LUKE or Y2D

[JeffreyB]

Okay, I was brand new to this forum only 2 weeks ago and was a EBMM virgin...Now look at my signature...DAMMIT.

What should be my next EBMM endeavor out of the LUKE and the Y2D...I'm a big Lukather fan...in fact a lot of the local players have compared my playing to his for 10 years (what a huge compliment of which I'm not worthy), but I've never been a fan of the EMGs.
I love the feel of the axis neck, so i want to stay with something close to that profile.

thanks in advance for any input...

-jb

 

[phatduckk]

well the Luke neck is nothing like the axis given its V type of profile.

personally i love the luke and the EMG work fine and sound great to me. I havent had a good go w/ a y2d. ya ive played a few but not for too long. but i have recently been gasing for one... maybe ill check out the local shop tomorrow

I knwo Beej had a Luke and now has a y2d... hopefully he can chime in with his impressions

 

[Colin]

I say go the Y2D

 

[brasco68]

Colin...the top on that second Y2D is seriously sexy!

 

[Colin]

they sound as good as they look. I'm chasing a flamed one at the moment

 

[starsky]

Nawwww....go with a Luke!

Great tones from the EMG's - just listen to Lucious' recent recorded sounds, and he sounds great live also. Great cleans from the single coils and the power is there for overdriven sounds from the humbucker.

I can switch easily between the Axis and Luke necks, they both feel great.

 

[beej]

Yep, I've had both. Had a Luke for years and have a Y2D. They're completely different animals.

Tonally they're quite different. The EMGs on the Luke sound huge, basically modern sounding single coils and the bridge HB is very "even" sounding, no midrange spike. It's a great sounding guitar. The Y2D has two HBs and a single coil and gets more "twang" and has a killer bridge p'up. If you need a single coil in the neck position, well then the Luke would get the nod.

The Luke neck is small and v-shaped. Fits like a glove, though I find it a bit too small for me. The Y2D is also thin but a little flatter - for me it's perfect. Y2D also has taller frets. And, of course, the Luke has the vintage trem. The Y2D is hardtail or Floyd'ed.

What can you say about these two- they're both great guitars, and very different from each other. Neither's neck is similar to an Axis. Really, you should track down one to play and see if it suits you. I like both, but the Y2D gets the edge for me. Totally personal preference.

 

[ba2m]

Okay, I was brand new to this forum only 2 weeks ago and was a EBMM virgin...Now look at my signature...DAMMIT.
-jb

funny.. it was happened to me to...

you have to try luke man, i've seen your playing in youtube with your axis... it was very cool.. i bet you will enjoy that phenomenal neck of luke..lots of people amazed in their first touch with luke's neck, including me..

good luck
abraham

 

[Larry]

Luke. Make sure you let your hands/technique adjust before you say its not for you. Now I can switch back and forward with no problems

 

[JeffreyB]

thanks for the compliment, abraham...I have really been enjoying the axis ss guitars....
Now I'm debating between the axis Koa BFR or a LUKE BFR

 

[Roxy]

I ended up buying both guitars. Actually, I have two Lukes (piezo/non-piezo). I find the Luke to be the ultimate fat or super Str*t capable of a wide range of classic tones. The SM-Y2d seems a bit more idiosyncratic to Steve Morse's tone and style (IMHO). But, also capable of a wide range of tones. Totally two different animals, and I choose which one to play based on the material I'm working on, or whichever inspires me at the moment. I love the EMGs in the Luke. If I could only own one, I'd take the Luke.

 

[glockaxis]

cool man. I have a Luke and this weekend I played an original SM at the bash and loved the neck and especially the bridge pickup. If the neck on the y2d is the exact one as the original version I'd be totally happy w/ it. I might get an original or a Y2d in the next 2 years.

 

[Larry]

You want a LUKE!!!

 

[JeffreyB]

I'm leaning towards a luke...I just haven't liked EMGs in the past....can anyone comment more on the EMGs vs passive EBMM setups?

 

[Eilif]

Active pickups are a completely different animal.

If you don't like them, you might find that you do on a Luke. Some people say that active pickups are "sterile" and sound the same regardless of the guitar body or the wood used, but that is not the case. I've had a Luke, and I've had an EMG 85 as the bridge pickup in my SUB 1 guitar, and there IS a difference, and I think the 85 sounds better in the Luke.

On the other hand, they are still active pickups, so you might continue to not like them, even in a Luke.

For me, at the end of the day, I prefer passive. But I do like the Luke, and so I plan to get another one someday.

 

[glockaxis]

I agree. The Luke does not sound sterile. It really cuts through and eliminates a lot of that extra noise that muddles things up when distorted. All three pickups sound awesome. everyone that heard Luke and Tyler play live this weekend can attest to that.

 

[dwells]

lukes are the greatest such great tones from metal to blues this guitar is just sensational

 

[JeffreyB]

okay...I'm officially on the hunt for a BFR LUKE.

this GAS is going to be my demise.

 

[Roxy]

I love EMG pickups. I think that I favor the tone of my Lukes more than the SM-Y2d and the Petrucci D-Sonics (although they are awesome too). The EMG single coils are quieter than the SM-Y2d SC, and sound fantastic. Not sterile at all. Research EMGs a bit on their website and look at who uses them (Luke & David Gilmour, for example). Classic tones can be accomplished and changing models would be simple since they clip in and out. I'd like to get a BFR Luke someday that's how much I like this guitar. This weekend, I'm attending a jazz guitar festival and I'm taking the Luke. I'll also take it to teach at Camp Jam next summer. Awesome guitar.

 

[JeffreyB]

Yeah, I'm becoming a lot more open minded about the EMGs...worst case scenario, is that I don't like them and swap them or sell the guitar.

Now, someone find me a LUKE BFR with a killer quilt top (black or walnut burst)

Pete, are you listening????