No. But you can try different things to see what works best for you.
I find that the luke lets me play with a lighter grip. More relaxed. Easier.
New L4s and Kaizens
- Thread starter fogman
- Start date
I find that the luke lets me play with a lighter grip. More relaxed. Easier.
Sadly, I'm underwhelmed by the look of the SSS. The colours are great but just looks bare with only a single coil in the bridge and too much of a traditional strat vibe (which i hate). Looks count for a lot.
It will be great to hear some tone comparisons between SSS and HH.
For now im leaning towards HH. Would to see more colours for the HH.
It will be great to hear some tone comparisons between SSS and HH.
For now im leaning towards HH. Would to see more colours for the HH.
What EBMM should have done a long time ago is give you a workable single coil setting from the neck humbucker in the HH models (with a coil split). It's been done before, and it works pretty well. An HH that allows you to get split neck and split bridge sounds (like my PRS DGT) would be perfection, instead of this "two inner coils/two outer coils nonsense.
Bridge HB
Bridge split
Both, either HB or split (doesn't matter much to me, I'm on the bridge or neck 99% of the time)
Neck HB
Neck split
The PRS achieves this with a 3-way toggle and a push-pull tone knob for the split. But what I would do is this: put in a 5-way superswtich that simply gives you a true single coil neck tone out of the neck HB. That would be enough for me.
Bridge HB
Bridge split
Both, either HB or split (doesn't matter much to me, I'm on the bridge or neck 99% of the time)
Neck HB
Neck split
The PRS achieves this with a 3-way toggle and a push-pull tone knob for the split. But what I would do is this: put in a 5-way superswtich that simply gives you a true single coil neck tone out of the neck HB. That would be enough for me.
This x 1000!
It would be no problem to use a second push / push pot to split the pickups.
Gemmy
Well-known member
That’s a great idea. But why can’t they also just use the new finishes for all pickup configurations? I never understood why finishes are always limited to certain configurations? It happens in every company and clearly it’s a business thing I don’t understand.
Once again 
this is Steve Lukather’s model it is configured exactly the way he uses his. Like he can take it off a store shelf and play a show, or you can have the same experience he has playing his. That’s the point of signature models. Morse has all sorts of pickup configurations, someone can buy his signature model if the need that.
Also, You can always add all those switches and rewire it.
As for the colors: I look at it as glass half full — always a surprise. EBMM is a small(ish) company they can not offer all those options like fender. I think top of the line guitars even from someone like Ibanez do come in limited color options.
As a side note, I was putting together guitar myself (including finishing) using parts from warmoth etc and locally sourced tops, before switching to MM. I am pretty happy now that professionals do it for me and give me a finished instrument I can just enjoy.
Ps: there is such a cool looking white L2 with matching headstock on reverb now!
this is Steve Lukather’s model it is configured exactly the way he uses his. Like he can take it off a store shelf and play a show, or you can have the same experience he has playing his. That’s the point of signature models. Morse has all sorts of pickup configurations, someone can buy his signature model if the need that.Also, You can always add all those switches and rewire it.
As for the colors: I look at it as glass half full — always a surprise. EBMM is a small(ish) company they can not offer all those options like fender. I think top of the line guitars even from someone like Ibanez do come in limited color options.
As a side note, I was putting together guitar myself (including finishing) using parts from warmoth etc and locally sourced tops, before switching to MM. I am pretty happy now that professionals do it for me and give me a finished instrument I can just enjoy
.Ps: there is such a cool looking white L2 with matching headstock on reverb now!
beej
Moderator
Personally I've never heard a humbucker that split to a "true singe coil" tone. It's always a compromise- the pickup construction (and location) are just different. I have splits wired up on a number of guitars, and I always find the neck split tone to be the weakest part of that.
That said, it's easy to wire up what you're asking for. I have this on a number of HH guitars. You can wire up a toggle to split the bridge & neck pickups in position 1 or 5.
Agreed.
