The History of PU and the Brands That Define It
Bill Lawrence: Unbound by Conventional Wisdom
Bill Lawrence, Who Was Also Famous as a Guitarist
Bill Lawrence, who also made a name for himself as a guitarist, is a unique figure who, like Seymour Duncan, transitioned from being a musician to developing pickups.
As a performer, he was known as "Hot Bill" and demonstrated his versatile talents as an artist famous for his high-speed guitar solos, headlining shows at U.S. military bases in Europe and elsewhere.
Embarking on Pickup Development and New Endeavors
In the mid-1960s, Bill Lawrence established “Lawrence Electro-Sounds” in Germany and began developing pickups in earnest.
He later developed “Lawrence True Sound Pickups (LTS).” The LTS lineup included models that followed the traditional pickup structure with six pole pieces, as well as models featuring bar-type pole pieces like the L-500, and these were primarily installed in guitars by German manufacturers.
While Bill Lawrence is often associated with high-gain tones today, the LTS was originally developed as a pickup for jazz.
After moving to the United States, Bill Lawrence developed electric pianos and other instruments, and his fame grew even further when artists like Stevie Wonder began using them.
The Encounter with Dan Armstrong
There was another encounter with a person who brought about a major change in Bill’s life.
That person was Dan Armstrong.
Dan Armstrong is famous for developing innovative instruments such as the “Orange Squeezer” and “Blue Clipper”—compact pickups that plug directly into the jack—as well as the acrylic-bodied Ampeg Lucite.
Bill worked with Dan on various developments, but the most famous of these was the Quick-Change Pickup featured on the aforementioned Ampeg Lucite. This was a revolutionary system that allowed the pickup to be swapped out without loosening the strings or removing the neck.
Later, when Dan moved to the UK, Bill took over his repair shop. Working there were Dan’s son, Kent Armstrong, and Larry DiMaggio, who would later make a name for himself as a manufacturer of replacement pickups.
Joining Major Brands Like Gibson and Fender, and the Evolution of Pickups
Bill Lawrence’s reputation in New York grew steadily, and Gibson took notice.
Working at Gibson from 1968 to 1972, Bill brought innovative ideas previously unseen at Gibson, such as the development of the L6-S and the HB-L and HB-R pickups, which featured circuit boards mounted on the bottom of the pickups.
At Gibson, he also worked alongside Tom Holmes, who developed the '57 Classic.
Later, on the recommendation of Chet Atkins, Bill moved to Nashville, where he developed the L-90 humbucker—which features the bar-type pole pieces that have become his trademark—the L-220, which houses two coils in a single-coil-sized housing, and the L-500, which remains popular to this day.
After numerous innovative developments, Bill was finally asked to serve as a consultant for Fender.
At Fender, he developed the SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noise-less) pickup in 2004.
This pickup was modeled after the L-220 and L-280; by stacking the coils, it achieved low noise despite its single-coil size, while maintaining a power output that didn’t stray too far from that of a single-coil pickup—a groundbreaking design.
Like Seth Lover, Bill Lawrence moved between major brands such as Gibson and Fender, yet he always continued to strive for evolution.
He, too, is one of the indispensable figures in the world of electric guitars.