Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Philly Q on December 18, 2010, 11:32:43 AM
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It's another Junior! This Tokai TJ-78 has just braved the snow and arrived from la belle France. :D
I've been looking for a nice doublecut Junior for a while (wish I'd bought one of the Edwards ones before they were discontinued!), so I snapped this up as soon as it appeared on eBay.
It's a little heavier than I was expecting, but still under 8 pounds, and that's OK - my singlecut Epi Juniors are quite light, so it's something different. It seems a little less resonant but has really long sustain. Good chunky neck, and it seems sturdy - the tenon isn't quite full-width but it extends 7cm into the body.
The previous owner seems to have favoured the gaffer-tape strap approach :? .... there are patches of sticky shite all over the body but it looks like it's in good nick underneath. Just a few minor dings and scratches and an extra strap-button hole on the top horn - I might try both this and the button at the heel of the neck, see which balances better.
The pickup is, apparently, a Duncan Antiquity and the pots have been upgraded to CTS (but they feel very stiff). The bridge is the usual piece of cr@p but I have a Faber to try in its place.
Most egregiously, the tuners have been replaced with Schaller Grover copies :x . And they've been over-tightened so some of the paint on the headstock has cracked :x :x . I'll replace them with some vintage types - I'd really like to try the three-on-a-strip ones, but I suspect they're not quite in a straight line. So it'll be Gotohs with conversion bushings or maybe TonePros Klusons, depending on how badly the holes in the headstock have been drilled.
All in all, though, I think this has potential....
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP3641.jpg)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP3648.jpg)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP3640.jpg)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP3647.jpg)
(http://i129.photobucket.com/albums/p216/phillyq/IMGP3646.jpg)
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That's really nice, PQ.
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Yep, no surprises :lol:
Looks very nice and work-man-like :D
Love the colour, just right for Christmas.
Time to start dusting off the blues-funk carol arrangements ready to entertain friends and family over a glass of sherry and a mince pie.
(Hint, adorning your headstock with mistletoe is so passé nowadays :lol:)
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That's nice Phil :) If the pots are stiff, then it's very likely they're CTS.
Given the non-mintness of the guitar, you should join a band and gig it ;)
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Simple, elegant and no nonsense. I like it, that's a good score Philly.
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That is one cracking guitar Philly, I have the Gibson DC, what is it about that shape & P90's that make you want to just play the hell outta them?
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Given the non-mintness of the guitar, you should join a band and gig it ;)
In the (very) unlikely event of me joining a band, Dave, it's going to be Juniors all the way! :wink: I'll be Mick Ralphs meets Leslie West (just another 5 or 6 stone to go).
All my Juniors (and my LP Special) were bought used or slightly-shop-soiled NOS, and they're such no-frills guitars anyway, I don't feel "precious" about them at all. Which is quite unusual for me!
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Thats nice Phil!
Simple but tothe point
Tempted to BKP it?
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Thanks for all the comments guys! :)
Tempted to BKP it?
I don't know.... haven't plugged it in yet, I assume the Duncan will be pretty good but it may not be staying on this guitar. I already have a BKP-91 on my sunburst Epi, I have some DiMarzio P-90 sized humbuckers I want to try on something, and I'd also like to try the Lindy Fralin humbucking P-90.
So we'll see! I have a lot of P-90 guitars now ([cough]and there may be another one arriving soon[/cough]), so I may do some swapping of parts and pickups. I might have a "vintage" one, a "rock" one, a "vintage-look-modern-features" one.... etc etc :lol:
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Oh, a question :?: :
Anyone know where I can get a single-ply tortoise scratchplate made? Doesn't need to be real celluloid, just needs to look the part.
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I'd been playing a strat all morning (in fact, I have been for weeks). About an hour ago I suddenly got a dark cherry SG out and started fumbling "Joe Walsh" funky-type stuff...
Coming back here, I've just realised why! :lol:
Oh, a question :?: :
Anyone know where I can get a single-ply tortoise scratchplate made? Doesn't need to be real celluloid, just needs to look the part.
If I couldn't find an off-the-shelf option, or a "so cheap it's worth a punt anyway" option on the internet... my first stop would be Jonathan.
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These guys are good, Philly:
http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/web%20site%20first%20page.htm (http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/web%20site%20first%20page.htm)
I got my recent Charvel scratchplate made to order from them, very quick services. They'll make exacty what you want.
