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Question Luke I Original VS Reissue

P

PinkPR

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Messages
17
Location
France
Hi guys !

I'm a proud owner of an original Luke I, and I noticed EBMM did some Luke I reissues in 2012.
I'd like to know if some of you have played both original and reissue, and if they could tell me if there are noticeable differences between the two.
Then, do you know how many originals and reissues were made, and if the reissue was like a BFR guitar or a regular production one ?

Thanks !
 
One forum member, ZeroFivefour has one and has owned a lot of Luke I's He can probably tell you once he sees this :-)

I haven't seen or played the reissue in real life so I can't comment.
 
I have had 2 originals, a 97, and 95. I still have my 95. I regret selling my 97.
I also have 2 reissues.
All of them are top notch pro quality instruments.


Differences off the top of my head:

Most noticeable difference is number 1 below.

1: Bridge pickup height on the original is closer to the strings by default. This results in the guitar having a hotter signal.

2: Bridge on reissue is not the original Ebmm Gotoh version. I do not know which company makes the reissue bridge. They are both excellent extremely professional quality bridges, transition from one to the other is effortless. I love both bridges as they perform perfectly and identically. I have 2 ebmm guitars with the original Gotoh floyds, and 2 with the new ebmm branded floyd bridges.

3: The angle of the trem bar flares out more on the reissue, not much but it is noticeable.

4: Trem bar can be pulled out of its socket by hand on reissue, Original needs hex key to loosen before being removed.

5: The Nut on the reissue is not bolted in with set screws as it is on the original.

6: Necks on my 2 originals appear to be more curly than reissues. All the necks are extremely nice an play fantastic.

7: Necks on the reissues may be ever so slightly less V sculpt and ever so slightly more C sculpt, but this is Extremely negligible, and most likely the result of the hand sanding process. I transition from the reissue neck to original neck effortlessly, as I do to my axis. All of these necks are close and play better than any other brands neck imho.

8: Original has the recessed back neck plate. Reissue does not.

If I can think of more I'll post. I need another cup of coffee right now!


Regarding numbers, I have absolutely no idea. My suspicion is that the number of reissues was rather low, as I tried to buy a third but could not locate one to buy. They were only available in Europe too, ( I wish they were made available in the US, as to why they were not I can only speculate), so that needs to be taken into consideration with regard to my suspicion of low numbers.

Cheers,

Tom
 
ZeroFivefour said:
2012 Luke 1 Reissue Sledge
Click to expand...

OMG you own a Sledge !! Where did you find it ? How much can it cost now ? I only saw two, one in the biggest EBMM guitars collection I've seen (I don't remember the guy, but he made a website with pictures of his guitars, he must be very active on the forum), and the other one in a video of Steve Lukather playing in a European music academy, if I correctly remember...
 
PinkPR said:
OMG you own a Sledge !! Where did you find it ? How much can it cost now ? I only saw two, one in the biggest EBMM guitars collection I've seen (I don't remember the guy, but he made a website with pictures of his guitars, he must be very active on the forum), and the other one in a video of Steve Lukather playing in a European music academy, if I correctly remember...
Click to expand...

I consider myself extremely fortunate to have the Sledge. I contacted EBMM immediately after I heard they were issuing the Luke 1 again. I spoke with the awesome folks and bought it over the phone sight unseen and not knowing what color it would be. The guitar is phenomenal player.

EBMM has the absolute best customer service in the industry.

Cheers,

Tom
 
I too own two original Luke 1's and a Sledge Luke 1 Reissue.

Tom/@ZeroFiveFour's description is spot on. Although I would argue that the difference between the original neck and the reissue is more pronounced than Tom says. At least on mine. I am NOT a fan of the original's V profile. The Reissue is not noticeable to me -- feel more like an LIII or an Axis to me.

Here are mine:
photo_0001.jpg


photo_0001.jpg


photo_0001.jpg



​
 
Jeff,

You may be right about the necks. Your description of the V sculpt to C sculpt difference is exactly how I felt after getting my reissue. (At the time I did not have a L1, and was relying on my memory of my now gone 97 Luke 1).

I've since acquired the 95 L1 and honestly it is pretty darn close to my sledge neck sculpt. The sculpt on my cherry red reissue would be less V compared to my Sledge, but not by much. There is definitely variation from neck to neck, at least with my Lukes, albeit not by much.

If I had to rate in order from dominant V sculpt to more of a C sculpt, it would be:

Original 95 L1, Sledge 2012 L1 RI, Cherry Red 2013 L1 RI.

I'm wondering if the original Luke 1's had any variation with regard to the V sculpt from year to year.

What years are your Luke 1 originals ?

Tom
 
dibart77 said:
Cherry Red Reissue??!? Photos please...........


​
Click to expand...

My mistake...

I should have written Candy, not Cherry. I do have a Black Cherry Axis burst though. I'm fairly sure I got my wires crossed on that one! I remember discussing the difference between Candy Red and Pearl Red after I received the reissue. The box was labled as Candy Red Luke 1 reissue. I think it is just the same as the "pearl red" color of the original.

Tom

I've got a pic of it with my others below:

luke-1-reissue-owners-picture22128-cherry-luke-big2.jpg


luke-1-reissue-owners-picture22127-cherry-sledge-lukes.jpg


luke-1-reissue-owners-picture24711-my-3-floyded-lukes.jpg




4%20lukes%203_zpslf8mnkxe.jpg


4%20lukes%201_zpsxfdljftl.jpg
 
Last edited:
I'd love to have a Luke I too. Maybe they'll do a small run in the future.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
It's nice, but I agree the price is silly. But for me, I'm actually not a fan of the EMGs. I'll take an LIII any day over the L1 (even though I have three L1's).

-J


​
 
dibart77 said:
It's nice, but I agree the price is silly. But for me, I'm actually not a fan of the EMGs. I'll take an LIII any day over the L1 (even though I have three L1's).

-J


​
Click to expand...

I have the opposite experience. I own Luke's 1, 2 and 3 and I have to say the EMGs win hands down for me. Not that the LIII sound is bad, it's great, but it's a matter of personal taste, and given the choice, I'd buy another Luke 2 without hesitation.
 
Hey @dibart77, YOU are the guy I was talkin about as the guy who owns the biggest EBMM collection I've ever seen !
You must know that US guitars pricing in Europe is absolutely insane, especially now that USD has become far stronger than €.
More than 3K euros is average pricing for a Luke in french guitar shops... 2500€ for the Black reissue is below average sale prices here :)
 
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