Mole Man
Well-known member
stratman323 said:
+1 to that.
(I own a wine red LS150 similar to the one in Wozob's images).
lets see everyones LS150s
- Thread starter Tompski
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Help Support Tokai Forum:
+1 to that.
(I own a wine red LS150 similar to the one in Wozob's images).
stratman323 said:
I am realistic, it's the Tokais that aren't.
Go into a Music Store and play ten Tokais, you'll quickly realize there's something 'different' going on, something you hardly ever experience in a music store.
That's what I call 'boutique'.
It doesn't matter that 'loads' of LS85S guitars like yours have been made, what matters is how each one of them was made.
If three in every ten LS85S guitars are dogs, then three of every ten internet reviews are going to be bad...but I've never read a bad review, not one.
When I see the word Custom Shop on the forums, in my head I imagine a guitar that's been made under careful supervision, almost hand made.
I'm sure much more time is spent making that guitar, and where quality control is far better than the mass produced guitars leaving the same factory...thus it's a Custom Shop.
Tokai do that with every guitar, don't they?
Easy Crossing
Well-known member
Never met a Tokai I didn't like!
A
Anonymous
Guest
Diamond said:
We don't get shops full of new Tokais round my way, but no matter, I have a few of my own. :wink: Due to borrowing back a couple of guitars for the photo book project, I had 8 mid 80s Goldstars here over the weekend. I know they're good.
But that doesn't alter the fact that are mass produced, poly-finished Strats, not hand made special orders. Yes they're consistent (though neck profiles do vary, surprisingly so), but all that means is that Tokai took quality control seriously - a very Japanese thing.
But that's how all guitars should be, it ain't exactly brain surgery.The way you talk about the new Tokais, anyone would think you were a dealer with a vested interest.
:wink:
JohnA
Well-known member
Diamond said:If you own a Tokai you own a "gem"...consider yourself privileged...yep, even the LS90s are custom shop guitars.
This is not my opinion, this is a fact...IMO
Got to agree with Mike, an LS90 isn't a custom shop guitar, it is however as good quality as some of the guitars the come out of the custom shops of some other manufacturers, and certainly a cut above some manufacturers production stuff.
The words 'custom shop' and 'boutique' mean different things to different people, to me they mean AAAA maple tops, MOP inlays, Brazillian rosewood and Honduran mahogany not an LS90
IMO a LS90 is a production guitar that has a lot better quality-price ratio than most
JohnA said:Diamond said:If you own a Tokai you own a "gem"...consider yourself privileged...yep, even the LS90s are custom shop guitars.
This is not my opinion, this is a fact...IMO
The words 'custom shop' and 'boutique' mean different things to different people, to me they mean AAAA maple tops, MOP inlays, Brazillian rosewood and Honduran mahogany not an LS90
IMO a LS90 is a production guitar that has a lot better quality-price ratio than most
But the high end Premium Series Tokais that are made of AAAA maple, MOP inlays, Brazillian rosewood, and Honduran mahogany are made by the same guys who make the Vintage Series LS90, they're making the same guitar but using higher quality materials.
Putting aside the materials being used, I'm saying the building process is 'boutique' or Custom Shop equivalent.
A
Anonymous
Guest
Diamond said:
So, if a guy who works in Fenders Custom Shop helps out on the main US production line for a few weeks when work is slack in the CS, does that make the US Standard guitars he works on into Custom Shop instruments by association? :lol:
We know Tokais are good, why do we need to hype them? The fact that the entry level MIJ guitars are good doesn't alter the fact that hundreds of identical guitars get churned out by the factory - they're mass produced, but by a fairly small company.
JohnA
Well-known member
Diamond said:
Tokai, by a good margin I would think
Mole Man
Well-known member
JohnA said:
Think again , John! I remember reading somewhere that if one considers the Fender CS as a seperate entity to Fender per se, then the Fender CS would actually rank something like fourth place globally behind:
Fender (FMIC)
Gibson
PRS
Can anyone else verify this at all?
Darren
JohnA
Well-known member
You might be right Darren, I was just guessing, look at the numbers Toaki must produce for Fender Japan, that's alot of guitars!
Well, if we had the exact figures it might end up that the Fender Custom Shop is the mass producer and Tokai are the Custom Shop.
What if we were to put a few of Tokai, Ibanez, and ESPs best luthiers in the Fender Mass Production line...chances are they'd make better guitars than the Custom Shop...and then what, which guitar would you want?
