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Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat as Lemmy. I bought a Tokai Black Beauty from the exact same ad on Reverb. Got it today and it has playing issues also.

I also have a 2013 MIC Tokai wine red LP Custom I bought in 2014 from Gary's Guitars West (the same model/shipment featured on Nick in the State's YouTube channel) to compare it with.

The wine red one is a really nice player with low action and decent fret board and sounds nice electronically, as good as my other guitars, but some funkiness shared with the black one from Music Express Canada (hard-to-turn tuners, sloppy binding, amateur soldering work, gaps in the nut mounting). The red one has crooked dots on the neck side binding; the black one is better in that regard but has some strange red spots in the neck binding. Black one's peghead is larger with two-screw trussrod vs. red one's three screw.

I can't get the black's action down as low as the red one's ... I get buzzing on the low e-string from the second fret. The curve of the body around the pickup switch also has a slight flat spot. Mismatched screws on the output jack plate. And the access panels on the back are the worst I've ever seen.

I spent time in Tokyo in 2014 and visited the guitar shops there, looking at new and used LP Custom copies. What I have with these Tokais is consistent with some of the lower end models I saw there. The higher end models in the $1000+ range were very nice, but with baseball bat necks ... not my cup of tea ... and the used high-end ones from the 80s and 90s were pretty worn.

I also contacted Tokai Japan with the serial number and photos of Music Express' product. I already have a case for this not being the guitar pictured in the ad (and the ad copy reading as if it is actual phone pics of the guitar for sale). I contacted the seller about the stains in the binding but no reply so far (they were very, very quick to respond before I purchased it). Next step is using Reverb's claim process, which sounds buyer friendly.

I also have a Korean Love Rock and several other Far East guitars of impressive quality (DeArmond, Greg Bennett, Ibanez Artist). Silly me wanted a Black Beauty sooooo bad ... :cry:
 
zbillster2 said:
Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat as Lemmy. I bought a Tokai Black Beauty from the exact same ad on Reverb. Got it today and it has playing issues also.

I also have a 2013 MIC Tokai wine red LP Custom I bought in 2014 from Gary's Guitars West (the same model/shipment featured on Nick in the State's YouTube channel) to compare it with.

The wine red one is a really nice player with low action and decent fret board and sounds nice electronically, as good as my other guitars, but some funkiness shared with the black one from Music Express Canada (hard-to-turn tuners, sloppy binding, amateur soldering work, gaps in the nut mounting). The red one has crooked dots on the neck side binding; the black one is better in that regard but has some strange red spots in the neck binding. Black one's peghead is larger with two-screw trussrod vs. red one's three screw.

I can't get the black's action down as low as the red one's ... I get buzzing on the low e-string from the second fret. The curve of the body around the pickup switch also has a slight flat spot. Mismatched screws on the output jack plate. And the access panels on the back are the worst I've ever seen.

I spent time in Tokyo in 2014 and visited the guitar shops there, looking at new and used LP Custom copies. What I have with these Tokais is consistent with some of the lower end models I saw there. The higher end models in the $1000+ range were very nice, but with baseball bat necks ... not my cup of tea ... and the used high-end ones from the 80s and 90s were pretty worn.

I also contacted Tokai Japan with the serial number and photos of Music Express' product. I already have a case for this not being the guitar pictured in the ad (and the ad copy reading as if it is actual phone pics of the guitar for sale). I contacted the seller about the stains in the binding but no reply so far (they were very, very quick to respond before I purchased it). Next step is using Reverb's claim process, which sounds buyer friendly.

I also have a Korean Love Rock and several other Far East guitars of impressive quality (DeArmond, Greg Bennett, Ibanez Artist). Silly me wanted a Black Beauty sooooo bad ... :cry:

I PMd you!
fake fake fake fake fake fake
Im angry Reverb lets this guy keep selling. I will never use Reverb again.
They know this guy is a scammer and they let him keep selling!
Check your PM
 
lemmy loud said:
zbillster2 said:
Unfortunately, I'm in the same boat as Lemmy. I bought a Tokai Black Beauty from the exact same ad on Reverb. Got it today and it has playing issues also.

