Which les paul?

[indysmith]

How do Tokai LP's compare to Gibsons? The music stores closest to me don't stock them so haven't actually tried one out before.

Pretttttty similar, lol. A lot more consistant quality-wise though, although recently Gibson seems to be on the up and all their guitars(don't quote me on this - PMT salesperson told me) are getting a particularly tasty PLEK setup.

[Lu_B]

How do Tokai LP's compare to Gibsons? The music stores closest to me don't stock them so haven't actually tried one out before.

I've had both - and in my opinion a MIJ Tokai is as good as if not better than a Gibson.

I was originally seduced by the Gibson name and bought one because it sounded better with its Burstbuckers V than the Tokai I was comparing it to.  But it should have been it was double the price @ £1450 but I'd convinced myself I wanted a Gibson.  

This was many years ago before I got into pickup swapping, in hindsight I should have bought the Tokai and changed the pickups and been about £600 better off.

I got rid of the Gibson because later on I discovered the top 5 frets had been cut back too much and everytime I played a D chord the E string had a habit of falling off the fretboard.  The solution was a re-fret which I didn't want to pay for on virtually unplayed guitar and I'd fallen out of love with it.  The guy who bought it had a different playing style and he didn't have this problem.

I recently picked up a 2003 MIJ Tokai LP years old and virtually unmarked for £300 - the pickups didn't float my boat, so they were swapped out.  So all told I've spent about £380 - which is probably less than half the price of buying a used Gibson.

I say to people if you are hell bent on buying a Gibson for the name and kudos, do so and you'll be really happy - I was.  But if you want all the characteristics of a Gibson Les Paul without the price tag try a Tokai - it might not impress your mates but your bank balance will love you.

[Lu_B]

Pretttttty similar, lol. A lot more consistant quality-wise though, although recently Gibson seems to be on the up and all their guitars(don't quote me on this - PMT salesperson told me) are getting a particularly tasty PLEK setup.

Up on all their prices too a Standard is now nearly £1900 :!:

[TheIronBeast]

How do Tokai LP's compare to Gibsons? The music stores closest to me don't stock them so haven't actually tried one out before.

I've had both - and in my opinion a MIJ Tokai is as good as if not better than a Gibson.

I was originally seduced by the Gibson name and bought one because it sounded better with its Burstbuckers V than the Tokai I was comparing it to.  But it should have been it was double the price @ £1450 but I'd convinced myself I wanted a Gibson.  

This was many years ago before I got into pickup swapping, in hindsight I should have bought the Tokai and changed the pickups and been about £600 better off.

I got rid of the Gibson because later on I discovered the top 5 frets had been cut back too much and everytime I played a D chord the E string had a habit of falling off the fretboard.  The solution was a re-fret which I didn't want to pay for on virtually unplayed guitar and I'd fallen out of love with it.  The guy who bought it had a different playing style and he didn't have this problem.

I recently picked up a 2003 MIJ Tokai LP years old and virtually unmarked for £300 - the pickups didn't float my boat, so they were swapped out.  So all told I've spent about £380 - which is probably less than half the price of buying a used Gibson.

I say to people if you are hell bent on buying a Gibson for the name and kudos, do so and you'll be really happy - I was.  But if you want all the characteristics of a Gibson Les Paul without the price tag try a Tokai - it might not impress your mates but your bank balance will love you.

Thanks! I've heard a lot of good things about the Tokai LP's. I have a 2007 Gibson LP Standard and it plays fantasticly, I love it to bits, but I would love to check out the Tokai's some day.

[Jonesy76]

MIJ Les Pauls are great fun instruments if you're on a budget.

Orvilles by Gibsons are fabulous if you're looking for Gibson quality but at a Japanese price.

But if it simply has to be a Gibson then my best bet is to go for a Studio, as at least then you have the Gibson name on the headstock and you have a close approximation to the actual Gibson Les Paul and the tone associated. 

Everyone loves to beat up Gibson but sadly I'm not one.  I love my Gibsons and won't have anything said about them.  Fender lovers seem to forget how many utter pigs of Stratocasters are out there, even some of the Custom Shop stuff, but then everyone seems to forget that because Fenders do tend to be a lot cheaper than factory Gibsons let alone the Custom Shop Gibsons.  PRS make stunning guitars, and you never seem to find a bad one sounding or playing one..........but then I've never found one with that indefineable mojo that you get from a good Gibson.  Gibson may make some cr@p guitars (so do Fender), and they may well be expensive (So are PRS) but if you're willing to play some - and not just buy the prettiest one you find - you may well find a guitar that you end up passing over to your kids.

