I have a Tokai LS98F that I've upgrade the pickups to Bareknuckle Stormy Mondays with Bareknuckle pots,50's wiring and Sprague Orange Drop caps. I think it's great,but have recently had comments at gigs that "it doesn't sound like a Les Paul" It lacks the depth of a real LP according to some. I've also had Lollar Imperials in it which were fine,but I scored the BK's used,and wanted to try them. Could it be that the BK's are a little too low wound to give the depth that these people are not hearing? Are Tokais' generally lighter sounding than LP's? I thought there would be very little difference given the woods and construction on a Tokai. As far as I'm concerned,the Tokai plays as good as most G*****s. I was playing through tube amps when the comments were made,using a Keeley modded BD-2. Opinions?
LS98F sound
- Thread starter kitmac
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kitmac said:
Total BS!
The guys making the comments don't know what a Les Paul sounds like.
They judge the sound of a Les Paul with their eyes instead of their ears.
I watch dozens of guitarists gigging Tokais with the stock MK11 pickups and they all sound great.
Actually, the pro guitarists I deal with think a Tokai sounds more like a Les Paul than a G Les Paul Standard does, because, the Tokai has a proper/correct neck joint and a solid mahogany body, unlike the LP Standard.
Paladin2019
Well-known member
What amp/fx are you using at gigs? How often are you hearing these comments, and who from? What exactly did they say?
Can you supply us with a sound clip of your rig?
Sounds to me like somebody had a few pints in them, saw that it didn't say 'gibson' on the headstock and decided to act like a dick. The Stormy Monday is an excellent pickup in a Les Paul, and most vintage-voiced humbuckers are pretty low output as standard.
Can you supply us with a sound clip of your rig?
Sounds to me like somebody had a few pints in them, saw that it didn't say 'gibson' on the headstock and decided to act like a dick. The Stormy Monday is an excellent pickup in a Les Paul, and most vintage-voiced humbuckers are pretty low output as standard.
Paladin2019 said:
Hi,the first time was with a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb 2x10 combo in Blonde with a Keeley Blues Driver,next time was with a Matchless DC30 and the same o/d. I also used my Gibson R8 with BK Mississippi Queen pups,which is what may have triggered the comment on the 2nd gig. Huge price difference in the two guitars,but I still think the Tokai is very good,and the Stormys have a lower output which is possibly too thin for the taste of the commentators. I'm trying a Dr Vintage bridge pup that I just got in the bridge tonight. Trouble is,when I play the guitar in a jam or at home,I think it sounds fine,but then Im not hearing what the audience hears! I had Lollar Imperials in it which are obviously not shabby,but I felt the Stormys were slightly more characterful.I suppose what I'm asking is would something more midrangy be better? Mules perhaps?
Paladin2019
Well-known member
The mule does have a bit more output and a more even frequency response. I've got them in my love rock and they are pretty much definitive les paul tone.
Maybe you need to do a bit more tweaking of the amp settings when swapping guitars if they sound that different from each other, but I do still worry that there's a bit of snobbery going on there. Some clips would be good if at all possible. 8)
Maybe you need to do a bit more tweaking of the amp settings when swapping guitars if they sound that different from each other, but I do still worry that there's a bit of snobbery going on there. Some clips would be good if at all possible. 8)
Dave_Mc
Well-known member
kitmac said:
So your mates with golden ears could hear the difference between a Tokai and a Gibson but not the difference between humbucker and p90 pickups?
I mean I have both a Gibson and a couple of Tokais (Fender copies) and I like them both. But I'm always wary of non-blind test claims of guitar players. Normally (not always) they're full of it. E.g. TGP forum. :lol:
