Question: about the tone block

[brokenvail]

How does the tone block tone vary from model to model. I ask because they all share two out of three features. The AL ash+tone block+maple. The Luke is alder+tone block+ maple and the ASS is basswood+tone block+ maple. I imagine that the tone block+maple is the main core of the tone. Does the ash, alder and basswood play a tonal role or are they only to keep weight down?

[starsky]

Well the maple in all of them is only a few mm on the tops, so there's more of the ash, alder and basswood proportionally in the body which is contributing to the core of the tone, together with the pickups of course.

The tone block definitely makes a difference though, my BFR Luke sounds richer to me than the standard Lukes I've had in a direct comparison, a reasonably subtle effect but it's there nevertheless.

So the tone block itself doesn't vary from model to model in terms of the tone, it's the overall construction and pickups in each model which creates the tone, and the tone block adds the polish!

[fingbeagles]

They all sound great the 20th was the original BFR since I believe it was the first to incorporate the tone block, in all honesty the AL BFR is awsome, the tone block and maple cap just sound so alive, notes ring off the fretboard, the ASS as well has a brighter lively sound, I prefer Lukes to be the original but thats me, all in all cant go wrong with a BFR

[GWDavis28]

Broken, here is a BFR Luke you might be interested in.

The Gear Page





Glenn |B)

[Big Poppa]

wowo one of the sparklebacks..a true bfr....we only made a few of these for guitar center and they mach one of lukes

[mb99zz]

If anyone in the Washington DC area is interested, the Guitar Center in Rockville has one of those Lukes (with sparkle back) referenced above. Well, at least it was there as of a week ago It really threw me for a loop when I picked it up. The sparkle seems to start on the sides. I thought...what's up with this? Until reading BP's post above, I had no clue it was a special for GC.