The Earliest Tokai Les Paul Reborn LPs 1978 ?

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Old Sunburst was a little more muted.

Does it have a color code?

1979 catalog:
IMG_9322.JPG
 
I really like that top. And a one piece back.
Thanks, me too. I'm pretty sure all the LS-80's had a one piece back. And the first model to use Lacquer instead of Poly. the LS-50 and 60 were 2 piece backs. The 50 usually came with a 3 piece top and the 60 with a 2 piece top. I prefer the tone of 60 with the Goto pickups myself. I've played 2 LS-80's including this one and my 60 does the 50's PAF better to my ear. I have a set of DiMarzios that came in a 81 150 ES. I can hardly wait to try those.
 
When were the first Tokai Les Pauls made?

Were there any made in 1977 like the Springys or did they begin in 1978?

Current list (March 2023) :


8002749 Les Paul Reborn (Reverb)
8002163 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8002144 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Registry)
8002131 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8002017 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8002006 Les Paull Reborn LS50 (ElectricJam)
8001990 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001986 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001946 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8001833 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001749 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Registry)
8001748 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Reverb)
8001733 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (registry)
8001634 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Registry)
8001628 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001578 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001549 Les Paul Reborn LS80 (Cliff)
8001526 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Registry)
8001494 Les Paul Reborn (Reverb)
8001478 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8001443 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8001390 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Superlead100)
8001383 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (frehley76)
8001207 Les Paul Reborn LS80 BS (eborej)
8001188 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8001168 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8001145 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8001063 Les Paul Reborn LS60OS (eBay)
8001058 Les Paul Reborn LS60 CS (Reverb)
8001050 Les Paul Reborn (eBay)
8001016 Les Paul Reborn LS80 (flomycel)
8001000 Les Paul Reborn LS80 (Guitarzandstuff)
8000868 Les Paul Reborn LS100 (Registry)
8000830 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8000801 Les Paul Reborn (eBay)
8000764 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8000671 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8000638 Les Paul Reborn LS100 (Cliff)
8000666 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8000588 Les Paul Reborn (reverb)
8000579 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (Registry)
8000529 Les Paul Reborn LS60OS (Reverb & Registry)
8000515 Les Paul Reborn (eBay)
8000496 ? LC100WR (Reverb)
8000482 Les Paul Reborn LS80OS (villager)
8000416 Les Paul Reborn (Registry)
8000414 Les Paul Reborn LS50CS (Cliff)
8000385 Les Paul Reborn (Reverb)
8000373 Les Paul Reborn LS60 (registry)
8000353 Les Paul Reborn LS80BS (D.K.)
8000349 Les Paul Reborn LS80 (yj-ampmaker)
8000325 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8000259 Les Paul Reborn LS60 CS (eBay)
8000232 Les Paul Reborn LS50GT (Reverb)
8000225 Les Paul Reborn LS50CS (Uberhen)
8000216 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8000191 Les Paul Reborn GT (Registry)
8000189 Les Paul Reborn LS50 (Registry)
8000101 (1979 catalog photo back of headstock)
 

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1978 LS80 or 100? BS

SN 8001771

TOKAI LS100 Lespaul Reborn ヴィンテージ 1980年製 - ヤフオク!

Seller's description:

Tokai LS-100 Lespaul Reborn 1980

Tokai LS series Les Paul Les Paul.

This is the popular Japan Vintage Tokai Les Paul LS100 Reborn.
The body top is a precious carved maple veneer.

It is the finest Les Paul that uses high-quality materials luxuriously.

One-piece mahogany back and solid maple top.

The body top is a valuable maple cut-out.
The wood grain is plain and hard, which is cool.

The mahogany back, neck and fretboard are black rosewood.

Considering it's age, it's in good condition, but there are some big scratches, so please check the photos.



The top arch is beautiful and shows different expressions depending on the angle.
It is a wonderful Les Paul of the high-end model of the Tokai golden age.

This is the LS-100, which has become a legend among Tokai vintages.
LS-100reborn made in 1980, which can be said to be the golden age.
Reborn has only been in production for about a year, so it is a rare and valuable model.

Positioned as a high-end model at the time, it is a high-end model that is said to surpass the original.
The Tokai LS100 is famous for being a "complete copy"

.

The pickup was originally equipped with two Dimarzio PAFs, but it has been replaced with Seymour Duncan's SPH90.
A Dimarzio PAF is also included.
Also, the pegs have been replaced with GOTOH pegs, but the original ones are also included.

I can't adjust it myself, so I've never touched a truss rod, so I don't know, but it's very easy to play.
I wonder if about 60-70% of the frets remain? I think.

Comes with SKB semi-hard case. (There is dirt etc.)

The weight was 4.48Kg that I was told at the shop where I purchased it.

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1978 LS80 or 100? BS

SN 8001771

TOKAI LS100 Lespaul Reborn ヴィンテージ 1980年製 - ヤフオク!

Seller's description:

Tokai LS-100 Lespaul Reborn 1980

Tokai LS series Les Paul Les Paul.

