ce 300

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kmarccoco

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I see a few Tokai CATS EYES CE 300 for sale. are these solid tops? are they good?

The string heigt at the 12th fret are 3.5 cm on the 6th and 2.5 on the first... Is that high action? thanks for the help... ken
 
kmarccoco said:
...The string heigt at the 12th fret are 3.5 cm on the 6th and 2.5 on the first... Is that high action? thanks for the help... ken

:eek: Blimey! 1 inch string height at the first string? You sure you're not looking at cheese cutters?? :lol:

I think you mean MM not CM.
 
Goestoeleven said:
:eek: Blimey! 1 inch string height at the first string? You sure you're not looking at cheese cutters?? :lol:

I think you mean MM not CM.

Actually, my first guitar - a Sears Silvertone 12 string - developed an incredible neck bow, with close to a half-inch at the 12th fret. Amazing what they can do with really green lumber.
Learned to play a bit despite that..
But, yeah.. I'd opt for mm and not cm.
 
I have owned the ce 150 200 250 300 and 400 and they have all been great builds with fantastic tones
It always makes me wonder how good the real top ends models must be and is there a real big differents
 
What are the top end 7okai acoustics? I thought the CE 300 and 400 were the top. Also, are they exact martin knock offs with the same internal bracing paterns that Martin used? thanks !!! :D
 
I thought the CE 300 and 400 were the top

I have a CE600 and I think there were higher end models above. The model labelling doesn't remain consistent either--newer models have an entirely different model system, and there are some quite high end recent models as well.

Dating these is a bit confusing--I've read conflicting things (first 2 digits, or last 2 digits of serial for date), that would make mine either a 1976 or a 1984 model. The headstock on mine (all caps CAT'S EYES) doesn't seem to appear anywhere around 1984 in catalogues, so I would guess earlier. I'm not sure if my CE600 is an "exact" Martin copy, but it sure is a nice guitar--I'll try to take some photos and post.

One thing to watch with these (and all older acoustic guitars) is the neck action. If it's 3.5mm at the 12th fret it's probably playable (assuming it's not fretting out/neck is straight), but you should also look at the height of the saddle to see if it's been shaved right down--if it's not you may be able to improve the action if you find it too high. Also look at the neck join (at the body) to see if there are obvious signs of a reset, or of any movement. A professional neck re-set (at least where I live) can cost as much or more than what you're looking at paying for this, so you want to be careful!
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