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GBINTERVIEW STEVE LUKATHER Ernie Ball MusicMan. His ‘Luke’ signature model features an alder body, an EMG 85 Humbucker pickup at the bridge, two signature-edition EMG SLV single-coils, a MusicMan vintage vibrato and either a maple or rosewood fi ngerboard. A killer fi ddle for sure, you will be pleased to hear that the one in the shop is exactly the same as the man himself plays. “Let me tell you the reality,” he explains. “Every guitar in the shop is set up the way I’d play it. I’ve actually got myself into situations where the gear got lost or something, and I had to get one from a shop. Off the rack or out of the box, I can do the gig – otherwise it’s just bullshit. If you endorse something, then endorse it. I think its jive to have a signature guitar and not play it.” It was the trend In the 1980s and early ’90s for rock players to have a double-locking whammy as standard. Lukather’s MusicMan has a more 44 GUITARBUYER FEBRUARY 2007 simple vibrato bridge setup, so what’s the story there? “I actually have the third ever Floyd Rose, from when he was making them in his garage,” says Lukather proudly. “Before they had the fi ne tuners, it was a nightmare to get those things in tune. Once you did it was great, but if you broke a string, you had to start transposing a half-step. I’ve been through that, so I asked Dudley [Dudley Gimpel at MusicMan] to make a trem that didn’t need a lock nut. I don’t do divebombs anymore; that was a phase that everyone went through, but some people are still hanging tough with it. “As for the EMG pickups,” he adds, “I’ve been an EMG guy since 1985. I just like them. They are really clean and have no noise, but they’re also loud. With the confi guration I have, I can get that Strat-like rhythm pickup sound, as well as that full-humbucker, powerchord thing, and make chunky buzzsaw chords: it just works for me.” So is MusicMan the last word for Lukather when it comes to guitars? “Well, sure I’ve got my ’59 ’Burst [1959 Les Paul Standard],” he replies, “which is worth half a million dollars. I would never take that out of the country. If that was to get stolen it would be heartbreaking, but my MusicMan has given me everything I need and then some. They are beautiful and very versatile guitars and they just keep making these vast improvements that make the instruments better and better.” WHEN I GROW UP Hang on a minute. Nobody can drop a Les Paul worth half a million into the conversation without being asked a little more about it. “A regular ’59 ’Burst in great condition is probably worth about $350,000 to $400,000 (USD),” he laughs. “But somebody assessed my guitar and said because it has name value and all – I’ve got a picture of George Harrison playing it, and because it’s been on all these hit records – that makes the value go up. I bought the guitar because it was a great guitar and it still is, but I only break it out for special occasions. I pulled it out for the two Les Paul tribute shows, because there’s no way you couldn’t play a Les Paul at a Les Paul tribute! I was 30 YEARS INTO TOTO, 32 INTO BEING A SESSION MUSICIAN: I’VE HAD A GREAT RUN INFLUENCES LUKE ON BECK ■ Steve Lukather isn’t afraid of the superlatives when it comes to his guitar hero, Jeff Beck. As he says… “He’s God’s guitar player, man, he’s that badass. Let’s put it this way: there’s Jeff Beck and then there’s everyone else. I don’t play like him; I’ve stolen a few things here and there, but he’s someone that I look up to as still an innovator in this day and age when most cats rest on their laurels. Jeff’s always redefi ning the axe and fi nding some new, impossible way to play.” Didn’t you record an album with him? “Yes, the ill-fated record, no less. I wish people could hear it, but he asked me not to let anybody. I’ve also had the honour of playing live with him. We did a show in 1986: Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana and me with Jeff’s band which was Jan Hammer, Simon Phillips and Doug Wimbish from Living Colour. What a great band, man. It was a childhood dream, looking around the stage and there’s Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Jan, Simon and Doug. I’m asking myself, ‘What the hell am I doing up here?!’” ➔
