Tokai guitars facts, theory, photos & ID thread

Dinosaur-Snr · 2012-12-26T09:50:07+00:00

Hi all I stumbled across this thread on MyLesPaul forum which is quite useful for referring to when trying to identify Tokai guitars as well as read up on t...

Tokai guitars facts, theory, photos & ID thread

chris77

Chabenda wrote:
studmissile wrote: One thing for sure, Tokai is superior in price!

+1 :roflmao:

Not so sure about that. I can get a Sanchez LP with a bag and amp for R2300 at my local Cash crusaders.... ?

vic

Chabenda wrote:
Vic wrote:
Chabenda wrote: Each guitar has it's own strong and weak points, regardless of it's make. I can speak for myself in particular when I say that we can be very snotty, only accepting something that has "Gibson" or "Fender" on it. I have owned many Fenders and Gibsons that I have moved on because they were an absolute disappointment or they just didn't have that little bit of magic (in my warped and dysfunctional opinion).

If you are mature enough and sensible enough to see beyond the name brand trap that has been created by ourselves and by the marketing departments, then you have the freedom to enjoy all of the other brands that chumps like me refuse(d) to. I have enough guitars and have owned God know how many, in the wardrobes, under the beds, on top of the wardrobes, buying them as 'gifts' for my wife (dirty, deceitful dog - me that is). I would have given Alex Broadway a run for his money! ? I can only play one at a time and have formed a very emotional bond with the ones that I have kept for the last twenty plus years. I don't want any more. I have to say as honestly as I can that Tokai make top grade instruments and I would buy one at the drop of a hat should the need ever arise.
Chabenda...good post....however if I agree with you we'd both be wrong !
?

...just kidding of course ?
Vic, without a doubt Gibson have made some incredible guitars and have a phenomenal name and reputation that relates to jazz, rock and roll and perhaps nearly every genre of music - right back to their individual 'Day One's'! That's where that fabulous aura comes from. When it comes to build quality or design issues such as head stocks that snap off fairly easily we are into something totally different.

I still feel that there are individual instruments that outshine others that were made at the same time - this, IMHO, certainly applies to sixties and early seventies Fenders. In your opinion, do you think that there were as many Gibson customer complaints in the sixities as there are today? It is possible that standards were a lot higher then.

I envy you guys having the opportunity to have a "Shoot out" at the music shops!! Lucky buggers!

Re customer complaints.....in the 60's and 70's we did not have the internet and guitar fora where players discussed guitar issues, etc. So there may, or may not have been a similar number of guitar related complaints ? The quality issues and seriousness thereof are all relative IMHO. Some guys may complain bitterly if for eg there's a little spec of dirt entrapped in the binding....I won't....I can honestly say that I have never had any real issues with the Gibbos that I've owned. These are expensive instruments yes...and one would certainly then expect top build quality no doubt....but as I said, I can't complain. I also need to mention that much of the quality complaints re Gibson are hearsay (unfortunately). Of course there're legitimate complaints as well...but that goes for most brands I'm sure. I also think that build standards today (in general for most brands) are very good and a lot more consistent than in the 50's and 60's.....
Having said all this....I'm not blinded by brand so to speak ? I would enjoy playing a Tokai as much as I enjoy playing a Fender of Gibson...I just never had the opportunity to stroke a Tokai. Furthermore (in terms of pricing) Tokai gives excellent value for money...however its top-of-the-line models are relatively expensive.....and due to personal perceptions I would rather invest in the comparable Gibson or Fender models.

Chabenda

deebee

I have a LEGEND guitar, made in Canada [where??], it will KILL any Gibson or Tokai, or Fender or??????, [insert guitar of your choice here], at the end of the day a guitar is nothing but a piece of wood with some metal on it, nothing more, nothing less, so who cares about the name on the headstock. Beauty, and tone, is in the eye [and ear], of the beholder.

vic

deebee wrote: I have a LEGEND guitar, made in Canada [where??], it will KILL any Gibson or Tokai, or Fender or??????, [insert guitar of your choice here], at the end of the day a guitar is nothing but a piece of wood with some metal on it, nothing more, nothing less, so who cares about the name on the headstock. Beauty, and tone, is in the eye [and ear], of the beholder.

a What guitar ?? ?

Secondly...who plays the guitar when it kills the Gibson, Fender, etc...? and have you actually made direct comparisons with all those brands when saying this ?

Thirdly...a guitar is NOT just a piece of "wood"....for obvious reasons

Lastly....although you are "entitled to an opinion"...isn't it just a bit arrogant to make such a sweeping statement ? ???

