with utterly immense talent and an unrivalled ... - SteveLukather.net
with utterly immense talent and an unrivalled ... - SteveLukather.net
with utterly immense talent and an unrivalled ... - SteveLukather.net
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
GBINTERVIEW STEVE LUKATHER<br />
Ernie Ball MusicM<strong>an</strong>. His ‘Luke’<br />
signature model features <strong>an</strong> alder<br />
body, <strong>an</strong> EMG 85 Humbucker pickup<br />
at the bridge, two signature-edition<br />
EMG SLV single-coils, a MusicM<strong>an</strong><br />
vintage vibrato <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> either a maple or<br />
rosewood fi ngerboard. A killer fi ddle<br />
for sure, you will be pleased to hear<br />
that the one in the shop is exactly<br />
the same as the m<strong>an</strong> himself plays.<br />
“Let me tell you the reality,” he<br />
explains. “Every guitar in the shop is<br />
set up the way I’d play it. I’ve actually<br />
got myself into situations where the<br />
gear got lost or something, <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> I<br />
had to get one from a shop. Off the<br />
rack or out of the box, I c<strong>an</strong> do the<br />
gig – otherwise it’s just bullshit.<br />
If you endorse something, then<br />
endorse it. I think its jive to have<br />
a signature guitar <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> not play it.”<br />
It was the trend In the 1980s <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
early ’90s for rock players to have a<br />
double-locking whammy as st<strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong>ard.<br />
Lukather’s MusicM<strong>an</strong> has a more<br />
44 GUITARBUYER FEBRUARY 2007<br />
simple vibrato bridge setup, so<br />
what’s the story there?<br />
“I actually have the third ever<br />
Floyd Rose, from when he was<br />
making them in his garage,” says<br />
Lukather proudly. “Before they had<br />
the fi ne tuners, it was a nightmare<br />
to get those things in tune. Once<br />
you did it was great, but if you<br />
broke a string, you had to start<br />
tr<strong>an</strong>sposing a half-step. I’ve been<br />
through that, so I asked Dudley<br />
[Dudley Gimpel at MusicM<strong>an</strong>] to<br />
make a trem that didn’t need a lock<br />
nut. I don’t do divebombs <strong>an</strong>ymore;<br />
that was a phase that everyone<br />
went through, but some people are<br />
still h<strong>an</strong>ging tough <strong>with</strong> it.<br />
“As for the EMG pickups,” he<br />
adds, “I’ve been <strong>an</strong> EMG guy since<br />
1985. I just like them. They are<br />
really cle<strong>an</strong> <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> have no noise,<br />
but they’re also loud. With the<br />
confi guration I have, I c<strong>an</strong> get that<br />
Strat-like rhythm pickup sound, as<br />
well as that full-humbucker, powerchord<br />
thing, <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> make chunky<br />
buzzsaw chords: it just works for me.”<br />
So is MusicM<strong>an</strong> the last word for<br />
Lukather when it comes to guitars?<br />
“Well, sure I’ve got my ’59 ’Burst<br />
[1959 Les Paul St<strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong>ard],” he<br />
replies, “which is worth half a million<br />
dollars. I would never take that out<br />
of the country. If that was to get<br />
stolen it would be heartbreaking,<br />
but my MusicM<strong>an</strong> has given me<br />
everything I need <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> then some.<br />
They are beautiful <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> very versatile<br />
guitars <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> they just keep making<br />
these vast improvements that make<br />
the instruments better <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> better.”<br />
WHEN I GROW UP<br />
H<strong>an</strong>g on a minute. Nobody c<strong>an</strong> drop<br />
a Les Paul worth half a million into<br />
the conversation <strong>with</strong>out being<br />
asked a little more about it.<br />
“A regular ’59 ’Burst in great<br />
condition is probably worth about<br />
$350,000 to $400,000 (USD),” he<br />
laughs. “But somebody assessed my<br />
guitar <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> said because it has name<br />
value <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> all – I’ve got a picture of<br />
George Harrison playing it, <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
because it’s been on all these hit<br />
records – that makes the value go<br />
up. I bought the guitar because it<br />
was a great guitar <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> it still is, but<br />
I only break it out for special<br />
occasions. I pulled it out for the two<br />
Les Paul tribute shows, because<br />
there’s no way you couldn’t play a<br />
Les Paul at a Les Paul tribute! I was<br />
30 YEARS INTO TOTO, 32 INTO<br />
BEING A SESSION MUSICIAN:<br />
I’VE HAD A GREAT RUN<br />
INFLUENCES<br />
LUKE ON BECK<br />
■ Steve Lukather isn’t<br />
afraid of the superlatives<br />
when it comes to his guitar<br />
hero, Jeff Beck. As he says…<br />
“He’s God’s guitar player,<br />
m<strong>an</strong>, he’s that badass. Let’s put<br />
it this way: there’s Jeff Beck <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
then there’s everyone else. I<br />
don’t play like him; I’ve stolen a<br />
few things here <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> there, but<br />
he’s someone that I look up to as<br />
still <strong>an</strong> innovator in this day <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
age when most cats rest on their<br />
laurels. Jeff’s always redefi ning<br />
the axe <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> fi nding some new,<br />
impossible way to play.”<br />
Didn’t you record <strong>an</strong> album<br />
<strong>with</strong> him? “Yes, the ill-fated<br />
record, no less. I wish people<br />
could hear it, but he asked me<br />
not to let <strong>an</strong>ybody. I’ve also had<br />
the honour of playing live <strong>with</strong><br />
him. We did a show in 1986: Jeff<br />
Beck, Carlos S<strong>an</strong>t<strong>an</strong>a <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> me<br />
<strong>with</strong> Jeff’s b<strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> which was J<strong>an</strong><br />
Hammer, Simon Phillips <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
Doug Wimbish from Living<br />
Colour. What a great b<strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong>,<br />
m<strong>an</strong>. It was a childhood dream,<br />
looking around the stage <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong><br />
there’s Jeff Beck, Carlos S<strong>an</strong>t<strong>an</strong>a,<br />
J<strong>an</strong>, Simon <strong><strong>an</strong>d</strong> Doug. I’m<br />
asking myself, ‘What the<br />
hell am I doing up here?!’”<br />
➔