Origin and Year of this Tokai Love Rock

[MarlonMM]

Hi, newbie here.
Please help me shed light on the origin and manufacture year.
-Open book
-3 screw truss rod cover
-6 digit serial number 200327

I got this from a second hand guitar seller who also has no idea about the origin of this guitar.

Thanks.

 

[Sigmania]

Welcome to the forum.

The guitar you got is one of a group of questionable guitars.

What I can tell you is that it was not made in Japan. It was made in Korea or China.

The question has been whether these are legitimate authorized guitars or not?

My tendency after looking at scores of these is to believe they are unauthorized.

Most of the ones I have seen have serial numbers starting with 5 which was apparently 2005. Yours starts with a 2. If that is 2002 it puts it before the rash of guitars known on here as Fakais which were unauthorized Korean built Tokais.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that many people like these guitars. They tend to be decent guitars.

Hope that helps.

 

[MarlonMM]

Welcome to the forum.

The guitar you got is one of a group of questionable guitars.

What I can tell you is that it was not made in Japan. It was made in Korea or China.

The question has been whether these are legitimate authorized guitars or not?

My tendency after looking at scores of these is to believe they are unauthorized.

Most of the ones I have seen have serial numbers starting with 5 which was apparently 2005. Yours starts with a 2. If that is 2002 it puts it before the rash of guitars known on here as Fakais which were unauthorized Korean built Tokais.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that many people like these guitars. They tend to be decent guitars.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for this info. My initial thought was they were korean made based on the features and serial number. But the inconsistencies with other koream made Love Rocks made me doubt it. The Fakais made more sense to me now.

 

[Sigmania]

You’re welcome.

Here are some of the others.

I noticed that your logo doesn’t have the closed “a” which a lot of these have.

From 2005:

05 Six Digit Serial Number Unauthorized (?)

From 2003 & 2004

Manufactured Under License For... Fakais

 

[MarlonMM]

You’re welcome.

Here are some of the others.

I noticed that your logo doesn’t have the closed “a” which a lot of these have.

From 2005:

05 Six Digit Serial Number Unauthorized (?)

From 2003 & 2004

Manufactured Under License For... Fakais

My guitar is Tokui and not Tokai… Not even a Fakai. I’ll keep digging…

 

[Sigmania]

Lol. I have called them Tohui. Actually similar to the Japanese logo.

Check out this thread:

"Tokai" Headstock Logo Inlay Variations

 

[MarlonMM]

Lol. I have called them Tohui. Actually similar to the Japanese logo.

Check out this thread:

"Tokai" Headstock Logo Inlay Variations

They are quite similar with japanese and latest chinese. ‘Tohui’logo. I didn’t know there are many variations until today.