Video and sound demo on the LC98S refin

https://vimeo.com/53415714

This is an HD video so depends on your band width if you can stream it or not. Anyway hope it helps or at least let's people know what's under the paint. Still be interested to hear from someone in the know to confirm as I suspect that that is Sapele on the back. I am honestly not bothered either way as the guitar sounds superb to my old ears.

I can say i had a acoustic with sapele sides and back that looked identical to the grain of the back of your guitar. However i am by no means a expert. Guitar sounds good though to my ears so thats the main thing. Enjoy.

brokentoes said:

I can say i had a acoustic with sapele sides and back that looked identical to the grain of the back of your guitar. However i am by no means a expert. Guitar sounds good though to my ears so thats the main thing. Enjoy.

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Thanks brokentoes yes agreed and as I stated I am more than happy with the Sapele back, looks great and sounds fine. I just wish that manufacturers would call things by their name and not claim they are using Mahogany when they are using Sapele. This LC98S honestly has blown the other LP's I have owned out of the water in all respects and here are a couple I recently owned, oh and the red one had a three piece back although I never took the paint off to find out what it was made of LOL

Hola Gerry.

Tokai has been using sapele from old times, in fact some Love Rocks were sapele made.
Sapele is a mahogany related wood and it would be correct for 50s Les Paul at least for necks.Spanish luthiers (guitarreros) used that wood for mid level builds or "de principiante", saving the other more valuable wood for "guitarras de primera" or concert guitars (premium).
Tokai also use sycamore which is a maple related and expensive so it is for lamination purpouses only.I have read sycamore would come from Europe.

Think about your guitar is a mid priced and a good guitar for the money.
I do not favour 3 pieces bodies however, I do like 1 piece always when possible.

Great video, thank you very much!

Saludos.

luis said:

Hola Gerry.

Tokai has been using sapele from old times, in fact some Love Rocks were sapele made.
Sapele is a mahogany related wood and it would be correct for 50s Les Paul at least for necks.Spanish luthiers (guitarreros) used that wood for mid level builds or "de principiante", saving the other more valuable wood for "guitarras de primera" or concert guitars (premium).
Tokai also use sycamore which is a maple related and expensive so it is for lamination purpouses only.I have read sycamore would come from Europe.

Think about your guitar is a mid priced and a good guitar for the money.
I do not favour 3 pieces bodies however, I do like 1 piece always when possible.

Great video, thank you very much!

Saludos.

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Hi luis,

I have owned many top end guitars and certainly regard the LC98S on a par with them in both playability and tone. One of the finest sounding guitars that I recently owned was a Musicman Reflex and that had a three piece Basswood body OK with a maple top. Once again demonstrating to me the number of pieces of wood used on the back of a guitar is irrelevant in terms of tone.

I also believe we confuse expensive woods with being great for guitars, in most cases woods are expensive because of their rarity not because of their unique tonal characteristics. You can own a guitar with the most expensive and exotic woods in the world and it can sound like a dog LOL. Anyone notice a difference in tone between a guitar with a Brazilian fretboard against one with an Indian one? I honestly think not.

Anyway I am delighted with the Sapele back if its good enough for Taylor and Martin its good enough for me.

Have a good one,

Gerry

Gerry, thanks for the video and the guitar look great even though I would love a white / cream one myself a la Randy Rhoads. Top marks for bravery to uncover the beautiful wood. I wonder if it would inspire anyone else to strip theirs back?

iainblack said:

Gerry, thanks for the video and the guitar look great even though I would love a white / cream one myself a la Randy Rhoads. Top marks for bravery to uncover the beautiful wood. I wonder if it would inspire anyone else to strip theirs back?

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Thanks Lain from a resale point of view I would honestly think twice about doing this. However this guitar plays better than any single cut that I have owned and I have owned a few such as Gibson, Duesenberg, Hamer, PRS, etc and I had made my mind up that this Tokai was an absolute keeper. So removing the paint would not affect the playability at all but could possibly assist or improve the tone. I'm convinced that it has but accept that could well be my mind playing tricks LOL

Oh and I liked the white but after a while I just felt I needed to see and feel some wood as with my white strat and the LC I was going snow blind.

All the best,

Gerry

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181027676059

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/african-mahogany/

Hi Gerry I think the back of your nude guitar is more likely to be Khaya i.e.African mahogany (a true mahogany by the way) rather than sapele.Keep on stripping Gabe.

Two pieces of wood cut from the same tree can look quite different, considering Sapele is often referred to as African Mahogany and has similar qualities you will probably never know whether its one or the other, when you were sanding the back did you get any smell of Cedar ?? I've heard that can be an indicator of Sapele over African Mahogany. It's a great guitar by your own admission, just be glad you got a keeper, otherwise leave the wood to the experts lol.

bluejeannot said:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=181027676059

http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/african-mahogany/

Hi Gerry I think the back of your nude guitar is more likely to be Khaya i.e.African mahogany (a true mahogany by the way) rather than sapele.Keep on stripping Gabe.

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You could well be right Gabe and that is why I have said I believe it is Sapele and not that it is. However the nearest I can find in appearance to the back of the guitar is quarter sawn Sapele. Also I really am not bothered either way as it looks and sounds fantastic. Keep on stripping LOL don?t say that as I am really tempted to do the neck and sides

brokentoes said:

Two pieces of wood cut from the same tree can look quite different, considering Sapele is often referred to as African Mahogany and has similar qualities you will probably never know whether its one or the other, when you were sanding the back did you get any smell of Cedar ?? I've heard that can be an indicator of Sapele over African Mahogany. It's a great guitar by your own admission, just be glad you got a keeper, otherwise leave the wood to the experts lol.

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Come on Brokentoes are you trying to tread on mine LOL. On a previous posts you said "I can say i had a acoustic with sapele sides and back that looked identical to the grain of the back of your guitar." Now you are saying?

As to leaving it to the wood experts it is getting clearer by the minute that we do not have any posting on here . Repeat I am honestly and genuinely not bothered either way just interested to see if someone could throw some light onto the subject. I had also hoped that one of the dealers, distributor or someone from Tokai would have come in with a definitive answer but sometimes silence is golden.

Oh here is a link to the picture album http://s2.beta.photobucket.com/user/Greenplums/library/Tokai%20LC98S%20Guitar%20Refinish

Best,

Gerry

A guitar always sounds better when you have put in some hard hours on a refin
I recently refinished a black custom, was very happy with what I found under the paint and I think it lost a few 100 grams too.

JDB said:

A guitar always sounds better when you have put in some hard hours on a refin
I recently refinished a black custom, was very happy with what I found under the paint and I think it lost a few 100 grams too.

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There you go absolutely spot on, did Stradivarius paint or spray his violins with Poly or any other lacquer? Of course not. :lol:

Did you do the whole lot as in neck and headstock as I am seriously considering going the whole hog. Wood is good.

Now JDB just tell me that beautiful flame top was not under the paint of your custom.

Yes the whole guitar and that is what was under the paint.

JDB said:

Yes the whole guitar and that is what was under the paint,

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Fabulous job JDB and a lovely top. That?s it all the paint has to go next string change. Now the wood on the back of yours looks very familiar :roll:

We should form the paintless LC Club :wink: Oh and I should add there was no way I could get the bridge posts out, not even with two nuts without risking stripping the threads. No big deal as I worked around them but it would have been easier if they would have come out.