New Member! Getting a Luke!

[electronpirate]

Hello all:

New to the forum. Lurked around for the last few days reading up on the EB Luke. I've really been up for a guitar that will do it all from clean to scream, I think this is it. Frankly, the 'V' neck is what's really brought me here. I've got a Dean TC Caddy with a neck that I just LOVE. Feels just right to me. Heard about that feature on a Luke, and boom...here I am!

Got a few questions of the experts here:

-How is the single coil sound? I always kind of suffer from the lack of 'fullness' out of most single coils (I'm not a 'buy 10 different SC pups and try them out kind of guy...) Can I get a vintage type feel out of it? Doesn't need to be perfect, but well, I want as perfect as I can get! Are both usable? Some guitars tend to have a few 'sweet spots' and the other positions get ignored.

-If anyone has a Dean with that V neck, how do they compare? If they're the same-ish, then I'm on the phone to <insert online music dealer...open to suggestions> and it will be in my hands right away.

-Never had an EMG equipped guitar. Polling opinions on the 'bucker on this one. I've read here that it can be a bit too piercing. I'm going for 'thick' rather than trebley. Comments?

-Also there are some comments of big volume dropoffs between SC and Humbucker postions. How prominent?


Anyway, long post I know. Seems like a very cool forum, beautiful guitars, avid gearhead people. Glad to be here!

EP

 

[glockaxis]

Welcome aboard! Wonderful choice in the Luke. Never played your Dean guitar so I don't know about comparisons. The single coils are definately usable and have that bluesy bite to them but they do not quack like a strat. As far as EMGs go, I'm a fan. The 85 humbucker isn't trbly/shrill sounding like an 81 can be and the spacing between the strings and humbucker helps smooth out the tone without losing any hard rock distorted crunch that is clear sounding

 

[slukather]

Hello all:

New to the forum. Lurked around for the last few days reading up on the EB Luke. I've really been up for a guitar that will do it all from clean to scream, I think this is it. Frankly, the 'V' neck is what's really brought me here. I've got a Dean TC Caddy with a neck that I just LOVE. Feels just right to me. Heard about that feature on a Luke, and boom...here I am!

Welcome, l'm unfamiliar with the dean necks, but the Luke neck is pretty small, some people love it, some hate it, l dig it.

Got a few questions of the experts here:
-How is the single coil sound? I always kind of suffer from the lack of 'fullness' out of most single coils (I'm not a 'buy 10 different SC pups and try them out kind of guy...) Can I get a vintage type feel out of it? Doesn't need to be perfect, but well, I want as perfect as I can get! Are both usable? Some guitars tend to have a few 'sweet spots' and the other positions get ignored.

I'm hardly an expert, but l love the sound of the single coils, l can get a great vintage sound, l love kicking in the overdrive and switching to the neck pickup and you get a nice twangy type sound.

-Never had an EMG equipped guitar. Polling opinions on the 'bucker on this one. I've read here that it can be a bit too piercing. I'm going for 'thick' rather than trebley. Comments?

I don't find the EMG's in this guitar trebley, if anybody thinks these pickups are trebley, maybe they should have a look at their amp, you can get tones on this guitar from metal to jazz tones and everything in between, and this isn't even EB's most flexable guitar, scary huh?!?!?!?!

Check out some of Luke's playing on youtube or something, nothing but sweet tones.

-Also there are some comments of big volume dropoffs between SC and Humbucker postions. How prominent?

I don't hear any major volume drops between pickups, there might be a slight drop, but nothing to be worried about.

i wouldn't worry about it, you'll love the guitar.

Anyway, long post I know. Seems like a very cool forum, beautiful guitars, avid gearhead people. Glad to be here!

EP

Once again welcome, we also have one major rule here, the guitar doesn't exist if you don't post some pics.

Cheers,

Scott.

 

[Colin]

welcome the Luke is a great guitar

 

[electronpirate]

I also meant to ask, what's the fair/going rate on one of these as well. I don't mind used, but no problems with new as well.

And which is EB's most flexible guitar sluthaker? I like Luke's tone, so figured I'd get along with it...

EP

 

[kbaim]

The humbucker is louder than the single coils, so positions 1 and 2 will give you more beef than 3,4,5.

The Luke is my favorite guitar, but the truth is like any guitar, some people bond, others don't.

I did in a big way.

 

[muzikman]

Welcome EP! Like the rest have said, Indeed this is an awesome guitar! It was acutally my first encounter with EMG's. Luckily i liked it! Try listening to some of Lukes tone in Youtube. Here is me playing a Luke. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gSQjztLnaI"]YouTube - NEXTEP band playing Black Sabbath's PARANOID[/ame]

God bless!

 

[electronpirate]

Nice playing musikman!

Now it's got me thinking about a piezo...

Will this GAS never end?

 

[Colin]

Will this GAS never end?

hopefully not

 

[paranoid70]

Hello all:

Seems like a very cool forum, beautiful guitars, avid gearhead people. Glad to be here!

EP

I don't own a LUKE, but I can comment that this is definitely a cool forum with some really cool people. Stick around bro.

 

[brasco68]

The Luke is an amazing axe....welcome!

 

[dwells]

dude the LUKE is the most diverse guitar around!!!
im obsessed with them!
hey if you want to hear a luke doing metal/progressive sounds check out my band and my youtube video the luke comes up awesome
www.myspace/teramaze
youtube just type in dean wells guitar !!!
cheers

 

[MusicManJP6]

My next guitar will either be a Luke or a Silo... probably a Luke though!

 

[dmullen]

...then I'm on the phone to <insert online music dealer...open to suggestions> and it will be in my hands right away.

