Neck edge binding on Love Rock's

Hi there,

Been lurking here for a while ..... I remember reading a post regarding the edge binding on the neck of a Love Rock not extending over the edge of the frets.

mmmmmm ...... it was the Fernandes post (great guitars - super Les Paul copies).

Anyway I have three Love Rocks - including a Korean one from Mike's Music (Hi Mike !!) and a Cherry Sunburst from '87 (??) - which I've had since new ..... but my '85 (??) Love Rock Custom - has a "60" sticker on the back of the headstock - serial number 5032076 - does have the edge binding !!!

Can someone explain ..... this was an import from Japan ..... bought on Ebay a few months ago for a very reasonable ?315 including shipping ..... and it arrived in the UK within 8 days.

Hi Paul,

Looks like Tokai only did it on certain models. My '81 ES100J (335 copy) has it, but none of the Love Rock LP Standard replicas seem to. I guess we need to hear from more Custom owners. The Customs don't turn up nearly as often as the Standards, so I reckon at ?315 you got a real bargain there. Did you have to pay any import duties or anything to bring it into the UK?

James

Hi James,

No other costs - no import duty - no VAT .... It was packed really well and is just about immaculate - a small amount of buckle rash on the back and a couple of other dings that I've dropped laquer into and buffed out!!

As for tone ....... it's the equal of any Gibson that I've ever owned. These things are the best kept secret around.

Yeah, I wasn't sure about the import situation, because the impression I got from the UK Customs website was that you had to pay VAT and import duty. Its probably only the case if you're buying new goods from a foreign supplier and not secondhand guitars from private individuals. :smile:

null

apmechling has a nice looking custom on ebay now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=870583817

If you supersize the pics you can clearly see the edge binding on the frets - don't get too excited now! :wink:

Hi There,

The Custom on Ebay looks nice ....

I pulled mine to pieces last night, to see what was inside ........ Tokai '57 PAF's ...... so the sticker says - and I guess that pretty much ties in with it being a '57 LesPaul Custom.

I believe it too ...... such a sweet tone !!

The fingerboard is rosewood ...there are patches that look as if they were ebonised but it's all worn off ... or been bleached off by the sun (??)

Any idea's on how Tokai applied the ebonising ?? I have several ways of doing this, but it would be nice to find out how it was done originally.

Good Luck to whoever gets the guitar on Ebay.

Cheers


Paul

P-sax

What you have there is a TLC60 1957 Refine model
Specs are:
Mahogany body with s piece top
Mahogany neck & Rosewood board
2 57' vintage MKII p/u's
Finishes were either wine red or black.

In 1984 these guitars retailed at ?451.45, so I reckon you done well.

London-Barry is right about the import duty. I shipped a plank in from Canada a couple of years ago. The duty & VAT cost me about ?50 in all. So you lucked-out twice there.

Some guys have told me you can dodge it if you get the seller to write "REPAIR" on the box. Don't know if you have to supply proof that you sent it in the first place though.

Sorry Paul. That spec should read:

Mahogany body with "2" piece mahogany top.

Hi There,

Seeing the responses makes me feel pretty lucky ..... it's a great axe, really sweet ..... but, it does seem that I struck home with the price and import duty / VAT charges.

It's always a bit of a risk buying a guitar unseen and untried, that's why I alwayd bid carefully on Ebay. I have come across a few Friday afternoon rush job-type Gibsons and Fenders - but not a single Tokai, that wasn't less than very good - amd most were brilliant.

I missed out a Tokai Strat a few months ago at the local second-hand instrument dealer - MusicMan - Oxford Road, Reading. Apparently it went for ?175 and was almost mint - blast !!

Anyway, London-Barry ... there is still some good stuff around - you only need to be in the right place at the right time - or, take your chance on Ebay :-

UK Tokai's
----------
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=871538174 - UK
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=870001729 - UK
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=870464550 - UK
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=869229778 - UK

European Tokai's
----------------
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?
ViewItem&item=869758351 - Germany ........ any idea's what the VAT/Import Duty situation is there ??????

USA/Canada
----------
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=869631378 - USA/Canada
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=870963256 USA/Canada (Mike's Music)

null

The UK Customs website does say that items marked as 'gift' on their paperwork should be exempt from duty. To what extent they go to to verify this I don't know. I guess if the shipping invoice is from a company, from Customs point of view, its unlikely to legitmatly be a gift. If its from a private individual it would be harder to prove. Either way its a risky business to deliberatly try and avoid duty (the word 'fraud' springs to mind), but if Customs just make an assumption (as they seem to have here) then thats their lookout.

Sensible Dad

P.S. What we really need is for the Germans to start making quality replicas so that we can stop messing around with all this Japanese stuff :smile:

Hi Barry,

I can understand that .... perhaps I'm a sad old git myself !!!

Thanks for the import information - it's a shame that the German shop on Ebay doesn't take Credit Cards ....

.... hangon, perhaps it isn't ..... I'd be even poorer and have to explain to the wife, why there are even more guitars here !!!