EBMM Luke III Special Run Leopard Wood

1 of only 5 ever made! (I personally owned TWO of those 5, and sold the other one just recently. This one should go to a new owner who will actually play it - it was a case queen for me, played only a few times.)

It is in near mint condition - what some would call "like-new" condition.

Quite an interesting combination of four super-unique features rarely found in a Luke III.

1. Leopard Wood top almost never seen on any guitar anywhere - super cool leopard wood grain. Produces a much warmer tone than maple tops.

2. Very rare roasted Figured Birdseye Maple Fretboard. The roasted maple (also found on the neck) is a much firmer, harder neck Nathan normal maple, which does two things: A.) provides more sustain and resonance (producing more overtones and undertones), and B.) holds up and stays straight when weather changes or decades might warp a normal neck or cause it to need truss rod adjustment/a new setup.

3. Rare “High Profile, Wide” Stainless Steel Frets - very hard to find on a Luke, which are taller than the “low-profile” frets found on the other 99% of Luke guitars. (The other 99% of Luke’s don't have this feature, but instead have “low profile” vintage style frets, which make bending a chore.) 

High profile stainless frets are the best in the industry - this is why Music Man puts these same Stainless High Profile frets on almost all of their guitars now - it is part of what makes them such a joy to play.  

To all of those who have tried stainless steel frets on the music man guitar, you know how much of a monumental difference they make for playability and sustain. Also, you know how the feel is incredible for bends and ease of moving around the fretboard. Just touching the string lightly gets a nice clear ringing note with sustain because the stainless steel is a much denser metal than normal nickel frets.  This allows you to play faster.  Even better han that, it allows you to do a lot with bends that is much easier than on normal frets - you can add in all sorts of nuance vibrato much more easily, making bends easier, and more fun, with more control.  For this reason all of my favorite guitars have tall, stainless steel frets.  Rest assured, they are not super tall like a Jumbo fret, but somewhere in between a normal “low profile” Luke iii fret and a Jumbo fret.  Perfect height for bends, nuanced vibrato, and simply touching the string to get a nice clear note.  

These taller stainless frets are a game-changer for playability - especially on bends, and in the sustain they produce. Also, the “low-profile” frets on 99% of Lukes are way too low! Feels like they need a re-fret! These are just right. Not too tall, not too short.

4. Neck is also a beautiful figured roasted Birdseye Maple

The Luke III is by far the best guitar ever made in my opinion - I own 7 of them and have owned and played many more. The neck is like nothing else out there & is completely different from other EBMM models’ neck profiles, including the Sterling Luke. The Sterling Lukes and Sub Lukes even have a different nut width and neck heel dimensions - not even close to the same feel. Also the sterling models lack the buttery gunstock wax-neck finish that everyone loves so much in the EBMM Lukes.

This fine, uniquely rare BFR Luke is in near MINT condition, plays buttery-smooth, and sounds AMAZING!

COA included.

A roasted Maple fretboard on a Luke is super hard to find. But a roasted, figured Birdseye Maple fretboard, and neck are much harder to find.

All specs are listed below

Sonically, what really sets this build apart from all other LIII's is the use of Leopardwood for the top. Rather than the bright, spankiness that the typical maple top provides, Leopardwood has a much warmer tone that is considered somewhere between Koa and Korina tonewise. The result is that this top adds extra low-mid "muscle" or "punch" to the tone that goes far beyond what a typical Luke provides. The tone is just perfect. You can get all the immediacy and snap of a maple top, but this one sounds fuller, more muscular, and really cuts through a mix far more than a standard or BFR Luke.

This axe is in excellent condition, only played a few times (I have a large collection and sadly never get to play). This beauty is exceptionally clean and has spent 99.9% of its life in its case.

Included are the factory EBMM hard case, COA, and all case candy pictured.

The guitar will be expertly packed with plenty of padding material to ensure safe transport to its new home.

Specs:

Build Code 907-CC7-12-00-CS-BM
Size 12-1/2" wide, 1-3/4" thick, 36-15/16" long (31.75 cm wide, 4.5 cm thick, 93.8 cm long)
Scale Length 25-1/2" (64.8 cm)
Neck Attachment 5 bolt, sculpted neck joint
Strings 9p-11p-16p-24w-32w-42w (RPS 9 Slinkys #2239)
Body Wood African Mahogany with leopard
Body Color Natural
Top Color Natural
Body Finish High gloss polyester
Neck Wood Select birdseye roasted maple neck
Neck Color Natural
Neck Finish Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend
Fingerboard Wood roasted birdseye maple
Neck Buffed No
Headstock Buffed Yes
Fingerboard Buffed No
Fingerboard Finish Oil/Wax
Headstock Color Natural
Frets 22 - High profile, medium width
Fret Size Height x Width .039 x .100
Fret Material Stainless Steel
Nut Width 1-5/8" (41.3 mm)
Neck Width at last Fret 2-3/16" (55.6 mm)
Neck Radius 12" (30.5 cm)
Neck Thickness at 1st Fret 0.825 inches
Neck Thickness at 12th Fret 0.945 inches
Tuning Machine type Schaller M6-IND locking, black
Tuning Machine Buttons Black
Bridge type Music Man® floating vintage tremolo of black chrome plated, hardened steel with bent steel saddles
Pickup Cover Color Matte Black
Pickup Cover material Metal
Pickup Mounting Screw Finish Matte Black
Knob Color Matte Black
Knob Style Barrel
Switch Tip Black
Hardware Finish Matte Black
Controls Custom Music Man® active preamp; push/push volume for gain boost, 500kohm passive tone - .022µF tone capacitor
Switching 5-way lever pickup selector
Pickups HSS with 1 DiMarzio custom humbucking; 2 DiMarzio custom single coil
Hardshell Case
~7 lbs 15 oz

You only live once. Why live life without dream guitars?