LS 150

[Diamond]

That's very strange, the catalogue refers to LS135's as one piece bodies, and all the one's I've seen don't have a centre seam like that.

 

[togps]

Kurosawagakki do refer to a 2009 LS135F
Diamond do refer to a 2006 LS135; nowadays LS150

 

[marcusnieman]

That's very strange, the catalogue refers to LS135's as one piece bodies, and all the one's I've seen don't have a centre seam like that.

LS150 spec states ONE PIECE body:

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/tokaigakki/products/premium/ls150.html


LS135 does NOT say one piece:

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/tokaigakki/products/vintage/ls135f.html

Specs are from Tokai's website

 

[mudbone]

I think it's insane that it's so difficult to identify these guitar with any certainty given the huge differences in price. Why don't Tokai make it easy ?

Anyhow, due to these uncertainties and the attitude of the people in the shop I've decided to give it a miss. Although it played very well the pickups were really really bad. The neck pickup sounded as sharp as most bridge pick ups so you can imagine what the bridge pickup sounded like.

Thanks for all your help but I think I'll be avoiding these guitars - Tokais are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

 

[Udonitron]

Unless you buy late 70's and 80's Tokai's. You can NEVER go wrong with those man! Go for the aged wood over anything else...new is nice but aged just has that history and mysterious ideal behind them that make them so **** nice, they have a soul & personality that cannot be matched.

 

[Diamond]

I think it's insane that it's so difficult to identify these guitar with any certainty given the huge differences in price. Why don't Tokai make it easy ?

Anyhow, due to these uncertainties and the attitude of the people in the shop I've decided to give it a miss. Although it played very well the pickups were really really bad. The neck pickup sounded as sharp as most bridge pick ups so you can imagine what the bridge pickup sounded like.

Thanks for all your help but I think I'll be avoiding these guitars - Tokais are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

The pickups are excellent...the neck pickup is one of the sweetest Les Paul tones I've ever heard, and I'm comparing it to Gibson Les Paul pickups in a side by side test through the same amp.
Also compared the MK2 pickups to a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and SD 59, again the MK2 were virtually identical...Im not sure what amp you played it through or what pickups were in the guitar you played...in fact I'm not even sure you played a Tokai...what country you in?

Tokais are not like a box of chocolates, in fact you know EXACTLY what you're going to get, a perfect guitar, every time.

Btw, most of us here will identify the difference between an LS135/150 and an LS90 in 10 seconds flat...just allow us to actually see and hold the guitar...don't slate Tokais because the morons in the shop you went into were clueless.

 

[Diamond]

Kurosawagakki do refer to a 2009 LS135F
Diamond do refer to a 2006 LS135; nowadays LS150

Thanks for this info, appreciate it.

 

[mudbone]

Okay folks, try this for me.

Google - Guitar Junction, Worthing, England, go to the electrics/various makes section.

What is this guitar ?

Any help appreciated.

Richie.

 

[Mole Man]

I knew you meant that guitar!! I was watching this one also (luckily for you I already own a LS150 - thanks Donkey Oaty)!!

I say: LS135 (two piece back). That's a nice clownburst.

 

[Mole Man]

Seriously, if you have a sniff at this guitar for ?600 then I would snap it up before someone else on here does (now you've blown the cover)!! Another UK store has a LS135 in wine red new up for ?995!! Prices on the new Tokais are only going to go one way...

 

[Mole Man]

I think it's insane that it's so difficult to identify these guitar with any certainty given the huge differences in price. Why don't Tokai make it easy ?

Anyhow, due to these uncertainties and the attitude of the people in the shop I've decided to give it a miss. Although it played very well the pickups were really really bad. The neck pickup sounded as sharp as most bridge pick ups so you can imagine what the bridge pickup sounded like.

Thanks for all your help but I think I'll be avoiding these guitars - Tokais are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

Sorry, mudbone, I've just read your post above. Okay, fair enough but someone else will doubtless snap it up now that you've been kind enough to bring the guitar to our attention. Please also bear in mind that all guitar brands are variable, but I find Tokai to be amongst the most consistent, quality wise.

