Long time since I posted on this forum (and since I've had a Music Man), but I recently bought a new hazel burst Sterling LK100. Was curious about the Lukather model, but didn't want to go all in on a Music Man Luke. But the LK100 is a very nice instrument once setup and customized some. Boost circuit and all. Was a bit afraid of the soft V neck carve, but it's been a positive surprise and the neck now feels quite good (the roasted maple neck sure helps with that feeling as well).
I've done a few things to customize the guitar though:
I've done a few things to customize the guitar though:
- The Sterling pickups were very weak and bright (both ca. 7.6 kOhm and 4.2 H) for a rock guitar. "Normal" humbucker levels could be achieved using the boost always on, but still. I swapped them with a DiMarzio Transition set which Lukather sported when he first got back to using passive pickups. They are far more punchy and darker, and suits the guitar better in my opinion.
- The vintage saddles with their height adjustment screws sticking out are not quite to my liking. I swapped them for a modern style brass saddles set - that also made this bright guitar slightly darker.
- Swapped the switch and tone pot to rewire the guitar to my 208/22 guitar wiring (modified to fit with the boost circuit). Eight useful sounds the way I like it:
Tone pot down: Pos 1: bridge humbucker, 2: inner coils in parallel, 3: bridge+outer neck single coil, 4: outer neck single coil, 5: neck humbcuker.
Tone pot up: Pos 1: bridge humbucker, 2: inner bridge single coil, 3: both humbuckers, 4: outer coils in parallel, 5: neck humbcuker. - The 208/22 guitar wiring leaves one pole of the switch unused which I've now have used to control the boost circuit to compensate (slightly boost) the lower output pos 2 and 4 sounds. Like it's done on the Music Man Luke. Almost weird having the coil split sounds the same volume as the humbucker sounds - but cool.
Last edited: