DiMarzio Transition Guitar Pickups for Steve Lukather

Legendary TOTO guitarist, solo artist, and first-call session player extraordinaire, Steve Lukather talks about the DiMarzio Transition™ pickups created for his Music Man LIII guitar and his new "Transition" album that will be released by Mascot Records on January 21, 2013.
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[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, I'm glad you like the sound here, I tried my best to capture Steve's tone. Best regards, Larry DiMarzio

[@antoniosaluena]

LarryDiMarzio amazing guitarist, amazing tone! Perfect match!

[@jowelmoisesubana7572]

Sir Larry Dimarzio, I just want to say that I love your stuff. I play your Area pick-ups/ injector on my MIM strat. I'm saving up to upgrade my epiphone LP with your classic sounding humbuckers.

[@Wmiranda2012]

Thanks for create this amazing pickups. Love the warm and organic tone.

[@tonymarinelli7304]

I’m a huge DiMarzio fan, all of my guitars have them and nothing else.

[@avitolourenco]

what theory are you using to solo?

[@agtronic]

Holy FUCK. The tone is sick, but did you hear those notes? So musical. When I grow up I want to choose notes like Steve Lukather. Incredible. Edit: Steve just gets better and better with age, where many people seem to just fizzle out, his playing just gets so much more musical, without sounding overly exotic or aimlessly complicated. So so good.

[@MattBlackParis]

One of the best tone in the history of the guitar

[@thjamaica09]

yep!

[@axe2rock]

Agreed, eargasm

[@nelsonporter8387]

One of the best PLAYERS in the history of guitar!

[@himawanadinugroho101]

Agree

[@rodiebobwilliams1330]

I concur and the architect behind the wheel!

[@bmann792]

This guy is the GOAT - there are great players out there but he is so humble, passionate, and a great teacher

[@ValBalza]

Dear Larry, please do to the humankind a great favor and post the full improv video! I'm pretty sure that more than a half of the views are from people like me, who keep coming back all the time to be amazed again with the tone and feeling of that piece!

[@noahchristytv]

Pleaseeeee

[@DavihSilveira]

Agree!!!!

[@geezberry8889]

Luke is known for his brilliant first takes and this is one of those moments. improvised with great feel

[@valeriocesarini5661]

This must be the best pickup video EVER. Luke's tone and improvisational skills are out of this world. I actually do own these pickups and I can assure they're the best I've ever tried. But they don't let me play like Luke... This said, I always come back to this video just for that outstanding tone and chops. Wow!

[@diovdL]

I could seriously loop this from the beginning to 1.00 and listen to it for hours! Amazing sound!

[@Bulldonkeynonsense]

I've probably listened to this over a hundred times. I couldn't agree more. It's so tasteful. There isn't a superfluous note in that whole minute.

[@rfd73]

And above all is a beautiful melody, does it have a name? or was he just improvising?

[@VivekKhati]

I believe its Steve Lukather version of ''SMILE'' by Charlie Chaplin

[@TheMrLoucrazy]

Yes! I always return to this video to refill my soul with this intro. Thx Luke!

[@devastatedwarrior1146]

I've been doing just that!!!! Hehe so good, man!!!

[@Juaniguitarra86]

His face when he hits that last harmonic... "nailed it..."

[@agtronic]

That's EXACTLY what that was. HAHA!

[@jfabritz]

Like he put a little 'stank' on it with the nose wrinkle.

[@europetempest]

Luke, my dear Luke! This brings tears in my eyes.... What an awesome improvisation This is truly what you are, One of a kind! And a real Gem! You Always tell a story and touch me deep in my heart and soul with your playing. Thanks Luke, rock on!

[@therealnashvillerock]

Luke always sounds killer! IMO this is by far the most organic tone he has developed. Can here every string, note, ghost notes so clear and dynamic range is killer. New Album will be rockin'!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

The Transition is brighter, tighter & hotter than the AT-1. The Norton has brighter highs, but the Transition has brighter lows and more output.

[@vascodagama7846]

ashes Are burning paga olo

[@likesonny71]

OH MAN,,,,what a tone, Luke is a pure genius, everything he touches turns into gold ! I just love my new LIII

[@JoeGuitarGuy]

Every second of music in this video was absolutely beautiful! I missed this Steve

[@itsallinmyh3ad]

I'm gonna be honest. I've heard of Steve Lukather before, but I had not actually heard him play. When I say this video, all I can say is that he is a great guitar player, and seems like an amazing human being. I haven't heard this much expressiveness on guitar for a while. Such great tone from these pickups!

[@likesonny71]

Just bought the LIII. I thought they couldn't possibly do better than the L2 (which I also own), but they did. The sounds are beyond amazing, the neck is unbelievable. The pickups are great too, they really convey the Luke spirit and tone. Luke's the man, for sure ! God bless him and his ears

[@DropD]

Not just a commercial video, Steve's guitar playing in here, is very inspiring.

[@shredfan1987]

Just purchased these pickups after watching this video ...put them in a les paul copy i had and im just blown away ...the neck pickup sings!! and the clarity is off the charts...the bridge pickup has the balls you need to rock out and no mud!...i highly recommend them

[@GusDrax]

Unbelievable tone and playing! Unbelievable!!

[@AlessioSfasci]

04:26 to 04:30...THAT PHRASE! Tears in my eyes...Thanks Luke!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

They should work well, but it would be wise to check the control values. Many current LPs use 300K controls, and I think you will get the best results with 500K pots.

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, I suggest going to a Music Man dealer and trying out the guitar for yourself and Music Man still has the older model with EMGs and you can compare. All the best, Larry DiMarzio

[@TruthSurge]

It's interesting to see him digging the more standard kind of metallic sound when he was so using those 80s sound with active pickups for so long. He's one of the great melodic soloists with that perfect feel. Nice to hear him playing on a good sounding setup. I remember that vid he did like starlicks or whatever. haha wall of rack effects and delay and stuff. I used to use EMG myself but just switched to DiMarzio because it was just better in many ways, IMO.

[@BillDerBerg]

That metallic ping doesn't help with all the reverb magnifying it

[@Sillysillystupidio]

yeah those EMG active pickups like the 81 were only good for Metal.. no real warmth..

[@jacobpolicarpio4162]

he can use any pick ups,,it will still sound steve lukather

[@paolo-1283]

The first 1min of luke playing is a heavenly sweet music, strong emotions.. feels good! end up replaying and learning the licks

[@onevoiceinc]

The dude can pick one single note - just one - and my brain explodes. Amazing tone, ability, and style. I'd go further and say he's a national treasure, lol.

[@alextai6638]

beautiful notes just flow from his fingers, never knew he is that good

[@DavidRFIT]

he's one of the most respected guitarists of all time since the 80s :)

[@georghagglund9338]

If you have missed it. Steve Lukather's next project after "Transition" was the album Toto XIV (2015) by Toto offcourse. Check that album out if you have missed it. I like it a lot!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, you're very welcome. LOL, on a bad day Steve is amazing and on a good day look out. I've been trying to get our videos to sound better for several years and when we recorded Steve I thought I nailed it. Thanks for noticing, Larry DiMarzio

[@gitarmats]

That opening solo was glorious.

[@PaulMills1963]

having known steve since 2004, I can tell you for certain: their isn't a nicer guy on the planet than steve...he's not only a very cool cat, but also amazingly talented...very nice, friendly and gracious are good words to describe him ....along with humble! The new album AND the new guitar are awesome!

[@patrikbengtsson3369]

Damn! His playing is so beatiful and pure, my favourite guitarist, period! Keep up the good work Steve :D

[@gotleibschepardson1065]

My heart belongs to Dimarzios, amazing pickups. And Steve is beast.

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, Glad you liked the sound. We had the amp in another room with a mic and got the guitar sound from the board. Hope that helps, Larry DiMarzio

[@mrguitar2106]

Hi Lucky Luke ! Let me say just i really really really love your playing ! You´re the most influencial Guitar-Hero for me since the beginning of ToTo in the late 70ties ! I began studying your chops when i was just a 15-16 year old youngster and ruined the vinyls by going back and back again to the solo´s trying to listen what you were playing........stay healthy ! I love you !

[@PBGas34]

An absolutely incredible player in every respect. Just a treat to listen to.

[@wendelllaffin240]

after watching this and the new Satch video... i came to the realization that my quest for tone is far from over. These are amazing and inspiring videos and i thank all involved so this could be shared with us.

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Wendell Laffin Hi, Thanks for noticing. All the Best, Larry DiMarzio

[@reubenginsburg2012]

I have the Transition set in most of my guitars and they sound amazing. They manage to have their tone but still let the natural sound of each guitar come through and they sound great with just about every music style too. Hell, I'm in a metal band and still swear by these!

[@DRLVIRUS]

This is the sweetest sounding pickup I've ever played

[@danfitzpatrick4112]

I just wanted to hear Steve play.. : ) The BEST!

[@jlr022159]

A really nice, humble guy and simply one of the best players that ever strapped on a guitar.

[@atquinn1975]

Damn, Luke is the total package! So much fantastic music over the years.

[@derKleine92]

what a smooth sound! Can't wait to see him next week! Great work, Larry!

