I need to learn can u teach me?

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Mitch Malloy

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[Can someone give me a run down of the Tokai Les Pauls? Over the years I've become a greco expert but know very little about tokai and want to learn. So if someone would be so kind as to share their knowledge with me I'd appreciate it. What are the best years what to stay away from etc. [/quote]
 
Mitch most people trawl through old post and do there homework.
But because you put me onto some great pickups i'll set the ball rolling for you although i'm no expert.
I would go for the Reborn, Reborn Old or Love Rocks from 1979 to 1982
models LS 80 - plain top gotoh pickups
LS 100 - plain top dimarzio pickup
LS 120 - flame top laminate
LS 150 - flame top solid
LS 200 - good luck finding one.
Like i said i'm no expert but all the best
 
The only thing I would add is that Tokais build jigs were dimensioned using an original burst,
so top carve and horn shape are correct. a non-issue for many MIJ owners.

The biggest difference between pre 1986 vintage and later examples
is the disappearance of fret edge binding on all but top custom order models orders and lacquers used.

Vintage LS-150's and solid flame top LS-120's are as uncommon as LS-200's.
 
I played my first one the other day a 1979. Neck was bigger than greco buy good and fit and finish seemed better.
 
The best years?

A 2014 Tokai might be the best year...how could anyone know if a 1979 Tokai is better than a 2014 Tokai?

Do you mean what are the most expensive used naturally reliced old Tokais?...that's a different question. :D
 
Well I guess that was a pretty general question but it can be said for Greco that the best years are 80 to 84 and that has been my experience in my long line of owning many. Tokai offered me a deal a few years ago. I passed because they cannot legally make me what I want. LOL But they they said they would do a custom model of this for me. FL155Q using these specs LS238SP I'm not sure I want one. But I probably do. LOL I just don't want the same thing to happen that happened with the Bacchus. Fantastic guitars I just couldn't get used to the neck shape. Does anyone know anything about their spruce wood process they are doing and these new guitars? Neck shape etc? From what they have explained to me it sounds like they are doing something very cool with Spruce in the Paul type guitars. And I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself and I've already said all this. LOL It happens. I guess I'm wondering like many of us if they are still great? :>) Thanks for all your knowledge and info.
 
Diamond said:
The best years?

A 2014 Tokai might be the best year...how could anyone know if a 1979 Tokai is better than a 2014 Tokai?

Do you mean what are the most expensive used naturally reliced old Tokais?...that's a different question. :D

I have 2 1980s and a 2014 and while they are quite similar in many respects,a nd I love my new LS-LTD, the older ones just seem to have that special something normally reserved for higher end Gibsons... 8)
 
Mitch Malloy said:
I just couldn't get used to the neck shape.

Tokai only make one neck shape, so if neck shape is your main criteria then it's best you try a current Tokai LS and see if you like the shape.
 
I didn't like the depth and the narrowness Combined. I got used to it after awhile and was fine but after u stopped playing them and went back to the greco it felt better to me then I just never warmed up to the bacchus again. So I sold them all. Now I have so thing really special I call them the sisters. I don't know if you guys remember but my first greco was a 1980 cherry sunburst and it was in rough shape but I fixed it up and took it to glaser in Nashville and it turned into an amazing guitar. Well I found its sister. 3 serial numbers away actually three numbers older but in way better shape and feels exactly and looks exactly like the first one I got. So I have sisters. Twin sisters. I'll have to remember how to get a picture up here. The last time I posted a picture it was a window into my entire picture gallery so I stopped doing that. Must figure out how to do it properly again. And as I look for a tokai I'm reminded of why I don't own one. They are friken expensive. I just can't justify it when I can make perfectly good rock with my grecos.
 
And as I recall someone who knew a lot more than I did about grecos said my original cherry burst was sort of a special guitar as it looked like it was from different factories or somthing? I don't remember exactly but if that's the case then the sisters are extremely rare and they are vertically identical. They just look like les paul standards to me though. Old cool ones that sound amazing.
 
Mitch Malloy said:
I didn't like the depth and the narrowness Combined.
Yeah, the Duke neck is pretty deep - I like it, but they are pretty different when you take into account the depth, slight narrowness and small frets. It reminds me a bit of the Rickenbacker 330 type neck, although those are slightly more narrow again.

My Tokai is probably not much use in this discussion as it has more of a 60 profile neck and 43.4mm nut width, but there are many out there with bigger necks.

Just trying to get an idea of what you're after. Do you ever play a strat or Tele? The older ones had pretty narrow nut widths but opened up to wider string spacing than a LP under the picking hand.

So there's fretting and picking string spacing to think about.
 
I have a fernandes strat they gave me before I recorded my debut that I can't stand even though it sounds amazing and is the strat all over that cd. It has a more shallow neck and just feels wrong to me. I have an early 70s thin line tele from greco I put a greco strat neck on that I love. It's just a typical strat feel. I need another one for my fernandes strat. I also have an Anderson hollow t classic that has a different shaped neck than the greco strat neck but it's fantastic. The tokai ls80 was from 78 or 79 the neck was just a bit more deep than my grecos. I liked it a lot. It was also slightly flatter which I also liked i have a super real chambered from 80 the neck is slightly flatter than my other greco lps. I love that neck as well. But the Tokai was deeper. Then I have a super real Jr from 82. That neck is deeper but not as good as the tokai. The jr is harder to play. Not as comfortable. But it's the hardest to play out of all my guitars i would say. But glaser didn't plek that one I had it worked on by a guy in PA that's no where near as good. Amazing sounding guitar though and makes it onto every cd. So really i dont b have one feel that it has to be for me. I like many. In fact i have a greco spirits if the live that I love the neck on its amazing. Doesn't need to be plekd. My only greco ever that didnt.
 
Mitch

Do you still have the Kemper?

I mess around with one of your Profiles every now and again, I think it was yours, a Koch amp?
I think there was also a Blues Junior of yours, like that one as well.
 
Yes I love that thing. People seem to love the pro Jr profile I did and the dr z as well. I just recorded a live dvd with my high school cover band after 35 years of not playing together. We used Kempers for the guitars sounds fantastic. I'm putting it together now. 70s rock covers. One new original song.
 
Mitch Malloy said:
Yes I love that thing. People seem to love the pro Jr profile I did and the dr z as well. I just recorded a live dvd with my high school cover band after 35 years of not playing together. We used Kempers for the guitars sounds fantastic. I'm putting it together now. 70s rock covers. One new original song.

Me to, love the Kemper...I'm the Kemper distributor in South Africa.
Lots of big SA bands retiring their tube amp rigs and using the Kemper live.

Yeah I love your Pro Jr Profile as well, I have one version where I changed the Cab to a 4x12...sounds huge! :)

Look forward to your DVD, let me know when it releases, I'd like to buy one and I'll promote it on the Kemper forum. 8)
 

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