Question Replacement Pickup Suggestions for my Luke?

[dlester03]

I have a late 90's Luke ll. I'm really having problems with a tinny sort of sound coming from it that I can't seem to do anything about. When I first got it back in 99, it was an awesome sounding guitar. About a year or so ago I started to notice that it was sounding really tinny. Almost like there is not enough juice going to the pickups or something. I've tried numerous battery replacements and raised and lowered the pickups and the strings and still it sounds like crap, even on the bridge pickup which use to have a really awesome sound to it is sounding weak. I took a look at the wiring and nothing seems loose or disconnected inside.


I have another guitar that has an EMG 81 and an 85 in it, and that guitar sings and is a cheap import compared to the Luke. I'm to the point now where I want to gut the active electronics and go with some Seymour Duncan Passives. I'm wondering if a Pearly Gates will fit in the bridge position without any modification and what I should use in the neck and middle positions? I'm kind of fed up with EMGs anyway. I have a David Gilmour Setup that I got for one of my Strats and it's really way too much distortion for me. I ripped that out and it's sitting here in a box! I replaced the Gilmour set with Fender Hot Noiseless which in my opinion sound way better. I just put the Everything Axe set in another Strat I own and those are awesome!

Anyway, some suggestions on Duncans for my Luke? Hate to get rid of it because I love the neck and the playability. However, the weak sound is driving me crazy! After I got my Axis Super Sport, I realized that the Luke sounds like crap by comparison.

Thanks

Dave

 

[threeminutesboy]

this is rather strange I'm using EMG pickups since 2000 in a strat and with my Luke since 2007 and never face any problem

if 3 pickups sounds weak and you replaced the battery, check you have indeed 9V arriving on the pickups, your input jack might be the problem

 

[dlester03]

this is rather strange I'm using EMG pickups since 2000 in a strat and with my Luke since 2007 and never face any problem

if 3 pickups sounds weak and you replaced the battery, check you have indeed 9V arriving on the pickups, your input jack might be the problem

I guess I can try that today and see what kind of voltage I'm getting to the pups. I was thinking that it might be the pre-amp that is built into the active setup. It didn't occur to me to check the input jack.

Thanks

 

[threeminutesboy]

I guess I can try that today and see what kind of voltage I'm getting to the pups. I was thinking that it might be the pre-amp that is built into the active setup. It didn't occur to me to check the input jack.

Thanks

Hard to believe the 3 pups will have a faulty preamp at the same time

 

[dlester03]

Hard to believe the 3 pups will have a faulty preamp at the same time

Unless they got shorted out somehow! But then I guess they would not work at all if that were the case!

 

[beej]

Ya, that's good advice. I'd check the jack and the battery box as well, make sure the circuit is working correctly.

If you like the sound of the EMGs in your other guitar, I'd suggest keeping them. If you can't figure out what's going on, an email to EMG might help- they'd probably have some quick tips to diagnose the problem.

 

[dlester03]

this is rather strange I'm using EMG pickups since 2000 in a strat and with my Luke since 2007 and never face any problem

if 3 pickups sounds weak and you replaced the battery, check you have indeed 9V arriving on the pickups, your input jack might be the problem

Neck pup 9.22 volts
middle pup 9.22 volts
bridge pup 9.26 volts

 

[threeminutesboy]

well I guess it's time to contact EMG as beej suggested, there is nothing more I can do from this distance

 

[Grand Wazoo]

The title of this thread will cause some upset.

 

[dlester03]

I think I'm going to just replace the EMGs with Duncans. I like passive pups much better anyway. Been thinking about swapping the 81 and the 85 in my other guitar for a set of Pearly gates as well. The Luke looks like it will take pretty much any of the single or stacked Duncans in the neck and middle that don't have the plate on the bottom, and the bridge looks like a standard sized Humbucker space.

 

[dlester03]

The title of this thread will cause some upset.

Oh well! The truth is the truth! If there is something wrong with my guitar and I want to swap the pickups, it's not my problem if others get upset, it's their problem!

 

[Jack FFR1846]

If you're dead set on replacing the pickups, then you certainly can do that....it's your guitar. I'd want to know what the cause of the problem is......if it were my guitar. Ask EMG for some help or maybe bring it to a tech. Especially if you like the EMG sound.

