81 LS60 (Pics in post 2)

[chuckyz2]

edit:Added pics in next Post

Hi everyone.
I'm Chuck and I'm new
Just aquired a 81 LS60 in excellent
condition. Though I have read a lot
on here and elsewhere, I still have
a few q's about this guitar.
The Goutoh pickups, are they
as good as the Tokai labeled ones
that came in the LS80. And are there
other Tokai pickups besides those two
that are better still? I like the 59 Burst
tone and would like to get as close as
I can to resembling it.
The finish. I have heard it was Nitro
and that it wasn't Nitro. Which is it?
I'm a beginner player.
My player before this LS is a Samick
Artist Series LP 1999 Bubinga.
I really like the tone for what it is.
Warm. It has its limitaions though
and can get muddy. I am a beginner
hobbyist luthier and have aquired the
proper tools for fret leveling and after
doing the Sam it has a very low action
with no buzzing. I plan on doing the LS
soon but it is decent enough to play already.
The LS plays very nicely and the notes
chime just as I hoped they would. I have
a Marshall MG100 2009 on the half stack
it came paired with. 4x12 Not bad to start
on but already want some tubes.
I have leanrned a lot from this forum and would
like to thank everyone for there contributions.

 

[chuckyz2]

 

[chuckyz2]

Deleted double post

 

[loudmouse]

Welcome Chuck,
Looks like a really nice guitar there. I would say a big step up from the Samick.
LS60 isn't nitro, I believe they are poly.
I like the gotoh pickups and would keep them for now and see how good they sound on your new tube amp.

 

[chuckyz2]

Welcome Chuck,
Looks like a really nice guitar there. I would say a big step up from the Samick.
LS60 isn't nitro, I believe they are poly.
I like the gotoh pickups and would keep them for now and see how good they sound on your new tube amp.

It has upgraded Faber hardware. I have all the original hardware and it will always have the original pups even if I do try others looking for that old tone.

I watched 100's of vids of the bursts. All the 58 thru 60 and others that compare, or try to get that tone. All the different pups sound comparisons in R series Gibbo's etc. Being fully aware of the YouTube compression I know I'm not getting the full spectrum but have a pretty good idea of what I am hearing. And this LS60 sounds good even thru the SS amp. Cant wait to get a nice tube amp. The ones I want are out of my budget. Any suggestion on budget amps that get close to the Vox Doug and Pat have?
That will be my next study.

 

[chuckyz2]

Another double post!

 

[loudmouse]

Cant wait to get a nice tube amp. The ones I want are out of my budget. Any suggestion on budget amps that get close to the Vox Doug and Pat have?
That will be my next study.

Not really Vox-ey but I've always had good luck with Fender U.S.A. made Pro Jr's.
I've picked up a few used ones for dang cheap and they work great for the rack pre-amp I use(talk about old school haha). Two together = stereo fun.

I have a tweed Blues JR that is OK when just plugging the guitar in direct, no effects. Grab and go, sits with a band mix well and is plenty loud, has spring reverb and a footswitch fat boost that most people miss. Dime the master volume and use the channel volume and more importantly the guitar volumes for cleans up to full gain. A good variety of usable tones in a very portable amp.

The only Vox I ever had was an old solid state Scorpion 4X10.

 

[Peter Mac]

Hi Chuck,
LS-60 is a brillinat starting point for Tokai Love Rocks.
- 1 pce Body, 1 pce neck, 2 pce solid maple top, POLY finish - not nitro.

Pickups are the Goto Dynamic around 8.6ohm, whereas the LS-80 used Goto Super. around 8.2 ohm. Hardware should be nickel but most likely chrome and the tailpiece should be aluminium (light) instead of Zinc alloy (heavy).
My major mod if you are chasing 50s tone is this:
[ 4 x Alpha 500k pots, 2 x PIO capacitors and wire to 50s spec.]

Your PCB board is wired to Modern specs so you lose tone and volume at varying stages.
I agree to run the stock pups for a while before deciding if you need a different pair, but the Goto's are pretty good.

regards
Peter Mac

 

[villager]

1 piece body? thought 60 was 2..