Mark.
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These guys are good, Philly:
http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/web%20site%20first%20page.htm (http://www.auroraproject.co.uk/web%20site%20first%20page.htm)
Thanks Mark, I'll drop them an email and see what they can do.
I'd been playing a strat all morning (in fact, I have been for weeks). About an hour ago I suddenly got a dark cherry SG out and started fumbling "Joe Walsh" funky-type stuff...
Coming back here, I've just realised why! :lol:
There's a certain tone you can get with a P-90 guitar which always makes me start trying to play Funk #49!
Needless to say, I have no idea how to actually play the riff ( :lol: ), but I manage to get the right sort of rhythm and tone. Or at least, in my head it sounds like Joe Walsh.... it might alarm any unfortunate passers-by.
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Did you get it from Japanguitars or someone else?
Mike
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Nice looking plank Philly!
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Love a DC Jr, well done Philly 8)
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Very nice philly, I like dc juniors a lot. Kicking myself I didn't manage to nab a tokai dc junior on ebay a while back... it went for a great price (new), but there were two available, one junior and one sc special, and I couldn't decide which and ended up getting neither (they both ended at the exact same time). Funnily enough, the same person outbid me on both guitars, so maybe he had the same problem? :lol:
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Kicking myself I didn't manage to nab a tokai dc junior on ebay a while back... it went for a great price (new), but there were two available, one junior and one sc special, and I couldn't decide which and ended up getting neither (they both ended at the exact same time). Funnily enough, the same person outbid me on both guitars, so maybe he had the same problem? :lol:
Wasn't me Dave, but there is something addictive about them. It's strange, not so long ago MIJ DC Juniors seemed to crop up all the time on eBay, but as soon as I decided to get one they all disappeared!
Did you get it from Japanguitars or someone else?
Just a private seller on eBay, Mike. I won't be buying from Japanguitars again, unless he has something I want really badly! His prices are too high.
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There's a certain tone you can get with a P-90 guitar which always makes me start trying to play Funk #49!
Needless to say, I have no idea how to actually play the riff ( :lol: ), but I manage to get the right sort of rhythm and tone.
Have you seen the Phil X videos? He plays it quite a lot :wink:
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It's another Junior! This Tokai TJ-78 has just braved the snow and arrived from la belle France. :D
Uhu ??? From France ??? Where did you find such a thing in France ???
I've been looking for a nice doublecut Junior for a while (wish I'd bought one of the Edwards ones before they were discontinued!), so I snapped this up as soon as it appeared on eBay.
On Ebay and I missed it ????
:cry:
And it's a really beatiful plank of wood. Congrats :?
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Congrats! I like those workman-machines with no frills.
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very jealous sold my dc to Horsehead...
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Very nice!! :D
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Very nice Phily. Pherhaps you sould do a group shot of all these Juniors?
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Wasn't me Dave, but there is something addictive about them. It's strange, not so long ago MIJ DC Juniors seemed to crop up all the time on eBay, but as soon as I decided to get one they all disappeared!
hehe, i didn't mean to suggest it was you :lol: I think there is a bit of a shortage with some MIJ tokai models, though. I know richtone talks about it occasionally on the tokai forum. SG models seem to be pretty rare too at the moment... if you don't want a LP, an ES335 or one of the new fender copies, they seem to be back ordered...
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I think there is a bit of a shortage with some MIJ tokai models, though. I know richtone talks about it occasionally on the tokai forum. SG models seem to be pretty rare too at the moment... if you don't want a LP, an ES335 or one of the new fender copies, they seem to be back ordered...
Yeah, it seems that way. Quite recently, it wasn't too difficult to get hold of an MIJ Tokai SG, SG Junior or SG Special, or the Love Rock Juniors as already mentioned, but they're definitely in short supply now! I suppose maybe they go through phases of building "batches" of particular models for European export?
It's surprising how few Tokai dealers there are, too. Richtone, Rockem Music.... and not much else. I thought they were widely available in Germany, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I found a nice TJ78 in Switzerland a few weeks ago, but with shipping it would've cost about €1,000! :o
The MIJ guitar market - both current and vintage - is definitely LP-centric, unfortunately. :(
Very nice Phily. Pherhaps you sould do a group shot of all these Juniors?
I will.... but the collection may be subject to change quite soon.... :wink:
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Very nice Philly-I love the workman like vibe. I'd love to get a double cut Junior one day.