 

[fbecir]

Oh well! The truth is the truth! If there is something wrong with my guitar and I want to swap the pickups, it's not my problem if others get upset, it's their problem!

Grand Wazoo just said that the title can be misinterpreted. When you read the title, you can conclude that the Luke is a bad guitar because EBMM uses bad pickups. I don't think it's what you want to say.
You are coming on this forum in order to find some help and several members gave you some interesting clues ... perhaps you should be a bit more respectful.

My 2 cents ... best luck with your guitar

 

[elbecko6]

I think I'm going to just replace the EMGs with Duncans. I like passive pups much better anyway. Been thinking about swapping the 81 and the 85 in my other guitar for a set of Pearly gates as well. The Luke looks like it will take pretty much any of the single or stacked Duncans in the neck and middle that don't have the plate on the bottom, and the bridge looks like a standard sized Humbucker space.

Be very careful because only a few PUs will fit the Luke PUs sockets. Stacked duncans will require slight adjustment to fit, rails PUs will need more, quater pound will suit well and with a great tone results. Standard single won't fit in the cavity and will require machining to be implemented.
Also the humbucker will require some adjustment on shafts to fit in the cavity.
About tone I would rather go for a '59 or a A2P than a PG that is full of mids and may be harsh in such an axe.

Good luck for your mods

 

[dlester03]

Grand Wazoo just said that the title can be misinterpreted. When you read the title, you can conclude that the Luke is a bad guitar because EBMM uses bad pickups. I don't think it's what you want to say.
You are coming on this forum in order to find some help and several members gave you some interesting clues ... perhaps you should be a bit more respectful.

My 2 cents ... best luck with your guitar

Well, I guess the title could be misinterpreted by people with an IQ lower than a carrot! But I did say MY Luke, not Lukes in general and I did go on to explain my position and the nature of my problem. I do appreciate the help and the clues but none of them answered my original question about what type of Seymour Duncans could be used to replace EMGs in a Luke. I'm not the one who launched the first volley of not so intelligent responses to a simple question! However, maybe some people don't understand the English language very well! So the original question probably confused them.

 

[dlester03]

Be very careful because only a few PUs will fit the Luke PUs sockets. Stacked duncans will require slight adjustment to fit, rails PUs will need more, quater pound will suit well and with a great tone results. Standard single won't fit in the cavity and will require machining to be implemented.
Also the humbucker will require some adjustment on shafts to fit in the cavity.
About tone I would rather go for a '59 or a A2P than a PG that is full of mids and may be harsh in such an axe.

Good luck for your mods

Thank-you for the good response! This is what I was looking for!

Thanks again!

 

[brownpants69]

As a Luke modding veteran I would like to warn you that to fit the stacked and rail pickups, you will need to really the channels for the cables where they meet the cavities- It takes a lot of effort to ease the pickup into the guitar. However, it's easy to do with a small file.

It's actually an easy job to do. I took me about an hour and a half to do mine. Just don't forget the earth wire to the trem cavity!

Have you thought about trying the new EMG X series? I'm really hoping that they will be everything that I hoped EMG pickups would be...

 

[beej]

Ya, it's probably all good but sometimes Google has the IQ of a carrot so I'll just give the title a friendly change

There do seem to be a few guys who have swapped passives in their Luke, so all the best with the project. Sure it'll sound great.

 

[dlester03]

As a Luke modding veteran I would like to warn you that to fit the stacked and rail pickups, you will need to really the channels for the cables where they meet the cavities- It takes a lot of effort to ease the pickup into the guitar. However, it's easy to do with a small file.

It's actually an easy job to do. I took me about an hour and a half to do mine. Just don't forget the earth wire to the trem cavity!

Have you thought about trying the new EMG X series? I'm really hoping that they will be everything that I hoped EMG pickups would be...

I have not tried the X series. I found the SAX and the 85X are available at a variety of places, but I do not find the SLVX anywhere. Maybe they are not shipping yet. Also on EMG's website it shows the SLVX as a set of 3.

 

[dlester03]

Ya, it's probably all good but sometimes Google has the IQ of a carrot so I'll just give the title a friendly change

There do seem to be a few guys who have swapped passives in their Luke, so all the best with the project. Sure it'll sound great.

You are the moderator so your judgment prevails in such matters! I did not intend to be offensive.