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StingRay 2026 Collection

Question Luke 3

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The LIII came out in 2012 (at least I can't find earlier forum posts!). DiMarzio released the Transition humbuckers to the public as the Lukather signature pickups at the end of 2012. The single coils for the HSS version were never made available to the public but were a version of the Paul Gilbert Injector pickups.
 
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DrKev said:
The LIII came out in 2012 (at least I can't find earlier forum posts!). DiMarzio released the Transition humbuckers to the public as the Lukather signature pickups at the end of 2012. The single coils for the HSS version were never made available to the public but were a version of the Paul Gilbert Injector pickups.
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So are they all transition pickups/is it a Transitions set? Or is the humbucker just transitions and then the single coils are just a separate custom flavor?
 
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DrKev said:
The LIII came out in 2012 (at least I can't find earlier forum posts!). DiMarzio released the Transition humbuckers to the public as the Lukather signature pickups at the end of 2012. The single coils for the HSS version were never made available to the public but were a version of the Paul Gilbert Injector pickups.
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That sounds about right. I've still got a few pics saved from BP's tortue thread and a couple from the opening night of the tour in 2011 when he started road testing it (I *think*).

Luke 3 - Opening Night 2.jpg

Luke 3 - Opening Night.jpg

Luke3 Prototypes.jpg
 
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Just got my Luke 3 yesterday and so far I dig it! Gonna take it to a good tech to get it setup very nicely. Although it doesnt seem like it needs much. I just want to be 100% clear about something though; if I deck the bridge, then I WILL BE ABLE TO change tunings between E standard and Eb whenever I wanted to correct?
 
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I'm so torn with the decking thing... part of me wants a FLOATER (and a very sensitive one, like on the Lukes), so I will use it and incorporate it into my playing... when I pick up my old Charvel/Jackson with the Floyd Rose, all those cool whammy bar licks come out.

But part of me wants it decked, which is required for my band, because we have a couple of tunes in drop D. Decking it actually makes it MORE versatile for the band, but also removes one of the Luke's greatest assets.

I have tried the Tremol-No, I have one in my DGT and SuperStrat. They work, kinda. I have to say I'm not much of a fan. I've got them installed well- when they are unlocked you'd never know they were there... but on the strat they actually stick out beyond the tremolo spring rout, and anytime you loosen those screws for floating (which for me is 95% of the time), you are in grave danger of the set screws vibrating out and getting lost. Ask me how I know. A good idea, imperfectly executed, unfortunately.
 
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ruger9 said:
I'm so torn with the decking thing... part of me wants a FLOATER (and a very sensitive one, like on the Lukes), so I will use it and incorporate it into my playing... when I pick up my old Charvel/Jackson with the Floyd Rose, all those cool whammy bar licks come out.

But part of me wants it decked, which is required for my band, because we have a couple of tunes in drop D. Decking it actually makes it MORE versatile for the band, but also removes one of the Luke's greatest assets.

I have tried the Tremol-No, I have one in my DGT and SuperStrat. They work, kinda. I have to say I'm not much of a fan. I've got them installed well- when they are unlocked you'd never know they were there... but on the strat they actually stick out beyond the tremolo spring rout, and anytime you loosen those screws for floating (which for me is 95% of the time), you are in grave danger of the set screws vibrating out and getting lost. Ask me how I know. A good idea, imperfectly executed, unfortunately.
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Yeah I guess it’s an easier choice for me since I don’t pull up on the trem bar that much so I won’t miss much. But since this bridge is more like a vintage fender, do you need a tremol-No to deck it? I thought a tech could just set up to be flush to the body and that’s it.
 
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Gemmy said:
Yeah I guess it’s an easier choice for me since I don’t pull up on the trem bar that much so I won’t miss much. But since this bridge is more like a vintage fender, do you need a tremol-No to deck it? I thought a tech could just set up to be flush to the body and that’s it.
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No... you deck it by adding springs and/or screwing the claw clamps in further. The point of a Tremol-No is to allow to keep your bridge floating, but then by tightening 2 screws, you are able to lock it... it's not decked (touching the body), but it functions as decked: you can set the Tremolo-No three ways, on the fly:

Totally floating
"Decked" = down movement only
Locked = no movement in either direction
 
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ruger9 said:
No... you deck it by adding springs and/or screwing the claw clamps in further. The point of a Tremol-No is to allow to keep your bridge floating, but then by tightening 2 screws, you are able to lock it... it's not decked (touching the body), but it functions as decked: you can set the Tremolo-No three ways, on the fly:

Totally floating
"Decked" = down movement only
Locked = no movement in either direction
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Ok that makes sense. Will decking it make the strings harder to bend at all? Or make bending feel more choked/chokey? Or will a good tech be able to offset that. Never had to deck before
 
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Gemmy said:
Ok that makes sense. Will decking it make the strings harder to bend at all? Or make bending feel more choked/chokey? Or will a good tech be able to offset that. Never had to deck before
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Decking does, technically, make bending feel a little harder. I don't really notice it. But I play large strings and have a heavy technique. People who play 9's and have a light touch would notice more. But it's not the difference between being able to bend a note to pitch and NOT being able to, nothing that like.
 
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ruger9 said:
Decking does, technically, make bending feel a little harder. I don't really notice it. But I play large strings and have a heavy technique. People who play 9's and have a light touch would notice more. But it's not the difference between being able to bend a note to pitch and NOT being able to, nothing that like.
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Did you end up trying the Tremory promoted on Ola’s YT channel?
 
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