What if we were to put a few of Tokai, Ibanez, and ESPs best luthiers in the Fender Mass Production line...chances are they'd make better guitars than the Custom Shop...and then what, which guitar would you want?
A
Anonymous
Guest
Are there any reliable figures on Tokai? How many staff do they have? Has that changed much since the 80s? How many guitars do they produce each year (MIJ only)?
A
Anonymous
Guest
Diamond said:Well, if we had the exact figures it might end up that the Fender Custom Shop is the mass producer and Tokai are the Custom Shop.
What if we were to put a few of Tokai, Ibanez, and ESPs best luthiers in the Fender Mass Production line...chances are they'd make better guitars than the Custom Shop...and then what, which guitar would you want?
Quite possibly.
I think I would go for an SRV Charley Strat with the same neck profile as an 80s Goldie ST50. 100% nitro, whatever that means. :-? Tokai spaghetti decal. 8)
An early 60s ES330 clone would be nice to see as well. But not with that awful Epiphone headstock that ruined the Casino for me.
JohnA
Well-known member
stratman323 said:Diamond said:Well, if we had the exact figures it might end up that the Fender Custom Shop is the mass producer and Tokai are the Custom Shop.
What if we were to put a few of Tokai, Ibanez, and ESPs best luthiers in the Fender Mass Production line...chances are they'd make better guitars than the Custom Shop...and then what, which guitar would you want?
Quite possibly.
I think I would go for an SRV Charley Strat with the same neck profile as an 80s Goldie ST50. 100% nitro, whatever that means. :-? Tokai spaghetti decal. 8)
An early 60s ES330 clone would be nice to see as well. But not with that awful Epiphone headstock that ruined the Casino for me.
Put me down for the same
Diamond said:JohnA said:Diamond said:If you own a Tokai you own a "gem"...consider yourself privileged...yep, even the LS90s are custom shop guitars.
This is not my opinion, this is a fact...IMO
The words 'custom shop' and 'boutique' mean different things to different people, to me they mean AAAA maple tops, MOP inlays, Brazillian rosewood and Honduran mahogany not an LS90
IMO a LS90 is a production guitar that has a lot better quality-price ratio than most
But the high end Premium Series Tokais that are made of AAAA maple, MOP inlays, Brazillian rosewood, and Honduran mahogany are made by the same guys who make the Vintage Series LS90, they're making the same guitar but using higher quality materials.
How do you know this, I've heard different - the LS-470/540 are made under the supervision of one Master Luthier and only a VERY small team. They are not made in the same way as the LS-90 at all, Tokai Joe could explain all this much better, there's a whole different attitude needed for building the top models.
marcusnieman
Well-known member
JohnA said:stratman323 said:Diamond said:Well, if we had the exact figures it might end up that the Fender Custom Shop is the mass producer and Tokai are the Custom Shop.
What if we were to put a few of Tokai, Ibanez, and ESPs best luthiers in the Fender Mass Production line...chances are they'd make better guitars than the Custom Shop...and then what, which guitar would you want?
Quite possibly.
I think I would go for an SRV Charley Strat with the same neck profile as an 80s Goldie ST50. 100% nitro, whatever that means. :-? Tokai spaghetti decal. 8)
An early 60s ES330 clone would be nice to see as well. But not with that awful Epiphone headstock that ruined the Casino for me.
Put me down for the same
The next guitar I buy is going to be a 60's ES330
A
Anonymous
Guest
marcusnieman said:
Try & get one a little less beaten-up than mine.
:lol:
LS-90 ,LS-150 and LS-320 that became LS-380 now LS-470 are different specs guitars and are in different league.It?s something you can notice when you have the three at the same time and makes you forget the model before.
LS-150s and UK equivalents while good are not the same as LS-320s(some Limited Uks have prettiest tops however) I also feel LS-320s made before 2005 are slightly different than the ones made after(older ones had that greenish turners for example that recent ones don?t have(an improve).
LS-320 project had a great luthier heading,I don?t know who the Master Luthier is at this time.Tokai has recruited some new people because production went up in demand lately.
I would go and buy a 470 if I was able to get a special one....
LS-150s and UK equivalents while good are not the same as LS-320s(some Limited Uks have prettiest tops however) I also feel LS-320s made before 2005 are slightly different than the ones made after(older ones had that greenish turners for example that recent ones don?t have(an improve).
LS-320 project had a great luthier heading,I don?t know who the Master Luthier is at this time.Tokai has recruited some new people because production went up in demand lately.
I would go and buy a 470 if I was able to get a special one....
