New Pickups for HSS strat - Bill Lawrence and Dimarzio

[oacikgoz]

I own an HSS US Fender Strat and I would like to replace my stock single coils with Bill Lawrence L-280S for neck and L-200S for the middle position. (Recommended by Becky Lawrence) The stock humbucker in the bridge is a Dimarzio Paf Pro which I really like. I wasn't thinking about replacing it until I talked to Becky who strongly recommended L-500L for the bridge. She told me that it works exceptionally well in split coil combinations. (My 4th position activates 3 pickups at the same time, that's how my guitar was wired when I first got it and I don't like that very much, I want to split humbucker and use with middle pickup instead).

My first question is, how does Dimarzio Paf Pro compare with L-500 Lead? Does it work well with mid/high output single coils well like Dimarzio Paf Pro? If I replace it, do you think I'd be disappointed in any ways?

I mainly play hard rock, 80s hair metal, some texas blues (like SRV). Versatility is very important for me and also I don't want the tone to get much darker when I switch to the bridge pickup. Dimarzio Paf Pro is quite bright for a humbucker pickup, which is a plus for me.

Also, what do you think about L-280S for neck and L-200S for middle position?

Thank you very much

[oacikgoz]

no one?!?

[oacikgoz]

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[oacikgoz]

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[steelhead]

Becky is great at recommendations according to your playing style. I told her my style(s) and I have the 280's in the neck and middle with 290 in the bridge. Their L-500 has been around and I'd read the reviews on harmony-central if you want to dig further.

[GTRJoe]

I've bought quite a few pickups from Bill and Becky over the years. I've never received a bad recommendation from her. The L 500 is not a dark sounding pickup. It's very loud and pretty bright. It has a wider frequency response than a standard humbucker. If you're playing mainly hard rock and metal you probably should get the XL version of the L 500. Another of their pickups you should ask about is the L 90. It's more like a standard humbucker but is still brighter, and clearer. I have a pair of those in my slide guitar. One negative about the L 90's is I don't believe they come in white. Black and cream only as far as I know. I have the L 280's in my EC Strat. They sound just fine in that guitar. Her suggested set up would probably work very well for your purposes.
Another pickup you should ask her about is the L 45S. Those are the dual blade single coil size pickups. I heard them at last years NAMM show. I really liked those a lot.

[Wheelbarrow]

I've had an L500XL for a while now. If you like Nuno Bettencourt's sounds on the first couple of Extreme albums (or all of their records for that matter) go for the L500XL. It's a great pickup. Very high output, approaching active PU levels, but has a very organic sound to it.

[Mike9]

I've been emailing and calling/leaving messages for Bill and Becky for weeks now - no reply - I hope everything is OK with them.

[oacikgoz]

Don't e-mail, just call them. They do not email back I think.

I still wonder why Becky recommended an L-200S for the middle pickup.