Tokai Love Rock LS92, LS150, LS160

2011-04-27T14:41:45+00:00

So I finally had a chance to get my hands on 3 Tokai Love Rocks The first one I plugged in was a Tea Burst LS92 'plain top' Had a look under a bazillion wa...

Tokai Love Rock LS92, LS150, LS160

aubs1

vic wrote: ......However if you don't take one, it's like having a great one night stand , but you're not prepared to spend your life with her... ?

Hahahaha ....... what an awesome conclusion ....... ?

I am totally in love with my Love Rock and my ES-155 ........ nice review Brent ..... :applause:

Reinhard

Congrats Joel, great figure on that top ?

Kalcium

Not that I regret buying my SG (seriously loving it ?) but man Im jealous! haha I think its almost a given that at some stage in the future I will be a Tokai owner ?

[deleted]

vic wrote:
Sean wrote:
Thanks for the review ?

You forgot to mention which one you took ? ?

a Passionate review indeed. However if you don't take one, it's like having a great one night stand , but you're not prepared to spend your life with her... ?

All in good time... I am actually undecided, I do know, like Singe, I am a of the Cork Sniffin' Vintage loving type. So it is either the LS160, or the LS150... Which is a matter of aesthetics and the LS150 being much heavier.

As soon as I have decent pictures I will post them.

Joel that LS160 is stunning. Much like the one I have 5m from me at this very moment ?

The Tokai plain tops are really well bookmatched and made to look good. You can definitly see that someone actually put some effort into the book matching.

Anyway I all shall post a pic soonish.

Viva Tokai Viva!

singemonkey

joel wrote: @ Wizard , since this is a feel-good thread , I swopped some un-used 'stuff ' for this Tokai LS-160 VF ( violin finish ) today

Joel. Stop now. You're becoming a monster ? No seriously congrats. Put up a daylight pic as soon as you can.

I just can't figure people who don't take the plastic off. Something fundamentally wrong there.

IceCreamMan

excellent ,congratzzzz

and i concur the Tokais i noodled with at guitar world were world class imho

Norman86

Congrats!! Hapyy NG'sD! ? ? ? ? ?
But we wanna see pics, not only read the reviews! ?

Oh yeah, which ones did you decide on keeping? i couldnt figure it out??

Jack-Flash-Jr

Tea burst has to be the best burst description ever. Seriously. Thing I've noticed about Tokai's is that they have their own distinctive aura... not in the shadow of LPs at all.

[deleted]

Jack Flash Jr wrote: Tea burst has to be the best burst description ever. Seriously. Thing I've noticed about Tokai's is that they have their own distinctive aura... not in the shadow of LPs at all.

+1 and its a great colour. looks aged. Definitly the best colour of the lot.
AND another +1 on them having their own distinctive aura.

They are NOT Gibson copies.

They have taken a formula that works and timeless classic, and made it available to the world at a fair price and playability that knocks way above its 'weight' class

Which am I taking?

Um...

either the LS160 Plain top
or
LS150 AAA Flame top

Which would YOU take? ?

SvR65

I can back Brent's review all the way. I was involved in testing all of these mentioned guitars except the LS150 (a real pity). We really tried to test these guitars to the best of our abilities, and boy did they perform!

Finish is flawless. Playability straight out of the box is amazing and you honestly don't have to do anything else other than tune it up. Setup was great for both of us, and I think that says a lot about how these guitars are manufactured! For two players with complete different styles of playing and setup preferences to be so comfortable with the guitar is rare IMO. Hardware feels solid and of good quality... and they are beauties! ?

The tea burst is really pretty, and executed to perfection. Really gives the guitar a vintage look & feel. I would love to see the other colour variations Tokai offers!

I think to sum it up these guitars are of a caliber that will make you want one in one single sitting. Versatile, beautiful, tone rich and awesome value for money, they are definitely for the discerning player! ?

p.s. Brent like I've said before, you are going to end up buying both of them. Flame and plain tops. So it's irrelevant which one you get first! hahaha!

ezietsman

Brentcgp wrote:
Jack Flash Jr wrote: Tea burst has to be the best burst description ever. Seriously. Thing I've noticed about Tokai's is that they have their own distinctive aura... not in the shadow of LPs at all.
+1 and its a great colour. looks aged. Definitly the best colour of the lot.
AND another +1 on them having their own distinctive aura.

