Alder + EMG85

[iHate]

This is the combo on my Musicman Luke + maple/rosewood neck/fretboard. Compared to my passive mahogany ibz and gibson, the Luke is pretty shrill and harsh. I'm wondering, do you guys think it's the alder or the EMG85?

I always thought the 85 was renowned for being a lot smoother, fatter, warmer and less harsh than the 81... so I'm thinking its the alder body. I got the Luke for 750 brand new, so I just picked it up quick without really thinking about how it would sound on my rig. (Mark IV). It sounded badass on a recto though... I've been thinking about selling it, but so far the only offer I've gotten is for $1000. I know I would profit at that price, but it still seems like it should be worth more no?

I just don't know if changing p'ups would help the shrillness or if I should just let this one go! What do you think?

 

[Harry Hughes]

Alder is fairly bright, but definitely not an overly bright wood at all. There are plenty of woods even brighter than Alder.
Is the maple on your Luke a veneer or an actual maple top?
That might be what's causing the brightness (if it is indeed a proper maple top and not just a veneer) .

 

[katatonic.]

I have the same problem in an alder Jackson with an 85 in the bridge. I have an extra 81 laying around so I'm going to try putting that in there sometime in the next week. I'll report my findings.

 

[Lasse Lammert]

I use 81 for Mahogany and 85 for alder....perfect match IMO

 

[JeffTD]

89 in alder and 81 in mahogany for me. Still not a fan of the 85, really. 89 is very close but still better, not as much/tighter low end but same organic midrange.

 

[Machinated]

i have an 85 in an alder guitar and it sounds great.

 

[iHate]

The Luke is just an alder body, no maple cap. I was referring to the neck. It's a birdseye maple neck, albeit not much birdseye lol, and a rosewood fretboard.

It has EMG SLV single coils in neck & middle positions, and those sound fantastic! The guitar itself is VERY bright when played acoustically compared to my mahogany guitars. It's quite nice actually. The attack is very very audible compared to the others, maybe this has something to do with the bridge? It is a strat style bridge, but i have it loaded down with 4 springs in the back so it can't move.

EDIT: Come to think of it, i have a shitty $100 peavey with the same style bridge, and the tone is pretty similar in that the attack is just AWKWARDLY loud and present. My other two have either tune-o-matic or floyd-rose style bridge.

I think this could be the issue. Thoughts?

 

[John_C]

Those musicman lukes are awesome guitars in a very unique way. They are very bright sounding yes, but i didn't find it too hard to get a nice fat metal tone out of one. The only reason i wouldn't get one is that the top E is WAAYYY too close to the edge of the fretboard (at least on the one i played)

Now this is a dumbass question but are you sure you've got the settings right on the guitar? you are just using the bridge pickup not a mixture of bridge and piezo?

 

[iHate]

Now this is a dumbass question but are you sure you've got the settings right on the guitar? you are just using the bridge pickup not a mixture of bridge and piezo?

Lol, mine doesn't have the piezo. And, what you say is correct about the high E. I keep slipping it off, but I thought it was just my technique. I think I'm gonna let it go. It's just difficult, because the guitar really is good, but in a unique way like you say.

It's not a bad tone by any means. But it's... just not quite THERE. I've tried all kinds of string gauges hoping it would change it, but still a similar result.

 

[P-E]

ESP N-1 NTB has a single EMG 81 and sounds huge. And it's alder. =/

 

[JeffTD]

ESP N-1 NTB has a single EMG 81 and sounds huge. And it's alder. =/

That's the axe I have, but I swapped it for an 89 and routed for a neck pickup. Sounded ace with the 81, but it's got a bit more warmth now.

 

[iHate]

I really think its the Fender style floating trem. Both guitars I have with these trems have a certain tonal quality that contributes to what I'm not liking. Except one is $1600 and the other is $100, and I think it's made of plywood haha. That's the only logical conclusion I can come to. I guess that's why Fender uses this type of bridge, it must contribute to the Thwack and Twang. Who knows