Help, Please. (Also new member)

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Duke

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I realise that as a new member, I probably shouldn't start a new topic. Apologies.

I registered mainly for some advice, but I'll probably end up with a Tokai so I'll be posting if I have any queries...


For the purposes of this website, my name is Duke. My favorite music is rock n' blues...the Stones, Stevie, Lizzy, Lynryd Skynryd, The Who, Aerosmith, BB King, Zeppelin, GN'R etc.

So anyway, new found chums :wink: , I have a problem. I need your help.

I'm looking for a new guitar, I want to spend about ?300. Really not much more...I have other things to buy (**** women, so costly :D ).

This is the tone I want: Keef (i.e Stones) meets Thin Lizzy for my rythm. So a punchy vintage distortion with balls, that retains clarity. For lead, I want smooth soulful, creamy tones....think Slash. However, I would like it never to become too muddy, I want some raunchy feeling in there...a SRV sound. So basically, I want a Strat and a Les Paul combined.

This lead me to the Tokai Firebird. I saw one in London, I was knocked down...it was a..LEFTY. Wow, I thought, my luck is in.

Being a southpaw is a *****.

I looked it over, seemed quite nice, good finish (Vintage Sunburst), nowt seemed wrong with the guitar. I left it in the shop.

Why didn't I play it?

Broken arm. :eek:

i went back a couple of weeks later, patched up, I liked the sound of it, but I can;t really remember too much about it-all I was think was "bloody hell, neck dive....hmmm".

I did my research, min-buckers should help me dial in a decent les Paul meets strat tone.

I guess I can fix the neck problem.

But I'm wondering if a Les Paul might be better..it gets better reviews, and I will get my crunch and soulful leads...I can fiddle about with the distortion so the tone isn't TOO much.

What do you think?

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/Catalogue/ViewProduct.aspx?productId=2045

What about that? I haven;t seen one of the Tokai Uk site, I think that seems quite a good deal, even though i feel customs are a little showy.

I can get the Firebird for ?299, free postage, same as with a standard ALS48. And also I can get the ALS50Q for ?299 (but with postage), which seems a good deal...but the specs are the same, save for the finish, and I'm not overly bothered.


Help.

Should I consider an Epi?



Quick replies appreciated, although I realise we are likely in different tme zones.

And I jsut discovered the edit button, so I apologise for wasting a post below.
 
I should have mentioned, I also would like some decent clean tones.

I mean, the other player in my band uses an olf fender strat (japanese..very nice), so he handles clean work mainly, but for my own playing pleasure, I would like to sparkle a bit. I can always use my old Squier if a really nice clean sound won't be available.

I'm using a Vox AD50VT, I set if (for dirty) to the Vox AC30Tb setting, though sometimes I'll use it on the Bassman setting.

You can hear the soudn s I extract from it at www.purevolume.com/whiskyblack .

Ignore the song called "point in question".

The tones on that website ( I hope I am allowed to link to my music) aren't really what i'm looking for, they are just me mucking around with my squire to create some sonic insperation/noise. I jsut thought I'd include it so you can roughly hear soem of my playing style....though it's a long way from my usual style. "Years to Come" is the recent-ish one, the others are very old (I would like to think I;vei mproved since then). "Years to Come" shows my style, a few of my licks etc. Just a one take track though...be warned.

Did I mention I also play slide sometimes, though I can always use my old guitar if any of you don;t feel these guitars are suited to it (though I know a lot of Firebird users use them for slide).
 
Duke said:
Certainly am.

Have any advice?

I'm afraid I can't help you with your tone quest, that's really a personal matter, but I think I would suggest that you consider Tokai over Epi. I know there are lots of Epi fans out there, and I even have some myself, but in my limited experience, the Tokai's tend to be much better made guitars. And being a 335/Les Paul fan myself, I'd probably recommend the Les Paul version. Incidentally, I have a Les Paul with Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P-90 pickups in it that would probably give you the sound you're after. Although those pickups are a direct replacement for humbuckers, they would increase the cost of the guitar. But in any case, you'll find that most of the Tokai people here have replaced the pickups in their guitars, so you'll probably want to consider that in your budget.

Bill
 
Thanks, I was thinking of changing the pups anyway, but I was thinking that with a Les Paul, the slos are too big for regular P-90's or mini-buckers.


And for a while, while I save up cash to buy some new pups, I want a tone I can live with for a while, while the band practises and plays the odd gig.

So at the moment I'm leaning towards thre firbird, but I want to know experiences etc.

As far as replacement pups go, I'm think maybe som DiMarzio's-usually I prefer Seymour Duncan or Kinmans, but they range for P-90's/ Mini Buckers isn;'t wide enough for my liking. But there's some DiMarzio's that cancel hum but sound like p-90's..so I'm thinkingthey are the way forward.



Are you pleased with your Tokai quality etc?
 
Maybe togps can help you with a firebird ... ?? 8)

... or he knows where to get one!