My only advice though..........
Buy a cheap guitar now that looks like a Les Paul (my first step was an Epiphone) and then get saving for the real thing.  Save and save and save, and then go looking for a secondhand Custom Shop Gibson of some variation.  The Custom Shop guitars get the pick of the wood that comes into the Gibson factory, and the in-house staff always take the best stuff for use on the top line of guitars........good wood = good guitar.  I managed to pick up an awesome Custom Shop Les Paul Custom '68 last year for £1600, which is less than the price of a brand new Factory Standard, and comes with 57 Classics on board too which are the best Gibson humbuckers out there.

A good Gibson Les Paul plays like nothing else and just has that certain special something that you'll never get from a MIJ Les Paul (and that is from someone who had a very gorgeous Orville by Gibson, a Tokai, and an Edwards).............
Plus...........(and he dons his flameproof jacket now).........

You don't have to explain to every non guitarist how your Japanese copy of a Gibson is actually getter than an actual Gibson

[dave_mc]

^ :lol:

How do Tokai LP's compare to Gibsons? The music stores closest to me don't stock them so haven't actually tried one out before.

depends on the model of both brands, really. MIJ quality control is really good, so generally they're very well made. The lower end Tokai MIJ models will give the gibson standard range a run for its money. Mid-range ones will be similar if not nicer than Gibson's standard range. I assume the high-end tokais are awesome, but i haven't been able to try them, unfortunately.

I say to people if you are hell bent on buying a Gibson for the name and kudos, do so and you'll be really happy - I was.  But if you want all the characteristics of a Gibson Les Paul without the price tag try a Tokai - it might not impress your mates but your bank balance will love you.

+1. if you won't be happy unless it has gibson on the headstock, then buy a gibson. if you just want a good guitar at a good price, buy a tokai. it's also worth bearing in mind that going MIJ isn't necessarily cheaping out- there are Tokais as expensive, if not more so, than gibsons, ditto things like navigator, bacchus etc. And those high-end navigators and Tokais etc. are using things like brazilian rosewood and honduran mahogany. Gibson isn't, even on the custom shop models, as far as I'm aware.

[bamboofrog]

Cheers guys thanks for all the help and advice, I have seen a nice S/H Gibson Studio on ebay which I am going to try out tomorrow, I will let you know how I get on. :D

[Lu_B]

There's cr@p guitars out there from all manufacturers none of them are immune and there's hidden gems from the most unlikely sources.

If you can play as many brands as possible and go with your gut, there's no right or wrong its just down to personal preference in the end.

Me, I'm tight with my cash and want best value for my £££ and I don't give a monkeys what anybody thinks of my stuff, I like it and that's all I care about.  

I've been laughed at many a time for playing a Squier but what folks don't realise is it an 80's MIJ Squier loaded with Seymour Duncan SSL-1's and is little gem.  They soon stop laughing when they hear it and I tell them it only cost me £100 shipped with a hardcase :lol:

Enjoy the search for your LP and good luck for tomorrow.

[dheim]

noone laughs at my epi...  :twisted:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16251.0;attach=5758;image

[TheIronBeast]

noone laughs at my epi...  :twisted:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16251.0;attach=5758;image

That is a really nice Epiphone! I don't think I've seenn one as nice as that before actually. What BKP's do you have in there?

[bamboofrog]

Well I tried it, liked it, bought it. Patience was never on of my virtues :lol:





from the serial number it is a 2000 model it has grover tuners and slightly smaller inlays, not so keen on this bit but didn't even think about it till I was looking at some other studio's. Started to panic that I had picked up a fake, but from a bit of research it would appear that the studios during 1999-2000 were like this.

Plays really well nice sound, looks like it could do with a good clean up, will take it off to have it set up and give it some tlc.

[dheim]

noone laughs at my epi...  :twisted:

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=16251.0;attach=5758;image

That is a really nice Epiphone! I don't think I've seenn one as nice as that before actually. What BKP's do you have in there?

it's a LesPaul Studio Gothic, pickups are a Warpig in bridge and a Pig90 in neck...
it took some day of playing to smoothen upper frets and keyboard, that came out of the factory with a strange rough feel, but in the end it's a very nice guitar, i never had any issue with it.

[indysmith]

noone laughs at my epi...  :twisted:

It's because it would beat them up!

[indysmith]

Congrats on the new guitar bamboofrog - i love the smaller inlays! They're part of what give the studio models their character!
How does she play?

[bamboofrog]

Cheers indy

She play's really nicely (shame I don't :)) will take a bit of getting used to. I have been playing a strat for quite a while and it feels really different. Started thinking did I do the right thing etc etc blah blah, but I think it just needs a good clean and setup and a bit of settling in time (and maybe some BKPs :lol:)