Whats the concensus on those old dimebag pickups?

[DaveBlack]

My poor jackson has been sitting for so long. Stripped of everything it once was. I finally have the funds to get all the wiring redone and stuff like that but I don't know if I should put that dimebag pickup back in it. I bought this thing years ago when they first came out and never did anything with it. I've never heard anyone talk about them but that's not necessarily a good or bad thing.

should I go for it? Or is there anything nasty about them that I should know before I do it? Thanks fellas!

 

[LeSedna]

Which ones are you talking about ? If you are talking about the original Bill Lawrence pickup (the ones from BL himself, not the other brand), I have them on my Dean.

 

[Ataraxia2320]

.

 

[DaveBlack]

yeah it's the duncan dimebucker SH13 with the little signature in the top right.

 

[Damage, Inc.]

I found it harsh, but I had it in my Gibson V(a fairly bright sounding guitar to begin with), and I used it onstage alongside guitars that were equipped with JBs or EMG-81s in the bridge. I could probably have dialed out the fizzy top end if I had wanted, but then my other guitars would have sounded dull. I swapped it and got rid of it. I wouldn't say it's a bad choice at all, it just didn't work for me.

 

[DaveBlack]

I figured it was insanely bright so do you think it would be crazy to actually put it in the neck position? Maybe to balance it out a little? Then something a little less abrasive for the bridge?

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

My guitarist swears by them.

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

Dimebag used to flip his Bill Lawrence over (i.e treble side near the low strings).
I never actually used a Dimebucker, so I can't help on there

 

[Damage, Inc.]

I don't think it would work very well to put it in the neck. Neck pickups are voiced differently, plus they are usually lower output, since the strings travel more as they vibrate at the neck position than the bridge.

 

[LeSedna]

If you put any "dime" pickup on a guitar, you have to accept it's harshness (though my BL are not that harsh on my dean) cause it was his signature sound. It is the whole point of these pickups. If you don't like that, sell it and buy a Seymour Duncan or EMG and you'll be done.

 

[guitarguru777]

The Dimebucker is much hotter and brighter then the L500XL that Bill Lawrence used to make. I was a wanna be dimebag clone till about 2000 ....lol

If you can afford it find some of the older L500XL's on ebay they are well worth the price. Harmonics just jump out of the guitar and remain round and full. Probably one of the best guitar pickups ever made.

The Duncan version is just too shrill on the top for my taste. In a HUGE body Mahogany guitar like the Dean ML they sound great, in a LP they sound good. In a maple or basswood jackson they would be way too bright imho.

 

[LeSedna]

That's why I have the original 500L and XL combination on my Dean. It's quite well balanced. Actually, it doesn't sound so far from an EMG (at least in my case) but passive, and is a bit rounder especially on the neck where you can have some nice cleans.

Plus, they are really cheap...

 

[kvoid]

Just drop Bill and Becky a line over at Wilde pickups, they still make em for like 50$ new or something.

The Bill Lawrence USA pickups are the ones made on the same old machinery and tooling, but they have nothing to do with Bill Lawrence himself.