 

[Peter Mac]

Hi Mark

Not in 1981 they weren't. They didn't become 2 pce til around 1986

 

[villager]

thats strange, all the info says 2 piece back on the LS-60, I have not had one myself, but this has always been my belief..

 

[J.E.M.]

[ 4 x Alpha 500k pots, 2 x PIO capacitors and wire to 50s spec.]

Peter Mac

^This right here, I agree 100%

 

[brokentoes]

I can see the seam on the back of this LS60 so it at least is a 2 piece back. Great axe anyway !!!

Nice that you got the case with it.

Congrats and enjoy !!

 

[villager]

I see it too ...

 

[aroomstudios]

Peter Mac wrote:

[ 4 x Alpha 500k pots, 2 x PIO capacitors and wire to 50s spec.]

I do the same but CTS 525k 5% pots (500k pots work fine also, but sometimes they can be as low as 460k or so that is why I use 525k 5% ones) , PIO caps and 50's wiring. Makes a HUGE difference. I normally do the women tone with the caps. 22nF in the neck and 15nF in the bridge. Though this is just preference though. I do Gibson style braided wire through out the guitar including redoing the 3 way switch with the braided wire. Sometimes I shield the cavities with gold foil tape sometimes I do not.


50's wiring picture

 

[villager]

Hi Mark

Not in 1981 they weren't. They didn't become 2 pce til around 1986

where did you get this info Peter? the specs in the catalogue translate for the 50 and 60 as "solid mahogany" whereas the 80 and higher say "1 piece solid mahogany" all the LS-60s I have seen pics of and discussions about mention 2 piece backs...

 

[luis]

As far as pots concerned I actually use metric CTS pots now avalaible so tou don't have to ream the pot holes on the top.They are avalaible through Philadelphia Luthiers Supply.

 

[chuckyz2]

Just reading this after 4 years plus. Lol. As I am sure everyone knows by now, even Peter, the LS60 has a 2 piece back.
I did the upgrades on the wiring, pots, switch and jack. I ordered a the kit from someone, don't remember who. Had to ream the holes a little for the pots. It came with the Russian PIO caps. I wired it 50's style. I also have 3 tube amps now and the guitar sounds amazing. It shredded a couple Gibsons already. One being a CS. Not that that is saying anything. From what I have read, Most of the Gibsons are junk and a few are good. I got a SOL-30, A Marshal DSL-15, and a 5E3 Deluxe Tweed Copy by P2P. I put all 50's RCA tubes in it. It came with an Alnico Gold that sounds amazing. I bought a 50's Jensen P12R reconed and it sound more like a vintage amp. I love it. The Tokai sounds amazing to my ears. I was going to test different pickups in it but I wanted a lighter one as it is 10 lbs. I also bought a couple Fenders Guitars. Both Custom Shop. 59 slab 3TSB and put some Josefina 59's in it. It's 7.5 lbs. I also got a heavy relic CS Nocaster and Put some Josefina blackguards in it. Flat poles. Both the Fenders are light and balanced. The LS60 is heavily body heavy. This new hobby I picked up 4 or 5 years ago has been an expensive one. I was saving for a higher end lighter Tokai, or a True Historic. But everything has gone up so much. I get 4k saved and start shopping and they are 8k. Now I see them over 10k. So I bought a Vintage ES. When I recover from that, I will sell the LS and get a lighter LP.

 

[guitar hiro]

As with any MIJ there are always the potentials for those infamous MIJ 'curve balls' as we have all seen from time to time but having said that every vintage era LS-60 I have seen had a 2 piece body back, particularly from 1981, before specs became weirdo later on.

The join is typically center seam or near center seam and is typically quite noticeable. I have seen an occasional example where the seam is so well matched the body back looks like a 1 piece but those examples seem to be quite rare, at least from my experience.

There are likely some LS-60 examples that do not have the well known 2 piece back but I'm confident those examples are fairly rare and are not the norm.