[@ericedmunds9488]

Even when he’s burning he still sounds musical!! Very rare and one of a kind musician!

[@MattSmith-iq1ld]

Steve has always been one of my favorite players because he is one the few great guitarists who is highly versatile (which you must be to do all of the studio sessions he's done) who has very small hands. As a player I have very small hands as well, and trust me, it can be very frustrating to see guys like Luke's buddy Eddie Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix who have an insane finger stretch. I mean, there are VH songs like "Can't Get This Stuff No More" that are physically impossible for me to play. There's nothing I can do. I just cannot play it. But Steve has always shown me that you can still be a great player and very original sounding and versatile despite physical limitations.

[@gustabartok]

WHAT A KILLER TONE, MY GOODNESS. Nice Music Man, nice Transition, and of course, THIS HUMAN, Steve Lukather.

[@HrSamstag]

I think i heard the first minute of this video maybe 71 times now...what an amazing piece of peace.

[@stevenadler9174]

It is a video lesson if one stops to learn some licks and phrases. The rhythm is outstanding! Not to mention fluency, creativity, harmony... Awesome!

[@JoeGuitarGuy]

This is video has one of the most beautiful solos I've ever heard. Thanks Steve for for being the artist you are and thanks Larry for bringing us this tone!

[@aleks1155]

Now, this is another thing that i like about your company...It's not just the great stuff but the connection...Fast response and honest answers...Thank you...

[@kbiggs49]

I forgot about this video watched it a hundred times when it came out, it does not get any better than this man luke is the greatest for me and loved his playing from day one and the reason for me to listening TOTO and the solo stuff Luke keep on keeping on Brother peace.

[@Lonnie_Johnson]

I wish I could buy Steve Lukather himself. So that whenever I feel bad he could play me something like this. There is so much music in that 1 minute, it's like he's telling a short story with that guitar. Incredibly tasteful bends. Amazing!!

[@ralfbergmann681]

All I can say is that this video took me to buy a Luke 3, and Im loving it every second !! Great job guys !!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

It depends on what you've tried before, since I don't know what we're comparing it to. These pickups are both pretty well balanced tonewise, but every guitar is different in terms of tonality. Both pickups are pretty pick-sensitive, as long as you don't dial in extreme amounts of amp gain.

[@MecchaKakkoi]

These pickups sound bloody fantastic!

[@BoyAditya]

My history of using DiMarzio: 1. Air Norton and tonezone 2. Evolution (JEM) 3. Transition ... Transition is now my favorite DiMarzio pickups!

[@matthoffpauir4128]

So expressive! I love the dynamics.

[@MisterGitarrenmann]

I could listen to him for days.

[@shaunmclaughlin5491]

Got to sit in front of him (and Gregg Rolie) during a Ringo Starr and His All-Star Band concert last night. He had such a warm inviting stage presence and totally rocked.

[@MisterTee]

I put a set of these into my old Brian Moore C-55, they replaced a set of Suhr pickups. I absolutely love this pickup set, good work to Steve and the DiMarzio team.

[@fabieneldridge3414]

Sounds excellent, I really love the pickups. Your playing so well probably doesn’t hurt .

[@tonymarinelli7304]

All around greatest guitar player of all time and a very nice and humble man, I have 3 Luke Music Man guitars with those crappy EMG's and am looking to replace them with either the transitions or the Andy Timmons pups. He sent me the chords for Georgie Porgie on FB a few years ago. Also, I posted on FB that after I listen to him I want to quit playing, he responded almost immediately saying no, don't do that. AWESOME GUY!!!!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, Thanks for asking. The Transitions are available for order now. We made an announcement last week to all our european distributers. I would estimate end of January. You can also contact: Sound Service [e-mail] Phone: [phone] for more information. Happy Holidays, Larry DiMarzio

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, Glad you liked the video and guitar. It was an inspiration for both me and the DiMarzio company to work with Luke. All the best, Larry DiMarzio

[@RJKANEAO]

I'm a Ernie Ball- MusicMan / Sterling by MusicMan artist and all my guitars come stock with DiMarzzios.. I recently got sent a LK100D which is. Sterling by musicman version of the Luke III complete with transition pups.. And man oh man! I must say one of if not the smoothest humbucker setups I've ever played.. Versatility is clear and an understatement.. Great job Larry

[@lipeguitars]

Luke have always sound great but now seems like the passive pickups are allowing him to be even more expressive and dynamic, Im glad he did the transition sounds beyond incredible

[@jordanfrancisco27]

That was a damn good intro. Brought tears to my eyes!

[@pamc4106]

Loving the picture. Wow what a guitarist. This is so beautiful.

