The Transition Neck & Bridge Model pickups were designed by DiMarzio for Steve Lukather and Luke's new LIII™ Music Man guitar. The pickups are named after Steve’s 2013 album, Transition. Lukather played the LIII™ guitar with Transition™ pickups throughout the new record. The passive Transition™ humbuckers are both subtle and tough. They have power and they have depth. Steve says they’re organic, and they allow him to own his sound. “These days I like it simple and direct,” he shares. Steve says he's started over sonically and is into a more organic sound these days, but the Transition™ Bridge Model has a tough, in-your-face sound that's also perfect for shredding and technical playing.
Luke III Sammy (Davis jr.)
The heart of Lukather’s equipment are two Bogner-Ecstacy-101B-Halfstacks. Luke is using all three Ecstacy channels for his basic sounds: clean, crunch and lead. The overdrive is only coming from the Bogner. The speakers in the 4x12-boxes are Celestion Vintage 30.
Early 2015 ToneConcepts Inc. launched Steve Lukather’s signature pedal, “The Luke”, developed in collaboration with Lukather himself. “The Luke” is the first pedal in the upcoming ICON series of signature pedals developed with the world’s foremost guitarists.
Lukather was an early tester of ToneConcepts’ award-winning pedal, “The Distillery”, which quickly became an essential component of his sound and earned a permanent place on his pedalboard.
“The sound wizards at ToneConcepts blew me away with “The Distillery”, so I went straight to them to develop an enhanced version for my first-ever custom pedal,” says Lukather.
“The Luke” is an innovative and musical tone-shaping preamp boost with unparalleled power, transparency and tonal flexibility that takes any guitar and amp combination to the next level of musical bliss.
”The Luke is my secret weapon that helps me sound great onstage and in the studio. And it will do the same for you,” says Lukather.
Extensively tested by Lukather, “The Luke” features hand selected components for an open and refined sound. The new pedal also features an improved control layout with custom pot tapers resulting in improved control, fine tuning and usability whether you’re playing in a garage or a stadium. “The Luke” is housed in an octagonal pedalboard-friendly roadworthy case that features a unique cartoon by 'Astro'. From subtle enhancements to drastic tonal changes, “The Luke” unleashes your guitar's range of possibilities.
More info available via www.toneconcepts.com.
Yamaha's range of electro-acoustic guitars are to be endorsed by Steve Lukather. He is to use LJX and NX series instruments in the studio and on stage as part of the agreement. The guitars he will use employ Sound Response Technology, which allows key acoustic elements which are normally absent from traditional pickup systems to be recorded. These include string and body resonance, ambience and professional mic techniques.
Lukather: "I tried them against all the others and there was no comparison. Yamaha really brought the best to the design and sound and look."
(Last update December 1st 2016)
