Is this a fake Tokai!

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GPCarpenter

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The seller says he bought it from LA Music in Canada...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220506631140&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:CA:1123
 
Paladin2019 said:
Fakey McFakefake.

That guitar looks like an Epi Dot Studio...does Tokai even make one similar to that...a 335 style with no binding, and only two controls for the pickups?
 
I do not think that is not a fake actually. It is a Chinese made Tokai...I have seen those headstock's on LP type models as well. It has the little dimple in the center of the open book headstock with the abalone inlaid design etc.
 
Udonitron said:
I do not think that is not a fake actually. It is a Chinese made Tokai...I have seen those headstock's on LP type models as well. It has the little dimple in the center of the open book headstock with the abalone inlaid design etc.

Fakey McFakenstein.
 
LOL....I have never understood why people on forums quote the previous post in their immediate reply? :p

Those flowerpot designs are the same as Tokai puts on their acoustic guitars so I would not be surprised if they have started to do that on some of their "sideline" models. If they are going to "fake" a guitar manufacturer why would they do it with such an obscure and different logo and headstock? You think they would replicate the original, just a thought.

And here is an example of a 1982 Tokai with a abalone flower type headstock inlay so we know Tokai has done this in the past so why is it not plausible that the Chinese ones are doing it now? Anything is possible with Chinese made guitars lol


tokai5.jpg

tokai3.jpg
 
I'm all too familiar with that particular model of Fakai...me and Mick have seen this model crop up time and time again from Canada...and yes...it's as fake as Pammy's boobs :eek:
 
The Tokai lettering is totally wrong.... there is not a legit Tokai (MIJ, MIK or MIC) that uses that lousy script. The truss rod cover is wrong too. All have the pointed tip at the top - not the scalloped one shown.
 
Is that one you've photoshopped, or did you actually find it like that? If it's the latter, then it's quite worryingly good. Apart from the telltale.
 
BlueThird said:
Is that one you've photoshopped, or did you actually find it like that? If it's the latter, then it's quite worryingly good. Apart from the telltale.


I have never altered the image; it is exactly as it was when posted on the web

anyone see what is obviously wrong?

I know of two examples, and I own one of the two; the one in the pic is not mine tho' ..............
 
Ozeshin said:
I'm all too familiar with that particular model of Fakai...me and Mick have seen this model crop up time and time again from Canada...and yes...it's as fake as Pammy's boobs :eek:

That IS a fake, i have piles of pics of these things and can guarantee it is a made in Korea Fake. This is not a guess, apart from the fact i have emailed Tokai on numerous occasions about the Fakes we are cataloging, Tokai NEVER made a all mahogany 335 , its as simple as that. That logo NEVER appeared on any "real" Tokai, they did have similar inlays as someone pointed out but that one is definitely a FAKE.

Mick
 
The obvious 'mistake' in MIJvintage's photo ??and I'm not entirely sure that it is a mistake, perhaps more a direct statement: "if you don't spot this, then you deserve to be ripped off" ??is that the dot on the I is in the wrong place.

There are more subtle differences too, at least relative to the logo on my Love Rock. As an example, the I is too square ? on mine it tapers slightly towards the top. The loop on the K comes down too far and doesn't go in enough. There are plenty more examples, too, but all very finicky, and there are more on the Love Rock Model part of the logo (though they'd be easier to describe in detail from a higher resolution photo).

That said, apart from the dot being in the wrong place, I'm not 100% convinced that the other details would automatically make the logo dodgy. Since no one seemed to think that my idea of a logo analysis was worthwhile I didn't bother following through, but I've got a strong suspicion that the logo has changed slightly over the years ? most likely when production started in Korea and China.
 
BlueThird said:
The obvious 'mistake' in MIJvintage's photo ??and I'm not entirely sure that it is a mistake, perhaps more a direct statement: "if you don't spot this, then you deserve to be ripped off" ??is that the dot on the I is in the wrong place.


yes, the A in Tokai is dotted, not the I :wink:

here is a link
http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8179

I believe Rup's LS-320 is a 2000 example, which my LS-320 has the same 'dotted a' & is also a 2000 example.

does the dotted A make these two LS-320s fakais :lol:
 
I would be more inclined to think the dots are a mistake, not a fake.
On my 2 Tokai's the "Tokai" logo material seems different, my 2 have greens and blues in them like abalone or nice pearl, are yours like that, is it the photo just doesn't show it.?

Mick
 
If it were mine I'd be worried ? I don't know exactly how the logo would be applied, but I'm pretty sure it would standardised and normally done in one stage rather than two. This sort of thing tends to be taken very seriously by most companies.

But I'd be a lot more worried if it was from a western factory. It's possible that the process isn't foolproof, that it ends up being done in two stages occasionally, and that some of Tokai's luthiers aren't overly familiar with the roman alphabet. They're luthiers, after all, not language students or graphic designers.
 
MIJvintage said:
BlueThird said:
The obvious 'mistake' in MIJvintage's photo ??and I'm not entirely sure that it is a mistake, perhaps more a direct statement: "if you don't spot this, then you deserve to be ripped off" ??is that the dot on the I is in the wrong place.


yes, the A in Tokai is dotted, not the I :wink:

here is a link
http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=8179

I believe Rup's LS-320 is a 2000 example, which my LS-320 has the same 'dotted a' & is also a 2000 example.

does the dotted A make these two LS-320s fakais :lol:
Yes it DOES make them Fakai..now shut up and post them to Australia..and be quick about it :p
 
The aforementioned store has alot of the faked Tokai's and since they don't mind selling fakes i don't trust any guitar in the store to be what they say it is. I wouldn't even buy strings there. But that's just me and if it the music store i think it is I live about a 10 or so minute drive from them. If I cared enough about them I might do the drive.
 
Some great info here really, and I know this forum is about identifying fake and real Tokais. But you can't say this isn't a great deal for $200 US fake or not. It's still a pretty decent guitar, especially for 200 bucks...for a buyer on a budget. After all, do any of you share a profit in real Tokais? If not, what does it matter? OK, we've been through all this before, and it's important that people know not to pay real Tokai money for a fake Tokai. Good thing is however while this forum may have inflated Japanese Tokais, it has definitely deflated fake Tokais. Good thing for who tho? Collectors, budget buyers? Once again the middle class suffers :x .

BTW, love that hollowbody brokentoes, nice tuners :wink: .
 
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