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Yeah, it seems that way. Quite recently, it wasn't too difficult to get hold of an MIJ Tokai SG, SG Junior or SG Special, or the Love Rock Juniors as already mentioned, but they're definitely in short supply now! I suppose maybe they go through phases of building "batches" of particular models for European export?
It's surprising how few Tokai dealers there are, too. Richtone, Rockem Music.... and not much else. I thought they were widely available in Germany, but that doesn't seem to be the case. I found a nice TJ78 in Switzerland a few weeks ago, but with shipping it would've cost about €1,000! :o
The MIJ guitar market - both current and vintage - is definitely LP-centric, unfortunately. :(
Yeah. It might also be to do with gibson prices- you can get a Gibson junior or SG for a lot less than a les paul standard. It also doesn't help that the yen's so strong at the moment...
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Yeah. It might also be to do with gibson prices- you can get a Gibson junior or SG for a lot less than a les paul standard. It also doesn't help that the yen's so strong at the moment...
Good point! The current "Les Paul Junior 1958" model is only about £550 and I guess many people would choose that over a Tokai or something. Personally I don't think much of them at all....
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Yeah, the couple of "specials" I tried sounded nice, but the fretwire felt like razor blades, and the neck felt like a rectangular plank of wood :lol: I certainly wouldn't take one over a Tokai at a similar price, but that's just me.
Unfortunately Fender and Gibson have got a lot of guitarists convinced that (a) they're an aspirational brand so they're almost like a status symbol i.e. once you can afford a "real" fender or gibson you get one without even thinking about it and (b) that copies are inherently low quality, and also a bit dodgy morally.
Needless to say, you know what I think about that. :lol: On the plus side, though, it actually helps the guitarists who like Tokai etc. because it keeps the prices down. :D
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I'm a huge fan of juniors, and have 2 double cuts. That looks great Phil. I wouldn't change the Grovers, but would get rid of the compensated bridge for a straight wrap around. They sound great through a cranked Fender or Marshall - I think you have a Tiny Terror, I'm sure that will sound excellent with it.
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The bridge is definitely going! I've got a couple of uncompensated aluminium ones in my overflowing parts box(es), and a Faber, but I'd also like to try one of these from Allparts:
(http://www.musicgallery.it/images/prodotti/1847573021N.jpg)
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Huummmmm interesting seeying the dislike on these bridges. I've always planned using it.
There is much difference in the tunning on the uncompensated?
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The uncompensated bridge actually intonates pretty well, especially if you've got tin ears like me. It's not perfectly in tune all the way up the neck though. Probably not ideal if you play jazz or anything highly technical...
The problems with the Tokai bridges are:
1. They're made of zinc, not aluminium (not necessarily bad, it's a matter of opinion)
2. They're compensated for a wound G string (but Gibson now use bridges designed for a plain G)
3. They're meant to be set in a straight line, parallel with the pickups, not angled:
1965
(http://www.webuyguitars.org/store/prodimages/gibson/sg/g7sg8002.f.jpg)
1961
(http://www.guitarjunky.ca/IMG/arton1060.jpg)
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Grrreat! thanks!
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Why on earth would you have an unwound G string (PS isn't it more correctly called a D string?)? :)
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Why on earth would you have an unwound G string (PS isn't it more correctly called a D string?)? :)
Uh-oh, here we go..... :roll: :P
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Huummmmm interesting seeying the dislike on these bridges. I've always planned using it.
There is much difference in the tunning on the uncompensated?
I love wraparounds. I have them on 10 guitars or so. I just don't like the compensated ones, though Gibson are now making compensated which are correct for a plain G.
I like the look of the Allparts but have found that the regular ones work well (though years ago I did have my 1960 Les Paul Special bridge moved to cut the amount of adjustment needed on the bass side. I didn't do a lot for it's resale value but I got it really cheaply anyway.
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Why on earth would you have an unwound G string (PS isn't it more correctly called a D string?)? :)
Uh-oh, here we go..... :roll: :P
:D
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love the ornate vibrola on that '65!
nice guitar by the way philly, don't think i've mentioned that so far.
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I love wraparounds. I have them on 10 guitars or so.
Likewise! I like the LP Jr ones and I like the PRS wraparounds too.
Even if I wanted a fully adjustable bridge, I'd rather have the TonePros/Pigtail wraparound type than a tune-o-matic and tailpiece.