NGD: Tokai Love Rock

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grayn

New member
Joined
Oct 13, 2007
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Location
England
I just realised, when I got home today, that I've not owned a Les Paul before.
I've had a few single cuts but never one that was as Mr. Paul intended.
The only actual Gibsons I've owned, were semis.
I have been tempted by some of the higher end Epiphone Les Pauls.
And more recently by some of the higher end Tokais.

Anyway I went into my local, Aire Valley Guitars, who stock Tokai and have had some really nice
preowned Gibsons and Burnys in, this year.
First thing I saw there was a rather nice looking, preowned Gibson Les Paul Standard from 2000.
Going for a very nice price, as it had deepish but not large ding, on the front.
Wow! my luck was in and I soon had it pushing the gain stage of a Blackstar amp.
But as it turned out, my Wow! had been a little premature.
This little beauty just didn't have the the sound or the feel.
Some fettling would have helped but you kind of know when something isn't quite up to it.

The shop had been stocking lower end Tokais for a while and they are pretty impressive.
Then I spotted a real beauty, made in Japan.
A newly acquired, higher end, Love Rock guitar, with a heftyish price tag.
I had to have a go and now it really was wow!!
An immaculately built instrument, with a stunning, quilted, sunburst top.
It literally played like a dream and the tone was so obviously light years ahead of the Gibson.
Knocking out blues, rock, and even some metal, the Tokai was a joy to play.

But it left me in a quandary.
My heart shouted Tokai but my head said, hold on.
A preowned Gibbo will keep it's price and more.
A Brand new Tokai, even of Japanese origins, just won't.
But in reality it was the Tokai or leave empty handed.
So of course, the Tokai Love Rock, was put in it's classy fitted case and brought home.

On my receipt it says "Tokai ULS 165Q Japan".
Unfortunately I can find nothing on this model and Tokai's UK site is being refurbished, at the moment.
The nearest I can find numerically, is an LS 165S, which is a Gold Top with P90s, so no help there.
So I have no stats for this beauty.
It's obviously mahogany body and neck, rosewood fretboard and vintage tuners.
The quality is however, exceptional.
I've played quite a few awful LPs and a few nice ones too,
This is up there with the really good ones.

I've mostly been playing a PRS singlecut recently.
It's a wonderful guitar and this newbie even surpasses that.
Lots more to learn about it but this Love Rock guitar is really making me love to rock.
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Nice !
You should see the mod number under the neck pickup.
Seem to be a 2 piece body though, so maybe not a 165?
 
Congrats !! I think (not 100%) that the UK get different models spec wise than the domestic Japanese models.

That is a lovely quilt top. Love Rock it in good health.
 

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