The Joy Of Coincidence *photos on page 2 now!*
It was a boring Friday. I'd finished all my morning surgery by 1pm and didn't start again until 4pm. Went to do the banking for the business and topped up my own account and still 2 hours left to go. Do I go to the local mall and read guitar and car magazines without buying them, or do I go annoy the staff in Guitarguitar? I don't like going into the local store TOO much in case they get annoyed with me, and I'd already had my weekly drool over the trans blue Axis on Tuesday...
Sod it. I'll go and see if i can get Sean to check with Strings and Things and see if teh Luke is any closer to the UK. Drove past the store and wouldn't you know it, a dirty great lorrt taking up the parking spaces. Damn. Ah well, i've got time, I'll circle round the block and see if he's gone...gives me more time in the car with "Women And Children First" blaring out
Second time around and the lorry's gone. Great. Parked up and went into the shop to be met with "oh, did someone call you already?" Eh? He pointed to a box leaning against the counter, fresh out of the delivery lorry, marked "Strings and Things Luke Trem Carbon Blue Pearl RSWD_Match"
IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!!
I don't think I've ever unpacked anything so fast! The staff were all a bit tied up but Chris got a space and a Vox amp as the booth was taken... After failing to figure out how to get anything out the stoopid modelling amp (I'm beginning to really hate them) I laid into the Luke. But not before just looking at the colour. What a complex beasty Carbon Blue is! Yes, it's blue, but under some lights it looks more like steel grey...like a much darker Luke Blue, and under some other lights and from a steep angle there's a dark Teal/Envy Green tinge in the pearl too. Look, it's gorgeous OK, just plain beautiful. I nervously looked at it next to the vintage sunburst of a Stingray and my fears were put to rest. I did good. If anything, the Carbon is classier (in my eyes anyway Keith )
Starting off playing and surprised to find that...oh my god...it's still in tune Half way round the world where it was finished and packed a month ago and the thing is still in tune. The action is perfect, the intonation spot on. How do you guys do it? As for the build. How much gloss do you put on these bodies. So deep you could swim in it....if it was made of water.....and I was really small....erm, scratch that. The neck is stunningly figured, especially at the headstock. Little pangs that I got the matching headstock to cover up a really special piece of wood, but at least I get to look at it
Then to the tone. Hang on, it sounds rubbish!!! Try all the pickup configs...nope, still horrible. Play with the modelling amp....no joy. Oh........right....the tone nob is on zero Turn it up then...WOW. Holy cow. Right...it's flaming perfect Every position is usefully different and the sheer smoothness of tone even through a £170 little amp is amazing!
And the piece de resistance...the neck. It's been ages since I played a Luke and I'd just forgotten how good the neck is. It's addictive. I couldn't stop. And the fret finish is just awesomely smooth. And that rosewood...after the high end Ibanezes i hadn't realised what REAL quality rosewood looks like. I do now.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
The waiting time IS worth it. 5 months but when you see the quality of this baby...that's just water under the bridge. You're all geniuses, give yourself a pat on the back each and every one of you.
The Axis order gets placed in March...
It was a boring Friday. I'd finished all my morning surgery by 1pm and didn't start again until 4pm. Went to do the banking for the business and topped up my own account and still 2 hours left to go. Do I go to the local mall and read guitar and car magazines without buying them, or do I go annoy the staff in Guitarguitar? I don't like going into the local store TOO much in case they get annoyed with me, and I'd already had my weekly drool over the trans blue Axis on Tuesday...
Sod it. I'll go and see if i can get Sean to check with Strings and Things and see if teh Luke is any closer to the UK. Drove past the store and wouldn't you know it, a dirty great lorrt taking up the parking spaces. Damn. Ah well, i've got time, I'll circle round the block and see if he's gone...gives me more time in the car with "Women And Children First" blaring out
Second time around and the lorry's gone. Great. Parked up and went into the shop to be met with "oh, did someone call you already?" Eh? He pointed to a box leaning against the counter, fresh out of the delivery lorry, marked "Strings and Things Luke Trem Carbon Blue Pearl RSWD_Match"
IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!!
I don't think I've ever unpacked anything so fast! The staff were all a bit tied up but Chris got a space and a Vox amp as the booth was taken... After failing to figure out how to get anything out the stoopid modelling amp (I'm beginning to really hate them) I laid into the Luke. But not before just looking at the colour. What a complex beasty Carbon Blue is! Yes, it's blue, but under some lights it looks more like steel grey...like a much darker Luke Blue, and under some other lights and from a steep angle there's a dark Teal/Envy Green tinge in the pearl too. Look, it's gorgeous OK, just plain beautiful. I nervously looked at it next to the vintage sunburst of a Stingray and my fears were put to rest. I did good. If anything, the Carbon is classier (in my eyes anyway Keith
)Starting off playing and surprised to find that...oh my god...it's still in tune
Half way round the world where it was finished and packed a month ago and the thing is still in tune. The action is perfect, the intonation spot on. How do you guys do it? As for the build. How much gloss do you put on these bodies. So deep you could swim in it....if it was made of water.....and I was really small....erm, scratch that. The neck is stunningly figured, especially at the headstock. Little pangs that I got the matching headstock to cover up a really special piece of wood, but at least I get to look at it Then to the tone. Hang on, it sounds rubbish!!! Try all the pickup configs...nope, still horrible. Play with the modelling amp....no joy. Oh........right....the tone nob is on zero
Turn it up then...WOW. Holy cow. Right...it's flaming perfect Every position is usefully different and the sheer smoothness of tone even through a £170 little amp is amazing! And the piece de resistance...the neck. It's been ages since I played a Luke and I'd just forgotten how good the neck is. It's addictive. I couldn't stop. And the fret finish is just awesomely smooth. And that rosewood...after the high end Ibanezes i hadn't realised what REAL quality rosewood looks like. I do now.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU
The waiting time IS worth it. 5 months but when you see the quality of this baby...that's just water under the bridge. You're all geniuses, give yourself a pat on the back each and every one of you.
The Axis order gets placed in March...
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