Greg Suarez
Well-known member
For the first time in my 23 years of playing guitar, I do not have a single Stratocaster in my collection. Ever since I got into MM guitars earlier this year, I was sold... hook, line and sinker.
My first electric guitar was a brand new 1991 American Standard Strat. The Stratocaster is what I started with and it's what I love. I believe it is the "ultimate" electric guitar. Ever since then, I was always a "Strat guy." Sure, I would have an Ibanez or Jackson in my collection here and there - a more aggressive model in a style the Strat wasn't really designed for. But my heart always belonged to the Strat.
My love of the Majesty is no secret. I cannot imagine a more sublime prog metal machine. So, it was just me, my Majesty and my Strat. That is, until I played a Luke III HSS. Goodbye Strat.
The Luke III HSS is a true evolution of the Stratocaster thanks to three features: 1) build quality better than even an American Stratocaster, 2) a neck that feels like it was designed specifically for my hand, and 3) the Luke III's DiMarzio Transition pickup and single coil set sounds more like a Strat than a Strat does. Let me explain...
We all know what a "classic" Strat sounds like. Clapton, Vaughan, Gilmour, Johnson et. al. have written that book countless times before. The difference between the Strat tone we have known and loved for 60 years and the Luke III is that the Luke III emphasizes the key tonal definitions of those classic sounds and focuses on the sweet spots. The neck pickup is throatier and more defined - it's so much easier to get a great sound from the Luke III's neck pickup than it is on any Strat I ever played. The middle pickup of the Luke III embraces more upper midrange; it sounds more distinct from the neck pickup than what is heard from a Strat. The bridge pickup (which, let's be honest, no one who plays a Strat really uses, anyway) is replaced by the Transition humbucker pickup, which has the sparkle and definition of a single coil, while adding just the right amount of dynamic cutting to tame the high end. These DiMarzio pickups beat the hell out of the EMGs in older Luke models. EMG definitely has its fans. I am not one of them. As Steve Lukather commented on DiMarzio's web site, he wanted a more organic sound, and these pickups definitely deliver. They are dynamic and bring out of the soul of the wood.
I picked up my Luke III from Guitar Center during their MM clearance for an embarrassingly stupid price. My Luke III is my new Strat. I cannot possibly be any happier with it. I thought it would be impossible for me to be as impressed with another MM guitar as I was by the Majesty, but damn, they did it again. I also picked up a StingRay 5 HH during the Guitar Center clearance after saying "Adios" to my Fender American Deluxe P-Bass. The StingRays have a far more ample, rounder and authoritative sound than any Fender bass I've ever played.
I think I'm officially at the point now where I won't even seriously consider any other brand of guitar other than MM. My car should prove my allegiance.
All hail Music Man.
My first electric guitar was a brand new 1991 American Standard Strat. The Stratocaster is what I started with and it's what I love. I believe it is the "ultimate" electric guitar. Ever since then, I was always a "Strat guy." Sure, I would have an Ibanez or Jackson in my collection here and there - a more aggressive model in a style the Strat wasn't really designed for. But my heart always belonged to the Strat.
My love of the Majesty is no secret. I cannot imagine a more sublime prog metal machine. So, it was just me, my Majesty and my Strat. That is, until I played a Luke III HSS. Goodbye Strat.
The Luke III HSS is a true evolution of the Stratocaster thanks to three features: 1) build quality better than even an American Stratocaster, 2) a neck that feels like it was designed specifically for my hand, and 3) the Luke III's DiMarzio Transition pickup and single coil set sounds more like a Strat than a Strat does. Let me explain...
We all know what a "classic" Strat sounds like. Clapton, Vaughan, Gilmour, Johnson et. al. have written that book countless times before. The difference between the Strat tone we have known and loved for 60 years and the Luke III is that the Luke III emphasizes the key tonal definitions of those classic sounds and focuses on the sweet spots. The neck pickup is throatier and more defined - it's so much easier to get a great sound from the Luke III's neck pickup than it is on any Strat I ever played. The middle pickup of the Luke III embraces more upper midrange; it sounds more distinct from the neck pickup than what is heard from a Strat. The bridge pickup (which, let's be honest, no one who plays a Strat really uses, anyway) is replaced by the Transition humbucker pickup, which has the sparkle and definition of a single coil, while adding just the right amount of dynamic cutting to tame the high end. These DiMarzio pickups beat the hell out of the EMGs in older Luke models. EMG definitely has its fans. I am not one of them. As Steve Lukather commented on DiMarzio's web site, he wanted a more organic sound, and these pickups definitely deliver. They are dynamic and bring out of the soul of the wood.
I picked up my Luke III from Guitar Center during their MM clearance for an embarrassingly stupid price. My Luke III is my new Strat. I cannot possibly be any happier with it. I thought it would be impossible for me to be as impressed with another MM guitar as I was by the Majesty, but damn, they did it again. I also picked up a StingRay 5 HH during the Guitar Center clearance after saying "Adios" to my Fender American Deluxe P-Bass. The StingRays have a far more ample, rounder and authoritative sound than any Fender bass I've ever played.
I think I'm officially at the point now where I won't even seriously consider any other brand of guitar other than MM. My car should prove my allegiance.
All hail Music Man.
