Yeah. It must be a lot cheaper with discount Don. That's too much to pay. Of course it is still retailing for considerably less than a Gibson with which it's competing. But still. I think that an LS98 (which is what I'm guessing it was) shouldn't be more than change over R10K IMO. Max.
Love Rock is the rather embarrassingly Japanese name for all the Tokai Les Paul copies.
Infernox, the cheaper Tokais are Chinese, not Korean made. Their budget line moved from Korea to China some years back. I have never played one of their budget line guitars and reports vary as to how good they are - from ludicrous claims, to the general debate as to whether they're better than Epiphone equivalents. Mostly I hear that they're better than Epis, but mostly that comes from Tokai fans, so I couldn't say. Certainly you can get some features on them that aren't present on Epis - like neck binding on the SG and 335 clones (and, of course, like the MIJ Tokais, they have the open-book headstocks).
It's good to hear Don's appraisal as someone who is definitely not a fan per se, or particularly excited by the notion of Tokais. I've seen some pretty virulent opinions about Tokai fans recently - like we're crazy or making it up because we love evil or something ? I've been wearing big-boy pants for a while now, so I'm not bothered.
But perhaps as a result of this people might start to see why I and others introduce them into topics about Les Pauls or other Gibson designs. We think they're great and that people who aren't put off by the name should consider them before making their final decision. It's not because we think everyone should choose them. Just that everyone should be aware of them as an option and know what they're offering.
without saying much more... it was the most Les Paul like guitar I've ever played
Japanese Tokais offer top quality clones of vintage Gibsons at considerably lower prices. Those facts are hard to argue in real life. What's up to personal choice is whether owning a clone can feel like owning the original brand. For me it does, for others it won't. And I'm ok with that.
