Bill Lawrence 280-S

Pickup features: stacked single coils
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Axl Strat copy
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: EMG Selects
Other pickups on guitar: see above
Artists using this pickup: Eric Johnson ?
You musical style(s): church
Reason for pickup change: Wanted more clarity from my noiseless pickups

Perceived output level: slighty more than normal
Tone: balanced
Sonic evaluation: Behringer GX 212

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: jazz church funk r&b

Comments: I liked my Selects but I wanted more of a true single coil sound from my Axl I also have a Squier Strat that I love but my church has dimmer switches for the lighting that makes only positions 2and 4 useable.I compared the Axl and Squier after I had the 280,s installed I,m very impressed the 280,s have almost as much snap but are very quite like the selects which did not have the same clarity.The 280,s sounded a bit richer than the Squier,s true single coils. The 280,s have more overall tonal range.I bought the 280,s after reading the reviews here.Also considered Dimarzio Virtual Vintage and Kinman Traditional but me my wife and wallet decided on the 280,s.They are steak on a hamburger budget.Great job Bill also Becky and Shannon answered all my many calls and questions Shannon even sent me a thankyou note with my order what great service Stephen Gibson Sr.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: This is in response to my rather longwinded response to Harley and company, where I STRONGLY defended my preference of the Bill
Lawrence 280s' over the Kinman Traditionals.
Here's another longwinded response...
In exemplifying my TREMENDOUS enthusiasm for the Lawrence 280s,
I went over the line. Chris Kinman sent me an e-mail wondering
about my disparaging remarks. He called me on the carpet, and he
was absolutely right to do so!!!
In an open apology to Chris Kinman, I would like to say that my remarks in expressing my preference of the Lawrence 280s over the
Kinmans were harsh, unfair and extreme. Given a second chance, I
would certainly "tone it down" a few notches.
My enthusiasm with the Lawrence 280s' is due to the fact that they NAILED the sound that I had in my head. I had a perception about
what a noiseless single coil pickup should sound like, and the
Kinmans came close, but FOR ME, the 280s' matched it.
In defense of the Kinmans, the workmanship of the pickups is
immaculate, and the presentation (the packaging) is absolutely
regal. I know for a fact that Chris Kinman WORKS HIS ASS OFF,
and has a level of customer service that is totally first rate.
Let's not forget this forum is about players' personal perceptions-
comparisons and naming names are inevitable; nonetheless, I
got carried away.
I will still stand by my preference for the Lawrence 280s - some players may wonder how a $120 set of Lawrences could possibly
compare with a $260 set of Kinmans; however, I would still buy the Lawrence 280s' even if they were the same price as the Kinmans.
The fact that the 280s' are half the price in no way colors my perception of their tone. In other words, my ears are in no way
influenced by my wallet.
That said, I encourage those wishing to purchase Kinmans to do so -
perhaps the Kinmans will match the sounds in a Kinman purchaser's
head the same way the Lawrence 280s favorably match the impressions
in my head.
In conclusion, I want to reiterate my apology to Chris Kinman.
Furthermore, I would like to extend that apology to Chris' fine
staff, and his fans worldwide.
Most Sincerely,
RJR

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass:
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced:
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s):
Reason for pickup change:

Perceived output level:
Tone:
Sonic evaluation:
For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable:

Comments: This is in response to Harley's review of my review. FYI, Harley is a friend that I have not yet met. I think it is really cool that a bunch of guys get together and shoot out pickups, and I wish that I could have been there to bask in the fraternity.
There are circumstances that need to be clarified. My comparison Kinmans vs 280s occurred on two separate occasions. I purchased my Kinman traditionals AFTER being a friend of Bill's for several years. Rest assured, I wouldn't have shelled out $260 just to be able to make a biased puff-piece in favor of Bill Lawrence; rather, I was merely pursuing an ongoing search for the best sounding noiseless pickups. I really wonder about the test parameters that Harley and his friends used in evaluating the two sets of Kinmans with the 280s. By the way, I also owned the Kinman Blues pickups, but sent them back and got the Kinman Traditionals - the exchange cost me shipping AND a ten percent restocking fee.
Harley, please accept my humblest apologies if I am incorrect in the assuptions I am about to make about your "shootout" parameters:
1. The same guitar was used in listening to all 3 sets of pickups.
2. Each set of pickups was on its own pickguard.
3. A pickguard assembly was installed on a guitar, the guitar was tuned, then the pickups on that given assembly were auditioned, with the guitar being passed around to the various participants.
4. Once a given set of pickups were done being heard, the guitar was
detuned, the pickguard was unfastened (untaped or unscrewed), the leads were disconnected, the next pickguard was secured (taped or screwed on), the leads were resoldered, and the guitar was retuned, and the new pickups were played.
5. Step 4 was repeated for the third set of pickups.
6. Several minutes lapsed between each of the pickup changes.
7. A tube amp was used to hear the pickups.
It was not mentioned whether the results were recorded and evaluated in order to reduce potentially distorted listener perceptions that can result from having to wait several minutes between pickup changes. Also, it is not mentioned whether each pickup set got more than one chance at being heard.
Here are the parameters used in coming to the final conclusion that the Kinmans would have to be banished from my guitar forever -
1. Bill has a special rig to listen to (and compare) pickups. It consists of an american standard strat with the body cut away so pickguards may be slid in and out.
2. After a pickup on a pickguard is listened to, the pickguard slides out, the output jack (on the pickguard) is unplugged, the next pickguard it slid in, and is then plugged in. The whole exchange takes between 5 and 10 seconds, especially with more than one person aiding in the conversion. Thanks to the clever design, the strings never have to be detuned in order to perform the pickup/pickguard conversion.
3. Although we don't record the results, I feel that a very short interval (seconds) between pickguard changes yields a more accurate side by side comparison than having to wait minutes that is typical with people who compare different pickups on only one guitar.
4. If you want to REALLY hear how a pickup behaves, hear it with a solid state amp as well as a tube amp. Tube amps tend to be more forgiving, whereas the solid state amp gives a much truer picture of what a pickup is doing. This is only ONE area where the 280s were superior to the Kinmans.
5. Take it further - use a tube OR solid state amp, but with a tweeter that takes the response out to 15 or 20k, instead of the 5k of a typical 12" speaker. Bill uses tweeters all the time - I don't, but a pickup that sounds clear, sweet and smooth with a tweeter, as well as with a solid state amp, will definitely be more sonically friendly with a wider variety of tube amps than a pickup that sounds comparably harsher with full range and/or non-tube gear.
6. During the course of several hours, we were able to switch back and forth well over

