Question luke.........

[anatoli]

i just bought my new luke........i have to say after years of playing signature models from other brands this one is great but this guitar is too fusion for me.........i can't belive that an olp has more definition and punch than my luke!!!!!!!has anyone changed the 85 with a emg 81? is there a diffrence in the sound?

 

[luke2joey]

Hi,

To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the sound in the beginning.
I thought that my Luke was 'flat' sounding, too 'fusion' too, like you wrote down.
I searched this forum and Harmony Central. Some people had the same experience and blamed it on the EMG's. On the other hand, there are more people who rave about the EMG's and the sounds of their Lukes
Also, I like the sounds 'Mr.Luke' himself makes with his guitars!
So, I decided to spend a Saturday in the house (alone!!) with the Luke and the amp (Triaxis).
I have to say, it paid off really well. I build now presets around the Luke and I have found sounds I never could imagine. Chrystal clear bell, to funky chops, smooth jazz (neck or neck-middle with just a little tone roll). I do not have to mention the screaming full-bodied overdrive sounds that I get from the bridge 'bucker.
It is never harsh, nor dull or flubby, very dynamic, very '3D' sounding. I did not get much sleep afterwards, because I can not put it down...
I have changed my EMG 85 for the 89, which is splittable.

My advice: spend some time with your amp and guitar, start from 'point zero', build the sounds from the start. Maybe you prefer the passive pu's anyway, there are more people who did this (change the pu's). I thought about it too, but now I am glad I tried this first.

Good luck.

 

[dwells]

Yes!! ive have 81s in both my Lukes they sound Mad, if you dont believe me listen to this song of my band TERAMAZE (fear of the unknown) no tricks just 1 mic no pedals Jsx head marshall cab and Luke with 81s guitar sounds awesome!!!!!
CLICK HERE LISTEN!
Fear Of The Unknown.wav(1).mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

 

[Mike Y]

I just got my Luke as well and have an EMG 81 on it's way to me that I am going to try.

But as aside, I notice that the pickups are set low. I know they are meant to be installed onto the body, but what are your thoughts on raising them closer to the string to get more umph??

Is this even worth trying with active pickups?

 

[anatoli]

thanks to all of you for the reply.
the thing is that i've had jem 777,ritchie sambora strats,........and i know i am all my life with dimarzio pafs and super distortion pickups,so this is a radical change for me with the luke but:i had a cheap olp axis.i've tried dimarzio super distortion and later emg 81 and 89 on it.belive it or not the sound changed but the punch and definition was way better than the luke!!!!!yes it's a 2000$ diffrence in price ,and maybe it's a matter of taste,but i was really dissapointed with the luke.maybe they mistekenly put olp banner instead of musicman axis on the headstock

i have a hughes & kettner statesman quad el 84 ,and all of of my guitars sounded great except of the luke.so i don't realy think that 81 will make a diffrence but i'll try it.thank's for the advice to all of you

may the strings be with you
cheers

 

[Slingy]

It doesn't sound like an Axis, Strat, or anything in the DiMarzio group that's for sure. Just because a guitar is expensive does not mean it will automatically make the sounds you want. But if you are familiar with Steve's music you should have an idea of the type of sounds you can get. I really dig the 85 or the 81 and would still love to try a 60.

 

[Slingy]

I just got my Luke as well and have an EMG 81 on it's way to me that I am going to try.

But as aside, I notice that the pickups are set low. I know they are meant to be installed onto the body, but what are your thoughts on raising them closer to the string to get more umph??

Is this even worth trying with active pickups?

Actives can be as close to the strings as possible.

 

[Dante]

well, you see, it depends on what you want to do with the guitar. for what i do, EMGs are second to none. if yoúr looking for passive uncompressed sounds, this is not the pickup for you. but if people like luke and gilmour use them, there's more to them than undefined mush.

but i refuse to believe any pickup had better punch than the preamped EMGs, but that's just my 2 cents.

 

[guertzi]

I had a cheap olp axis.i've tried dimarzio super distortion and later emg 81 and 89 on it.belive it or not the sound changed but the punch and definition was way better than the luke!

If this is the case, then why did you buy the Luke at all?
Didn't you do some kind of test drive?

The Luke is a very versatile guitar, but from my experience it does not reveal all of its secrets right away. You have to spent some time and explore its possibilities. If you do so, you will find that there are many tones hidden in there. Try to fool around with the tone knob, that can make all the difference sometimes!

Rock on!

 

[threeminutesboy]

I'm very surprised by this thread especially about the definition.

I had a strat with SL20 kit in it and When I have receieved the Luke I had a chance to compare them. The Luke got but far a better definition compare to the strat and with the same pickups.

Maybe you have an issue with you EMG85 you'd better check it

 

[spkirby]

Passive and active guitars are two different beasts. The Luke has loads of hidden tones and characteristics that passive guitars dont and vice versa. If you use effects a fair bit (as in Lukather or Gilmour tones), or want to cut through a bands mix then the Luke cannot be beaten. For simple guitar to amp setups then I prefer passives such as in my Axis Supersport.

 

[NewLukeGuy]

This may seem like a weird thread but I think it's a great one for people new to the LUKE, like me. I brought mine home Friday. I've been exploring the possibilities all weekend long. I know I've only scratched the surface. Now I've played a strat with EMG SAs in it for 12 years. But this LUKE is just a monster compared to that guitar. The versatility is unbelievable to me. I have a POD XT live that I run through a Peavey Classic tube amp. I can get early EVH with the phase 90 on the bridge bucker and I can get Mark Knopfler out of phase and Gilmour tones like from Wish You Were Here. All this was not possible on any single axe I've ever owned. Plus the neck and board are butter! I love this guitar. I need to keep exploring the possibilities.
Later,
NewLukeGuy