Bill Lawrence is an electric guitar pickup designer and maker in the musical instrument industry. His real name is Willi Lorenz Stich which was anglicized to Bill Lawrence, by which he has been known as a famous guitarist in Germany from 1962, and pickup designer since 1965. He has manufactured pickups under his own name, in several companies, as well as designed pickups for Fender, Gibson, and Peavey.
Conflict over ownership of name
Bill Lawrence's "Lawrence Sound Research" (LSR) went bankrupt in 1984. His occasional partner (from 1965-1970 and 1982-1984) Jzchak Wajcman was 50% owner of LSR at the time of the bankruptcy, and purchased the assets of the company from the foreclosing bank.
There continues to exist the controversy whether the "Bill Lawrence" name was an one of the assets which Wajcman bought. Both Bill Lawence and Wacjman produce pickups using the Bill Lawrence name while the issue is being addressed by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
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