sg-175 vs gibson sg standard or 61 reissue

Tokai Forum

Help Support Tokai Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

HowardMusic

New member
Joined
May 19, 2010
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Location
Tokyo
new to the forum and probably know the answer i'll get on this forum, but has anybody actually gone through the process of comparing these - they are all around the same price point here in japan. i've played the gib sg standard and 61 reissue, and actually liked the standard better - i think i like the fatter neck on the standard. i'm going to go play some sg175's this weekend, but just thought i'd throw this question out to the forum.

fwiw, i have a tj78 now and put a lollar p90 in it, and the feel and sound of the tj78 is a lot better than the japan-only gibson junior double cutaway that came out this year - i wonder if i should expect the same result between the sg175 and the gibsons. thanks.
 
You mean this SG185?

http://www1.odn.ne.jp/tokaigakki/products/premium/sg185.html
 
Expect the same results every time you put the G up against the T.
 
Gibson is good too mostly? They are just too expensive and sloppy often? I like both, Gibson and Tokai. Wanna have both really someday. Only a Tokai strat and Greco Les Paul right now. My Japanese guitars. Fender Mexico is ok too, right?
Hope so really.....Mick :lol:
 
Unless you are very lucky and find a great Gibson (apparently there are some!) then the Tokai will beat it, hands down! One Saturday n my local guitar shop I played 5 new Gibson LP Standards and three new LS-85's all the Tokais were better playing guitars than all the Gibsons, and half the price too!

Unless you are really bothered about a 1-piece body & nitro get the SG-85 (or whatever it's called these days) it'll play and sound better than the Gibson and you'll save enough for another guitar too!
 
well had a chance to play a couple of sg-175's today - they still have a few floating around before the 185's come out (and with a 10,000 yen uplift on price). one, i hate to say was not that great, but the second was really great. also played a 61 RI which was surprisingly good and a used VOS standard that was also good. the price difference between the 175 and 61RI is not that big, about 10,000 yen more for the gibson, and the used VOS is 70,000 yen more. so still trying to decide - they are all really nice playing and good sounding guitars.
 
That's great HowardMusic, some actual hands on comparisons instead of the usual story of people just saying Gibson are always *****. They're not. Overpriced? Sure.
 
Decisions decisions!! Definitely best that you've played them all first, make sure you let us know which one you buy :wink:
 
JVsearch said:
That's great HowardMusic, some actual hands on comparisons instead of the usual story of people just saying Gibson are always *****. They're not. Overpriced? Sure.

Take an LS92 with MK2 pickups, play it alongside a Gibson Les Paul Standard...same thing, the LS92 is a third of the price.
Now examine both guitars carefully, check the finish, the wood, etc, etc...the Tokai wins.

A PRS endorsed guitarist down here in SA played an LS92 and an LS160...he preferred the LS92.

Figuring out guitarists is impossible. :)
 
JohnA said:
Decisions decisions!! Definitely best that you've played them all first, make sure you let us know which one you buy :wink:

It's now become a psychological decision...which one he buys is based on his personal psychology.
The next guy who walks into the same store will choose a different guitar, and his comments on all of them will be different.

I see it all day long, I laugh my *** off.
One highly qualified pro guitarist plays 5 Tokais and decides that a particular one is "the one", the choice of the bunch.
The next guy, equally "qualified" chooses a different one...both believe they bought "the one".

Another scenario I see.
Guy walks into a Music Store, they only have one Tokai left in stock, plays it for 30 minutes, pulls out his Credit Card and buys it.
Absolutely loves it, didn't need to play 5, loves the one he bought.

Or.
Play a few, one feels better than the others.
Take the others to my guitar tech, he tweaks the nut and action very slightly, the one that once felt best now doesn;t feel as good as the ones that have just been tweaked.
 
Havib said:
tokai in africa now but not in india why?

Because Tokai don't make cricket bats. ;)

Thinking about it, how about a Tokai "Sashin Tendulker" signature model...they'd sell a million of them. :)
 
Has anyone bothered to mention that the Tokai is Honduras mahogany? Spec wise that blows the Gibson out of the water,the Tokai will be better built and probably be worth more in the future. I have even had a great SG from the sixties but if i buy a new SG it would be a high end Tokai for sure.

Mick
 
I have owned guitars that were made with Honduran, and ones that are non Hoduran, and I really cannot tell a differecne AFA tonal qualities.

I do usually notice the difference when the guitar is paid for because Honduran maho will command a premium from my wallet that non Honduran will not :lol:
 
Diamond said:
JohnA said:
Decisions decisions!! Definitely best that you've played them all first, make sure you let us know which one you buy :wink:

It's now become a psychological decision...which one he buys is based on his personal psychology.
The next guy who walks into the same store will choose a different guitar, and his comments on all of them will be different.

I see it all day long, I laugh my *** off.
One highly qualified pro guitarist plays 5 Tokais and decides that a particular one is "the one", the choice of the bunch.
The next guy, equally "qualified" chooses a different one...both believe they bought "the one".

Another scenario I see.
Guy walks into a Music Store, they only have one Tokai left in stock, plays it for 30 minutes, pulls out his Credit Card and buys it.
Absolutely loves it, didn't need to play 5, loves the one he bought.

Or.
Play a few, one feels better than the others.
Take the others to my guitar tech, he tweaks the nut and action very slightly, the one that once felt best now doesn;t feel as good as the ones that have just been tweaked.

that's what I'm always concerned about when I try a guitar in a shop. Do I like it more because it's a better guitar, or because it has a better setup, or strings I like more?
 
One of the few Gibsons I own is a 61 reissue.... which I've upgraded with Faber components - alum locking tailpiece, bridge with brass saddles. Also put new caps in it, vintage "Les Paul" truss rod cover..... gotta say, nicest playing, sounding SG I've ever played - and I have several. Never played an SG185 or even seen one but I'd imagine it's right up there.

