ToneConcepts Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of Steve Lukather’s signature pedal, “The Luke”, developed in collaboration with one of the world’s most respected guitar players. “The Luke” is the first pedal in our upcoming ICON series of signature pedals developed with the world’s foremost guitarists.  Steve Lukather was an early tester of ToneConcepts’ award-winning pedal, “The Distillery”, which quickly became an essential component of his sound and earned a permanent place on his pedalboard.

“The sound wizards at ToneConcepts blew me away with “The Distillery”, so I went straight to them to develop an enhanced version for my first-ever custom pedal,” says Lukather.

“The Luke” is an innovative and musical tone-shaping preamp boost with unparalleled power, transparency and tonal flexibility that takes any guitar and amp combination to the next level of musical bliss.

”The Luke is my secret weapon that helps me sound great onstage and in the studio. And it will do the same for you,” says Lukather.

Extensively tested by Lukather, “The Luke” features hand selected components for an open and refined sound. The new pedal also features an improved control layout with custom pot tapers resulting in improved control, fine tuning and usability whether you’re playing in a garage or a stadium.  “The Luke” is housed in an octagonal pedalboard-friendly roadworthy case that features a unique cartoon by ‘Astro’. From subtle enhancements to drastic tonal changes, “The Luke” unleashes your guitar’s range of possibilities.

About ToneConcepts Inc.

ToneConcepts Inc. designs and manufactures guitars, effects and amplifiers for professional guitar players and discerning tone hunters that deliver the tone, dynamics, musicality, quality and bullet-proof reliability demanded by the world’s greatest guitar players.  Since 2008, we have tested and developed gear with some of the world’s leading guitar players on the stage and in the studio. We’ve put new and vintage tones into their hands, under their feet and through their amps. Starting in early-2013, we collaborated with several key artists to develop a tool that addressed a common need and desire. The Distillery was the result! A new class of pedal that makes them sound great on stage and in studio, all while retaining the true character of a great player, guitar and amplifier combination.

Designed and manufactured by ToneConcepts Inc. in Toronto, Canada, The Distillery was the first in a series of products developed in collaboration with some of the world’s best guitarists. This innovative new line addresses the needs of professional touring and recording musicians.

“The LUKE” is an enhanced version of our award winning “The Distillery”.  We designed “The Distillery”, considering by many artists as the world’s most transparent and musical tone-shaping pre-amp boost, for professional touring and recording guitar players.

“The LUKE” is an innovative and musical tone-shaping preamp boost with unparalleled power, transparency and tonal flexibility that takes any guitar and amp combination to the next level of musical bliss.

“The LUKE” gives you 20dB+ of the purest, zero coloration volume boost as well as a range of sophisticated tone-shaping options. From subtle enhancements to drastic tonal changes, The Distillery unleashes your guitar’s range of possibilities, while allowing the true character of the player, and a great guitar and the amp combination to shine.

That’s why Steve Lukather has “The LUKE” ALWAYS ON in his signal chain, and why The LUKE is an essential critical part of Luke’s sound along with his signature Music Man guitar and amps.

Extensively tested by Lukather, “The LUKE” features hand selected components for an open and refined sound. The new pedal also features an improved control layout with custom pot tapers resulting in improved control, fine tuning and usability whether you’re playing in a garage or a stadium.

“The LUKE” is housed in an octagonal pedalboard-friendly roadworthy case that features a unique cartoon by ‘Astro’. From subtle enhancements to drastic tonal changes, “The Luke” unleashes your guitar’s range of possibilities.

THE LUKE FUNCTIONS: 

BOOST CIRCUIT:

The BOOST section is the heart of The LUKE. With the combination of +20db of super transparent musical volume amplification along with sophisticated tone shaping options, The LUKE has created a new class of effect, changing the way players think about a boost pedal.

• ON/OFF: A True By-Pass Switch
• BOOST: Up to +20dB of pure, transparent, musical volume boost.
• GUTS: Extra Gain, Tone Structure Preamp Control. It will tighten up the signal, adds definition, harmonic detail, sensitivity, and mild natural compression. Adds presence to humbuckers, boldness to single coils. Your leads will cut through the mix without altering your original tone and feel. Magic.
• BLEED: Variable Z Control. It can be used as a subtle tone control, matching your humbuckers or single coils output, or replicating the input of many classic beloved stompboxes of the past.

SHAPE CIRCUIT:

Like the BOOST section, the SHAPE EQ section has been designed and tuned with the goal of replicating sound and feel you get by adjusting your guitar’s tone and volume and your amplifier’s controls directly. The Distillery integrates itself into a great guitar-amp combination.

Some users will even claim that in combination with BOOST section, the SHAPE section controls will feel and sound, like swapping the pickups on their guitar.

Designed to work ideally with an electric guitar’s magnetic pickups, The LUKE is most effective when placed first in the signal chain, but the SHAPE section can also be extremely effective when The LUKE is placed after an effect like an overdrive, distortion or fuzz pedals that are harmonicly rich.

• ON/OFF: Switchable Filter EQ : It will engage the EQ section.
• CONTOUR: Low Pass Filter Control, gives you a range from airy highs to low fat tones
• EDGE: Q Control. Adds Air, Sparkle, or focused Vocal Mids.

About Steve Lukather

For nearly four decades, Steve Lukather has been one of the most prolific session guitarists contributing to more than 1,500 records. A five-time Grammy winner and member of the Musicians Hall of Fame, Lukather has gone from the studios of Los Angeles to the world’s biggest concert halls to the helm of the multi-platinum selling group TOTO and, recently, to ground-breaking tours with Ringo Starr. TOTO’s new studio album TOTO XIV will be released globally the last week of March 2015.

About The LUKE Caricature and “Astro”:

Stephen “Astro” Duros has worked with Toto for over 15 years as their Lighting Designer. His lighting is showcased on Toto’s 35th Anniversary Tour – Live in Poland. While with Toto, Duros gained the nickname “Astro”. He developed a reputation with the band members for his creative cartoons featuring members of the band, which brought endless humor behind the scenes over the years. His “Luke” rendering was always the most popular cartoon amongst band and crew. In addition to his lighting and artistic work, Duros is a nouveau flamenco guitarist and has played with Grammy nominated artist, Ottmar Liebert. He has three solo albums Miranda, Urban Flamenco and Thira, which won Duros a place on the Grammy Ballot for a nomination in the Best New Age Album of the year category.

“The sound wizards at ToneConcepts blew me away with “The Distillery”, so I went straight to them to develop an enhanced version for my first-ever custom pedal.  The Luke is my secret weapon that helps me sound great onstage and in the studio. And it will do the same for you!”

Steve Lukather

“I like to think of The Distillery as having volume knobs for the feel and character of sound. As the name suggests, The Distillery will help extract the purest fundamental elements of your guitar and amp tone and allow you to musically enhance them.”

Dweezil Zappa

“The Distillery does for my Tele what Wes Montgomery’s thumb did for his L-5; it adds body and character while surrounding the tone with a sugary, natural sort of air. It’s one of the first gain stages I’ve used that fully supports me when I’m improvising instead of forcing me to come up with ideas to suit the pedal. I love that it follows my lead and lets me play anywhere on the fretboard without sounding muffled or ice-picky. It’s a new mainstay.”

Zane Carney