?

deebee

A L-E-G-E-N-D guitar
i moi me plays the guitar
A guitar is [last time i looked] made of wood, and don't forget the metal
ARROGANT, who meeeee????? never :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( ?

Bob-Dubery

Vic wrote:
deebee wrote: I have a LEGEND guitar, made in Canada [where??], it will KILL any Gibson or Tokai, or Fender or??????, [insert guitar of your choice here], at the end of the day a guitar is nothing but a piece of wood with some metal on it, nothing more, nothing less, so who cares about the name on the headstock. Beauty, and tone, is in the eye [and ear], of the beholder.
a What guitar ?? ?

Secondly...who plays the guitar when it kills the Gibson, Fender, etc...? and have you actually made direct comparisons with all those brands when saying this ?

I don't know about Legend, which, to me, looks like Canada's answer to Tokai, but certainly there are fine guitars coming out of Canada. I own two myself, and I think I've played enough good acoustics to say that Morgan and Larrivee can stand comparison against more famous American brands.

HOWEVER, what I really have are two guitars bearing Canadian brands. Larrivee make a good number of their guitars in California - which is where my LV05 was made. Just as all guitars bearing an American name are not made in America, so not all guitars bearing a Canadian name are made in Canada.

Thirdly...a guitar is NOT just a piece of "wood"....for obvious reasons

Well no, it has ivory and metal and plastic and such too. But I incline to the idea that a guitar is a tool, a piece of equipment. Some are better than others, but then some fishing rods are better than others.

vic

deebee wrote: A L-E-G-E-N-D guitar
i moi me plays the guitar
A guitar is [last time i looked] made of wood, and don't forget the metal
ARROGANT, who meeeee????? never :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( ?

deebee ....very glad to see you're not (that) serious.

deebee

Well, i'm glad that that is settled. SWAMBO and MIL have gone shopping, sooooooooo, i'm about to plug in and crank up the volume on my Marshall 100- watter [name dropping again]??

babbalute

Havent read all the posts here on this issue, but whoever said he had a guitar that could kill a Gibson, Fener(just to name the few mentioned, he probabbly means ANY other guitar) and who ever commented on it..... did anybody ask why that paricualr guitar would kill the Gibson, Fender etc ? I would would to know why this person said this. Please advise what is better on your guitar, what makes it better then a Gibson, Fender etc. I'm sure that beside me there would be a dozen other wanting to know this. After all we all want to play this best guitar around don't we ?
Just an observation : Can you als advise the lenght of your fingers ? Mine are very short so if yours are longer than mine I could most likely not be able to play this best guitar(have no idea of the fret spacing, width, thickness and any other important neck measurement that could not suite my short fingers).Oh and I forgot the speed you can move your fingers accross the fretboard. Is there a tool to measure this speed ? I want one.
Let this person enjoy his guitar, after all he is in heavon with his tool. Who am I try and prusuade him to use something else that would make him he's in hell ?
Always like to read other people's comment and how the react to some writing in form of immediatly attacking it with silly comment. I'm sure I will get some.
Happy and Musical 2013

Sean

I think deebee was pulling a leg

deebee

Sean yooo are sooo right. I do have other guitars besides my trillion dollar Legend. I still have one of three that i made in 1966, but, i won't go into 'wot a killer axe that is. Suffice to say, i like it 'cos of the sweat i put into making it [no power tools in those daze], just a small hand saw, a file, and a chisel, and a beeeeg slab of mahogany, [got 2 axes out of it].

psyx

deebee wrote: A L-E-G-E-N-D guitar
i moi me plays the guitar
A guitar is [last time i looked] made of wood, and don't forget the metal
ARROGANT, who meeeee????? never :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( ?

This has become one very strange thread... what started as a link to a list of different Tokai models turned out very weird

babbalute wrote: Havent read all the posts here on this issue, but whoever said he had a guitar that could kill a Gibson, Fener(just to name the few mentioned, he probabbly means ANY other guitar) and who ever commented on it..... did anybody ask why that paricualr guitar would kill the Gibson, Fender etc ? I would would to know why this person said this. Please advise what is better on your guitar, what makes it better then a Gibson, Fender etc. I'm sure that beside me there would be a dozen other wanting to know this. After all we all want to play this best guitar around don't we ?
Just an observation : Can you als advise the lenght of your fingers ? Mine are very short so if yours are longer than mine I could most likely not be able to play this best guitar(have no idea of the fret spacing, width, thickness and any other important neck measurement that could not suite my short fingers).Oh and I forgot the speed you can move your fingers accross the fretboard. Is there a tool to measure this speed ? I want one.
Let this person enjoy his guitar, after all he is in heavon with his tool. Who am I try and prusuade him to use something else that would make him he's in hell ?
Always like to read other people's comment and how the react to some writing in form of immediatly attacking it with silly comment. I'm sure I will get some.
Happy and Musical 2013

