sustain on the luke

[lukeblue]

I might be crazy but i am having trouble with fast runs up the neck (16 fret and up).it seems to me that i have to work real hard to get some kind of speed going up there. I encountered this problem when i switched to the triaxis from multi - effects like pod. I know you might say that it's just the different feel of that tube preamp but i have other guitars that smoke in high registers with the mesa. Obviously i have various picking problems but the difference is too big so it's not just my technique.So what i am trying to say is could the emg's be the problem ( i have pasive pickups in the other guitars).Just seems to me that with monstruous gain on the mesa these emg's are very saturated on the bass strings but the skinny strings lack sustain and you really really have to work hard in that area.Legato passages aren't that fluid also.
I love this guitar,it's very comfortable,awesome neck...i'm getting a silo next but this pickup thing bums me out as i know they cannot be changed.
Has anyone encountered this problem?

oh...and it's more visible with the neck pickup

 

[beej]

Sounds like a setup/technique issue. There's nothing about EMGs that will hold you back.

Just watch Luke play a little

 

[Mayo 84]

you can try this... turn down the bridge hum and find the balance between output and sustain... if the pickup it's too near to the string you have much output but the string don't vibe.

 

[beej]

you can try this... turn down the bridge hum and find the balance between output and sustain... if the pickup it's too near to the string you have much output but the string don't vibe.

The pickups on the Luke are fixed- you can't adjust the height. Also I'm pretty sure the EMGs have a low magnetic field.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I always thought you could have EMG's as close as you wanted, because, as you said, they have a low magnetic pull.

 

[Sweat]

You can have EMG1s as close as you want, they even recommend it, I installed a set of Zakk Wylde 81/85 EMGS in a guitar which you could adjust the PUPs and the instructions said to adjust a close to the string as possible without touching or interferring with your playing style.

 

[Sub1 Zero]

maybe it's the V neck, not used to it? Also, are you used to guitars with 24 frets, and this one being 22 is throwing you?

 

[lukeblue]

maybe it's the V neck, not used to it? Also, are you used to guitars with 24 frets, and this one being 22 is throwing you?

The neck is superb....no problem there...it's just that i feel the sound is getting chocked or something....the pickups are very clear but it's like they either are too compressed or do not distort as much (i'm especially talking about the single coils...the bridge humbucker is similar but has more definition and output i guess).
It's weird ...the tone is fantastic but i'm not digging the feel....i've heard about a 18v mod...maybe i'll give that a shot.

 

[Big Poppa]

Luke Blue

Dont mod the guitar to 18v., Get used to it and work on your techinque. That guitar will expose any weakness you may have as a player.

Also please make sure that you are setting your amps eq and gain for this guitar and not your last one. Too many times we hear a person switching instrument and setting his amp like he did for his strat or les paul....

 

[lukeblue]

Luke Blue

Dont mod the guitar to 18v., Get used to it and work on your techinque. That guitar will expose any weakness you may have as a player.

Also please make sure that you are setting your amps eq and gain for this guitar and not your last one. Too many times we hear a person switching instrument and setting his amp like he did for his strat or les paul....

wow....thanks Big Poppa
i was afraid you would say that.
I have the luke 4 months now and i didn't have any problems on modelers and such....these problems arised with an all-tube rack.
In the case of the tube rig I adapted my playing with the passives without problems... it was just different with the luke.
No worries ... more practice for me and if they're not my cup of tea...i'll switch to the passive line of emg's...guess those'll work.

 

[djlynch]

Those modelers will screw with your technique. Throw on a clean tube tone and work out the kinks.

 

[candid_x]

Luke, I'm no expert on EMG's or Lukes, but I do know that hotter pickups do funny things, if not tweaked and tamed a bit, either on the guitar volume or amp eq settings. It sounds to me as though your preamp needs more push on the high-mids, when using the Luke, since that's what's thin on your high notes. I'd also try turning your guitar volume down a bit and cranking the amp more.

I experienced something similar on my G&L S500's MFD pickups.

 

[Mayo 84]

oooops....Sorry man!

 

[Earplayer]

hello lukeblue!

please don´t modify your beauty... like big poppa said, try ****ing with the eq and make sure you are setting your amp and everything else for this guitar...
the more i play my luke the more i love it... it´s strange... ... i really dig my emg´s. maybe you have to get used to it or improve your playing-style...

man i love my luke - almost everyday i say to myself while playing - thank you musicman, thank you big poppa for THIS guitar!!!

 

[uvacom]

This seems unlikely, but I'm going to just throw it out there - maybe there is an impedance mismatch? The EMGs of course have a much lower impedance than passive pickups, and some tube devices are more sensitive to such things. Usually there isn't much of a problem with the source (the guitar) having a lower impedance than the load (the amp)...but sometimes it does matter.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

Maybe this guitar is just not for you? Maybe there is another axe on the EBMM line that is better for you? I love the Axis, but I once tried a JP and I know I would last about 5 minutes with it if it were mine.