Give Pete DuBaldo a call...he will fix ya up. Link is in my sig below.

 

[electronpirate]

Aaaargg!

I wrote a huge long review of a Luke that I played for a few hours here, and the board maintenance lost the whole thing!

I'll try again...shorter version:
Here's the one I tried:

Ernie Ball/Music Man BALL FAMILY RESERVE LUKE Amethyst Burst Quilt G 42277 6-String Electric Guitar

Set up for me quickly by one of the techs there. Great service at Drum City GuitarLand in Denver. Plugged into a Cube 30 and set for a Blackface setting no FX, EQ at noon.

I REALLY liking it. SC position 4 sounded the coolest to me clean. Both SC's were good in their own way...different lower gain feel to 'em. All very usable for different tones. Position 2 doesn't sound to unique, I can dig and get *some*dirt there. Position 5 (bridge) is just okay. I can see the comments on 'sterile' there. It has it's place in certain songs, but doesn't thrill me.

Dirt: Dialed for a Marshall stack thingy...gain at noon. Right to Bridge HB. Wow, clarity and bite. Not spikey bite, but very clear and defined. Love it. Solo's singing, notes resonating (no verb!) Dial back volume a hair, and working well for chordal work. Still have some highs with definition, and bass is deep and commanding...would fit nicely into the mix without too many mids. Position 4 is great too, the addition of the SC in there gives it a nice 'crispy' feel.

Lose myself for roughly an hour playing with these settings and different pups. Dialed back it cleans up, back to full it jumps right out. This is my first REAL experience with Active pups, so this is new to me. The guitar seems to want to help me play better. Completely responds to whatever I do. I have a harder time slurring it up to make up for bad playing (a good thing), but I'm rewarded with great tone out of it when I get it right. The pups seem hyper-sensitive to my playing, so light/hard picking is much more pronounced.

The feel of the guitar itself is a very solid experience. The 'V' neck shape is not really noticeable to me...I'm told each has a different profile, so I'm in the unusual position of wanting to try others to see if one has a little larger neck and V...go figure. The fretboard is PERFECT. I love low action, and this is even too damn low for me...more on that later. The fret size is right on par with what I like, low to medium. I tested each one, and could not find a flaw anywhere, it played the same no matter where I was. Incredible workmanship.

Okay, drawbacks time:
I struggled playing with the fretboard angles. I guess I'm used to a more curved feel, so this one I had some difficulty. I'm sure it's an adjustment that resolves over time, but worth mentioning.

The volume pot seemed like it wasn't terribly responsive. It wasn't really until I was down to 2 or 3 that I had a really solid noticeable cleanup in tone (granted, some of this is the amp.)

Overall. A great, very well made guitar. While it didn't make me want to buy it right then and there, it's far and away better than the last 43 Les Paul's I've played. (Although if they had a flame Ruby Red one, it might be in my house now...) It's still #1 on my radar to buy, but I do want to take a look at some of the 'Standard' (non BFR) ones for comparison. Bottom line is, we didn't bond like old friends like I had hoped. But I came away with a fresh appreciation of just how good these guitars are. Battle is far from over as I'm going to try the rest of the local stable, and maybe one of those will slap me hard. My main thought would be that I wouldn't enjoy the pups, but I really thought they are the way to go!

When I have some more time next week, I'm going to try the Petrucci, and see how that feels to me as well.

Sidenote: I also came away impressed with a Cube 30 as a great little amp for SS. VERY surprising bottom end and oomph for a tiny little box.

Just thought I'd keep you updated for anyone else who might be in my position.

EP

 

[Devnor]

I've got a couple custom shop Deans from 2005-2006...I'll compare it against my 93 Luke I. The Dean V profile is sharper than the Luke. The Luke fingerboard feels narrower. The Dean has rolled edges which are very comfortable...the Luke just makes a simple 90. The scale length is shorter & the frets are larger on the Dean.

The neck on the Luke can get pretty bluesy but I wouldnt call it a vintage tone. It works very nicely solo & with a band. I spend quite a bit of time on the neck pup on my Luke. Good luck!

 

[Craiguitar]

Ahhhh, but the neck on a Luke mkI is a totally different beast to that of a Luke II.

The Luke I has a super fast super skinny V neck, based on Lukes previous valley arts necks.

The Luke II is more based on a '63 S***t, and although still V shaped, is slightly less pronounced, and "fatter".

The feel of these 2 instruments it totally different. The Luke I's lack of a tone control, and its more agressive single coils. Speaking of which, when I compare them, the single coils on the Luke II are super warm and thick sounding. A LOT different, but not necessarily better. Just different.

Anyhoo, I love 'em both

 

[kbaim]

Ahhhh, but the neck on a Luke mkI is a totally different beast to that of a Luke II.

The Luke I has a super fast super skinny V neck, based on Lukes previous valley arts necks.

The Luke II is more based on a '63 S***t, and although still V shaped, is slightly less pronounced, and "fatter".

The feel of these 2 instruments it totally different. The Luke I's lack of a tone control, and its more agressive single coils. Speaking of which, when I compare them, the single coils on the Luke II are super warm and thick sounding. A LOT different, but not necessarily better. Just different.

Anyhoo, I love 'em both

Gotta like a new guy who knows lots about luke guitars and has one of the alltime GREAT albums as his avatar! Welcome Craiguitar!

 

[Craiguitar]

Aw thanks bro, it's GREAT to be made to feel like one of the family on here. I think EBMM users are kindred spirits really, no matter what music they like, they all know what good instruments really are

And AJA, yeah it's awesome, you can't go wrong with a bit of the dan, man!!