jamminjim
Well-known member
I saw this reprinted article posted on Steves website and thought I'd share it here. I found it interesting ...........
"Steve Lukather MusicMan Luke
Info source: Vintage Guitar, November 2000"
As of 1994, Steve Lukather has an endorsment with MusicMan, an American guitar manufacturer. Before Music Man, Steve had an endorsment with Valley Arts guitars (Valley Arts Steve Lukather series), Ibanez (SL 10) and Fernandes. After Valley Arts were bought up by Koreans, Steve got in touch with MusicMan (based in San Luis Obispo, California) through his friend Eddie van Halen. Designer Dudley Gimpel (ex-Valley Arts) designed the MusicMan 'Luke' after Lukather's wishes.
Lukather: "After Valley Arts sold out, Sterling Ball became a close friend, and he approached me about doing a model. The other signature players involved with his company were world-class, and it turned out Dudley Gimpel, who designs MusicMan guitars, used to work for Valley Arts. I sent him my favorite Valley Arts neck, and he put it on a computer scanner, and made me a neck that was better."
"We tried different pickups, and worked on the shape of the body, but I really didn’t have to do much because he sent me a world-class instrument right away. I kept going back to EMG pickups, and the final result was an unbelievably nice guitar that’s very versatile – it can sound like a Strat or a Les Paul. And we keep developing it."
"I’ve always felt like if I had an instrument with my name on it, I’d have to want to play it all the time, and that’s how I feel about this guitar. It can take a beating, and it stays in tune. The MusicMan company has actually asked me, 'What do you need' on more than one occasion; they’ve even made me a guitar with a piezo in it. I’ve never worked with a company that’s more on top of what they’re doing. They don’t miss a beat."
Learning something new everyday......
"Steve Lukather MusicMan Luke
Info source: Vintage Guitar, November 2000"
As of 1994, Steve Lukather has an endorsment with MusicMan, an American guitar manufacturer. Before Music Man, Steve had an endorsment with Valley Arts guitars (Valley Arts Steve Lukather series), Ibanez (SL 10) and Fernandes. After Valley Arts were bought up by Koreans, Steve got in touch with MusicMan (based in San Luis Obispo, California) through his friend Eddie van Halen. Designer Dudley Gimpel (ex-Valley Arts) designed the MusicMan 'Luke' after Lukather's wishes.
Lukather: "After Valley Arts sold out, Sterling Ball became a close friend, and he approached me about doing a model. The other signature players involved with his company were world-class, and it turned out Dudley Gimpel, who designs MusicMan guitars, used to work for Valley Arts. I sent him my favorite Valley Arts neck, and he put it on a computer scanner, and made me a neck that was better."
"We tried different pickups, and worked on the shape of the body, but I really didn’t have to do much because he sent me a world-class instrument right away. I kept going back to EMG pickups, and the final result was an unbelievably nice guitar that’s very versatile – it can sound like a Strat or a Les Paul. And we keep developing it."
"I’ve always felt like if I had an instrument with my name on it, I’d have to want to play it all the time, and that’s how I feel about this guitar. It can take a beating, and it stays in tune. The MusicMan company has actually asked me, 'What do you need' on more than one occasion; they’ve even made me a guitar with a piezo in it. I’ve never worked with a company that’s more on top of what they’re doing. They don’t miss a beat."
Learning something new everyday......