This is the popular Japan Vintage Tokai Les Paul LS100 Reborn.
The body top is a precious carved maple veneer.

It is the finest Les Paul that uses high-quality materials luxuriously.

One-piece mahogany back and solid maple top.

The body top is a valuable maple cut-out.
The wood grain is plain and hard, which is cool.

The mahogany back, neck and fretboard are black rosewood.

Considering it's age, it's in good condition, but there are some big scratches, so please check the photos.



The top arch is beautiful and shows different expressions depending on the angle.
It is a wonderful Les Paul of the high-end model of the Tokai golden age.

This is the LS-100, which has become a legend among Tokai vintages.
LS-100reborn made in 1980, which can be said to be the golden age.
Reborn has only been in production for about a year, so it is a rare and valuable model.

Positioned as a high-end model at the time, it is a high-end model that is said to surpass the original.
The Tokai LS100 is famous for being a "complete copy"

.

The pickup was originally equipped with two Dimarzio PAFs, but it has been replaced with Seymour Duncan's SPH90.
A Dimarzio PAF is also included.
Also, the pegs have been replaced with GOTOH pegs, but the original ones are also included.

I can't adjust it myself, so I've never touched a truss rod, so I don't know, but it's very easy to play.
I wonder if about 60-70% of the frets remain? I think.

Comes with SKB semi-hard case. (There is dirt etc.)


The weight was 4.48Kg that I was told at the shop where I purchased it.

View attachment 12831
That appears to be a listing. And the write up by someone with very limited knowledge on guitars and Tokai in general.
From what I remember, the 100 is a solid top, usually with a little better grain than the 80, which has a little better grain
than the 60. The 120 is a veneer. Speaking of 78 to 81 years only. I never research the models after 81'.
I know there can be exceptions to these rules. I've yet to see a somewhat plain top Tokai LS-100 with a veneer top.
If I am correct, I would hate to see rumor started or someone take this as gospel.
 
The LS100 came with the DiMarzio PAFs at that time.

1979 catalog:

IMG_1908.jpeg

And Tokai didn’t use veneers on LS models until 1981 based on my experience.

The 1978 LS100 was a plain top based on all the examples and catalogs I’ve seen.

Here’s the LS100 in the 1978 catalog:

IMG_1909.jpeg
IMG_1910.jpeg
 
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It sold for a surprisingly high price. Not sure if it had anything to do with the low serial number but from the listing I didn't find it to be an above-average LS60.
All the Golden Era ones seem to have gone up on prices on in Japan Ebay and Reverb too. If they cost that much in Japan, it will drive the prices up in the States. I found an ES-100 that is going for 33 without the case. The Guy won't budge on the price. They are getting hip to how good the guitars are. You can find them for cheaper, but the cheaper ones have issues. Wrong pickups, beat up, warped necks etc. They are not the bargain they used to be. They are selling 50's for the cost of what 80's went for 3 or 4 years ago. I expect them to continue to climb in price. Inflation might have a little to do with it too. Everything is more expensive.
 
All the hype drives the price up. Just like any other products out there, guitars are no different. Certainly Tokai made some good guitars, as did many other manufacturers. USA made Dean guitars from the late 70s to early 80s are the same way now. Same thing with Japanese made pickups. I could easily buy a set of Maxon/Greco/Ibanez humbuckers from the late 70s for under a 100 USD 10 years ago. No longer.
 
Yep. That is true with anything though. I am seeing prices go up on all sorts of vintage items from books to beer cans to motorcycles and muscle cars.

I linked an article a while back on the vintage guitar market within Japan and how it has exploded as far as price and appreciation.

Japanese Vintage Market
 
Pandemic, inflation and war sure helped with a massively increased demand for Japanese vintage guitars and brought prices to a level that would've been reached rather sooner than later anyway. It sure hurts that we seem to leave the "reasonable" area and head for "investment" prices but that's just the natural dynamic of collectibles.

I recently went through some old German "Fachblatt" magazines to research something and found an innocent ad in the classifieds section where someone in Munich wanted to sell a "15 year old Stratocaster, 750DM". That was 1978, making that a '63 Strat and 750DM was $375 back then. A brand-new Chushin-made "Aztec" (German importer brand) LP copy was 100DM more than that and it was only 6 years later (in the light of pre-CBS Fenders now costing 3000DM) that our singer made jokes about our other guitarist's "El Maya" (Artist model) becoming valuable in the future. Well, that joke was obviously on him. :)
 
I don't follow the market or keep up with inflation and investments. I am curious though with the prices of the first 4 years of Tokais LS 50 through 200 models, and the ES models, how they are doing in relation to inflation. From the outside they appear to be a great investment. I don't follow the other Tokai types of guitars, most notably the Strats, but they appear to be very popular on this site. They don't appear to be increasing in value at the rate of the LS and ES models. Which would be good for those that like them. And good for those that think they may at some point gain the same reputation as their LS cousins. The same for the other Fender copies. If there are some math wizards on here, that would be very interesting info to see. Maybe a section dedicated to it.
 

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