I'm a big Lukather fan but have never liked the Luke guitars I've tried, be it the pickups (too hot) or the cramped necks. Because of that, I've 'stupidly' stayed away from other EBMM guitars but this week, I was lucky enough to play my mate's recently acquired Albert Lee (HH & Trem) and his Silhouette (HSH Hardtail). WOW! The necks on these two were superb and so comfortable and I couldn't believe the tones I was able to coax from both.
The Albert Lee had all the girth you'd expect with humbuckers but there was an openness to the sound and the other positions were a little more Tele and had the quack you'd expect with this artist and his signature model. However, as a Superstrat player, the Silhouette ticked many boxes and I loved the palette of sounds I got from it and they were so much better than the Suhrs I've had. I forgot how good Dimarzio pickups are.
The Axis was well received and tell a lie, the ones I've tried of that model have been nice.
Any love for these and any Silhouettes going?
Comments
Of the production models, the conspicuous exception to the general rule is the John Petrucci signature model.
Granted the aesthetics aren't for everyone as the 4+2 headstock can make them feel deceptively small and the string spacing can feel tight at first, although I can happily go from mine to Gibsons, Fenders, Suhrs etc with no problem. I've never bothered measuring, but how much narrower are they? It must be marginal
With quite a few new guitars coming and going in my collection recently, I haven't played my L3 for a while and was contemplating selling it a while back, but it seems pointless as ever since playing my first MM almost 10 years ago I don't think I've gone more than a few months without one in my collection, so I'd almost certainly buy another
My music:- https://soundcloud.com/hubobulous
I've had 8 USA EBMMs & still have 5. Build quality & finish is superb. Necks are mainly small but I don't mind that
Never tried a Luke or any of the new breed (Vincent/Valentine etc)
Like Davus above, I don't suffer with or even notice the string spacing - I can go between them and the Gibsons, Gretsches and Fenders I have with ease - what I do notice when I pick up the LP especially is the difference in tone and more so how archaic it feels and sounds compared to the MM's!!
What I have noticed though with the L3's is the differing neck profiles - the RW HH I have is a fairly meaty V, however, the Roasted Maple HSS is a much slimmer neck - the Axis then is different again but I expect that as its a different model - that feels very similar to a JP6..
I've currently got GAS for the Green Mariposa...
The Luke had a slight v to the neck that I found wasn’t really for me. My favourite of all of them was the Albert Lee.
Don't get me wrong the BFR was a truly beautiful instrument to play, but owning one left me feeling that for me the only real draw of the BFR models are the special edition finishes and that the guitars themselves aren't worth the hefty hike in price in terms of playability. I guess that speaks volumes about just how good the standard models are - apart from the aesthetics I can't really see how they could make them any better
Most of us prefer something a bit harder in the hand
It is easily the fastest playing and easiest guitar I have ever tried and the pickups sound great -if you didn't know better and were blindfold you would think it was a big chunky Gibson not a strange Art Deco pointy little imp of a guitar.
They have their sales right and release new interesting models quite often, sounds like a succesful company to me.
PS. Axis SS is my only real addiction on this planet
I bought it on a whim from a fellow Forumite and, after spending a bit getting it setup and some fretwork, decided it was surplus to requirements (due to a custom build). I have had more people send tyre-kicking messages than I could have imagined. For sub-£1k, I’ve no idea what people want.
My band, Red For Dissent
Fantastic guitars, build quality as good as anything I've ever owned or played, the finish on the neck feels great and I don't mind the narrow width at the nut. I like the 4+2 headstock, I like the fact that many of the models are quite diminutive (so am I). I would be more than happy to buy one... if only they would make one or two models with chunkier necks.
The trick is to try on yourself otherwise it is a bit difficult to decide how cozy they feel.
The Albert Lee sss is still a box I have to tick. What a great guitar.
The Luke is great and if I was starting again maybe the more versatile. Even the majesty is quite a guitar even if not for the style I am after
Their finish choices (much like for PRS I think) can range from amazing to inexplicably horrendous..the quality is great though.