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Help! No sound from my Luke 3

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shawman

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2023
Messages
7
Location
Greensboro, NC
Hello all and happy thanksgiving. I purchased a used Luke 3 in mint condition on Reverb. The guitar arrived in perfect condition and have been using it for recording. It worked great for a session last night but when plugged in today, no sound came out. I changed the battery and looked for loose wires or a cold solder joint in the cavity but that also looks pristine. Any takers on this?
Thanks all!

luke 3 e cavity.jpeg

Shaw Luke 3 serial.jpeg
 
Hmm, maybe try cleaning the jack? I think it turns on when it senses continuity on the barrel of the jack, which is a TRS jack.
 
Yeah I’d guess battery not connecting with the terminals or a jack issue. If you have a multimeter you can try to measure voltage at the terminals on the board.
 
I've not had this problem with an EBMM, but in multiple other guitars with a battery hatch, I had the leads to the battery break on more than one of them. Quick and easy fix but annoying.
 
It's strange, the guitar moved 3 feet to be hung on the wall. I was under the impression the pickup itself was passive. If it is the battery case connection I'm assuming the 9v bat. powers the pc board at all times? In other words, no battery power, no sound. Is that correct?
Thank you!
 
jlf599 said:
I've not had this problem with an EBMM, but in multiple other guitars with a battery hatch, I had the leads to the battery break on more than one of them. Quick and easy fix but annoying.
Click to expand...

This would be my first guess as well... it's not really a "moving part" per se, but over the years, batteries out/batteries in.... could take a toll?
 
The pickups are passive, but they're fed through a buffer circuit which requires power. So yes, no battery, no sound.

Not all 9V batteries are the same size- sometimes they don't fit perfectly in the compartment, in which case a little bit of padding (foam, cardboard, etc.) between the bottom of the battery and the cover can help the battery make contact. I've also had terminals that were bent and needed prying back slightly to make contact, and I've had leads break off the battery box and require re-soldering.

Anyhow- power seems like the likely culprit here and hopefully it's an easy fix.
 
Looks the same issue we discussed here:

forums.ernieball.com

Cutlass HT Volume Drop Outs

Hello all, I bought an HT back in March - I absolutely love this guitar. Smooth as butter! Recently, I've been having an issue with volume cutting out completely. This happens most often when I put the guitar down for any period of time. For example, carrying it to a gig, I plug it into my...
forums.ernieball.com forums.ernieball.com

I had the same problem with my Luke III and I fixed it in the same way. :)
 
Iperfungus said:
Looks the same issue we discussed here:

forums.ernieball.com

Cutlass HT Volume Drop Outs

Hello all, I bought an HT back in March - I absolutely love this guitar. Smooth as butter! Recently, I've been having an issue with volume cutting out completely. This happens most often when I put the guitar down for any period of time. For example, carrying it to a gig, I plug it into my...
forums.ernieball.com forums.ernieball.com

I had the same problem with my Luke III and I fixed it in the same way. :)
Click to expand...
Put a small thin amount of foam between the top of your battery and the door that closes it in. This should work.
 
shawman said:
Put a small thin amount of foam between the top of your battery and the door that closes it in. This should work.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's what I meant: I had the same issue about one month ago and I fixed it in the same way.
I used a folded piece of paper, with the same final effect. :)
This seems to be a common issue, due to slightly different batteries size and tolerances within plastic holders.
Nothing bad and an issue that can be easily fixed, once identified.
 
Sounds like maybe a piece of pickup foam (the stuff used to help stabilize a pickup when adjusting it's height) would be a good material.

Or the wife's makeup sponges... I'll have to keep that in mind if my LIII ever stop working after putting in a new battery...
 
ruger9 said:
Sounds like maybe a piece of pickup foam (the stuff used to help stabilize a pickup when adjusting it's height) would be a good material.

Or the wife's makeup sponges... I'll have to keep that in mind if my LIII ever stop working after putting in a new battery...
Click to expand...
Anything that can keep battery in place inside the holder will work fine.
 
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