© Robert Knight/Redferns GBINTERVIEW STEVE LUKATHER the guy that brought the real shit, and you could just tell the difference in the sound. I just plugged right into a Marshall, no bullshit. A custom-made Tube Screamer, and it just sang. You could hear it at the back of the hall, just bouncing off the wall with the resonance. It’s just a fine piece of wood. “Les Paul is such a genius,” he adds. “Forget the guitar: what he brought to the table with multitrack recording, reverb, close miking, how to use compressors – he’s just an alien. And he’s still playing his ass off, making jokes and leering at women, I want to be just like him when I grow up!” Ah, growing up. Like any musician lucky enough to enjoy it, Lukather clearly still loves the Peter Pan world of the rock star, albeit backed by a totally professional devotion to his instrument that never sees him rest on his playing laurels. To get STEVE ON JACKO THE ‘BEAT IT’ STORY ■ Among his session credits, Steve Lukather played on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ release from 1983, though it was Eddie Van Halen who played the solo. Steve takes up the story… “Quincy Jones [producer and legend] said that Eddie Van Halen was going to play the solo, so they wanted the song to be really rocking, so I broke it out and quadrupled the guitars with Marshalls,” explains Luke. “Quincy called from Las Vegas and said it was too heavy and to tone it down – it’s Michael’s record not Led Zeppelin! So I went back in and re-recorded it 46 GUITARBUYER FEBRUARY 2007 ■ Here’s Steve around the time of the release of his MusicMan signature guitar ■ Steve with Eddie Van Halen. Both played on Jacko’s ‘Beat It’ with my [Fender] Deluxe. Basically, me and Jeff Porcaro [drums] remade that record to Michael’s vocals, Eddie’s solo and Michael playing two and four on a drum case. Eddie cut the twoinch tape and messed up the SMPTE codes [synchronised timing code], so we had to figure out how to make the record to already recorded stuff, without a click track. We spent a lot of time messing around with that song, and to be honest when we heard it I was like, ‘This is rock’n’roll? I don’t think so’. I figured it was going to be a big record, but I didn’t think it was going to be quite that big!” this far, did he do lots of formal musical study? “I’m not that studious. I should have studied harder when I was a kid, and I would be a lot better if I had. I take it very seriously and I still practice, but I don’t really think of it. I’ve been playing since I was seven years old, and I just turned 49. As a musician you never wake up one day and say, ‘Well I know everything now, so I don’t have to practice anymore’. There are some guys that give up that desire to get better; to try and push the envelope and find new notes. Anybody that’s been playing for a long time will get the joke about finding the ‘new note’. I love to read these ignorant statements where people say there’s only four chords that matter. No, that’s some lazy-ass bullshit. There’s a 1,000 f***ing chords, maybe 10,000. Check out a Ted Greene Chord Chemistry book, then call me back about your four chords! I can dig rock’n’roll, I love simple shit – I really do, I love it. When Keith Richards plays ‘Start Me Up’ my dick is as hard as a rock, but I also dig the impossible chords. Larry ■ Black sparkle guitar, and no doubt a dropdead solo to go with it Carlton will throw down a chord shape and I’ll wonder how he makes his fingers even do that, it hurts to just watch, just unbelievable voicing. “Some people are comfortable just doing the Chuck Berry thing which is fine,” continues Lukather, “but I just think there’s a lot more to be discovered in this instrument. I’m waiting for the new young kid to come and just blow everybody away, much the same way that Eddie Van Halen did. Tom Morello was the last cat for me that brought a lot of new vocabulary to the instrument.” HEARD, NOT HERDED The myriad playing situations in which Lukather finds himself require a flexible, loud amplifier. Having been through Marshalls, Fenders, Riveras and more, what is he using these days? “I use different things,” he answers. “Live, I’m using this great preamp that Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics made for me. I play that through a VHT power amp. I’ve got six 12s [three 2x12 cabs – Ed] on the floor, Celestion Vintage 30s. The middle cabinet ➔
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