Update time- Switch is re wired and I am getting hum cancelling on all positions. Phew!
Tones are brilliant. I would definitely suggest doing this mod if you are tired of the EMG sound. Will gig with it at the weekend, and above all else, I'm excited about having such a nice range of clean sounds on tap (no pun intended...)
If anyone wants a copy of my switch schematic just let me know and I will post it.
The neck pickup doesn't sound as loud or overbearing as a full size humbucker. But with overdriven sounds it has a similar character to that of the EMG. Quite thick, but very articulate and responsive- like a strat pickup on steroids.
Clean it takes on more of a humbucker sound, very jazzy and fat. The split sound is where this shines- when combined with the middle single coil it adds a clarity I've not heard from two regular single coils combined.
I was half expecting the lil 59 to be a temporary pickup after what others had told me. I had the intention of swapping it out for something else at a later date- but it was cheap off ebay. However I am now really happy with it and I think I will stick with it. If I can get a silent circuit from somewhere I may opt for a slightly overwound single coil.
I would be interested to compare the lil 59 to the JB jr neck model- it is supposed to have more mids. And I like fat middley guitar sounds.
(Word of warning- I had to chisel the neck pickup cable channel slighly to accomodate the cable, but this was a minor modification (IMO) and you can't tell from the outside)
This thread is pretty cool. I modded the hell out of my 3 Silo Specials (or rather had Mick do it ) and they all now totally suit my taste whereas I could never really get along with the S/S/S PU setups in the original EBMM sets... Just a matter of taste that is.
I really love the handling and feel of the Luke, but what kept me away 'til now was the EMGs. Like previously stated above - this is just a matter of taste. I'd sort of love to get some beatup old Luke II and retrofit it with Kinman AVn 69 single coils and a Duncan SH4...
...it's 00:30 a.m. here and Germany just made it into the quarterfinals of the European Soccer championships... gotta go to bed now - already dreaming of modding a Luke... *ts ts ts*