News

To this casual observer, it would seem the "Bill Lawrence" name dispute is starting to settle. A quick look at billlawrence.com (the site about the man, Willi Stich aka Bill Lawrence) would indicate that Bill is no longer selling pickups as "Bill Lawrence" pickups but as being "designs by Bill Lawrence" under the brand-names Wilde® and Keystone™ respectfully. Also, a quick peek at billlawrenceusa.com (the site owned and operated by Jzchak "EZ" Wajcman dba, but not limited to, "Bill Lawrence Products") you'll notice a new "TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER" stating...

Bill Lawrence Review (or at least the fancy web site you're looking at in it's latest version) is now 1 year old! There have been a lot of improvements over that year, and I'm looking forward to many more! Cheers,

Well, looks like I've been asleep for awhile! It would appear that Jzchak 'EZ' Wajcman (dba Bill Lawrence Pickups and/or dba Bill Lawrence Products) has withdrawn (t)his legal action against Will Lorenz Stich (aka Bill Lawrence) http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?eno=62&pno=92043516&pty=CAN&mode=frame Not to diminish the amount of time and effort that has gone into these proceedings, but it looks like now it is open and closed, with #1 being Mr. Wajcman submitting a petition to have Will Lorenz Stich (aka Bill Lawrence) registration of the mark "Bill Lawrence" no 2303676 cancelled. Now it looks like we are at #65, with Mr. Wajcman withdrawing that petition. What now? Stay tuned, this has been going on a long time, and I'm betting it's not over yet.

I'm going to be upgrading the Glossary and Compare pages to a sections/categories! Soon to be filled with more information about each entry. You may notice some pages will be in "point" form, please be patient as I fill in all the gaps! I'll also have to update links throughout the site pointing to either the Glossary or Compare pages, thanks again for all the help, and patience!

Both billlawrence.com and billlawrenceusa.com now feature disclaimers- At billlawrence.com "Designer Bill Lawrence is Not Associated with Jzchak Wajcman dba Bill Lawrence Products". And at billlawrenceusa.com "Jzchak Wajcman DBA Bill Lawrence Products/Bill Lawrence guitar pickups/Bill Lawrence USA is not associated with the designer "Bill Lawrence" since 1984". That is how they appear as of this writing June 29 2007. This is one small but important step in clearing up any possible confusion for potential and existing customers of "Bill Lawrence" electric guitar pickups. I will be updating some info around the site to convey this new perspective. From this consumer to both companies, Thank you.

As mentioned in my previous post, the dispute is ongoing still, the USPTO page has been updated with 62nd motion as of 06/08/2007. http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92043516&pty=CAN&eno=62

With the "Bill Lawrence" trade name/mark dispute heading to the courts(link), with, hopefully, an end in sight, this site may soon become irrelevant. When(if) this dispute eventually gets resolved, identifying a "Bill Lawrence" pickup will be an easy matter, and this sites content will only apply to "old" or "used" pickups. My goal is for this site to grow into a reservoir of knowledge about ALL electric guitar pickups, not just the "Bill Lawrence" guitar pickups made by two manufacturers.

I've just deleted the site www.BillLawrenceIdentify.com. That URL will now bring you here. I started that site as a boiled down and browser/platform friendly version of this site. Now that www.BillLawrenceReview.com is both cross-platform and cross-browser, and getting easier to navigate (I hope!), the need for a second site has diminished. Also, I've noticed that most visitors to www.billlawrenceidentify.com end up coming here for more info anyway. I will now focus my efforts on improving and updating this one site. Thanks!!

Well, this site has been building for a few months now, but sadly, I think all the surprises have come and gone. I've enjoyed working on this site a great deal. I still remember what it was like, that eureka moment, when I learned that the company Lawrence Sound Research was where the L-500 was born. Until then, I thought they had been made by Lawrence Electro-sound, my only and first source of information being billlawrenceusa.com (and my own assumptions). But it pays to keep looking, keep asking.

Previously under construction over at billlawrenceidentify.com, this handy and simple form lets you identify the date and manufacturer of your L-500 guitar pickup!! Try it out for yourself here Previously under construction over at billlawrenceidentify.com, this handy and simple form lets you identify the date and manufacturer of your L-500 guitar pickup!! Try it out for yourself here Also of mention, the days of www.billlawrenceidentify.com are numbered.