Dilemma

[shred4Him]

Just venting here...

I am going to sell off my 99 Parker Fly Deluxe to fund my Music Man purchase. However, I can't seem to find a place that has both the Luke and Silhouette Special in it at the same time. Guitar Center has some Refelxes and 25ths, but nothing beyond that. There is another place that has a couple of Luke's, but I need to play both at the same time to know for certain which one to get. Otherwise, your mind plays tricks on your memory.

Oh well. Gotta keep soldiering on.

 

[straycat113]

Each GC stocks differently depending on management. There are some stores such as Sweats in Texas that carry huge EBMM inventory as well as others that have posted pics of their states GC. I would tell you to get 4 or 5 friends to go in on different days asking to check out one of each of those two models, and the manager will more than likely order one of each. I would agree with you to play both those models since the Luke and JP are the two models that are very different neck wise. As far as the rest of the line, more than likely if you like one neck you can get on with them all quite comfortably.

 

[Luc]

Call EB CS and find out which store in your area has them both in stock. Good luck!

 

[shred4Him]

Actually, it is not the JP but the Silhouette Special I want to compare the Luke to. I need to feel the different radii and fret sizes side by side to make a real comfortable choice. I have played the JP many times. Really liked it, but it wasn't different enough from my Parker to justify the switch. My preference for thin necks is gone now. I like the feel of thicker necks at this time. I play my Samick TV Twenty far more than my Parker. It is time to step up to something professional now.

 

[Luc]

The Silo Special neck is certainly beefier than the Luke neck! At the nut the Luke is possibly the skinniest EBMM of the whole line.

 

[shred4Him]

The Silo Special neck is certainly beefier than the Luke neck! At the nut the Luke is possibly the skinniest EBMM of the whole line.

Doesn't bode well for the Luke, but I don't want to rule anything out until I can make that fair comparison. It really is all about the sum of all the parts vs one individual thing.

 

[kbaim]

You may get lucky and find one at a store that has a generous return policy. You could buy it and take it to the other store that has the other guitar. If you like the 2nd guitar better after AB-ing them return the first one, then buy the 2nd.

But if that's not doable i would try them both in the same day even if its a few hours apart. You will most likely prefer one to the other. Try them with your amp if possible.

 

[Roubster]

They are both really great guitars and quite similar in many ways. Actually the width at the nut of the LUKE is exactly the same as the Silo Special. It's just that the soft V profile of the LUKE makes it feel a bit smaller compared to the C shape of the Silo Special. I have owned 2 LUKES before and a Silo Special was my main guitar for a long time. I felt really comfortable with both, but ultimately the C shape profile of the Silo Special and the passive pickups plus the versatility of swapping pickguards with different pickup combinations (HSS or SSS) made me prefer the Silo Special. If you like the EMG pickups and dont intend on swapping anything than maybe that is the way to go, but ultimately you have to decide by trying them out.

Oh, but there is still another minor difference. I actually preferred the 12" radius of the LUKE and the wider low profile frets to the 10" radius of the Silo Special and its medium high profile frets. It is relatively minor difference, but still could make you like one guitar over the other...depends on your preference of course.

 

[threeminutesboy]

I have a Like and I have owned a Silo Spec that I sold. I really have a preference for the luke and this mainly because of the neck. Many people will tell you this is a love:hate thing with neck.

In my case, it is a love story

 

[mike_baugh]

I have both a Silhouette special and a Luke 2008 limited edition!

I had the luke first, it instantly became my main guitar. I bought the Silhouette shortly after that and the Silhouette became my main guitar, even to this day.

The Silhouette has a rounder, thicker neck and the body is slightly thinner and a fair bit lighter.

The Luke has a v profile neck which is pretty small, a slightly fatter body and is a bit heavier.

Tone wise the luke is fat and punchy and oozes tone, but the Silhouette special sounded... special, even more so now that I have kitted it out with a set of Andy Timmons Dimarzios! I am biased however as I much prefer maple necks, if you get a Silhouette it really needs to be the maple neck model, as it is made to perfection!

The only downfall is that the Silhouette doesn't have a nice birdseye maple neck like the Luke, so I spend more time looking at the Luke but way more time playing the Silhouette special!

 

[DrKev]

The Silhouette has a rounder, thicker neck and the body is slightly thinner and a fair bit lighter

...which is NOT to say the Silhouette Special has a round, thick neck. It's a modern C-shape, I'd call it medium to medium-small, a touch smaller than many strats. Incredibly comfortable. The 10" radius is perfect for me. Of course, I loved every Luke I ever tried - if a Luke came up for a sale before I bought my Silhouette, I'd now be telling you how I love the Luke neck...

 

[shred4Him]

I am cool with the Silo Spec neck. No problems with that at all. Never tried the Luke. However, I have done this several times where I try one guitar, and then try another later and get thrown off. It really is pretty amazing how much time affects perception. A comparison on the spot puts an end to everything. I am leaning towards the Silo Spec.

 

[ZeRaskolnikoff]

Mind you, not everyone likes V-shaped neck profile and EMG pups on Luke. For my taste EMGs, while giving you a very special and different sound, at the same time somewhat limit you to EMG sound.

 

[RobertJFortner]

@Shred4him: My store in SC, has a Silhouette special in stock...no luke in stock. But I own one that I would be more than happy to let you test drive at the store. Check out my store's website (click the link on sig) drop me an email or give me a shout. I would love to help you.

 

[shred4Him]

@Shred4him: My store in SC, has a Silhouette special in stock...no luke in stock. But I own one that I would be more than happy to let you test drive at the store. Check out my store's website (click the link on sig) drop me an email or give me a shout. I would love to help you.

I really appreciate the offer. If I am down in that direction at some point, I will definitely take you up on it.