Casper goes Luke

[Casper]

http://www.music-man.com/instruments/luke.php

I got to finally play the guitar the man himself told me about and was blown away. Got it yesterday. Wow.
I had forgotten how good EMGs sounded! The trem is to die for. It just spoke to me. Just a great vibe/mojo with this guitar.Don't worry kids, I am still a devoted Andy man and am already planning my next. :rolleyes:
Luke was my hero long before I met him or this axe was invented, but he made such an impression on me and I have been SO into his music over the last year...I thought...why not? I 've gone through so many Andersons (3 in the last year)...let's just try something new...
Still have my trusty 96 Classic though!
your thoughts?

Shaun

[taclassic]

I recall the neck was awesome. I did not plug it in though.

I have owned other Music Man guitars and loved them very much till I played my first Andy.

Good luck with the guitar. I am sure it will fit in nicely with your rig.

[Mister T]

I dont think ths should be posted in the cobra pit.

EBMM's are nice though.

[Shannon]

I dont think ths should be posted in the cobra pit.



I agree...

and when you say "the man" who are you referring to? Tom?

It looks nice for a "mass produced" guitar, but I guess I'm confused about the significance of this particular guitar. Can someone enlighten me?

I know MM basses have a pretty strong following (I could never bring myself to replace my '77 Fender P bass with one, so I can't say from personal experience) but I haven't heard much about the standard 6ers.

[Casper]

Look at me, I stray from the herd and forget my manners.
Sorry about posting in the wrong area guys.
"the man" I was referring to is Luke himself. I got to meet/hang with him on the falling in between tour last year and had him to myself for almost an hour.
We talked about this guitar and Andersons (he has a few Andys too) and I liked his thoughts on his design and feel he wanted for it. I had not played one until I went Andy shopping last week. Fate would have me pick this up while waitng for the salesman to bring me another Anderson.
I had a Zion Radicaster with Emg's back in the late 80s and this guitar really took me back to that feel...But anybody who knows me on this forum knows nothing lasts forever...let's just see how it goes, shall we?

[toadcaller]

That is one awesome guitar, though I am GAS-free at the moment thanks to my latest TA. I also enjoy EMGs quite a bit. I keep a set of DG-20s in my MIM Strat and have an Ibanez with an 81/SA/85 set. They are great for recording, and with the 18 volt conversion in the Ibi the tones are through the roof.

[Dave K]

I have a couple EBMM Axis planks that I really dig. The gunstock oil necks feel great, too.
Play what inspires you!

[SonicGator]

I just bought the EMG Zakk Wylde set (EMG-81 and EMG-85) for one of my Les Paul's and love the way they sound. (I could really care less about them being a Zakk Wylde set, but it was the cheapest way to buy the 2 pickups and long shaft set for the LP)

Anyway, so many reviews say they are great for metal, but I am getting phenomenal tone with them on clean and overdriven tones not even approaching anything metal in my playing. What I've found with them is that they are extremely responsive to playing and technique with a great full range.

Oh, and congrats on the Luke. They're great guitars.

[Rupe]

Congrats on scoring a guitar that you like...that's always a great feeling.

I have to disagree on the EMG's though. I find them to be extremely sterile and devoid of any true character when compared to my favorite passive pickups. I do have one guitar that has an 81/SA combo and I will say that they are good for pushing a highly processed sound as they seem to jive well with multiple effects. Straight into an amp though, they are "soulless" IMO.

[SonicGator]

Congrats on scoring a guitar that you like...that's always a great feeling.

I have to disagree on the EMG's though. I find them to be extremely sterile and devoid of any true character when compared to my favorite passive pickups. I do have one guitar that has an 81/SA combo and I will say that they are good for pushing a highly processed sound as they seem to jive well with multiple effects. Straight into an amp though, they are "soulless" IMO.

That's what most of the reviews I read said about them too. I think the difference is that the active pickups essentially have no peaks at certain frequencies and instead push a broader more even response through. The EMG's are more of a chameleon in that their character changes with different setups and picking styles.
I use a thumb-pick and fingers 95% of the time when I'm playing and find the EMG's to respond well to picking nuances.

[Devnor]

I've got an older EBMM Luke with the Floyd Rose bridge. Love the neck although it's a bit narrow for my tastes these days...this one was PLEK'd. The EMGs sound very good in this particular guitar. Sadly it doesnt get much playtime at all. Enjoy:

http://home.comcast.net/~sca964/luke.jpg

[Casper]

The Luke comes with Luke-designed EMG-SLVs and a special '85' Hum. From what I read on emg's site, they are overwound singles with extra pole pieces.
Now how that translates to my tone remains to be seen, and I was telling some other friends, I hope I wasn't jaded...I demoed these guitars through a Bogner Shiva:rolleyes: They should sound damn good through my Rivera.
I had the regular SA/SA/85 on my Zion and the 2&4 positions smoked as well as the quietness/sustain of the whole setup. Yes, I have heard the "squashed/compressed arguement too"....everyone hears differently and we are all used to Toms impeccible work..I am already trying to get "Andy Action" on this thing, but then again, it has a unique feel all its own. Much different than the Axis Super Sport I had at one time.
btw, the trem makes a regular Floyd obsolete, imo. Devnor..that is a GORGEOUS axe.
thanks All-

[pluto]

i've played several MM Luke models-very consistent guitars as are all the music mans/eballs that I've played. The neck feels really good albeit a little too thin for my tastes, but for the price (especially used), it's a bargain.

[Casper]

That was a major part of the decision for me. If I were a in-demand session cat, toured or with a major label...(had money), I would own a representation of ALL of Tom's work..because I'm sold on his company, his philosophy and am proud to call him a friend.
That being said, I was buying Andersons, some used, many custom ordered and trading them after a period of time, sometimes I made money, sometimes I lost. Whatever the case, I was looking at going into debt again, just to own 2, when the one I have has been excellent. I still want 2 and as I said, when I can play one that moves me...(really!,) then I will be in that place. Just as I want an acoustic that is legendary, i will get my second Andy..let's just call the Luke a "palet cleanser"..if you will.