Counting the minutes...

[ToneGrinder]

My first EBMM guitar ever is arriving today - having it delivered to work, not sure I'm going to be able to stand staring at the box until quitting time...

Thanks to all who answered all my questions leading up to my purchase - I'll be a legit family member today!!

 

[edhalen]

Queue the Tom Petty..... Always WELL worth it!

 

[ToneGrinder]

It's here and it's indescribably beautiful... Luke III BFR Claro Walnut. Pics to follow.

Let's hope I fall in love with the feel and tone!

 

[DrKev]

Hooray!!

 

[xjbebop]

Outstanding! We know what you'll be doing tonight...

 

[mmmaslowski]

Man, that’s awesome - congratulations & enjoy!

Mine first-ever is supposed to arrive late November. I know that I will be busy then

 

[ToneGrinder]

So here are my impressions (sorry about the length, feel like I need to get this off my chest...

I so want to love this guitar. The craftsmanship is perfect, it looks ridiculously stunning (I was smitten when I opened up the case), seems like it's worth every penny.

I like the tone - super fat, responsive, dynamic. A bit darker than my other guitars, had to tweak the treble a bit on the amp. I would say I like it, but not exceptional from a tone standpoint which is not a negative thing.

However,

the guitar just does not fit me for 2 main reasons:

1. The neck. Again, it is flawless, awesome finish, love to run my hand over it. But it's just too small, which is what I had feared all along. It feels a bit like a toy after playing all my other guitars, especially my Kotzen Tele, which has been my main go-to. The frets feel very narrow and shallow also. I need to be able to grab a note and wring its neck - doing that on the Luke feels a bit like grabbing a toddler by the throat (not that I've done that...), just not right. Delicate would maybe be the right word.

2. The bridge and volume knob. My pinkie knuckle runs into the volume knob as soon as I get near the 1st string, and I play with a closed hand. The saddle height adjustment screws dig into my palm (which could be fixed with block saddles and shorter screws so they are recessed). It seems there is no smooth flat surface to rest my palm. If I move too far back, I'm hitting the raised plate on the back of the bridge, which pulls the strings sharp. All that to say that my right hand feels very confined.

I can totally see why people love these guitars - especially folks with smallish hands. If it were a good fit I would never look back, because everything else is so perfect about this guitar. But for over 3 grand it can't be such a big compromise.
I'm really bummed about this, since I had built this up so much in my mind. Unfortunately nobody stocks these in my area, so I had to buy it without playing it first. I'll have to eat shipping x2, but at least I know it's not the one for me.

 

[xjbebop]

Sorry to hear about your disappointment, but I totally understand your situation.
I got a great deal on a LIII when they first came out and really enjoyed it... for a while. But eventually I just couldn't handle the neck shape any longer. The narrow V shape at the nut end just wasn't working for me. I managed to make a great trade with another forum member for a fabulous AL and haven't regretted it for a moment.
Mrs. Bebop presented me with a RK Tele some years back, and it's got about the fattest neck of anything I own... and I adore it! Kinda wish all my gittars had big ol' baseball bat necks like that...

 

[GWDavis28]

Mrs. Bebop presented me with a RK Tele some years back, and it's got about the fattest neck of anything I own... and I adore it! Kinda wish all my gittars had big ol' baseball bat necks like that...

That's what Blues Saraceno has on his AL HH, "big ol' baseball bat neck"

Glenn |B)

 

[GWDavis28]

Sorry to hear the Luke didn't work out for you. Hope you can find something that works for you.

Glenn |B)

 

[Razzle]

Yea I had a Luke too, and thought the neck was a bit small. Kinda reminds me of a Fender Affinity Strat I had. Funny, I sanded that neck down like an EBMM and it felt great, but I couldn't bond with it.

 

[Countrydave70]

I ended up selling my Luke for exactly the same reason. My main guitar for the last ten years is a 52ri tele with a decent sized neck (but not as big as a Kotzen). The Luke was a brilliant guitar, but I couldn't deal with the slim neck.
I've since got an Albert Lee and have no problems at all. The neck on the Albert is sublime.

 

[wired]

Sorry to hear the neck profile is a deal breaker for you. I find my LIII neck really comfortable & not radically different from my other mm necks. I actually had the opposite experience when I tried the Kotzen tele. Great guitar, but neck was just too deep for me.