Random shop in Tokyo, and so many Tokais

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Minoupark

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I bet you guys don't see a sight like this too often so I took a photo of it.
Just a random shop in the Ochanomizu area in Tokyo. Randomly walked in and there were about 20 Tokai love rocks.

4995099479_cd956e6bd2_b.jpg


The LS98 in the front had a beautiful flametop. As far as I can tell, it was AAA maple, not a veneer top. Seems like the specs are all over the place these days. :roll:
 
Minoupark said:
I bet you guys don't see a sight like this too often so I took a photo of it.
Just a random shop in the Ochanomizu area in Tokyo. Randomly walked in and there were about 20 Tokai love rocks.

4995099479_cd956e6bd2_b.jpg


The LS98 in the front had a beautiful flametop. As far as I can tell, it was AAA maple, not a veneer top. Seems like the specs are all over the place these days. :roll:
Click to expand...

All the LS98F models look like a AAA solid maple top, but they're all veneer....82,300 YEN does not buy you a solid AAA flame top.
The maple used to make the veneers is AAA maple, whether it's 1mm thick or an inch thick it looks the same.

The specs are not all over the place.
 
Hmm, I thought that veneer tops usually don't show wood grain like a solid flame maple tops do, because the top layer is too thin to show any discernible wood grain, and obscures the grain of the cap underneath. This one showed both very clearly. Maybe I am wrong.
 
??? It'll show whatever's cut. Are you thinking of photoflame?

Edit: ah, "too thin" - don't forget that the definition of veneer is just one piece of wood used on another for effect; Tok's veneers are a bit thicker than some. Still though, showing grain or not isn't a good indicator of veneer. And yep, not a solid cap on the 98.
 
Minoupark said:
Hmm, I thought that veneer tops usually don't show wood grain like a solid flame maple tops do, because the top layer is too thin to show any discernible wood grain, and obscures the grain of the cap underneath. This one showed both very clearly. Maybe I am wrong.
Click to expand...

When I look at the veneered LS98F guitars I cant believe how good the flame is.
The flame moves as you move the guitar, it has 3D depth, everything that a solid flame maple has.
Some even have the grain lines going in opposite directions.
 
to be honest i prefer the old junk shops where your eyes scan around

all the headstocks and you suddenly spot a Tokai logo...

then your heart skips a beat wondering what it is you've found ....

then feign interest to the bloke behind the counter.........and tell him

"it's just a copy "......

:lol:
 
It is a shop that I randomly walked into without paying much attention to its name. I believe it may be a branch of one of those big franchise shops like Ikebe or Kurosawa.
This many Tokais in a single shop is not so rare in the Ochanomizu area in Tokyo (which was precisely the point I wanted to illustrate with the photo). Just walk around and check several shops. There is no need to find the exact shop that I walked into for a good selection of Tokais.
 
Boy, I've been there a bunch and can't wait to get back. It is browsing heaven and there are deals just waiting to be found. Ochanimizu and around the Shibuya station are just tons of guitar shops. For GAS junkies it is almost worth the ticket price to vacation there.

Best to take:
1. good walking shoes
2. Camera
3. patience and knowledge (haggling is possible if they think you are a true buyer)
4. credit card and US passport (to get a break on the 5% tax)
5. friend to carry the third and forth guitars !!
 

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