Custom Goldtop said:
guitar hiro said:
I wouldn't purchase any newer Tokai; why? Someone, somewhere wasn't being honest with that buyer; could have been the shop, could have been Tokai, who knows?
That sullies the entire reputation of the Tokai brand IMO.
It's pretty F***ed when one persons' bad experience can turn a Tokai fan away from Tokai. And I prolly aint the only one.
Really ? This would have to be one of the silliest things I've ever read here {or anywhere for that matter}, bordering on stupid, no really. Someone buys a guitar, without looking at it, from a guitar shop in a country that doesn't speak English, the specs are misrepresented, and I highly doubt on purpose, and somehow how this is Tokai's fault ? I have played that many completely ^&*( Gibson's and in comparison, a lot of wonderful Tokai's, I find your assertion simply ridiculous....
I have read the entire thread multiple times & have scrutinized every detail mentioned.
I take the OP at his word & I doubt he would make false, and/or misleading statements.
He spent top shelf money to obtain a top shelf example because that is what he desired, not to complain on a forum.
The OP also stated, "Actually the two shop clerks I exchanged mails had a good command of English."
The OP paid for a new, top of the line Tokai, from a retailer that was the entity that originally ordered the product from Tokai.
It looks as if the retailer changed the item (top) description from Mahogany, to Maple, after the buyer contacted the retailer.
Besides the top being Maple, not Mahogany, the instrument has several quality control issues that should not be present on such an expensive, top of the line model.
The buyer contacted Kurosawa & received insufficient replies.
The buyer contacted Tokai & received no reply.
I find that to be curious & not in a good way.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Tokai supplied Kurosawa a Maple topped guitar instead of a Mahogany topped guitar, when Kurosawa was expecting a Mahogany topped guitar, just as the buyer was expecting a Mahogany topped guitar. That is a real possibility. Is that what actually happened? Who knows. Neither Kurosawa, nor Tokai, attempted to offer any explanation.
The fact remains, both Kurosawa & Tokai failed to properly follow-up on a customer inquiry concerning multiple issues, and for one of Tokai's most expensive LP Custom style guitars. That reflects extremely poorly on both Kurosawa & Tokai. Having this experience leaves both Tokai & Kurosawa open to suspicion by the buyer, and by those that have read about it; at least by those that have an open mind concerning all potential possibilities. Needless to say, there is no denying both Tokai & Kurosawa dropped the ball on this one.
If you view that as "silly" or "stupid" or "ridiculous" then that is your opinion which you are certainly welcome to.