I also have a 2013 MIC Tokai wine red LP Custom I bought in 2014 from Gary's Guitars West (the same model/shipment featured on Nick in the State's YouTube channel) to compare it with.

The wine red one is a really nice player with low action and decent fret board and sounds nice electronically, as good as my other guitars, but some funkiness shared with the black one from Music Express Canada (hard-to-turn tuners, sloppy binding, amateur soldering work, gaps in the nut mounting). The red one has crooked dots on the neck side binding; the black one is better in that regard but has some strange red spots in the neck binding. Black one's peghead is larger with two-screw trussrod vs. red one's three screw.

I can't get the black's action down as low as the red one's ... I get buzzing on the low e-string from the second fret. The curve of the body around the pickup switch also has a slight flat spot. Mismatched screws on the output jack plate. And the access panels on the back are the worst I've ever seen.

I spent time in Tokyo in 2014 and visited the guitar shops there, looking at new and used LP Custom copies. What I have with these Tokais is consistent with some of the lower end models I saw there. The higher end models in the $1000+ range were very nice, but with baseball bat necks ... not my cup of tea ... and the used high-end ones from the 80s and 90s were pretty worn.

I also contacted Tokai Japan with the serial number and photos of Music Express' product. I already have a case for this not being the guitar pictured in the ad (and the ad copy reading as if it is actual phone pics of the guitar for sale). I contacted the seller about the stains in the binding but no reply so far (they were very, very quick to respond before I purchased it). Next step is using Reverb's claim process, which sounds buyer friendly.

I also have a Korean Love Rock and several other Far East guitars of impressive quality (DeArmond, Greg Bennett, Ibanez Artist). Silly me wanted a Black Beauty sooooo bad ... :cry:

I PMd you!
fake fake fake fake fake fake
Im angry Reverb lets this guy keep selling. I will never use Reverb again.
They know this guy is a scammer and they let him keep selling!
Check your PM

I couldnt find the Tokai I wanted, so I went to ebay and got an Edwards Custom 130
straight from Japan, A gorgeous guitar. Im very happy with. The universe does stuff
for a reason, you dont know why at the time, but thats what I had to go through to
get the guitar I really love. :)
 
Originally I was going to get an Edwards or FGN black LP Custom off ebay too from Japan ... then I did some searching for Tokai and that's when the Music Express Canada nightmare started.

Looking at the "guitar" this morning, seeing more oddities. There's a ghost of the previous serial number on the corner of the headstock. Raw wood routing inside the control cavities.

I put photos of this thing in Flickr. The red one I got in 2014 from Gary at Guitars West:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskSpgUZp
 
zbillster2 said:
Originally I was going to get an Edwards or FGN black LP Custom off ebay too from Japan ... then I did some searching for Tokai and that's when the Music Express Canada nightmare started.

Looking at the "guitar" this morning, seeing more oddities. There's a ghost of the previous serial number on the corner of the headstock. Raw wood routing inside the control cavities.

I put photos of this thing in Flickr. The red one I got in 2014 from Gary at Guitars West:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskSpgUZp

Yeah Billster, I looked at the pics . . .
You got it too. You can see the inlay and "Tokai" are wrong a mile away.
They fake tokais and Epis because who is going to question a chinese guitar?
So this guy, gets a 100.00 guitar that he is already having made for his other
line, and puts a Tokai logo on it then sells it for 500.00. He is making a huge
profit, and again, "who is going to fake a Tokai" is what he hopes will make ppl
not suspect it.
Look at the little diamonds in the Fleur d Lea on your real one, and compare
it to the Fakai. Mine was almost the same serial number, except mine ended in
"3". Tokai told me the way the serial number is placed on the guitar is not done
at any of their factories. I get angry jusr seeing this, even if it isnt me. Its just
wrong. Reverb are twats for letting it go on. They know this guy is a scammer.
Shame on them. Good luck, Lemme know how you make out. I sent you a PM
and have a list of names you can threaten him with if you want it.
 
togps said:
Did you report these faults to Reverb, folks?

I sent you a PM
and have a list of names you can threaten him with if you want it.

Please send me also that name list. Thank you.

