Solid top TOKAI ls120 1981????????

[mojo hobo]

Ok! Here we go,Sorry for raising the subject again,i know there is a previous lengthy thread discussing if all ls120s are veneer /laminate topped,But to me this looks like a solid top ls120.
Everybody seems to agree that there is a lot more venerred topped ls120s out there than solid ,So what are you opinions of this 1982 love rock.

It has been on yahoo a while now ,Think it has been relisted twice now.Expensive yes! at 230,000 yen.
Am i missing something

MOJO HOBO

 

[RyanC]

My money is on veneer!

 

[MIJvintage]

impossible to determine from that photo ..................

 

[mojo hobo]

The photo is crap, i agree ,rich! Give a dog a bone and he will chew on it? .....

MOJO HOBO

 

[MIJvintage]

judging from nothing more than the annual rings on both halves of the top, my 'guess' is the top is veneer

the annual rings look identical on both halves, which from my experience screams veneer

The typical & oh so boring veneer ?mirror? image .....................



here is what Tokai, and other makers should be doing; it's called flitch matching 8)

this billet is actually a book matched billet but one half has been flipped, and then off-set about 1 inch = flitch match

no boring 'mirror' image here :lol: ..........................

 

[villager]

It is now my well considered opinion that all 120 are veneer topped..

I had to virtually dismantle the only 120 which I was sure was solid, to find it was not..

if you buy a 120 assume it is veneer..

There MAY be solid topped 120's out there. but you really have to scrape away the edge inside the PU cavity to tell on some of the veneers..

I did this to one LS-120 that I was sure was solid.. it was not, but I didn't do it to every 120 which looked solid...( and quite a few do, with a centre matched seam in the cavity)

 

[leadguitar_323]

So Joe was right after all..... :wink:

Mick

 

[villager]

I think so ..

but I wouldn't state it as fact, just opinion..

 

[leadguitar_323]

I think there are probably some solid 120's as well but generally it appears that most were veneer. Nothing surprises me any more...

Mick

 

[villager]

I have never seen a 100% sure one though.. IE with the cavity scraped to show where the veneer join would be.... and is not..

heh YET!!

 

[mojo hobo]

Well that is unanimous then!That is a achievement , Veneer!I will not mention the subject again.

But i have a cunnning plan!!





MOJO HOBO

 

[MIJvintage]

not sure how the whole 'myth' about the 120s being solid topped ever got started in the first place

all one has to do is to scrutinize the pickup route cavities, and the lumber will tell anyone what they want to know

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

 

[JohnA]

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

:roll:

 

[MIJvintage]

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

:roll:

little bit too deep for you there john :lol: .........................

 

[JohnA]

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

:roll:

little bit too deep for you there john :lol: .........................

Just a bit :wink:

 

[villager]

not sure how the whole 'myth' about the 120s being solid topped ever got started in the first place

all one has to do is to scrutinize the pickup route cavities, and the lumber will tell anyone what they want to know

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

because lots of them are perfect centre seams in the cavity...

you obviously have not looked at many LS-120's or you would realise that it is not that simple.....

rich, you cannot always tell by looking in the cavities...

 

[JohnA]

rich, you cannot always tell by looking in the cavities...

Don't, you'll set him off about annular rings!!

 

[JVsearch]

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

:roll:

little bit too deep for you there john :lol: .........................

Just a bit :wink:

Yeah, I might as well use the force to tell me what the wood is saying! :lol:

 

[JohnA]

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

:roll:

little bit too deep for you there john :lol: .........................

Just a bit :wink:

Yeah, I might as well use the force to tell me what the wood is saying! :lol:

'Lumber' if you don't mind :wink:

 

[MIJvintage]

not sure how the whole 'myth' about the 120s being solid topped ever got started in the first place

all one has to do is to scrutinize the pickup route cavities, and the lumber will tell anyone what they want to know

Wood is your friend, not your enemy; one just needs to understand what the lumber is trying to tell you

because lots of them are perfect centre seams in the cavity...

you obviously have not looked at many LS-120's or you would realise that it is not that simple.....

rich, you cannot always tell by looking in the cavities...

you would be correct on this point; I have not looked at many LS-120S, only a very few

on the other hand I would think you have seen quite a few; maybe a ton of them

it doesn't matter what brand of guitar it is, it's all still lumber, as long as it's not covered up with some paint layers that obstruct the construction

the 120s are not like the Greco EGFs, with that crappy black 'shielding' paint that covers everything in the pup routes :evil:


Bacchus did the very same thing with the Universe Series BLS-600 Live Road models, as Tokai did with the 120s, with the exception of a 2 pc. body back.
the body backs were center seam, 2 pc.
the tops were center seam, 2 pc.
the flame/quilt veneers were center seam, 2 pc.
There was no shielding paint in the pup routes & all three layers (body, top, veneer) of construction were visible upon inspection.

I understand that the 120 veneers are very thin veneers & that they were aligned along the same 'center seam' as the underlying mass of the maple top but it is still two different pieces of wood.