083.jpg

084.jpg

GibsonSGP6274931f1.jpg
 
I have one Tokai and lots of Gibsons. The Tokai is an ES-Custom (high-end spec ES for a special order) and it's nice but in terms of a generic comparison between Gibson and Tokai, I'm not really sure things are so simple that you can say 'Tokais beat Gibsons hands down', or even vice-versa.

I have some Gibson Les Pauls from the 50s, an SG Custom from 1961, and a few of the more expensive custom shop re-issues and limited edition LPs that are between 20 and 2 years old. I also have some low-end Gibsons from the 60s - an ES 125 and a SG-shaped Melody Maker. I occasionally babysit some of my pal's extensive collection of 50's and 60's vintage Gibsons too. So that's a reasonably wide sample of Gibson instruments, and I've come to really appreciate the older stuff. Even the old cheapies like the Melody Maker are beautiful to play. This could be down to being well set up over the years by previous owners, but there is also the magic of old wood, which takes some beating. But the newer ones are **** good too in terms of fit and finish and sound pretty good, with one exception - which is unfortunately a bit of a duffer.

However, I've experienced less than great Gibsons in shops, and even had shop staff saying 'don't bother with that one - it's rubbish.' These were at the entry level of the Gibson range. But then again...one of the best LPs I have is a LP Standard Faded - a really cheap short run LP that Gibson turned out for a while a few years back and occasionally makes in batches to special order. We are talking about $700 or something for these. Admittedly mine was extensively upgraded and set up (with commensurate price hike) by Larry Corsa (cvguitars.com) but it is really a fine Les Paul, and in some respects beats the custom shop ones for depth of tone and response.

So can I say Tokais - dollar for dollar - offer more reliable quality than Gibson? I don't know, having only played a couple of Tokais. Maybe there are disappointing Tokais out there too? I can say that my Tokai ES is not necessarily a better guitar than the early 60s ES-335s I've played, but that could be because I like a well played guitar and my Tokai is fairly new, and stiff. Of course the difference between what you'd pay for a 60s 335 and a Tokai ES is a factor, but that's not really the point I suppose. I'm pretty certain that whatever I paid for my Tokai ES got me a better guitar than a roughly equivalent amount (give or take a few hundred ??) would have got in a low end Gibson 335.
 
I have one Tokai and lots of Gibsons. The Tokai is an ES-Custom (high-end spec ES for a special order) and it's nice but in terms of a generic comparison between Gibson and Tokai, I'm not really sure things are so simple that you can say 'Tokais beat Gibsons hands down', or even vice-versa.

I have some Gibson Les Pauls from the 50s, an SG Custom from 1961, and a few of the more expensive custom shop re-issues and limited edition LPs that are between 20 and 2 years old. I also have some low-end Gibsons from the 60s - an ES 125 and a SG-shaped Melody Maker. I occasionally babysit some of my pal's extensive collection of 50's and 60's vintage Gibsons too. So that's a reasonably wide sample of Gibson instruments, and I've come to really appreciate the older stuff. Even the old cheapies like the Melody Maker are beautiful to play. This could be down to being well set up over the years by previous owners, but there is also the magic of old wood, which takes some beating. But the newer ones are **** good too in terms of fit and finish and sound pretty good, with one exception - which is unfortunately a bit of a duffer.

However, I've experienced less than great Gibsons in shops, and even had shop staff saying 'don't bother with that one - it's rubbish.' These were at the entry level of the Gibson range. But then again...one of the best LPs I have is a LP Standard Faded - a really cheap short run LP that Gibson turned out for a while a few years back and occasionally makes in batches to special order. We are talking about $700 or something for these. Admittedly mine was extensively upgraded and set up (with commensurate price hike) by Larry Corsa (cvguitars.com) but it is really a fine Les Paul, and in some respects beats the custom shop ones for depth of tone and response.

So can I say Tokais - dollar for dollar - offer more reliable quality than Gibson? I don't know, having only played a couple of Tokais. Maybe there are disappointing Tokais out there too? I can say that my Tokai ES is not necessarily a better guitar than the early 60s ES-335s I've played, but that could be because I like a well played guitar and my Tokai is fairly new, and stiff. Of course the difference between what you'd pay for a 60s 335 and a Tokai ES is a factor, but that's not really the point I suppose. I'm pretty certain that whatever I paid for my Tokai ES got me a better guitar than a roughly equivalent amount (give or take a few hundred ??) would have got in a low end Gibson 335.
 
In terms of owners' opinions, the Tokais are far more reliable. It's pretty clear that Tokai buyers are more likely to go, "Whoa! This guitar is perfect," while Gibson buyers are more likely to go, "WTF?" when they unbox their guitars.

But saying that, you're just looking at a trend. Tokai is more consistent and careful. That doesn't make all Gibsons crap. It just means you can afford to be a little less cautious with Tokais, and are less likely to be disappointed.

VOS Custom shop Gibsons are pretty generally fantastic guitars - just insanely expensive. Among the factory models, I'm sure you wouldn't have to play too many to find a '61 reissue SG that plays as well, and is set up as well, as an USG185. But I'd guess you wouldn't randomly find 5 that would match 5 random USG185s. It's all going to come down to statistics.

And let's not forget that with an USG185 you pay for Honduran Mahogany which is pure luxury. It doesn't do anything for the quality of the guitar, but necessarily makes it more expensive. So it's not comparing apples with apples value-wise, even though the Tokai is definitely worth the money. If the USG185 was made from African mahogany, it would be way cheaper than the Gibsons.

I'm an African. I'll take African Mahogany any day of the week ;)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top