LP clones - Tokai, vs. Epi Elitist vs. Edwards vs. Greco?

Tokai Forum

Help Support Tokai Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Axchisler said:
.
Diamond said:
Guitarists are weird creatures.
They don't think about resale value when they buy a $15,000 car, but they think about resale value when they buy a $1000 guitar.

Meanwhile the car loses $1000 in value the minute you drive it out the showroom, and drops in value daily after you've bought it.
Eventually it lands up on a scrapheap or for sale in a "Used" car lot for 10% of it's original value, meanwhile you're still playing the $1000 guitar.

True Diamond, but if you have a car from before 1972 (like guitars) in great shape, even restored with new parts, it has increased in value considerably. :wink: And there's Conan O'Brian's '92 Ford Taurus SHO he's made famous :lol:

Sorry, I'm not convinced. :)

A guy will tell you that his 69 Corvette has increased in value, but he doesn't tell you what he's spent on it since he bought it...replacing parts, servicing, maintaining.
Add what he's spent onto what he paid, and guaranteed he's losing money when he sells it.

Reminds me of my buddies that tell me their business is paying for their Merc or BMW or Porsche...lol, really?, your business is paying, not you?..who owns the business? :)
 
Crap, did it again . Yeah, Tokais are kinda cool, ok I guess, but ESP's, that's where your money should go.

Would you like to explain this.? ESP have been selling guitars in other markets for years and have become extremely popular while the other manufacturers chose to stay in the Japanese market. So ESP charges Gibson prices for guitars that are no better than Tokai and the rest construction wise. ESP made itself popular selling pointy guitars in the 80's and have a much larger market than Tokai , burny, greco and co. So Tokai and the rest are better value for money than ESP. I recently played an ESP explorer and while it was a very nice guitar it was no better than the Greco i had with me at the time, the price difference was nearly 3 grand.

Mick
 
Diamond said:
JVsearch said:
Diamond said:
In 1977 Tokais were copies, today they're replicas, they have a reputation that's taken 40 years to establish...I'd hardly call that a copy.

They have a mahogany neck and body, 18 degree headstock angle, maple top, tune-o-matic bridge with stop tail piece, 2 humbuckers with 3 way switching plus volume and tone for each pickup. I wonder where they got the idea for that? :lol: Oh yeah, they also look identical to a Gibson LP!

Replicas, clones copies - it's all the same thing.

However, they have a top reputation as a quality guitar builder that is all their own, but they do primarily produce the designs of others.

True, but why do we call a Suhr guitar a Suhr, a Tyler a Tyler, or a D'Pergo a D'Pergo, when they're all Fender copies...same necks, same body shape, same wood, same switching system, 3 single coil pickups, etc,etc...besides the headstock they're identical to a Fender...I wonder where they got the idea from? ;)

I'd call a Suhr or D'Pergo a Fender copy, a very high end hand made one.

I really feel sorry for someone who has a passion for building guitars today because it pretty much has to look like a Fender or a Gibson or they wont sell many guitars. Most people here on this board wont even tolerate a slightly different headstock design, myself included, although in recent times I decided to get past this.

Why are those two brands so strong? Great designs, resting on past glory, the effects of "vintage mojo", massive marketing and endorsements, and the conservative nature of guitar buyers. So the only part really worth paying for is the great design, the rest of it is pretty much worthless to a guitar player unless you will want to sell the guitar later. That's where MIJ comes in with the same great designs, and higher build quality.

Only my opinion! :D
 
mark1982 said:
But lets try and keep it to ourself other wise everyone will be buying Tokais and they will put the Prices up!

Joined: 08 Oct 2009

And I thought I was late to the party :D
 
The trouble is that nothing has fuelled the increase in Tokai prices as much as this forum has. We are all to blame. It's our fault for telling the truth.

:cry:

Tokais are crap - don't buy one!
 
I was checking out a wall of ESPs yesterday at a music store.

Sure, the upper end models are great well built guitars, usual Japanese quality...but I must say they look a bit like a Christmas tree to me, lots of flashy binding and edging...not my cup of tea.
Makes me chuckle to think the same store is selling Japanese Tokais for far far less than the ESPs.

Now here's a store that knows what they're doing...two LS150s in front, surrounded by a few PRS 's, on the same stand...and the owners been selling, distributing, setting up, and repairing PRS for 20 years, he knows his stuff. :)

tokaisatandymcgibbons.jpg
 
Having said that, Tokais are definitely overpriced and the prices need to come down or at least stay where they are...they're not as good as the 'legend' makes them out to be. ;)
 
Diamond said:
Sorry, I'm not convinced. :)

A guy will tell you that his 69 Corvette has increased in value, but he doesn't tell you what he's spent on it since he bought it...replacing parts, servicing, maintaining.
Add what he's spent onto what he paid, and guaranteed he's losing money when he sells it.

Have you ever bought a vintage car? or guitar older than 1972? Just what are you trying to say how it is any different? Parts?

Maybe I misunderstood your post. They usually keep receipts for everything, and show you a grocery list of all they put into it, and tell you they are losing money when they want to sell it. :roll:
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Crap, did it again . Yeah, Tokais are kinda cool, ok I guess, but ESP's, that's where your money should go.

Would you like to explain this.? ESP have been selling guitars in other markets for years and have become extremely popular while the other manufacturers chose to stay in the Japanese market. So ESP charges Gibson prices for guitars that are no better than Tokai and the rest construction wise. ESP made itself popular selling pointy guitars in the 80's and have a much larger market than Tokai , burny, greco and co. So Tokai and the rest are better value for money than ESP. I recently played an ESP explorer and while it was a very nice guitar it was no better than the Greco i had with me at the time, the price difference was nearly 3 grand.

Mick

:eek: I think you answered your own question, but missed the point. Stratman323 can you help me explain?

Maybe this quote will help; "Buy ESP, Tokai are a myth."

Sorry mate, I thought you were native Austrailian
:oops: :wink:
 
Axchisler said:
[ :eek: I think you answered your own question, but missed the point. Stratman323 can you help me explain?

Maybe this quote will help; "Buy ESP, Tokai are a myth."

Sorry mate, I thought you were native Austrailian
:oops: :wink:

I'll try.

WAKE UP MICK!!!

Any good?
 
Sorry Mick, we were joking about Tokai's being just OK, and ESP just popped in my head. We have been praising them (Tokais) so much we were afraid word would spread and prices would go up. As for ESP's I totally agree, way overpriced :eek: .
 
Diamond said:
I was checking out a wall of ESPs yesterday at a music store.

Sure, the upper end models are great well built guitars, usual Japanese quality...but I must say they look a bit like a Christmas tree to me, lots of flashy binding and edging...not my cup of tea.
Makes me chuckle to think the same store is selling Japanese Tokais for far far less than the ESPs.

Speaking of Christmas trees:

Christmastree.jpg


"Pointy tips, a pointy pointy, anoint their heads, anointy nointy." Who knows what movie that's from?

Sorry, back to the topic...
 
How about those MOP's Si Pie :wink: , don't look too close though, haven't changed the strings in quite a while. :oops:
 
Axchisler said:
How about those MOP's Si Pie :wink: , don't look too close though, haven't changed the strings in quite a while. :oops:

You're mental :lol:

Don't tell anyone, but I'm quite fond of MOP inlays too. Sshhhh!
 
leadguitar_323 said:
Wow, you go away fora couple of days and everyone starts taking the p1ss out of you......

Now that's not fair. :evil:

We're quite happy to take the p1ss out of you at any time. :D
 

Latest posts

Back
Top