Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center

NGD - 2012 EBMM Luke III SSH with Rosewood Neck


Recommended Posts

Well, talk in another thread had me jonesing for an SSH Strat type guitar with a tremolo, one that isn't a floyd rose or a bigsby. I was curious to see if anything interesting was listed on the EBMM forum, and found someone with a Luke III SSH outside of Philly. I was doing down to South NJ today for something in the evening, so I figured I'd check it out. I was NOT disappointed. It's a great guitar, really playable, and it sounds good. Unlike the other Luke models, this one does not have active EMG pickups, but instead custom Dimarzio singles and a Dimarzio Transition bridge pickup. They are designed to work as a set, so the volume levels are actually pretty close, which takes care of one of the issues I usually have with SSH guitars.

There also is actually an active preamp too, my first one for guitar. Not only does it have a 20 dB boost, it also works with the pickup selector to boost positions 2 and 4, the "notch" positions, which due to phase cancellation are usually a bit lower in volume. Overall, it's a great system. The tremolo feels nice too.

This guitar also is a bit "fancy" in that it's got a rosewood neck, an option not currently available. It's also in a great 3 tone sunburst finish, which looks great on the alder body. It's got some wear, but I think most of it will just buff right out. Will probably need some setting up, but for now I'm good with it the way it is. It may need a new output jack soon, which is unfortunately the wonderful switchcraft barrel style, but this also needs to be able to turn the active preamp on and off, so it's a bit more complex of an operation.

 

luke01.jpg

 

luke02.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is a complete winner, those Dimarzios rule and I usually don't gravitate towards DMs. And I love rosewood necks more and more which every exposure I get to them. Nice score!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, polara said:

That really ticks all the boxes. Versatile, well-made, no tricky locking vibrato, and nice neck. Even a nice understated finish. Cool!

Most of the "standard" models are metallic blue, or a solid black, so this is actually quite nice in comparison, and it goes GREAT with the rosewood neck. The only way to get a fancy finish is to get one of the Ball Family Reserve models for like 2700, and they still don't have the rosewood neck.

 

2 hours ago, Toadroller said:

Please don’t tell me the neck is thick, cause that thang is a beauty and I would be tempted. 

it's a normal size neck. Kinda like a 90s standard or an American Standard Strat. definitely not a baseball bat.

It is set up a bit interestingly though, from the factory. it's set up with .09 -.42 strings, and it's also set up with a classic non recessed tremolo. BUT, it's angled up to provide enough room for 1.5 steps of up whammy. So, you can push the G string up to an A# if you bend it back to the deck. That's apparently how all luke guitars are set up.

I can put it normal and deck it, but that usually requires changing out the neck shim.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Finally got this guitar setup how I like it. I was kinda avoiding it for a while. I gave it almost the full treatment.  Took a damp rag and an iron to the neck to get some of the dents out, or make them much less present.

took the neck off, lemon oiled the whole thing to clean it. Changed out the brown shim to the yellow shim, so now I have the action right where I want it.

set up the tremolo to have just over a whole step up bend, so I can get the whole step without having to deck it. Stock setup is 1.5 steps, but I don't need that.

only thing left I can really do now is adjust the two trim pots inside. It's got an active preamp, with compensation for positions 2 and 4, as well as the boost, which I doubt I'll use.

Definitely a solid SSH guitar, that really gets rid of some of the annoyances they usually produce.

The all rosewood neck is just.. amazing feeling. I've had oiled maple and mahogany. This puts them all to shame. The Soft-V shape is also quite nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Congrats TBS.

That's a Killer looking guitar.

 

I've some great things about those guitars.

 

I'd love to own one of those.

 

Maybe I'll get lucky a find a Killer deal on  one sometime in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...