Pics of my new Love Rock Prototype

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Pegcityrocker

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After being held for 3 weeks at Canada Customs, my Love Rock has finally arrived from Japan. I got it from Hisashi on ebay who told me that this was a prototype. I initially figured it was a LS 65 with a nitro finish but it seems to have the specs of the LS 135 but without the CTS pots. What do you guys think?
In the end it doesn't matter though, I have never held and played a guitar that felt so right. The matte nitro finish really works for me. Every curve on this guitar is perfectly suited for me hands. This is my new number 1 and I highly doubt I will ever find a guitar to replace it. I've owned quite a few guitars (other Japanese replicas, Gibson Les Paul's and SG's, a '52 American vintage Tele, a couple of Korean Love Rocks and Epiphones etc.) but nothing that comes close to the sound and feel of this guitar.
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Pegcityrocker said:
.... The matte nitro finish really works for me. Every curve on this guitar is perfectly suited for me hands.
Pegcityrocker, congrats for your new baby.
Are you sure that it has a nitro finish? Or is it maybe the rare satin matt finish as in my just started auction?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7384017852&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2F%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26satitle%3D7384017852%26fvi%3D1
 
Pegcityrocker said:
You're right, that finish looks identical to mine. So this is called Satin Matt Laquer then? Which models are they using this on?
It is a custom made finish. Indicated in the current Japan catalogue as well for the model LS85F and LS90Q
 
Those Gotoh pups must be a new models as I've never seen that Gotoh engraved before....There were some experimental models going LS100 and above with Honduras Mahogany necks.I saw them at Guitar Universe site some years ago....
 
I'm sorry to ruin your fun, but that guitar doesn't have the specs of a ls-135, for starters I don't see a long tenon in those photos?? Ls-135 has a long tenon
 
orvilleowner said:
I've heard that cutting off the excess length of those pole screws will
help the sound of the pickups (something about the magnetic fields).

Thanks for the info, I'll have to look into that.
 
man don't let what I told you ruin the fun though, if it feels right it is right the right one, it's a BEAUTIFULLY GORGEOUS guitar you've got there...
 
I was wondering about the long neck tenon. From what I thought, if it has a long tenon, the heel of the neck will run right under where the pickup sits. Is that coorect? If so, I would say mine does not have that. :-?
 
One of my Orville by Gibson Les Paul Customs has a bit of a gap where the mortise is longer than the tenon. Not quite as bad as that one, though!

Anyway, I remembered where I read about that Humbucker Screw Tip, at Torres Engineering http://store.yahoo.com/torresengineering/golhumandp90.html

where it says:

"Another cool trick to try: cut the screws (get a new set) off right
at the bottom of the pickup frame. This will make the pickup more
efficient and change the tone quite a bit. It eliminates "eddy
currents" under the frame, and makes the two coils more equal in
iron load - therefore more efficient."
 
it defintly doesn?t have a long neck tenon, the ls-135 however does, but just like I said, don't worry to much about that, it's a beauty of a guitar...
 
Pegcityrocker said:
I initially figured it was a LS 65 with a nitro finish but it seems to have the specs of the LS 135 but without the CTS pots. What do you guys think?
Besides the usual medium neck tenon it doesn't have brass saddles, so probably the tailpiece is not aluminum either. You can check the control cavity for sprague orange drop caps, but it's unlikely that they are used when the pots are not CTS and the jack isn't from Switchcraft. The new LS135 will probably have the Tokai PAF-Vintage MK2 by Keiyo that I tested recently, not Gotohs. It seems that the back is 1-piece mahogany though which would rather indicate at least a LS 75 instead of a LS65/70 from 2002. Nevertheless congrats to your new Tokai, and don't let the specs fool you if you like a guitar! :wink:
 
I've heard that cutting off the excess length of those pole screws will help the sound of the pickups (something about the magnetic fields).

Don't know where you heard that, I'd say that it was one of those 70's "urban guitar" myths, like stripping the paint from the guitar helps sustain (Mick Ronson/Marc Bolan, etc). Even if you did shorten the screws, there'd still be some magnetic field coming out of the bottom of the pickup from the screw holes... Even boutique brands have screw poles sticking out of the pickup base, and they would be the first ones to do something about it if it were true.
 

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