Hi, I'm a rookie here - but I've lurked for a long time. Some of you already know what this is, but I've got a pretty lengthy history for those who don't. I've dealt extensively on The Gear Page, Harmony Central, and Ebay (under barryj61).
So what's a Diodati, you say? Some of you guys that love Japanese made Les Paul clones already know about these but for those who don't - this is for all practical purposes a Japan built Tokai with some rather upscale twists. Here's what I know about them - Peter Diodati was a New England musician/entrepeneur who must have loved the LP clones built in Japan, and started a company (late 90's) to sell his own version of them. These were built at the Hammatsu plant where Tokais are also built - the base guitar he started with was equivalent to Tokai's LS75Q at that time, but then he fancied it up. I stole some specs from the web page for this model (the page still exists! - links below)
* Honduras Mahogany neck and body with Diodati "Full Contact" neck joint
* Perfectly bookmatched AAAA quilted maple top*
* Natural East Indian Rosewood fretboard with genuine mother-of-pearl inlays
* Reproduction vintage PAF humbucking pickups
* Gold hardware and a deluxe Tweed case
As far as I know Diodati is no longer importing any guitars, but some of his original web pages are still active:
http://home.comcast.net/~arkir/59q.html
http://home.comcast.net/~arkir/diodati.html
Not a ton of information exists on these, though there are a few reviews on HC
HC reviews for this model - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r...odati/59Q/10/1
For other Diodatis - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r.../brand/Diodati
This particular model was the top of his line, and pretty rare. I bought this one directly from Peter (I'm the second owner - he took this one as a trade for some other equipment). This one was from either the first or second year of production - there were only 12 of this model made that year, and only 4 in the Burgundy color. So you're not likely to find another one anytime soon.
Mine is in excellent condition - the only thing keeping it from mint is a very small 'squiggle' scratch by the upper horn. The case (the best LP case that TKL makes!) is also in excellent condition. I've got a ton of pictures in the link below, but haven't been able to get any in outdoor light yet - it's really hard to convey just how 3D the quilt is on this top! Weight is 8.8 lbs, and the neck profile is pretty beefy - not a monster, but definitely substantial
NOW $750 - shipped, insured and Paypalled
Pics are all zoomable - http://picasaweb.google.com/barryj61/Diodati#
So what's a Diodati, you say? Some of you guys that love Japanese made Les Paul clones already know about these but for those who don't - this is for all practical purposes a Japan built Tokai with some rather upscale twists. Here's what I know about them - Peter Diodati was a New England musician/entrepeneur who must have loved the LP clones built in Japan, and started a company (late 90's) to sell his own version of them. These were built at the Hammatsu plant where Tokais are also built - the base guitar he started with was equivalent to Tokai's LS75Q at that time, but then he fancied it up. I stole some specs from the web page for this model (the page still exists! - links below)
* Honduras Mahogany neck and body with Diodati "Full Contact" neck joint
* Perfectly bookmatched AAAA quilted maple top*
* Natural East Indian Rosewood fretboard with genuine mother-of-pearl inlays
* Reproduction vintage PAF humbucking pickups
* Gold hardware and a deluxe Tweed case
As far as I know Diodati is no longer importing any guitars, but some of his original web pages are still active:
http://home.comcast.net/~arkir/59q.html
http://home.comcast.net/~arkir/diodati.html
Not a ton of information exists on these, though there are a few reviews on HC
HC reviews for this model - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r...odati/59Q/10/1
For other Diodatis - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/r.../brand/Diodati
This particular model was the top of his line, and pretty rare. I bought this one directly from Peter (I'm the second owner - he took this one as a trade for some other equipment). This one was from either the first or second year of production - there were only 12 of this model made that year, and only 4 in the Burgundy color. So you're not likely to find another one anytime soon.
Mine is in excellent condition - the only thing keeping it from mint is a very small 'squiggle' scratch by the upper horn. The case (the best LP case that TKL makes!) is also in excellent condition. I've got a ton of pictures in the link below, but haven't been able to get any in outdoor light yet - it's really hard to convey just how 3D the quilt is on this top! Weight is 8.8 lbs, and the neck profile is pretty beefy - not a monster, but definitely substantial
NOW $750 - shipped, insured and Paypalled
Pics are all zoomable - http://picasaweb.google.com/barryj61/Diodati#
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