 

[JVsearch]

For 600? LS135 is still a bargain.

Matti

It's a very good price for an LS135, but a 135 has a one piece body, and the one in question has a two piece, so it must be a LS90.

Here's the really funny part, 600? is a good price for an LS90.

600 quid is about 90,000 yen - that's not a good price for a second hand LS-90 in my opinion. It's just ok, because the guitar is in England, and they get horribly gouged on prices over there, but it's not a good deal.

 

[atha]

I just noticed kurosawa gakki and some other stores listing Tokai HLS-160 model.

http://www.kurosawagakki.com/items/detail/63245.html

From the translation, it seems that neck angle is a bit different, Madagascar rosewood used in the fingerboard, and some other changes.

 

[Axchisler]

I think it's insane that it's so difficult to identify these guitar with any certainty given the huge differences in price. Why don't Tokai make it easy ?

Anyhow, due to these uncertainties and the attitude of the people in the shop I've decided to give it a miss. Although it played very well the pickups were really really bad. The neck pickup sounded as sharp as most bridge pick ups so you can imagine what the bridge pickup sounded like.

Thanks for all your help but I think I'll be avoiding these guitars - Tokais are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

The pickups are excellent...the neck pickup is one of the sweetest Les Paul tones I've ever heard, and I'm comparing it to Gibson Les Paul pickups in a side by side test through the same amp.
Also compared the MK2 pickups to a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and SD 59, again the MK2 were virtually identical...Im not sure what amp you played it through or what pickups were in the guitar you played...in fact I'm not even sure you played a Tokai...what country you in?

Tokais are not like a box of chocolates, in fact you know EXACTLY what you're going to get, a perfect guitar, every time.

I wouldn't be so confidant. I have two LS's with the same pups and they sound very different. The 230 I bought from clay49 was very bright with Classic 57's so I bought a set of MKII's. It warmed it up but is still brighter than my 100Q. Granted the 230 is a Koa top but it stands to reason koa should be warmer than maple. Clay felt the same way, see here-

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14729&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

While I like the warmer 100 many of you may like the brighter 230 better, all a matter of taste. It may have sounded "blah" to clay49 (who hasn't responded to my post) but it may be just what some of you are looking for. My point is, they all play awesome from what I can tell, but don't expect them all to sound the same. There is more going on than just pups.

 

[Axchisler]

Btw, most of us here will identify the difference between an LS135/150 and an LS90 in 10 seconds flat...just allow us to actually see and hold the guitar...don't slate Tokais because the morons in the shop you went into were clueless.

:lol: :lol: :lol: Most of us... :wink:

 

[Diamond]

I think it's insane that it's so difficult to identify these guitar with any certainty given the huge differences in price. Why don't Tokai make it easy ?

Anyhow, due to these uncertainties and the attitude of the people in the shop I've decided to give it a miss. Although it played very well the pickups were really really bad. The neck pickup sounded as sharp as most bridge pick ups so you can imagine what the bridge pickup sounded like.

Thanks for all your help but I think I'll be avoiding these guitars - Tokais are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

The pickups are excellent...the neck pickup is one of the sweetest Les Paul tones I've ever heard, and I'm comparing it to Gibson Les Paul pickups in a side by side test through the same amp.
Also compared the MK2 pickups to a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and SD 59, again the MK2 were virtually identical...Im not sure what amp you played it through or what pickups were in the guitar you played...in fact I'm not even sure you played a Tokai...what country you in?

Tokais are not like a box of chocolates, in fact you know EXACTLY what you're going to get, a perfect guitar, every time.

I wouldn't be so confidant. I have two LS's with the same pups and they sound very different. The 230 I bought from clay49 was very bright with Classic 57's so I bought a set of MKII's. It warmed it up but is still brighter than my 100Q. Granted the 230 is a Koa top but it stands to reason koa should be warmer than maple. Clay felt the same way, see here-

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14729&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

While I like the warmer 100 many of you may like the brighter 230 better, all a matter of taste. It may have sounded "blah" to clay49 (who hasn't responded to my post) but it may be just what some of you are looking for. My point is, they all play awesome from what I can tell, but don't expect them all to sound the same. There is more going on than just pups.

