Where can I buy a Tokai online?

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alba359

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Hi, Does anyone have experience with Tokai guitars? I understand they make very good copies of famous What are your comments? Where can they be bought online? Thanks, Don
 
I played a Tokai LoveRock (LP copy) a while ago when I was in Toronto..... it's the truly yhe best LP copy I've ever play, in fact, dare I may say, even better than the original! :) (excellent tone and sound, and hand-made!)

Are u in the US? I think it's harder to find Tokai in US, Gibson has somethng against them.. ;) anyway, I think they are easily found in Canada... I seen quite a few in Ebay as well....
 
Thanks for the replies. I live in Louisiana USA. Is there an online store in Canada that I could buy from and have it sent to Louisiana? Thanks, Don
 
They look nice, Tokai, hmmm, isn't that someone who hogs the bong?
 
In the late 70's to early 80's the Tokai LoveRock (vintage Les Paul copy) and the Tokai Springy Sound (vintage Strat copy) were probably the best "new" guitars on earth. These guitars were made entirely in Japan and handcrafted by the best luthiers that Japan had to offer. The Tokai guitars rivaled (...and many say "exceeded") the quality, tone, and playability of the the best original Gibson and Fender's from the 50's and 60's.

Since then, some of the parts are now imported from Korea and the great old luthiers are said to have retired.
Quality has waned a bit, but the Tokai's are still a force to be reckoned with, despite the slight loss in overall quality.
Also, Gibson and Fender have improved the quality of their top-end guitars quite a bit, and the difference between the Tokai's guitars and the "real thing" at this point is that the Tokai's are a better value for the money.... usually costing about a third less than the comparable Gibson and Fender models.
If you want to get the best of the best, try to find a "lawsuit era" Tokai from roughly 1977 to 1983.
Those are the good ones! ;)
 
I ordered my "Love Rock" (beautiful dark heritage cherryburst quilted top) direct from Japan at http://www.cyborg.ne.jp/~universe/ (Yoshi's Guitar Universe) With standard shipping, my guitar got to me in just 4 days or so. And the dollar to yen conversion can save you some money. Also these Japan Love Rocks are true specs to Les Pauls. Dont confuse them with the new Love Rocks made for the american market, they have a shorter horn and different head stock. To get the real deal, get it from Japan.
 
Thanks for the replies. Dabluesman, Which model number did you order? It sounds like you are satisfied with it. Thanks, Don
 
I ordered the LS75Q (about $550), It's the top of the line of the medium range Love Rocks. The others (LS200 and LS320) are high end and costs as much as a Gibson Les Paul. The lower end ones (LS70F, LS65, & LS60) go down in price about $40 for a flame sycamore top instead of quilted maple (on the LS70F), you can also save about $70 by going with a plain 2 pc maple top/2 pc mahogany back (on the LS65) or save about $100 by going with a 3 pc maple top/2 pc mahogany back (on the LS60) the fretboards are rosewood on these, and a hard shell case will run you about $210. I'm very pleased with my LS75Q, the only change I've made to it is putting in a matched set of Bill Lawrence L-500 pickups. The link below will take you to pics (with stock pickups) of my LS75Q.
http://dabluesman.com/Tokai.htm
 
Da Blues man..You paid ONLY $550.00 for that guit..did that include the case ?Or was it $250.00 more?{I don't need a great case becuse its stayin' in one spot}..Tell me more..How close does it feel/sound to a Gibson.I would love a Gold top with P90 style PU's...I gotta get one of these for the studio...Thanks for your time



Don
 
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I ended up paying about $780 total.. the guitar ($520) hard shell case ($120) and shipping from Japan $140). The dollar to yen changes so it may be about the same or more or less at the current time. I've taken it to some local shops to show it off.. Everyone who has seen and played it says it is exactly like a Les Paul Classis with the semi narrow neck shape (it's not real narrow and yet it's not baseball bat fat either.) One guy in particular who checked it out has a 25 year old Gibson and he was blown away, he mentioned that their are no dead spots on the neck which is supposed be common on other Les Paul type guitars. This is my first Les Paul type guitar, I've went to all the shops and played Epi's, Dean EVO's, and the Tokai blows those away and is comparable to the $1500+ Gibsons. I love the tone of it, but I'm picky about pickups so I changed them, its better than ever now. It's a great guitar, you wont be let down if you decide to purchase one.
 
does anyone know the conversion from yen to dollars, thanks
 
At the time I bought my Tokai the conversion was like this (Starting with the high end Love Rocks):
[notice he shows you the conversion then marks it down even more.]

as of Tue, 02 Apr 2002

LS320 -Price/List price 320,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $2466.00
Your price USD $2106.00+Shipping & Handling.

LS200 -Price/List price 200,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $1540.00
Your price USD $1310.00+Shipping & Handling.

LS75Q -Price/List price 75,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $577.00
Your price USD $520.00+Shipping & Handling.

LS70F -Price/List price 70,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $538.00
Your price USD $485.00+Shipping & Handling.

LS65 -Price/List price 65,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $500.00
Your price USD $450.00+Shipping & Handling.

LS60 -Price/List price 60,000yen/1USD=130yen(about)/USD $462.00
Your price USD $415.00+Shipping & Handling.



The LS320 and LS200 are TOP OF THE LINE, you probably wont find a Gibson as nice as these! My personal choice is the LS75Q and LS65. Hopefully those prices can give you an idea of the dollar:yen. I found a site by searching google for price conversion that worked too.
 
Just been looking at them on ebay, those Love Rock LP copies look real nice, there's one where I don't think the guy knows what he has. Damn, I don't need another guitar.
 
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