Tokai LS150 (even) New(er) Pic

singemonkey · 2010-03-22T19:34:09+00:00

Finally got a few pics of the Tokai. Here's the first one: I've had this guitar a few weeks now. I'm still deeply in love. Everything I'd read about Tokai is true. You can buy them sight-unseen. For those who haven't been following and are wondering what this is, Tokai is a small Japanese company that has been making clones of 50s and 60s Gibsons and Fenders since the late seventies. Why? Because at the time the quality of both companies was at rock-bottom. Japanese players were crying out for the classic models that made these companies famous - something they chose not to give for profit reasons. Several local companies stepped into the gap and gave the world its first replicas of the famous vintage guitars. Now they have been making these replicas longer than anyone else, even though Gibson and Fender have begun making their own replicas. Fender contracted their Japanese-made guitars to Tokai and other quality Japanese makers, while Gibson charged a huge premium for quality that came standard in the 50s and 60s. Tokai has been doing it longer, and still at reasonable prices. This guitar is Tokai's equivalent of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It's light, resonant, woody - and yet it's made from solid mahogany without "tone-chambers" or "weight-relief" that Gibson uses to bring it's low-grade mahogany down to 50s weight in its factory models. The stock pickups are comprehensively rich and deep. The tone is magical. I think I know how Clapton felt when he plugged his 1960 Les Paul into an amplifier in the shop, played a bit, and said: "Yeah. I'll take it." *update* A pic I took of the guitar in its case at the same time as the pic above. I hear what Alan's saying about the cases - modern cases are much sturdier and plusher. But I do like the vintage Lifton style case for a Les Paul - especially since my other Les Paul's in a huge, bulky, plastic Gibson "Protector" (chainsaw case). Anyway, I really dig this super-porno case. Having just got a power supply I've been running this bad MF through a TS9 Tubescreamer and a Boss - Fender '63 Spring Reverb pedal. It has a monstrous blues tone.

vic

chris77 wrote That pic with the Bassman should have an age restriction..... ?
Wow.

Indeed..! Uitlokkend...Prinkelent...GAS gewent ?

Tokai-SA

I think the forum software restricts the size of photos that we post.
When I open this photo on my PC it's so much bigger and even more impressive...this guitar and case glow against the black backround.

Great photo.

singemonkey

vic wrote I dunno whether it looks better....upright, or lying down... ?..... veeery nice Singe.
That Lifton style case...is it also a "made in Canada"..? like the Gibson cases ? Looks identical.

Made in Japan of course ?

Not identical actually. The case is not a clone. More in terms of a Lifton-themed case, I'd say. There are noticeable differences. But very similar.

Reinhard

Very cool pic!

Jericho

Rather than start a thread about it, I'll ask this questioin in here.

I'm dead set on getting a Telecaster as my next guitar. A 1952 Telecaster to be precise(obviously a re-issue...an original is way out of my budget)...seeing as so many forum members hold Tokai guitars in such high regard, would it cure my itch to get a Tokai replica of this guitar? Or should I wait for the "real" thing? Which Tokai (if there is no direct replica) most closely resembles a '52 vintage Tele? And of course, how much will it cost?

This is what I'm looking for:

singemonkey

I believe you could. This is the Tokai TE80:

It's Ash bodied and also comes in a vintage natural finish. I believe that Andy MacGibbons may have one and that Bob (X-rated) has maybe played it? It should be going for somewhere around R8,000. I've heard very good things about these Teles - that they are on a par with MIA Fenders.

Tokai made a fair proportion of the Japanese Fenders in the past, so there's some feeling that they might be trying to show that they were holding back ?

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