Luke III HH - rosewood vs roasted maple

[rampage]

I'm in the market for a Luke III HH model. I use my Luke 2 (with a maple neck obviously) quite a lot, and I was wondering what the difference in feel and sound between the full rosewood neck and the roasted maple neck would be. I'd like to hear your opinions before I go out and compare them myself!

I know the full rosewood neck is out of production, but there are some stores in The Netherlands that still have one in stock.

Also, does anybody know why Luke himself switched back from full rosewood to maple in the early stages of the LIII?

Thanks in advance, I love Music Man.

 

[jff]

I have the hss with maple neck and love it. I haven't played the rosewood, so I can't make a comparison. I did see Toto a few weeks ago and Luke was using the maple neck for most of the show. He did switch and used another guitar but I didn't notice the neck.

 

[mystixboi1]

I have both and they're both amazing. I think the L3 is one of the best production guitars ever made. Both sound outstanding and feel perfect. I go back-and-forth between which one I like more. The Rosewood is naturally dark are sounding. The maple model is brighter has more spanked.

You can't go wrong with either

 

[Tollywood]

The Luke III is the most comfortable guitar I've ever played. It is also the only model I don't feel like modding because it is just right for me. I love how the trem is set up and the Transition pickups are so rich and versatile. The boost is really just the right amount of power you need to solo without coloring your sound. You'll be very pleased with it.

Your question about which neck to choose isn't easy to answer. They are both amazing. I like how the rosewood feels in my hand. Does it darken your tone? Only a tiny bit and since the tone knob is so useful you can add a bit of treble to be back where you want to be. You can still pinch face melting harmonics with ease. But, I also love the roasted maple. It feels like it has less friction than the rosewood. Roasted maple is gorgeous.

You can't go wrong with either

+1

 

[Sweat]

Never could bond with a Luke III, was not a fan of the slightly larger body and did not get along with the transition pups,

That said I prefer the roasted neck over the rosewood

 

[Craiguitar]

I instantly loved my LIII, and it may become my main guitar soon, it's effortless to play, but at the minute my Luke's 1 & II are my main guitars. I Still fall back on the EMGs as my comfort zone. The zingy and open sound of the LIII and its transition pickups will take a bit of getting used to.

 

[mikeller]

I have both the rosewood and the roasted, however its impossible to compare tone because my rosewood (olive gold) is HH and the roasted maple (bodhi blue) is SSH.

Purely from a feel in the hand perspective I like the roasted maple better, its very smooth and delightful to play.

Can't go wrong either way

 

[uOpt]

I would not mailorder a full-rosewood neck guitar if you never played one, as in listened to one. That is what unhappy is made of. Some people are much more sensitive to nuances of sound. It's about the same as the Gibson historic LP Custom '57 model. Which has a mahogany top, but is the most "normal" looking LPC in the historic line, so lots of people just buy because they want "the best" and "nothing weird". The next thing you know the forums are flooded with requests to brighten up their LPC '57.

ETA: I also rate truoil+wax maple as having a better feel on the back of the neck than open pore wood like rosewood or wenge. You can't wax rosewood but the wax is what makes it zip.

 

[ozzyrules]

I can't speak for the Lukes, however, I do have a BFR Axis supersport with all rosewood neck. Compared to all of my other Axii(which are all maple), it is simply amazing. The all rosewood is as smooth as silk. There's something to be said for the same fret board & neck combination, ie. maple on maple and rosewood on rosewood. I know this sound silly, but my silo special has a maple neck & rosewood board. It just doesn't feel as comfy as my others. I played an all rosewood neck AL a few months ago and it was amazing. I think that you will be very pleased with the neck. Good luck.

 

[Jorge ven]

I've had both.. Bodhi blue HH with roasted maple, and Bhali burst HH with rosewood neck, couldn't keep both and sold the Bodhi blue, they are both great, the rosewood to me, feels and sounds fatter, very insignificant I think but I does, all I can say thou, I miss my roasted neck.. Even thou I love the rosewood neck, I wish I would have swapped the necks before I sold It... But that's just me... Like Mikeller said, the roasted maple is very smooth and a delight to play...

 

[Movielife]

Do the HH pups get nice and bright and aggressive (particularly the bridge) on the roasted maple Luke III's?

 

[Baggedcereals]

I love the roasted maple...I have played a few full maple necks and they were awesome as well. I think you can't go wrong with any luke neck really.