Bill Lawrence BC1D Series (c. 1980s)

I began collecting guitars around the year 2000, but at that time, Bill Lawrence guitars were completely off my radar. A few years later, however, I gradually found myself drawn to them. During that period, I discovered two websites well known among Bill Lawrence enthusiasts — “The Study of Bill Lawrence Guitars” (now closed) and “Bill Lawrence Data Box.” Using those invaluable references, I began collecting several Bill Lawrence instruments.

This guitar is one of them, and like other models produced by Moridaira Musical Instruments, it features exceptional wood quality. That’s no surprise, considering Moridaira’s deep experience with tonewoods, developed through decades of acoustic guitar craftsmanship under its Morris brand. I continue to be impressed that even the company’s more affordable models often use one- or two-piece solid wood bodies—a rare level of quality in this price range.

Bill Lawrence guitars employed two types of single-coil pickups: the famous Black Label and the lesser-known Black Tracer. To qualify as a true Black Label, a pickup must meet two specific conditions:

1. There must be a hole in the center of the exposed bobbin.

2. There must not be a bar magnet on the underside.

If, like this guitar, the pickup has a center hole but also a bar magnet on the back, then it’s a Black Tracer, not a Black Label. According to available information, the BC1D-57 and BC1D-62 models were originally equipped with Black Labels, but these were switched to Black Tracers about six months after release.

The bridge saddles on this guitar feature string grooves for stability, differing from the hardware found on the BC1D-62. Its comfortable neck profile and semi-flat fingerboard make it an absolute pleasure to play.

Body: Alder, one-piece
Weight: 3.37 kg (including strings)
(Updated June 18, 2016)