MMK 45 or Bill Lawrence or Not

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Author Message Hackneyslim Username: Hackneyslim Registered: 02-2006 Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 11:19 am:    Here's another set of obscure questions for the alarmingly well-informed: I have a cream-coloured, open humbucker with 'MMK' stamped on the back, and '45' inked below it. Must be at least 16 years old. I believe these are Matsumoko (?) pickups, but that really doesn't tell me a lot. Am I right in thinking these were stock on old Arias? And exactly how crap are they? While I am at it, I also found something which I have identified as a Bill Lawrence L-500 L, from the sticker on the back and photographic comparisons, but I also heard a whisper that Stew-Mac used to copy these and THEY were crap. Is there a give-away sign to tell the difference? One of these two will be dropped into an Antoria Tele I found 12 years ago for 50 nicker in the pawn shop on the corner just opposite the Angel tube - St John's St and London Rd? - if anyone remembers that shop. Best ever second hand shop ever. Cheers h Dave_g Username: Dave_g Registered: 01-2002 Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 11:33 am:    Slim, the "Super Magnaflux" pickup that you have were stock on Electras, Arias and-even the short lived Matsumoko Skylark guitars. These are VERY HOT pups and can really give a 'Paul a run for the money ! Awesome pups, not crap at all ! Phatphred Username: Phatphred Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 2:44 pm:    Slim, I remember the Angel Music Exchange in Islington. A real Aladdin's cave with wall-to-wall Strats and jazz boxes lining the staircase. I got a Raimundo Spanish and a Korg M1, which I still play, from there for, like, nothing. Then there was the Muswell Hill Music Exchange (not connected), where I got my first Ibanez, a 1984 MC924 Musician active bass with the P and J pickups, which I also still play. That cost me £200 some 11 years ago. Gold, like crap, is where you find it, not just on eBay. And when I pull off my next obscure deal (not before) you guys will be the first to know all about it! Rummaging around the net is a little like scouring those shops, but you can't beat feeling how a guitar responds under your fingers. That tells you all you need to know. The fastest neck I ever met belonged to an Ormston which I ran into in a shop on Shaftesbury Avenue, when all the guitar shops used to be there. That's as in James Ormston Burns. That was 35 years ago and I still remember the sensation. Maybe one day we'll be able to download sensory data - that might put some new life in those tired old "adult" sites! Hackneyslim Username: Hackneyslim Registered: 02-2006 Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 6:07 pm:    Dave That settles my choice then. Thanks. Actually, one just failed to sell on eBay for $5. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:112&item= 7402623136&id=&sasel=5 Phatphred - whatever happened to the music part of the Angel pawn shop -I went back at Christmas and found only the downstairs operational - you know, the watches and jewellry for pimps bit. Do you remember the bloke who ran the guitar part on the first floor? Like a bouncer for the Krays, the way he spoke, but what a lovely chap underneath. Ah, why do I love second hand shops so much? I don't know the M/Hill Exchange, but you must remember the Notting Hill Music Exchange, the mother of them all. This was also mysteriously missing at Xmas. I picked up a Selmer Treble'n'Bass for 45 quid there, and the next week, Macari's had one in the window for 250 or so! Incidentally, I don't live in the UK any more, and it's pretty obvious I've lost touch on the bargain hunting, so could you point me to the best second-hand shops in London for my next trip home? Thanks. h Dave_g Username: Dave_g Registered: 01-2002 Posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 - 8:15 pm:    Hackey, with the OHM rating under 6, I suspect that the seller either has a short on one coil, or he doesn't know how to measure the resistance...either way I'd pass on that auction. If you need a MK45, just let me know-perhaps I can part with one for trade...(let me know what color too) Hackneyslim Username: Hackneyslim Registered: 02-2006 Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 5:09 am:    Dave Interesting. What is the OHM reading supposed to be, if I may ask? And what sort of price should it be? Dave_g Username: Dave_g Registered: 01-2002 Posted on Tuesday, April 04, 2006 - 9:09 am:    Hackey...I measured one of the MK 45's I have laying around .....Single coil=5.72, both coils=11.38..These Pups are generally available on EBay for $20 or so (from folks who don't know how they sound !) I have these in many of my Electras and other "uncle Matt" guitars..AWESOME ! Hackneyslim Username: Hackneyslim Registered: 02-2006 Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 7:27 am:    Dave Thanks for the information, and thanks very much for the offer, but I don't think I'll be needing another one just yet. The Tele will end up H/S/S. Cheers h Phatphred Username: Phatphred Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Wednesday, April 05, 2006 - 9:23 am:    Slim ...and of course Macari's was itself a "music exchange" in its earlier guise. Those days are obviously gone. The concept of musos tired of a piece of gear or hard up using such a place has long departed. The only scope for any dealer making money from old gear is in the business that sells the exclusive rarities at fancy prices. I see that the Ibanez associated with Smokie ended up on eBay. At a recent gig I did at a Community centre, there was a clause in the contract saying that the band was not allowed to play "Living next Door to Alice"! All the action seems to be on eBay these days. The shops can only make money as outlets for the brands. Relying on eBay to bring the stuff to you may be deceptive. Anyone ever stopped to think what guitars are not appearing on eBay and whether that holy grail you've been after may just be changing hands well away from your scrutiny as you sit and write? There's a difference between going into the supermarket knowing what you want to buy (and how much you're prepared to spend) and walking up and down the aisles seeing what takes your fancy. Formula73 Username: Formula73 Registered: 03-2005 Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 4:03 pm:    It's physically impossible to tell recent Bill Lawrence USA L500s apart. EZ doesn't actually mark the pickups with what model they are. The best way to figure out what it is is to meter it and go to www.billlawrenceusa.com to get the specs. It's likely an L or an XL. They sell the best. Stew Mac copies? This is a long and drawn out story, but the gist is that 2 guys ran Bill Lawrence USA, Bill and EZ. Bill f'd up the company, EZ bought it all and bailed him out. Keep in mind, Bill is the actual designer. Bill Lawrence USA has been producing the same pickups since the 70s(probably because EZ doesn't know a whole lot about pickups), the only exception being that the early versions were unpotted due to the low melting point of the bobbin plastic. These days, EZ pots them in epoxy, which is where the problem usually arises: if he did it right and all the epoxy penetrated the coils, it's golden. If not, you're squeally as hell and the only thing to do is send it back for a replacement, which he is normally happy to do. Bill went back to Germany where he designed and manufactured pickups more or less the same pickups under the name OBL until (for some reason) he decided to come back to the states, start another Bill Lawrence company, and start making pickups identically named. These are more consistant, since he and his family wind them in batches and changed the kind of bobbins they use so they can be wax potted(and repotted if necessary). QA is a little better over there. They can be told apart as the USAs from EZ have thin blades and epoxy fills the pickup to the top, and the pickups from Bill have thicker blades and are potted in wax. To my ears, both sound very similar. www.billlawrenceusa.com has the long, drawn out, legal story, and www.billlawrence.com has the opposite viewpoint as told by Bill's wife, Becky. Both pickups are around $50, with EZ being able to ship them right away and Bill's shipping being dependent on what's in stock at the moment. You may have to wait up to 6 weeks, but they'll get them to you. I love telling this story. It makes me sound somewhat knowledgeable! Formula73 Username: Formula73 Registered: 03-2005 Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 4:05 pm:    I wish I could go back and edit that one for run-on sentences! Oh well.

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