Not flamed veneer love rock models?
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hans-j?rgen
Well-known member
Ask Huttonsteel, he knows all about it... 
Welcome to the forum! And yes, but they are expensive, old and new.
Welcome to the forum! And yes, but they are expensive, old and new.hans-j?rgen said:Ask Huttonsteel, he knows all about it...
Hi hans,
thanks for your response;So, I presume most of flamed tokai new models are covered with a veneer, aren't they?
Who is Huttonsteel? A forum member?
By the way, I see you are from Hamburg, do you know any tokai dealer in Germany?
Hutton Steel
Well-known member
Hi ganzua - welcome to the forum! There is a great deal of good advice here to be had on the subject of solid and veneer tops. Do a search on the subject and you can find old threads which have dealt with this question.
hans-jurgen is having a bit of a laugh suggesting that you ask me. There is no better a person to ask than hans-jurgen himself. Togps also knows a fair bit on the subject. After a while on the forums you will get to know everybody's little ways!
All the best!
hans-jurgen is having a bit of a laugh suggesting that you ask me. There is no better a person to ask than hans-jurgen himself. Togps also knows a fair bit on the subject. After a while on the forums you will get to know everybody's little ways!
All the best!
Hi Hutton!
Thanks for replying
I did some searching before and it seems it is not clear wich models are solid tops. In this thread http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2726&highlight=veneer+tops it is stated that LS-200 and 320 are the only ones with solid flame tops.
Can you confirm that?
I wonder if plain and mahogany tops have highly figured veeners as well ??? Real G**sons are all solid top, aren't they?
Sorry for being a pain
Thanks for replying
I did some searching before and it seems it is not clear wich models are solid tops. In this thread http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2726&highlight=veneer+tops it is stated that LS-200 and 320 are the only ones with solid flame tops.
Can you confirm that?
I wonder if plain and mahogany tops have highly figured veeners as well ??? Real G**sons are all solid top, aren't they?
Sorry for being a pain
Skybone
Well-known member
FWIW...
The non figured, non veneer models are cheaper, as are the solid colour models. All feature a solid 2 piece maple top on (generally) 2 piece mahogany backs & mahogany necks, and IMO, the plain maple tops (like the big G used to do) make fine guitars with plenty of character.
BUT...
If you are after a flamed top, then the veneer caps DO NOT EFFECT THE TONE OF THE GUITAR. The construction of the veneer models is the same as the other models, 2 piece mahogany back, 2 piece maple top, and a thin flamed veneer on top.
I have 2 Love Rocks at the moment, one is a plain top, the other is a veneer, and IMO, the veneer model actually sounds the better of the two.
The non figured, non veneer models are cheaper, as are the solid colour models. All feature a solid 2 piece maple top on (generally) 2 piece mahogany backs & mahogany necks, and IMO, the plain maple tops (like the big G used to do) make fine guitars with plenty of character.
BUT...
If you are after a flamed top, then the veneer caps DO NOT EFFECT THE TONE OF THE GUITAR. The construction of the veneer models is the same as the other models, 2 piece mahogany back, 2 piece maple top, and a thin flamed veneer on top.
I have 2 Love Rocks at the moment, one is a plain top, the other is a veneer, and IMO, the veneer model actually sounds the better of the two.
Hi Skybone;
So, plain tops are not veener covered? I don't know how the sound is affected by the veener and the glue layer, but if you crack that thin veener I guess the damage will be quite visible.
Plains with no veeners are more appealing to me
So, plain tops are not veener covered? I don't know how the sound is affected by the veener and the glue layer, but if you crack that thin veener I guess the damage will be quite visible.
Plains with no veeners are more appealing to me
Paladin2019
Well-known member
ganzua said:Hi Skybone;
So, plain tops are not veener covered? I don't know how the sound is affected by the veener and the glue layer, but if you crack that thin veener I guess the damage will be quite visible.
Plains with no veeners are more appealing to me
I've never, ever heard of a guitar with a 'cracked' veneer. I don't think it's made the way you think.
To answer your question, no the plaintops are NOT veneered - all Japanese tokais have a full thickness maple top, whether plain, veneered or whatever.