Pickup features: Passive,"Noiseless"
Impedence or other specs: N/A

Model of guitar or bass: Strat
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): N/A
Reason for pickup change: Comparison test

Perceived output level: N/A
Tone: N/A
Sonic evaluation: Strat into several amps for comparison test

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: N/A

Comments: Since the submission on 3/20/01 by RJR on these same pups and since one of my customers recently aquired a set, I thought I might have a shootout of some of the current noiseless pickups. This test is preliminary to one I plan to conduct in a couple of months that will compare hopefully ten different brands. This test was arranged primarily because of Mr. RJR's statements about the Kinman Traditionals that he had (and had liked) and how the 280-S's had "murdered" his Kinmans when he went over to his friend Bill Lawrences' shop. His conclusions and statements trouble me for a number of reasons that should be obvious to anyone who has tried to compare any kind of guitar accessory, especially pickups. In this case, the comparison was made on two different guitars and it was made between Kinman's lowest powered model/set (AVn Traditionals) and a more medium to high powered Lawrence (280-S). So I thought I whould do a sort of A/B/C test using three different sets of new pups on the same guitar. The 280-S's (with the small magnets), Kinman's Trads., and also as a more even 'power comparison'-Kinman's AVn Blues set. I'm not going to get into the boring minute details or flowery adjectives, I'll save that for the big shootout--but between eight of us there for over 3 hours we all came to the unanimous conclusion that the Kinman's were best in every category. We also all agreed that the 280-S's were "damned good","better than most other noiseless", and a "great deal", they just didn't sound as genuine and classic as the Kinman's. I have no affiliation to either of these manufacturers, I have a guitar shop and I don't want to alianate anyone, I'm just in the market for the best noiseless single-pole pups for my own axes'. I did notice that the string to pole setting was crucial to good tone with all of these, maybe RJR didn't have his set right, I don't know, I just wish I had been the guy that got his Kinman's for a hundred bucks!!

Pickup features: noiseless single coil
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: american standard strat - the newest "improved" strat variant
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: stock staggered pole strats
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: Jeff Beck
You musical style(s): The gamut - Polkas to Heavy Metal
Reason for pickup change: Sixty cycle hum makes me feel like killing people.

Perceived output level: About the same as stock
Tone: Wonderfully Balanced
Sonic evaluation: I use a strat with tube amps - love that Mark Knoffler early strat
sound but at over 100 decibels. All my gear is modded for clarity
but with warmth. These pickups sound great regardless of whether
I'm playing clean or with a distorted stompbox.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Play all sorts of styles - these pickups are killer

Comments: First off, let me mention that I know Bill and Becky Lawrence, and I love them dearly. They offer quality with value that nobody else on this planet can touch ($120 for 3 Lawrence pickups versus $260 for 3 Kinmans). Years ago I had some 280s. They were made with full sized magnets and sounded bright to my ears. The full sized magnet 280s are the pickups that Jeff Beck uses currently. Anyway, I sold those and bought some Kinmans (Chris' 56/56/62 models). I was fairly happy with those, and took them to Bill for a "shootout". Bill showed me a newer version of the 280 that uses a smaller magnet that he calls "supersweet". The supersweet 280s were superior to my earlier 280s, and absolutely MURDERED my Kinmans. I was in tears for two reasons - first, because my expensive Kinmans sounded edgy and lifeless next to the supersweet 280s, and second because I realized that a set of 280s would soon be mine! I've since sold my Kinmans for $100, and even though I took a $160 hit on the Kinmans, I don't look back at my loss; I just look forward to plugging in my 280s. They are the best sounding, most usable "noiseless" single coils that I have ever heard, and I've gone out of my way to listen to noiseless pickups (I once drove 320 miles round trip to hear Bardens). Even staunch single coil fanatics will like the supersweet 280s.