[VIDEO] Luke/LIII comparison video (maple/roasted maple/rosewood - EMG/DiMarzio)

[rampage]

I made a little video comparing my different Luke models through the same Kemper patch.

1: '99 EBMM Luke 2 (EMG pickups, alder body, maple neck/rosewood fretboard)
2: '09 EBMM Luke 2 BFR (EMG pickups, alder body, full rosewood neck)
3: '13 EBMM LIII PDN (DiMarzio pickups, alder body, roasted maple neck/rosewood fretboard)
4: '14 EBMM LIII PDN (DiMarzio pickups, mahogany body, full roasted maple neck)

However subtle, I can definitely hear some differences.

What do you guys hear?

 

[W.Suitor]

Fantastic experiment! Very thought provoking too! My vote, in order of preference would be 1,2,4,3. Nice post!

 

[ErnieJohn]

really enjoyed that, haven't heard that song in a long time, the red sparkles tone jumped out most for me, but the overall difference is quite subtle,

 

[look_at_her]

#4 killed it for my tastes , but indeed , all the competitors were close ��

 

[DrKev]

The EMGs seemed to be lower output. Slightly less gain and you also kept touching the volume knob to make sure it was up all the way, so you clearly noticed the difference too! They also seem to have an intermittent slightly throaty/nasal quality which adds interest in a cool way. The Transitions seemed a little brighter and clearer despite being louder. Or am I totally imagining it? On first listen I though the blue guitar had a slight lower mid emphasis and less bright but by third listen I'd say I was wrong first time.

I am not at all surprised that EMGs sound like EMGs and that Transitions sound like Transitions. But I am surprised that they ALL sounded so similar. When differences are this subtle, any pre-existing notions of what we should hear can massively cloud our judgement. In blind tests I doubt anybody could tell them apart with any certainty. Do sparkly clean sounds with no compression emphasize the differences in a more obvious manner?

Nice vid. Thanks for sharing!

 

[ksandvik]

Yes I must admit that someone needs to do a pure DI recording of a guitar to really hear differences between EMG and Transitions, especially as amps and pedals colorize the output anyway. And ultimately both sound good.

 

[ozzyrules]

So, you like Lukes? ha. I liked the thicker tone of the transitions on the neptune blue.

 

[Morseman19]

the brass Bfr and the Maple sounded the best to me.
The BFR warm and clear and the maple very articulate.

my order would be
2-4-3-1

a maple luke is my next purchase

 

[Tollywood]

That was a great video. What song were you playing?

 

[DrKev]

"Dave's gone skiing", from Toto's "Tambu" album. My favourite Toto album. Most fantastic production, beautifully played and recorded, was nominated for a grammy for best engineered album (they Al Schmitt and Elliot Scheiner on the credits!).

 

[MJK28]

Great vid! My choice of sound is 1,4,2,3. But overall they all sound sweet!

 

[Durango]

Great video! listening to it with my eyes closed over and over trying to pick out the nuances proves that the differences are so subtle if any. This really was an ear opening and awesome video! Thanks.

 

[Tollywood]

"Dave's gone skiing", from Toto's "Tambu" album. My favourite Toto album. Most fantastic production, beautifully played and recorded, was nominated for a grammy for best engineered album (they Al Schmitt and Elliot Scheiner on the credits!).

Thank you!

 

[rampage]

Tambu sure is a great album!

Funny to see so many different opinions on what guitar sounds best.. I think I like the red sparkle best in this video!

If you guys enjoyed this I could do another one with a cleaner sound? Let me know!

 

[ksandvik]

Me thinks one big difference between II and III is the built-in boost, most likely the reason I will get a III in addition to the II I have. I'm not that worried or interested in the pickup versions, myself. But the built-in boost gives more tonality dimensions, not to speak of being far away from the pedalboard with a wireless and suddenly the singer tells me to do a solo...

 

[Sebp]

First of all: Nice tune and great playing!

I think that the EMG Lukes are brighter than the Dimarzio ones: the last ones always sounded a little bit rounder to me with a fuller mid-bass range/tighter low end. I think, between the EMG ones, that the second was better! (The rosewood neck maybe?). I liked a lot the third one... but its true that the combination of full maple and mahogany of the last one has something special to it. But, as many ssid, the differences sre VERY subtle.