They all play awesome and sound different, agreed.

With respect, do guitarists really know what they're looking for...after 15 years on internet forums I have my doubts.
One thing guitarists have tons of is GAS, nothings ever good enough and they're never satisfied.
If it's not the pickups then it's a hundred other things that have to be "upgraded" before the guitar is good enough, and then what do they do, they sell the guitar and buy another one.

IMO, the vast majority of internet guitarists need to "upgrade" their skills, not their guitars, their guitars are just fine, and so are the pickups.

 

[jawilluk]

[No message]

 

[JVsearch]

The pickups are excellent...the neck pickup is one of the sweetest Les Paul tones I've ever heard, and I'm comparing it to Gibson Les Paul pickups in a side by side test through the same amp.
Also compared the MK2 pickups to a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and SD 59, again the MK2 were virtually identical...Im not sure what amp you played it through or what pickups were in the guitar you played...in fact I'm not even sure you played a Tokai...what country you in?

I wouldn't be so confidant. I have two LS's with the same pups and they sound very different. The 230 I bought from clay49 was very bright with Classic 57's so I bought a set of MKII's. It warmed it up but is still brighter than my 100Q. Granted the 230 is a Koa top but it stands to reason koa should be warmer than maple. Clay felt the same way, see here-

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14729&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

While I like the warmer 100 many of you may like the brighter 230 better, all a matter of taste. It may have sounded "blah" to clay49 (who hasn't responded to my post) but it may be just what some of you are looking for. My point is, they all play awesome from what I can tell, but don't expect them all to sound the same. There is more going on than just pups.

It's a blinking black art pickup matching to a guitar! Individual resonance peaks in the wood at certain frequencies may be increased or lowered depending on where in the frequency spectrum the pickup has peaks or troughs in its output. You just have to try a few (which you're doing) with your whole rig, and at the volumes you usually play at.

For brightness though, you could lower the pot values, or if the guitar is 50's wired change it to modern wiring maybe.

I played a small gig last weekend, and I think I could have used some extra brightness with the set up I had on the day.

 

[Diamond]

The pickups are excellent...the neck pickup is one of the sweetest Les Paul tones I've ever heard, and I'm comparing it to Gibson Les Paul pickups in a side by side test through the same amp.
Also compared the MK2 pickups to a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and SD 59, again the MK2 were virtually identical...Im not sure what amp you played it through or what pickups were in the guitar you played...in fact I'm not even sure you played a Tokai...what country you in?

I wouldn't be so confidant. I have two LS's with the same pups and they sound very different. The 230 I bought from clay49 was very bright with Classic 57's so I bought a set of MKII's. It warmed it up but is still brighter than my 100Q. Granted the 230 is a Koa top but it stands to reason koa should be warmer than maple. Clay felt the same way, see here-

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14729&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

While I like the warmer 100 many of you may like the brighter 230 better, all a matter of taste. It may have sounded "blah" to clay49 (who hasn't responded to my post) but it may be just what some of you are looking for. My point is, they all play awesome from what I can tell, but don't expect them all to sound the same. There is more going on than just pups.

It's a blinking black art pickup matching to a guitar! Individual resonance peaks in the wood at certain frequencies may be increased or lowered depending on where in the frequency spectrum the pickup has peaks or troughs in its output. You just have to try a few (which you're doing) with your whole rig, and at the volumes you usually play at.

For brightness though, you could lower the pot values, or if the guitar is 50's wired change it to modern wiring maybe.

I played a small gig last weekend, and I think I could have used some extra brightness with the set up I had on the day.

I wonder how many guys who criticize certain pickups are actually testing them at gigging volume in a live situation?

 

[marcusnieman]

I wonder how many guys who criticize certain pickups are actually testing them at gigging volume in a live situation?

Not eveyone gigs. The play home volume levels using effects to achieve gig like response from their amps at low volume.

You can't play a Super Reverb cranked up to gig level 6 volume in a bedroom or office.

A pickup is going to be judged when played at the level you are accustomed to.