BTW, the ls150 is in Gibson territory, yes. However, ? for ? or $ for $ it's much better value. The LS120+ are quite literally Gibson Custom Shop quality for the price of a Les Paul Standard. The LS320 is higher spec than gibson's flagship 59 reissue.
Paladin2019
Well-known member
ganzua said:
I believe so, yes.
hans-j?rgen
Well-known member
The newer mid-priced (LS80/85-120/125) have a veneer when they are flamed or quilted, but there are also plain top models (LS70/75/80 or the very new LS135 and LS290) without a veneer. Mahogany top LC models in winered don't have a veneer either.ganzua said:
You should decide first if you want a new one or also consider used guitars, because older models usually have better specs with lower model numbers due to inflation.
Furthermore a thin veneer does not change the sound, at least not if the headstock says Gibson and it's "old wood"...
There are only a few shops that actually have some, but probably forum user togps will contact you soon.
Thanks again Paladin and Hans;
Where do you check the specifications of all those models? Here; http://www.tokairegistry.com/tokai-info/tokai-gibson-models.html LS135 and LS290 do not appear.
I'd like to check all new models, their prices in a japanese shop (a shop that ships to Europe) and then I'll decide if I go Tokai or anyother brand. I'm not a beginner, I'm looking a good les paul but in a budget . And I'm not in hurry.
As a matter of curiosity, which particular model of gibson is veneered?
Where do you check the specifications of all those models? Here; http://www.tokairegistry.com/tokai-info/tokai-gibson-models.html LS135 and LS290 do not appear.
I'd like to check all new models, their prices in a japanese shop (a shop that ships to Europe) and then I'll decide if I go Tokai or anyother brand. I'm not a beginner, I'm looking a good les paul but in a budget
. And I'm not in hurry. As a matter of curiosity, which particular model of gibson is veneered?
Skybone
Well-known member
Like Paladin said, I have never, ever seen, let alone heard a guitar with a cracked veneer. I would say that it would be very hard to do that kind of damage to a veneer on a guitar, and although I'm no expert in the placement of veneers, I would imagine that to get a veneer to stay in place on a guitar would need a **** good glue and a lot of pressure.
The plain topped guitars such as the older LS60/65 and the newer LS70/75's (I think) are simply plain maple with a coloured finish. Absolutely no veneer.
The plain topped guitars such as the older LS60/65 and the newer LS70/75's (I think) are simply plain maple with a coloured finish. Absolutely no veneer.
hans-j?rgen
Well-known member
I have the new catalog.ganzua said:
If you use the forum search with these model numbers, you should find the threads where the specs and links are mentioned, some of them with catalog scans or photos.One of the 2005 trends at the Les Paul Forum was an enthusiasm for "Conversions", i.e. old goldtop Les Pauls converted to '59 Standard specs with a flamed maple veneer, reset neck angle, different bridge and tailpiece and other minor alterations.
Of course their prices have at least five digits, so they are "a great investment", and of course they all sound "awesome", "old wood", "vintage" and so on. :lol:thanks skybone and hans!
I'm realizing that it is quite difficult to find a shop with pictures and prices of all models, I don't know if I'll succeed getting one of these guitars :-? (I checked all dealers links in the registry).
I made myself a big mess :-? :-?
Are these specs more or less up to date? -> http://www.tokairegistry.com/tokai-info/tokai-gibson-models.html
are all models in production?
I'm realizing that it is quite difficult to find a shop with pictures and prices of all models, I don't know if I'll succeed getting one of these guitars :-? (I checked all dealers links in the registry).
I made myself a big mess :-? :-?
Are these specs more or less up to date? -> http://www.tokairegistry.com/tokai-info/tokai-gibson-models.html
are all models in production?
hans-j?rgen
Well-known member
The reason is that Tokai switched model numbers at the end of last year, so everyone's waiting for the new models to be produced and delivered now. The Japanese online shops (Ishibashi, Guitar Shop Universe etc.) are out of stock of most of the older models, but will come back with their Tokai pages then (around March/April).ganzua said:
Well, almost, because the LS series is more or less the same, only the model numbers are upgraded over the years, as they are based on the Japanese retail price in Yen x 1,000.
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