NGD 1982 Tokai LS-50

[hollowbody]

The seller was unsure what pickups were in it, other than them being Seymour Duncans, but he had kept the stickers that had fallen off of them a while back. Turns out the pickups in it are Seymour Duncan Alnico Pro IIs, which are what goes into the Slash models these days (and have been in all of Slash's guitars forever), but these are from 1986 or 1987. Cool! I really like A2 humbuckers to begin with and I was probably going to put some Gibson Classic '57s into her anyway, but now I'm rethinking that.

In terms of playbility, feel and tone compared to my Gibson LP Standard, it plays and feels pretty much just as good. I don't like the height of the knobs on it compared to the US guitar, but when I redo the wiring on it, I'll probably get US spec knobs anyway. Tonally, the guitar is a little brighter than my US LP, but I also haven't really spent too much time fiddling with the pickup height and stuff, so that could change. For now, I'm quite happy with the guitar as a backup/alternate tuning guitar.

A quick question for you people who know your Tokai's really well. I'm hugely impressed with this guitar and kinda want to pick up another Tokai somewhere down the road. I don't think an LS-60 would be a significant increase in terms of quality, but is the difference in playability and tone between an LS-50 and an LS-80 really big enough to be noticed?

Here are some pics!

 

[hollowbody]

And here's some shots of her with her big sister.

 

[Cali Girl]

I don't think an LS-60 would be a significant increase in terms of quality, but is the difference in playability and tone between an LS-50 and an LS-80 really big enough to be noticed?

You got a nice guitar. The flame is great and the off-center seam looks like a refinished '56 goldtop would.

An LS-50 is a great guitar, but the LS-80 is a couple of steps up. You'll notice a difference in the feel due to the finish and increased headstock angle. Will the tone be better? Hard to say since it's likely to have the same pickups and electronics. The LS-80 tailpiece and bridge are a bit better and the pickups usually have covers.

The best thing would be to try one and see if the difference matters to you.

 

[Anonymous]

And an LS80 will be nitro - you tend to pay more for that.

 

[JVsearch]

And an LS80 will be nitro...

Plus a one piece body and two piece top.

 

[JVsearch]

I don't think an LS-60 would be a significant increase in terms of quality, but is the difference in playability and tone between an LS-50 and an LS-80 really big enough to be noticed?

You got a nice guitar. The flame is great and the off-center seam looks like a refinished '56 goldtop would.

Isn't it a 3 piece top? My eyes must be seeing things if it isn't, or maybe seeing what I expect to see!

Guitar looks good!

 

[hollowbody]

Isn't it a 3 piece top? My eyes must be seeing things if it isn't, or maybe seeing what I expect to see!

Guitar looks good!

It's definitely a 3 piece top, but it's not as bad as some others I've seen.

 

[JVsearch]

Isn't it a 3 piece top? My eyes must be seeing things if it isn't, or maybe seeing what I expect to see!

Guitar looks good!

It's definitely a 3 piece top, but it's not as bad as some others I've seen.

Oh don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with 3 piece tops - it's something different isn't it. Some say it changes the tone, but I can't imagine there would be much difference, and if it does audibly change it then it might even be a tone that people prefer!

The model specs are for a 3 piece top but I wasn't sure after reading one of the other posts - a two piece off centre seamed top would have been an interesting anomaly from Tokai.

 

[Cali Girl]

Somehow I can't see the seam on the bass side! Must be my eyes playing tricks

 

[JVsearch]

Somehow I can't see the seam on the bass side! Must be my eyes playing tricks

It's quite faint, and you can really only see it in the very first picture.
I read your post and was thinking blimey that's different, then I thought I could see the other seam, and then I thought I couldn't see it any more!
So I figured I must be seeing what I "expect" to see on an LS-50 and thought it best to check with the owner.

If only we could all examine each guitar in person.

 

[hollowbody]

Oh don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with 3 piece tops - it's something different isn't it. Some say it changes the tone, but I can't imagine there would be much difference, and if it does audibly change it then it might even be a tone that people prefer!

The model specs are for a 3 piece top but I wasn't sure after reading one of the other posts - a two piece off centre seamed top would have been an interesting anomaly from Tokai.

No worries, I didn't take it that way.

As for any tonal change, yeah, maybe a solid maple top or two piece top will resonate "together" better than a 3-piece, but honestly, at the end of the day I'm putting it through a cranked Marshall so any subtle nuances like that are going right out the window anyway. And I specifically bought this as a backup/alternate tuning guitar, so I wasn't going to spend premium money on it for something that is mostly just a cosmetic difference.

While I was searching, I came across a really nice OBG '59 LP. It was GORGEOUS, but it cost double what I paid for the LS-50 and it just didn't make sense to me.

I'll try to take a pic that shows the bass side seam a little more clearly. It's definitely there and visible if you look at it from the right angle.