Bill Lawrence (guitar maker)

Bill Lawrence, actually Willi Lorenz Stich, also known by his stage name Billy Lorento and Bela Lorentowsky, ( born March 24, 1931 in Cologne -Wahn, † November 2, 2013 ) was a German - American musician, developers and operators in the musical instrument industry.

Lawrence was active in the decade after the war under the name of Billy Lorento as a jazz guitarist and session musician. At the same time he was concerned with the improvement and basic technical construction of his instruments, in particular with electro- technical issues of the gain and tone pickup. This led to collaborations with Fender and the Gibson Guitar Corporation as well as with Framus, who recorded his ideas and implemented in the Billy Lorento models.