Luke tonal diffs ebony vs rosewood fingerboard

[gtrman66]

I am going to add a second luke to my arsenal this year,and have been looking at a couple of Dargie 2's I've come across.My ? is for luke owners with first hand experience with both the standard luke and the dargie 2.Have you noticed a huge tonal difference between the two?I know that ebony can brighten the sound a bit,and i love the tone of my stock luke now.If it's not too much brighter I'll probably grab up a dargie2 but I just wanna make sure.On a related note,how has your dd2 luke performed i.e neck stability,intonation,action,and tremolo stability,etc?Just looking for some input before i make a move.
Thanks in advance!

[gtrman66]

Originally Posted by gtrman66

I am going to add a second luke to my arsenal this year,and have been looking at a couple of Dargie 2's I've come across.My ? is for luke owners with first hand experience with both the standard luke and the dargie 2.Have you noticed a huge tonal difference between the two?I know that ebony can brighten the sound a bit,and i love the tone of my stock luke now.If it's not too much brighter I'll probably grab up a dargie2 but I just wanna make sure.On a related note,how has your dd2 luke performed i.e neck stability,intonation,action,and tremolo stability,etc?Just looking for some input before i make a move.
Thanks in advance!

Not to complicate things,but I'm also considering maybe getting a BFR Luke instead of the dargie2 (unless I hit the powerball,of course...then I'll get one of each lol)

[kimonostereo]

Hmm. I haven't really noticed a big difference in the tone, however the guitar feels different, to me at least. Haven't quite figured out the difference though. My black Luke II definitely feels different from my DD2 Luke II.

Ebony does give it faster attack, but I think it's just that I haven't played the DD2 enough. My black Luke II just feels different. At least to me. Maybe some others can weigh in.

It might just be that I'm too busy looking at the DD2 color to notice. LOL

[the24thfret]

Don't have a Luke, but the fretboard will certainly feel different than a rosewood board. I can't hear the difference in tone, but the feel stands out very obviously to me. I'd make your decision just based on feel -- that is, if you can play before you buy.

[gtrman66]

Originally Posted by the24thfret

Don't have a Luke, but the fretboard will certainly feel different than a rosewood board. I can't hear the difference in tone, but the feel stands out very obviously to me. I'd make your decision just based on feel -- that is, if you can play before you buy.

Wish I could but they're both several states away.Kinda going on faith here.BTW not seeing one in person,does the color flip-flop green to red or reddish orange?

[Lou]

There really no difference in feel or tone.

[the24thfret]

Originally Posted by gtrman66

Wish I could but they're both several states away.Kinda going on faith here.BTW not seeing one in person,does the color flip-flop green to red or reddish orange?

Yeah, I went on faith with my purchase of the Dargie, but I was primarily into the color. The ebony thing panned out too though, but I can't say I prefer it to rosewood... but I really do like the ebony as a change.

Tough call on the color. It does shift but it is subtle, at least to my eyes, and fwiw I am partially colorblind!

Originally Posted by Lou

There really no difference in feel or tone.

I think there is a big difference in feel, but to each his own.

[the24thfret]

Oh I'll add one more thing concerning your first post in this thread... What you'll get by purchasing a DD2 Luke is still a Luke. If you like your current Luke, I have no doubt you'll like the DD2 or any other Luke for that matter.

[Headstock]

I like the feel of the ebony as well as the look better, but I could not notice a change in the tone.

[brokenvail]

Originally Posted by the24thfret

Oh I'll add one more thing concerning your first post in this thread... What you'll get by purchasing a DD2 Luke is still a Luke. If you like your current Luke, I have no doubt you'll like the DD2 or any other Luke for that matter.

This statment is 100% correct. I can tell the difference between rosewood ebony and maple when I am playing, not so much when I am just listening from the outside. I will say this. The over all character of the guitar remains the same. I have never been a big rosewood guy ( I am still not) but the all RW has me hooked. I have always loved Ebony boards over rosewood. The difference in them is in the feel on your fingers and way the notes come off the board. The ebony will have more alive feeling. With that said if you love your luke as the 24thfret said you will love the DD2 the BFRs and the all RW neck luke. The one that is furthist from from the standard is the KOA which is a whole other animal. I would choose the DD over the BFR because it looks like the BFR will be around for a while and once the DD's are gone you are stuck with waiting for a used one.