Agreed. But it would be much more useful (for me) than the odd "inside/outside coils" weirdness.
beej
Moderator
The Luke is one of the harder guitars to change the wiring on, but you could certainly swap positions 2 and 4 for split coil tones if you'd prefer.
pickups with asymmetrical coils do split ok. BTW, does L3 HH buffer/preamp allow for adjusting levels only for 2 and 4 positions or also for 3 and neck(1 or 5?)?
Gemmy
Well-known member
You could potentially check out the new Seymour Duncan hyper switch and add lots of different pickup configurations instantly
Gemmy
Well-known member
Speaking for HH: when you are in 2 and 4 you are using two split coils in parallel, so your output is much lower compare to 1, 3 and 5 so you need to level level it (boost) so there is no volume drop when you switch between all positions. In addition, you have push/push boost that boosts all 5(now equally leveled) positions.
So I was not clear enough and I missed word independently. In addition to that overall push/push boost. I imagine you have 20db headroom so the more you need to adjust in-between the less overall boos you have as you are taking this from that 20db headroom. Well, that is how I imagine it without looking into schematics or even the pcb
So I was not clear enough and I missed word independently. In addition to that overall push/push boost. I imagine you have 20db headroom so the more you need to adjust in-between the less overall boos you have as you are taking this from that 20db headroom. Well, that is how I imagine it without looking into schematics or even the pcb
Gemmy
Well-known member
I don’t know about all that but just tell me this lmao the boost will work for every position correct? LolSpeaking for HH: when you are in 2 and 4 you are using two split coils in parallel, so your output is much lower compare to 1, 3 and 5 so you need to level level it (boost) so there is no volume drop when you switch between all positions. In addition, you have push/push boost that boosts all 5(now equally leveled) positions.
So I was not clear enough and I missed word independently. In addition to that overall push/push boost. I imagine you have 20db headroom so the more you need to adjust in-between the less overall boos you have as you are taking this from that 20db headroom. Well, that is how I imagine it without looking into schematics or even the pcb
Yes in the factory guitar with factory setting everything will work in all positions like designed and intended. All these become relevant when we are talking about changing pickups and moding guitars (as that was a question above).
guitarnerdswe
Active member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2020
- Messages
- 32
If anyone is thinking of modding an LIII with like a SD Hyperswitch, or a P/P tone pot for splitting, I would recommend against that if you have a newer LIII with the MM pickups. Both the switch and tone pot are mounted directly on and through the circuit board. It's not something for the faint of heart, and I think most guitar techs would tell you to " go away" if you brought the guitar to them. You also can't use the pickup compensation feature if you use a P/P to split a pickup.
The older LIII with Transition pickups have the pots and switch separate from the circuit board. Those are more realistic to mod.
The older LIII with Transition pickups have the pots and switch separate from the circuit board. Those are more realistic to mod.
Stock wiring in the HH is only 2 and 4. You can change it with some soldering though. One of the 4 poles of the 5-way switch controls the pickup compensation feature.
Yes and no.Once again
Also, You can always add all those switches and rewire it.
As for the colors: I look at it as glass half full — always a surprise. EBMM is a small(ish) company they can not offer all those options like fender. I think top of the line guitars even from someone like Ibanez do come in limited color options.
As a side note, I was putting together guitar myself (including finishing) using parts from warmoth etc and locally sourced tops, before switching to MM. I am pretty happy now that professionals do it for me and give me a finished instrument I can just enjoy
Ps: there is such a cool looking white L2 with matching headstock on reverb now!
EBMM die many many Special Releases, Dealer Exclusives etc. of the L3 and many many of them are not the regular Steve Lukather Specs.
Yes but a splittet Humbucker is good enough for most occasions when you are playing live.
Well that sucks.
My ideal Luke would be a Fuchsia Sparkle with Transition pickups, and wired as I described above. That's like a gut and rebuild, electronics-wise. Hmm. Dammit.
I'll have to start looking at older Luke III's with transitions, but many seem to be in less-than-mint condition at this point...