[@njmetfan]

Love his sense of melody. A master of his craft. Amazing.

[@LarryDiMarzio]

It's a 4-conductor pickup, and can be wired to tap either coil. You can also install the pickup in either direction if you need a specific coil tapped

[@asonset]

One of the greatest guitarist around

[@GaryAlexanderMusic]

If that first tune isn't on the new album, it should have been. Can't wait to find out. You are the king Mr. Lukather! The guitar that I have played since 1985 was modeled after your 80's Strat which appeared on the cover of Guitar Player Magazine. I still have that issue. Thank you!

[@JgHaverty]

Ican listen to this all day!

[@Jedizen07]

THAT'S the Luke I know: Drug free, loving life and playing his heart out!

[@carloslukather6658]

weird but bring tears in my eyes his solo

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I've used Dimarzio pickups for nearly 25 years. I've tried many different models and loved each one of them for one reason or another. I used the Norton for a long time and it served me well. I recently put in the Transition set in my mahogany body guitar and they are staying right where they are. I LOVE them! They split well, sound great clean and are AWESOME with my amp on scream! I never played a ceramic pickup before but I'm glad the techs at Dimarzio recommended them to me. Thanks Larry!

[@pemsatx]

I just purchased a Luke III with the Transition pick-ups. It is an amazing instrument and I am loving the tones and playability. Larry, thanks for continuing to make the best sounding pick-ups period. Steve, thanks for the many years of inspiration and great music! I'm loving the new record Transition!

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, Thanks, Larry DiMarzio

[@freire_gtr]

There is so beautiful the sound of these pickups. Good work larry and Steve

[@tavor29]

his necklace sounds great lol

[@YesuAiNimen]

To me Steve sounds and plays better now than he ever has! A true talent.

[@DaVinciCelone1]

I absolutely love the sound of these pickups!!! I've been using Jems with PAF Pros's, Evolutions, Breeds, And Freds. I really like what I'm hearing from the Transitions.DiMarzio does it again!!! Great playing, Steve!!!

[@coleycaldwell2996]

Fantastic sounding pickups! It also cracks me up how much Lukather sounds like John C. Reilly.

[@awixtube]

Beautiful improvisation by master Luke and great tone as well... as always

[@GargoilNation]

Damn, Steve is such a talent on that plank of wood, man! It kills me how tasteful and the amount of soul he can get out of any guitar. After hunting around, I found out that Steve was responsible for many of my favorite guitar sounds and riffs of all time. Sorry to be such a fan boy, but this guy totally deserves the hero worship...

[@LostRiderIbanez]

Finally Steve, dimarzio's are the best pickups, for the best players like You.

[@the_gray_hatter]

Those are some damn good sounding pickups, man! I'm seriously looking at these for my Ibanez.

[@LokeshThakur]

they go for around 100 not bad

[@lucasjrl7748]

Melodia emocionante, esse cara tem o dom, mestre Steve!!

[@MusicManMaestro]

It's sounds very smooth and warm and sonicly very close to his VA guitars

[@pineymusiccol]

he´s so expressive guitar player.....love his tone!!!

[@guitarpilots76]

Met Steve in St. Louis a few years ago, 07 I think, after Toto played a show there. I'm always nervous about people like him, you know the saying ... never meet your heroes!. Steve was actually very nice, friendly and gracious. He made me feel like he appreciated meeting a long time fan of his. Good luck on the new album Steve !.

[@LarryDiMarzio]

Hi, Thanks for your kind words. The Tone Zone is closest to the bridge model in the Axis and an Air Norton is closest in sound to the neck pickup. Hope that helps, Larry DiMarzio

[@georgeselsky8166]

He's one of the most expressive players in the world! Just a fricken monster!!!

[@sunnys3325]

One of the all time greats right here!!

[@rrichards032]

Love the THR10 in the background

[@klaseronen7535]

I absolutely love the tone, the guitar and of course Steve. Thank you for the great video!

[@AmarAlhoch]

Absolutely beautiful playing!!

[@Wmiranda2012]

Love this pickups. Nice tone and very organic sound

[@checkie4ever]

Man I was just saving for second gen Luke but this new one is so great feel or sound wise. And love the boost. It made ,,transition" on the clean channel of amp to nicely sparkly driven on the same channel without anything else. Wow. Mr. DiMarzio, MusicMan, Steve..I bow to you gentleman and I will have to buy this beautiful instrument...Thank you for creating one this great!!! And thanks to Larry DiMarzio for breathing new life into already amazing guitar and change mine perceptions about pickup

[@AJDOLDCHANNELARCHIVE]

Sounds great, especially loved that excerpt from the new record at the end.

[@jerryjohnson575]

amazing tone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!