Learn me about pickups - should I change mine?

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

I used to play guitar a bit as a kid, but really have not touched it in, oh 25 or so years.

I'm thinking of picking it up again. I made my electric guitar (okay I bought the neck) from scratch when I was 14. It still looks pretty good, the brass bridge is tarnished and the clear varnish is fading a bit:

The body is Black Walnut laminated with Maple to transmit sustain through the maple neck to the bridge. I wanted to make a cross between a Strat and a Les Paul - I loved the shape of the Strat, but liked the wood top and three pickups for some reason.

My original version had a Strat pickup in the middle, now it is a blank. The neck pickup came out of an old les Paul or something, the bridge pickup is an original Bill Lawrence (circa 1976).

The original version had some sort of active electronics inside (hence the three mini switches), since then it's a basic wiring setup, two of the switches do nothing, one thins off the output.

What, if anything should I do? Are these old pickups worth anything, or are newer ones better? Catch me up to what I've missed in the last 36 years....

slodave · slodave's Garage

Nice job on the guitar! Nothing wrong with buying a neck for the first go.

ramonesfreak · ramonesfreak's Garage

i have some newer bill lawrence L600 and L609....you might wanna check them out. i might leave the old bill lawrence in that you have

you could get an L609 for the empty spot and use one of those mini toggles as a coil splitter

Rick V · 11-03-2012, 05:25 AM

Paging Wolf

Don Plumley · Don Plumley's Garage

Thanks. I assume there is some value in the old Lawrence, but I'd be okay with ripping out the electronics and starting over if it makes sense. Or just leave it alone, toss some new strings and go. and re-learn to play. The pots are, well 30 odd years old, but if I remember they are Bourns.

The sound I'm after is SRV, Clapton, bluesy. Maybe a coil splitter on one or both of the pickups would be good? I could put a third pickup in but that seems like overkill. I could put a full or partial Strat pick guard on, but it seems a shame to cover the wood.

Keep em coming...

Tobra · Tobra's Garage

toss on new strings and go, see how you feel about it in a few months

Joeaksa · 11-03-2012, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rick V

Paging Wolf

Was thinking the same thing!

widgeon13 · 11-03-2012, 02:52 PM

I'm no help as I thought you were talking about trucks.

Nostril Cheese · 11-03-2012, 03:06 PM

I have a set of Wolfes Dr. Vintages in my Les Paul. Awesome pickups. Blows away anything from the major manufacturers.

BlueSkyJaunte · 11-03-2012, 03:16 PM

That thing has some mojo...I would leave it alone (except for the new strings, as stated earlier) unless it plays like crap. If that's the case, set up the action properly or pay a professional to do that.

Seems to me the older pickups are the better they sound, but I have a tin ear. Guys talk about "warmth" and "bite" and "bell" or "piano" and frankly I think they're nuts. Shrug. Don't get me wrong--given the accolades he has received and the obvious work he puts into his product, I'm sure Wolfe's pickups are some of the best out there. But I would never be the one picked to make that assessment.

EarlyPorsche · 11-03-2012, 05:18 PM

Make sure you get a diesel. I am partial to the Cummins powered pickups because they last the longest hands down. Of course they won't be as quiet as the chevy pickup diesels.

Joeaksa · 11-03-2012, 06:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EarlyPorsche

Make sure you get a diesel. I am partial to the Cummins powered pickups because they last the longest hands down. Of course they won't be as quiet as the chevy pickup diesels.

Was thinking the very same thing!

WolfeMacleod · 11-04-2012, 12:47 AM

Just got back from Vegas earlier today, wasn't online much at all this week.

That T-Top pickup is worth a few bucks. Don't damage it, whatever you do. They're getting more and more valuable.
Not sure about the value of Bill Lawrence' older stuff, but I'd hang onto it. Bill is getting quite old these days, and I imagine his old stuff will rise sharply in value when he does pass.

For the SRV/Clapton vibe, you'll want to go single coils, unless you're looking for early Clapton.

Ther are humbucker style mounting rings that are available for mounting single coils. Seen them at Allparts, but can't find them now.

LWJ · 11-04-2012, 02:44 AM

What Wolfe said. I will point out that two single coils (position 2 and 4 on a strat) has a neat sound that I use. You can't get that with one single coil. Also, I haven't heard a coil-split humbucker that ever sounded like a Strat. I am not an expert however.

Cool guitar.
Larry