Anybody like Tokais?

[sliding-tom]

I would get banned if I posted this question at the LPF! :D
I scored this one about three years ago on the "bay". I have always been interested in one since they got good reviews, look period correct and are only a fraction of what you'd pay for a Gibby - at least a good backup or "workingman's" instrument. No matter what the headstock says: this is a great guitar, very resonant, lightweight and plays like butter. I expected to have to swap the pickups but it sounds great as is. Pups are Gotoh PAF clones, a tad hotter than your usual PAF - around 9.5 kO.


http://images.lilypix.com/albums/olddata/e3251075554389fe91d17a794861d47b/normal_3891_p55313.jpeg

[K-man]

Sweet axe! I don't pay much attention to the name on the headstock either. I prefer Hamers over Gibsons and Warmoths over Fenders.

[1959burst]

japanese tokai's are great guitars, don't care much for the newer korean crap though............

[Tomo]

I would get banned if I posted this question at the LPF! :D
I scored this one about three years ago on the "bay". I have always been interested in one since they got good reviews, look period correct and are only a fraction of what you'd pay for a Gibby - at least a good backup or "workingman's" instrument. No matter what the headstock says: this is a great guitar, very resonant, lightweight and plays like butter. I expected to have to swap the pickups but it sounds great as is. Pups are Gotoh PAF clones, a tad hotter than your usual PAF - around 9.5 kO.


http://images.lilypix.com/albums/olddata/e3251075554389fe91d17a794861d47b/normal_3891_p55313.jpeg

Some of 80's Tokais are amazing! I own one strat. Great. I have seen nice LPs , 335s in Japan. I am gonna be there for my tour soon. Love going to many music stores. It's fun! Momose! If you can find one, great.

Tomo

[al nico]

i've got a Korean made Tokai 335 with the same color sunburst<Carltonburst?>that is actually very nice

[Guitarnivore]

My buddy had a Tokai Love Rock (LP Junior) model. Played great and sounded very good as is. Like me, he can't leave well enough alone so he dropped in a Rio Grande Blues Dawg and RS electronics and that really put it over the top. Built well, I really liked it.

[Crunchyriff]

Tokai MIJ guitars are superb, IMHO. I own two. I've got one NES-120 ('59 ES-335 replica), and one LSS-100 (58 LP Spcl clone). Both are stupendously GREAT guitars...and after being a long-time Gibson user I can say Henry J and company can stand to learn much from our Japanese friends. I'm selling my LP Spcl guitar to get down to bare essentials for the interim, but if things were a bit differnt, I'd never sell it.

the ES-120 needed new electronics (pots & wiring), and though I liked the neck pickup, the bridge pickup was a hideously HOT (for a PAF-ish p'up)11K !! so I had Jeff at HighOrder wind me a custom pair of pickups that are just fantastic. I also installed an aluminum tailpiece on it. This guitar I'm hanging onto as long as possible. I've not met its match in a Gibson 335...it's that cool.

[sliding-tom]

Henry J and company can stand to learn much from our Japanese friends.

That's the truth - Gibson even can't seem to get the body shape and top/back arch right. Can't be that difficult when even my Korean Riviera is closer to late 50s specs (including long and wide tenon and no cutout in the bridge pickup cavity):mad:

[Crunchyriff]

Sliding Tom-

It's especially pathetic when builders like Tokai Japan, Tom Anderson and PRS just for starters do SUPERB fretwork by hand; and the only way Gibby has been able to counter /improve this situation is with a PLEK machine...