Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Brow on April 12, 2008, 06:27:28 PM
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Hey guys.
Has anyone here got any experience with Japanese built Tokai LP/Love Rock Customs?
I have chance to get 1 for what sounds like a good price, so might pick it up to put a set of Cold Sweats in :twisted: :roll: :twisted:
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Tokai are very good Les Paul copies. And being from Japan I'd think they'd be very good. If I saw a good price for a MIJ Tokai I'd snap it up.
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They're very good ;) What's the spec/price of the one you're looking at?
Mine:
(http://i146.photobucket.com/albums/r267/junkacct/LoveRockRelic.jpg)
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They're very good ;) What's the spec/price of the one you're looking at?
Mine:
Forget to mention that it's for sale, Twinfan? :P
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Nope - because it's not for sale any more :P
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My guitar is a Love Rock MIJ Tokai and I love it. Good build, not perfect, a couple of minor cosmetic faults, but only if you look real close, to anyone else it's a rock solid guitar and looks beautiful, the finish is lovely.
Mine is kitted out with Nailbombs and it seems to work pretty well.
I haven't been able to get my grubby little paws on a Gibson so I can't give you a comparison, but I'm very happy with mine. If you can get it for a good price then go for it!
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Tokai are very good Les Paul copies. And being from Japan I'd think they'd be very good. If I saw a good price for a MIJ Tokai I'd snap it up.
i'd second that. I'd point out though that there are quite a lot of different models (not all are japanese-made, and even those that are can vary quite a bit in spec from "good" up to "amazing"). You probably know that already, but worth pointing out... :)
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MIJ Tokai LP's are at least as good as (if not better) than Gibson standard LP's. I say this as an owner of a MIJ Tokai LP, who tried out a lot of Gibson's before buying. From pure manufacturing specification, the Tokai is closer to a vintage LP and is "better" than a modern day standard Gibson. The Tokai has a more stable neck/body joint, and more accurately made fixtures and fittings.
However, one also must be aware that the re-sale value of Tokai's is going to be nowhere near the value of a used Gibson.
Bearing this in mind, if you've got the option of a good MIJ Tokai LP for less than £400 then it's a very good deal.
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My MIJ is brilliant, I luvies my Tokai.
so they're good. :D
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I think the Tokais are the best LP copies around (and this coming from a die-hard ESP fan). I would pick a Tokai over a Gibson any day of the week.
If you've found one for a good price, buy it! They almost never pop up on ebay for a good price (which says something in itself), and I know because I've been looking for months :(
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Hey guys.
Thanks for the replies.
Well, I took the plunge and managed to get this guitar earlier today for £350. He was selling it at BIN of £400 but he had an 'or best offer' option on his auction, and he accepted my offer. Managed to pick it up this morning from a service station on the M1.
Here's the pics the guy emailled to me of the guitar, as I haven't had chance to take any better 1's myself yet:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/image001.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/image002.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/image003.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/image004.jpg)
I've decided that I'm selling my Charvel, so what I may do is have a gold cover put on it's Cold Sweat bridge pickup, and then buy another for the neck and put them in this guitar.
Should be a good match I think :)
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well done, good purchase Brow. :)
White was a good choice too, hehe.
How's the binding? Is it consistent all the way? I've seen China Tokais with broken binding on it. Seriously put me off it.
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Dude thats totally laaame.... you must scratch up the top and break some binding to make it look better :roll: hehe (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Signature-STR-1-HB-Les-Paul-Copy_W0QQitemZ230241041214QQihZ013QQcategoryZ112670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
I am liking white LPs a lot at the moment, and there seem to be a few to many appearing!
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Thanks for the posts guys.
It's more much more of a cream colour in person than it is in the photos. It reminds me alot of Randy Rhoads' LP Custom. It's apparently a LC85S model.
I've had a check through the Tokai registry site and according to the serial number, it's a 2003 MIJ model with Gotoh hardware and PAF pickups. I'm still trying to work out if it has a maple cap or not though, I'm getting different reports from different places :roll:
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How are you liking it so far?
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How are you liking it so far?
Haven't been able to try it plugged in yet (1 reason I hate living at home with my parents :shock:) but playability wise, I'd put it up there with my 98 Gibby LP Standard. It needs a set of 10s on it, and eventually the Cold Sweats, but it seems great upto yet :)
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I've seen China Tokais with broken binding on it. Seriously put me off it.