Give him a PM!!

Roger
 
I can get one alright, I;m just not sure whether I should orgo for the les paul...
 
Duke said:
I realise that as a new member, I probably shouldn't start a new topic. Apologies.

Don't be silly, fresh input or questions will always be welcome here. 8)

In answer to your question, I'd personally go for the firebird. It's something a bit different with a unique sound that will probably meet your strat/les paul combination needs. The neck balance is a well documented issue with the firebird shape but, like the SG, it can be largely solved by using a good grippy leather or suede strap.

One thing to consider - a les paul would probably suit your keef/lizzy requirements better, but you could buy new pickups at a later date and fit them with coil split switches to get those single coil tones.
 
Thanks, I was thinking about coil splitting, but I didn't want the loss of output.


I will probably go with the Firebird....I can get the Richards tele crossed with the Lizzy Les Paul with those pups, I should think.


It's cool you guys don't mind new topics...a lot of these forums can be pretty uptight, especially if a guy just wants some help.

I was thinking of putting the pin where the strap goes over at the back of the neck, and then getting a suede strap. Does anyone know if this is easily achieved, and/or if it will cause any problems with the neck joint, etc? I believe the neck is set...glued in.


Are Korean Tokai's well built?

And I've never seen the Tokai Custom..on the UK site. Anyone know the specs?

http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/Catalogue/ViewProduct.aspx?productId=2045

There it is.


Too many questions, I know. Just trying to make sense of it all...
 
Hi Duke

Definitly go Tokai over Epi - I have an epi SG which is thourougly great and I love it - but it's always been a gutar with issues (which is a common statement I hear from many epiphone users).

Something i've noticed about the MIK tokais is that they do seem to hold up very well in the used stakes - I've seen good examples going for ?250 on ebay - which is only about ?50 less than street price (I'm not a believer in guitar investment, but low depreciation like that is great when you want to upgrade to a higher spec Tokai).

.
Are Korean Tokai's well built
Don't be put off by people slating MIK tokais - I've played loads in recent weeks and they have been excellent - better than a lot of the stuff in that price range. True MIJ have the edge - but that's because they're higher up the range and have a better specification

Oh I say Firebird - it's different without being a tin opener and once you're aware of the neck thing it's not a problem
 
Duke said:
Thanks, I was thinking about coil splitting, but I didn't want the loss of output.

It's not as dramatic as some would have you believe, though it certainly is noticeable.

An alternative would be to wire the coils in parallel - this sounds much like a single coil but a bit fuller with less of an output drop and, bonus, it's still hum cancelling.
 
Duke said:
Does anyone know if this is easily achieved, and/or if it will cause any problems with the neck joint, etc? I believe the neck is set...glued in.

It's a job I'd entrust to a professional, but it could be easily done and wouldn't cost much.
 
Thanks..I'll think I'll go for the Firebird...


one more question (I might say that rather a lot),

"An alternative would be to wire the coils in parallel - this sounds much like a single coil but a bit fuller with less of an output drop and, bonus, it's still hum cancelling. "

Would that, therefore, achieve a mini-humbucker tone? Otr a P-(0 tone except with no hum?

It could just be easier, and cheaper, to do that.
 
Right, cheers. I want a fuller sound than that...so I'll go for the Firebird and put in some DiMarzio P-90's (usually go Duncan, but some of those DM pups really a fantastic).
 
You should check this guy out Rhys Ladipo:-

He may be able to save you a lifetime of buying and selling pedals that just dont cut it.

You can order direct from him at [email protected]

I believe he has a 9.8 out of 10 at harmony central. This would have been a 10 out of 10 but some customers didnt want to give full marks for the reliability section as they had only just received their pedal, so couldnt really comment.

Rhys told me the curcuit was designed for Buddy Guy's Birthday. He received the order from an elderly lady called Donna Le Duff in Louisiana but unfortunately she passed away. Hence Buddy never got it & Rhys isnt sure if the lady was for real or not. But anyway it inspired him to make this fine pedal.

He's been making these for over 7 years now and has sold to customers all over the world.

Here are the only links I could find, he refuses to advertise the pedal & prefers it to sell itself via word of mouth. The reviews are off the chart!

Reviews and sound clips:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110095867213

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Ladipo/Pride+and+Joy/10/1

Home Page:-

www.deltajetblues.com

He also has cloned the Tokai VII Grey Back Pickups:-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/www-DeltaJetBlues-com-Mal-Hombre-Stratocaster-Pickups_W0QQitemZ110105194307QQcategoryZ22670QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


GuitarGeorge69 :)


:D :eek:
 
Welcome aboard, Duke!

As others have said, even a Korean Tokai will probably be a much safer bet than an Epiphone. The people I know with the Korean models haven't had any cause for complaint, either.

Also, if you don't mind buying "blind" by mail order, I can certainly recommend Strings Direct.


adrian
 

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