as far as the comparison between guitars go, we try to compare apples with apples... So for instance my Tokai has a fat neck which is harder to play than my Jackson (at least for me) which has a very modern shredder neck. The tone on the Tokai is far better than the Jackson though! But the two can't be compared. The value difference is R20 000 and the general approach of these guitars are too different as well. The Tokai can be compared with Gibsons with 50's style necks since the tone and playability should be similar. Here too there is a difference in price with the Tokai being cheaper than the equivalent Gibson.

But as alot of guys have said on this forum, different strokes for different okes. If you're happy with your R2000 Yamaha Pacifica, which is a decent guitar, then it's worth R100k to you.
Owning a fortune's worth of gear won't make you a good guitarist. Find a guitar that suits your tastes and style(and pocket) and be happy

RobbieZ

deebee wrote: Sean yooo are sooo right. I do have other guitars besides my trillion dollar Legend. I still have one of three that i made in 1966, but, i won't go into 'wot a killer axe that is. Suffice to say, i like it 'cos of the sweat i put into making it [no power tools in those daze], just a small hand saw, a file, and a chisel, and a beeeeg slab of mahogany, [got 2 axes out of it].

A few forum users will walk with a lmp because of all the "leg pulling" ?. On a serious note, you can take the best guitar you can find and put it in the hands of a player that just started out and it will not sound that good. Then you can take a "low grade" guitar and give it to a expert and it will sound like a million dollars.
My Tokai was very reasonably priced, and it makes me sound not too bad, so it has to be a excelent instrument.
The point I am trying to make is that it comes down to one: personal taste and two: the skill of the player.

vic

Sean wrote: I think deebee was pulling a leg

and so was I....except for.... "a guitar is not just a piece of wood".... alias...The last supper is not just a piece of cellulose with some oil splashed on it..... ?

studmissile

And to think this thread originally was just a simple celebration of Tokai guitars facts, theory, photos & ID threads.
Do others just feel threatened?

AlanRatcliffe

studmissile wrote: Do others just feel threatened?

Good question! But it goes both ways, as I posted earlier in the thread:

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Tokai and Gibson fans have been taking pokes at each other for the last few years here - they just can't resist it (total slaves to their Pavlovian reflexes).

While most of it is lighthearted, there are those for whom it is not and there some who (try) hide true rancour behind humour. Quite frankly, If I were a player of either, I'd be embarrassed by my fellow fans' behaviour. It strikes me that fans of both actually come across more as anti the other brand, rather than pro their own. It wouldn't surprise me if it affects new buyers to some degree - who wants to join a club where the members only behave like kids in public? I'm certainly tired of having to waggle my moderator's stick at them both...

Come to think of it, I'm buying a fairly expensive LP style guitar soon... and guess what? It's not a Gibson or Tokai...

Arno-West

"Well no, it has ivory and metal and plastic and such too. But I incline to the idea that a guitar is a tool, a piece of equipment. Some are better than others, but then some fishing rods are better than others."

If someone lent me their "Fishing Rod to end all Fishing Rods"- Fishing Rod to go fishing with, I would still come home empty handed.

Then again, what do I know, after all, I use a Zoom...and I like it. ?

Bob-Dubery

Vic wrote:
Sean wrote: I think deebee was pulling a leg
and so was I....except for.... "a guitar is not just a piece of wood".... alias...The last supper is not just a piece of cellulose with some oil splashed on it..... ?

That's not apples and apples. I'd liken a guitar to a brush and paints, and a painting to a piece of music.

vic

X-rated Bob wrote:
Vic wrote:
Sean wrote: I think deebee was pulling a leg
and so was I....except for.... "a guitar is not just a piece of wood".... alias...The last supper is not just a piece of cellulose with some oil splashed on it..... ?

That's not apples and apples. I'd liken a guitar to a brush and paints, and a painting to a piece of music.

...a musical score is not just a piece of cellulose with notes on it....but rather a carefully planned "arrangement" of notes, which when executed properly by skillful musicians, touches the soul or fabric of a listener ??? ?....