I've also been giving some thought to the now several claims that the 280S's are somehow slightly humbuckerish, and other claims that they don't or can't sound vintage.

Where I think the problem lies is in failing to understand what the 280 package brings to the table.

The 280 is a broad-range pickup, which means that it has extended lows and extended highs. It also has a relatively flat frequency response, which means that it lends itself better to post-guitar tone shaping.

Now, I suspect many of us that are happy with L-280S's, find that they quack just fine, and/or deliver the classic Strat tones of the 60's, have realised that you need to approach this pickup quite differently than the likes of the L-200S's.

What does this mean?

Well, it means that L-280S's can be trickier to dial in. They are especially sensitive to height adjustments, and height adjustments determine whether you take full advantage of the extended range or not. If you want a vintage sound, you obviously won't have the pickups as close to the strings as possible extracting maximum bass and treble responses, etc. They need to be backed off just right, which in reality is often easier said than done, hence the increasing love for the 200S's. I also suspect that fingerboard radius is playing a bigger part in this process than previously acknowledged.

It also means that you need to spend time adjusting your amp settings, and I suspect most still overlook this key part of the equation. However, the success of this tone shaping exercise will be very much amp dependent. Some amps don't have significant tone shaping controls, and many don't have particularly effective controls.

Furthermore, it means that you can shape pretty much any tone you want without having to EQ out the dominant aspects of the frequency response. You may have heard that recording engineers tend to not like active basses, yet they usually employ an outboard preamp. It's not a dislike for active basses as such, but a twofold requirement to not have to EQ out (fight with the EQ) of the on-board preamp, and to employ their own proven/preferred preamp unhindered. This is what the 280S's offer when adjusted for what Bill calls their "maximum performance".

I used to shun EQ pedals, as a sign of something undesirable needing to be cut out, but I now believe an EQ or parametric EQ can be employed to great effect with relatively flat-response pickups like the L-280's.

All that said; I have heard several 280S installations where the "out-of-the-box" tone and quack was vintage to the bone, so I guess it comes down to the guitar itself and/or the installer.

However, the 280's offer so much more, which some will see as positive and others will see as negative.

Humbuckerish tone? No. Thunderous bass on tap? Yes.

Aide toi et le ciel taidera (Aid thyself and heaven will aid thee)