They are NOT Gibson copies.

They have taken a formula that works and timeless classic, and made it available to the world at a fair price and playability that knocks way above its 'weight' class

Which am I taking?

Um...

either the LS160 Plain top
or
LS150 AAA Flame top

Which would YOU take? ?

If both the plain and flame tops plays the same or sounds equally good, I'd take the flame, else the one that is better.

AlanRatcliffe

Brentcgp wrote: Which would YOU take? ?

Which one sounds better? If they are on a par soundwise, my preference would usually go to the lighter one and a nice flametop is always an added bonus point for me.

The three I tried, the LS95S stood out as a better guitar, without even taking the P90s into account.

Norman86

For me, it would depend on the flame...
If i dont like the flame, i'd take the plain top!

[deleted]

The LS150 Flame was 9.85lbs, so a fairly heavy guitar.
The LS160 Plain was under 9lbs

The LS160 had a more woody unplugged sound and seemed more comfy on my lap ?.

There is another LS150 available that is 9.4lbs floating around these parts.

I cannot fault any of them, I didnt mind the heavier guitar at all.
Didn't really notice a difference in tone or playability in the 1lb difference, for me it boils down to do you want a heavy guitar or a lighter one...

I would like to play one with 11s on!
That for me will make the biggest difference in tone and playability and I could make a better judgement on which 'plays' better for me.

Jack-Flash-Jr

Brentcgp wrote:
Jack Flash Jr wrote: Tea burst has to be the best burst description ever. Seriously. Thing I've noticed about Tokai's is that they have their own distinctive aura... not in the shadow of LPs at all.
+1 and its a great colour. looks aged. Definitly the best colour of the lot.
AND another +1 on them having their own distinctive aura.

They are NOT Gibson copies.

They have taken a formula that works and timeless classic, and made it available to the world at a fair price and playability that knocks way above its 'weight' class

Which am I taking?

Um...

either the LS160 Plain top
or
LS150 AAA Flame top

Which would YOU take? ?

Since you ask..... this one (but only because I'm currently obsessing on bass):

EDIT: the only time I seriously considered buying a LP again was after picking up a Loverock at Andy McGibbons

Norman86

Thats a SWEET bass!!!
Damn nice figure on that body! Doesnt give mes GAS, just gives me a weak heart :-[

singemonkey

I think all these manufacturers have their own finish formulae that give them a distinctive look - even if the guitar design is identical. Just for the record, the "tea-burst" officially carries the description "violin finish" in Tokai-speak. So if you see an LS160VF, that's what it's referring to.

I'm definitely partial to the plain-top LPs. If there's flame it should just be a hint I think. Flame gets over the top quickly. But I'm in a minority opinion there. The great thing about a clear finished maple top is that any top will show you unique, three dimensional seeming features, that make the guitar entertaining to look at while you play it.

vic

singemonkey wrote: I think all these manufacturers have their own finish formulae that give them a distinctive look - even if the guitar design is identical. Just for the record, the "tea-burst" officially carries the description "violin finish" in Tokai-speak. So if you see an LS160VF, that's what it's referring to.

I'm definitely partial to the plain-top LPs. If there's flame it should just be a hint I think. Flame gets over the top quickly. But I'm in a minority opinion there. The great thing about a clear finished maple top is that any top will show you unique, three dimensional seeming features, that make the guitar entertaining to look at while you play it.

Don't feel alone....those "monster" flametops give me the creeps....Shaun's LP has just about the maximum flame I can bear... ? but again it's a matter of taste hey.

Norman86

Jip, im a quilt man myself, not a flame man! flame can be just too excessive, imo! But in general, no flame for me!
On LP's though, i must say i like something with vertical figuring, not horizontal!
But plain tops look nice! Understated look, kind of like a sleeper car!
You dont know what its packing till it lets rip and roars!

singemonkey

First person I ever heard who thought quilt was less showy than flames ???