in Mesa Arizona. And yes they are all 24 fret necks the big difference was the custom or standard as well as a string through body model. If you find one to buy make sure you get the hard case since a standard LP case won't fit there hard to find and going up in price also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted September 14, 2009 Share Posted September 14, 2009 Thanks a million. I usually won't consider a guitar without a case anyhow, but thanks for the reminder. I can imagine how tuff that would be to find... Was the Custom the one with strings thru the body? Last one I saw was really dressed out with inlays and burst paint, seems like the strings went thru the body. Went for around $2k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fixr1984 Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 Here's my pair, they are both 1974. I just got the burst today, had the natural one for about a year now. I actually prefer the feel and sound of these to my LP. Here's a link to an L6 page if anyone is interested. http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/gibsonL6S.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaxson50 Posted September 15, 2009 Author Share Posted September 15, 2009 Here's my pair' date=' they are both 1974. I just got the burst today, had the natural one for about a year now.I actually prefer the feel and sound of these to my LP. Here's a link to an L6 page if anyone is interested. http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/gibsonL6S.php [img']http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k288/fixr1984/Guitar/DSCN0056.jpg[/img] Great stuff Fixr thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted September 15, 2009 Share Posted September 15, 2009 You guys have some killer L6s!!! I've seen a bunch of string thru version, w/out the BL pups and tone switch, on ebay over the years...The Original L6s like ya'lls that are in good shape are getting harder to find...Didn't BL design the pups on the mid-late 80s LPs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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