THose MIC Tokai's are cr@p though. I'd much rather an Epi than one of them.
A MIJ Tokai is a completely different class.
BTW, congrats on the new axe, Brow !! Sweet !
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I've seen China Tokais with broken binding on it. Seriously put me off it.
THose MIC Tokai's are cr@p though. I'd much rather an Epi than one of them.
A MIJ Tokai is a completely different class.
BTW, congrats on the new axe, Brow !! Sweet !
Yeah I know, I'd love to see a MIJ Tokai, I don't remember handling any, I think they were the ones in the higher rows.
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Brow - it's a maple top model :)
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Brow - it's a maple top model :)
Yup, I've recently found that out :) Thanks mate!
Some people said it was all mahogany (like a Gibson LP Custom?) while others said it was an LP Custom copy, but with a Maple top.
I've managed to try it out through a small practise amp, and the Cold Sweats will be going in it asap I think :roll:
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Cool :)
The only all-mahogany LPs that Tokai have made recently are the translucent red Custom style ones. ;)
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that's very nice. :)
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VERY good purchase Brow and very good price.
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Great buy Brow, it looks really nice! A Cold Sweat in the bridge will be a lot of fun!
Very Steve Jones!
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Cheers guys :)
There appears to be a small crack in the finish just above the neck joint on the bass side, that goes around and underneaththe neck and onto the binding on the back of the guitar. I don't think it's serious, but it's a bit weird for a guitar that was only made in 2003 (according to its SN atleast) :?
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Cheers guys :)
There appears to be a small crack in the finish just above the neck joint on the bass side, that goes around and underneaththe neck and onto the binding on the back of the guitar. I don't think it's serious, but it's a bit weird for a guitar that was only made in 2003 (according to its SN atleast) :?
Post a pic Brow, it could be in relation to Philly Q's question as well.
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Post a pic Brow, it could be in relation to Philly Q's question as well.
Here ya go: They don't show it all that clear, but I did the best I could. I've also drawn red shapes around where the cracks are, as they're not that visible:
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/DSC00887edited.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/DSC00888edited.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/Browsif/Guitars/DSC00889.jpg)
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I've got a made in Japan tokai and i love it to bits (literally as i took it to bits) I stripped it of all its hardware and inserted a pair of aged nickel mules, switchcraft jack and switch, cts pots and hovland caps. the tuners were exchanged for locking kluson style gotohs (they look the same) and the bridge and tailpiece were changed for the vintage tonepros nickel models. All the wiring was changed to vintage braided wire and cloth covered (where appropriate) i copied the circuit and wiring from a 59 Burst les paul i have pictures of. The guitar looked and sounded great before, however with the BKPs fitted it now growls and sustains liek never before. A Gibson VOS at a fraction of the cost!!
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Post a pic Brow, it could be in relation to Philly Q's question as well.
Here ya go: They don't show it all that clear, but I did the best I could. I've also drawn red shapes around where the cracks are, as they're not that visible:
Only just seen this thread, apologies for the late reply.
Yeah, that does look very similar to my Tokai SG and the other one which was on eBay. Again, the cracks seem to be not on the neck/body join but a little bit outside it. Everyone knows SG neck joints are weak, but you wouldn't expect it on an LP. Very odd, but it seems to happen a lot!
I wonder if it's something to do with the particular finish and/or type of glue Tokai use? It seems highly unlikely, but maybe they pre-finish the necks and bodies before gluing them, then just spray a couple of thin top coats which can crack easily at the point where neck/body meet?
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It definatly looks nice. Ide like one myself :evil: :lol: !
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Only just seen this thread, apologies for the late reply.
Yeah, that does look very similar to my Tokai SG and the other one which was on eBay. Again, the cracks seem to be not on the neck/body join but a little bit outside it. Everyone knows SG neck joints are weak, but you wouldn't expect it on an LP. Very odd, but it seems to happen a lot!
I wonder if it's something to do with the particular finish and/or type of glue Tokai use? It seems highly unlikely, but maybe they pre-finish the necks and bodies before gluing them, then just spray a couple of thin top coats which can crack easily at the point where neck/body meet?
That sounds like a possibility to me. To be honest, I'm not that 'up' on guitar construction methods to know what could've caused the cracking. It's not something I would've expected on a 5 year olf guitar though :?
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The crack near the back looks close to the binding.
It looks like a crack but could be the wood with a thin layer of paint than the other areas so it looks darker. But that's my eyes and thoughts.