Yes, Reverb is fully aware of it.
they still continue to let the guy sell. I will never use them again because of this.
I sent them the emails from Tokai explaining mine was a total fraud and there is
no such thing as a Tokai dealer in North America. Sent photos and everything
else . . . They gave me my money back, but he is still peddling this cheap sht.
To me. Reverb is as guilty of fraud as the seller is.


For google people:
MUSIC EXPRESS CANADA FAKE TOKAI KOLLATUS FAKE LOVE ROCK FAKE
 
I filled out the complaint form on Reverb a couple of days ago, stating the seller is using deceptive advertising, claiming the photos in the listing is the actual guitar, when it is not. Haven't heard a thing. Still haven't heard back from Tokai. I just shipped the "thing" back to Music Express Canada for a full refund, including shipping, and will insist he pay return shipping as well.
 
Finally got an email from Reverb support ... I sent them all the details I have and they will work to get a full refund including shipping costs. Fingers crossed.
 
zbillster2 said:
Finally got an email from Reverb support ... I sent them all the details I have and they will work to get a full refund including shipping costs. Fingers crossed.

The guitar pictured for the black one is actually a Tokai. The one you get is entirely something else. What happened to you is what happened to me item for item. Was your support agent Nate?
I would ask him why Music Express is alllowed to sell them knowing they are fakes . . .
the cherryburst one is the one you will get, but also, you see in the picture, it is clearly a fake. The inlay is not only totally wrong, it has a little break/flaw in it that you can see from the next county.
Good luck!
 
togps said:
The guitar pictured for the black one is actually a Tokai.

link please

Very strange, I tried to attach the link at lunch time but my phone (Windows)
would not let my reply to this forum, so, at home now, I go to attach the link,
and they have taken the black one that we are talking about down! It was there
at 12:30, gone now!
But, here is one that is left, this one is obviously a fake, look at the font and the
inlay. Fail . . . Looks like a kid cut it out of paper.
https://reverb.com/item/2530403-tokai-love-rock-custom-cherry-red-electric-guitar-new

But, the complaints on the black ones must have made them rethink leaving it up.
But, if you look at them, they are all fake. Anything Tokai on the site is not real.
The colors alone make them easy to fakespot.

..::: EDIT :::..
Ok, weird, this came up in my Facebook ad feed. This is the one we replied to:
https://reverb.com/item/1314946-tokai-love-rock-custom-black-electric-guitar-new-with-hard-case
 
I made screenshots of the Reverb ad of the black Tokai Custom that I bought the "guitar" from, in case he takes Music Express Canada takes them down, for evidence of his expilict claims that you'll get the guitar pictured.

Oh, and when I was asking him questions about it, he said "it's the last black one." Well, apparently NOT since you're still advertising guitars for sale! What a sleezebag!

So, I'm compiling a list of TRUSTED Japanese guitar sellers, because I don't want to get burned again. Primarily on ebay:
1. greatjapaneseguy
2. finestmusic
3. ookini55

Feel free to add more!
 
Update on my Reverb/Music Express Canada Fakai transaction:
=======================================
1. Money refunded to my credit card.
2. Return shipping costs credited to my PayPay account.
3. Got a response from Tokai Gakki -- they will show the China production manager the photos I sent them of the Fakai and will get back to me.
4. It's time to leave feedback on Reverb!
 
And this confirmation from Tokai Gakki after examining photos of the guitar. I also posted a warning in the sightings forum:

Dear Mr.Bill,

Sorry for my late reply.

We discern the guitar is counterfeit.

I do not want them(the shops/ and its Chinese Supplier) any hint to recognize the authenticity/counterfeit,

So I cannot give you the points to discern the counterfeit.

Besides, we are not allowed to export our set-neck models to North America.

I do not recommend that you buy Tokai set-neck models in your area.

I hope the info helps you.

Best Regards
--------------------------------------
Kosuke Ban

Tokai Gakki Co. Ltd.
2-26-10 Enshuhama, Minami-ku,
Hamamatsu,Japan 430-0835
 
And by the way ... it is IMPOSSIBLE to post feedback with less than four stars on the Reverb forum!

You can't hit send ... it prompts you to contact the seller to "work it out"! So I gave Music Express Canada "four stars for being a fraud!" and details of the deception.

Which means ... you can't trust the feedback system on Reverb. What a joke!
 
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