Help to ID this Tokai

[runrun]

Hello to all, i buy this guitar in 2010, the seller send me as a Tokai ls150F and the serial number identify as a 2009 tokai.

All seems to be correct, but the other day reading about Ls150 specs and seeng my guitar i see that my guitar couldn?t be a 1 piece back, has a mark that i show in the pics that could be of more pieces. i dont know if this mark is normal or defect of the wood, because i had another tokai and was clear that it had differente pieces.

I contact with him, and say me that i ordered a LS150 Flame and Tokai send him a Tokai LS150 Flame. But in the catalog of 2009 doesnt exist a LS150F, there are a low models and Ls260 with flame. I no doubt of my seller, but is not clear what my guitar is.

The weight is lees than 4 kg.

Whats model is my guitar?

The pickups haven?t any mark or name that identify them.

In the cavity of pickups, only is write "5A" in Red, suposse to be the flame, but anyone refference to the model.

This really are oranges and pots i know that are 500 cts, but the photos are bad, sorry.

 

[luis]

Lift bridge pickup and check for an inscription. Mine had 150 HDC there.

 

[runrun]

Nothing there :-?

 

[luis]

Another clue: just check for "western electric" style cable from the switch to pickups, it?s not the braided one you can see on pickups but not the regular wire used in electronics, my LS-150 had it.

 

[Reborn Old]

The most telling test would be to see if the zig zig grain lines of the top continue into the pickup cavity assuring you of a solid top
Your cavity finish might be too dark to see the grain, but a solid flame top will only be found on LS-150 + models.
Also you can try to follow the grain lines, that you think might be back seams,
around to the bottom edge and see if they are straight up and down (perpendicular to the top surface) or not.
If they are at any angle other than 90* to the top, then they are grain lines.
One other less reliable test might be to pull a bridge saddle and look for evidence of brass under nickel plating
where strings touch the saddle or at the threads.
They should be brass under nickel plate on premium models (or all brass on some). Some LS-98 owners have reported having brass saddles.

 

[runrun]

Yes, the zig zag continues like yours (other bad photo sorry).

 

[Reborn Old]

That confirms it is an LS-150 F or higher model.
Tokai never made a solid flame top model with a multi piece back
(outside of some vintage 3 piece top LS-50's and LS-60's with partial figuring, which doesn't apply to modern models.)

Is there any evidence of wood grain along the bottom mahogany edge ?
That is really the best place to look for back seams in most cases, if there are any, but yours will be one piece.

 

[runrun]

Ok in the case that would be only grain of the wood, in 2009 there aren?t ls150F, only in Uk, and this isn?t an uks headstock. What model wuld be?

A ls260 is not, because the black spragues, mine are oranges, would be and LS-200 5A? In the neck is written 5A and the rest is similar to ls150.

 

[brokentoes]

Well if i read your first post correctly, the first owner ordered a LS-150 Flame and that's what your guitar looks like, and has the most specs of. Tokai does do custom orders to my knowledge, perhaps this is one of them. It looks like a sweet axe and if you got a good deal on it, even better.

 

[runrun]

Ok thx all ^^

 

[Reborn Old]

Ok in the case that would be only grain of the wood, in 2009 there aren?t ls150F, only in Uk, and this isn?t an uks headstock. What model wuld be?

A ls260 is not, because the black spragues, mine are oranges, would be and LS-200 5A? In the neck is written 5A and the rest is similar to ls150.

Catalog premium models all had black spragues as you say.
Japan LS-195 special orders only came in Cherry Sunburst, Vintage Finish and Lemon drop, CS, VF, LD.
Unless the "5A" grade in the pickup cavity is under the finish, I would question it's origin. Yours is a special order model, due to Orange drop caps,
probably the stated LS 150F. If the 5A grade marks are under the finish, it might be an LS-200 special order model as you suspect.
ULS-150 UK models were non catalog special orders as well.

 

[Diamond]

As far as I know, I could be wrong, the 2009 5A models only came in VF, not tobaccoburst.

So I'll go with this guitar being a 2009 LS150F.

 

[mattim]

As far as I know, I could be wrong, the 2009 5A models only came in VF, not tobaccoburst.

So I'll go with this guitar being a 2009 LS150F.

I second to this opinion strongly ;-)

Matti