• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Old Tokai Explorer.

frazettafan

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
This is a pretty cool Explorer copy spec'ed from one of Rick Neilsens '58's apparently.

Sorry for the small shots but 'Imageshack' now want you to pay to get images at a decent size…...







Body is two-piece mahogany bleached to look like Korina and it's light as feather with great tone and resonance.
 

J.D.

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
Not to go too far off topic, but IMHO Tokai was building better Les Paul's than Gibson in the late '70s. I had a few Les Paul REBORN models that absolutely smoked. I wish I hadn't sold these in hindsight.
 

frazettafan

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
I agree - Japan got hold of a lot of good wood back then. I had a '79 'Reborn' also, JD. Very nice guitars.
 

kwest

New member
Joined
Feb 1, 2007
Messages
716
I agree - Japan got hold of a lot of good wood back then.

tumblr_mb6lxwQevR1r4jkbso1_500.png
 

Progear

Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2014
Messages
652
I have a Tokai 1980 LS80 and it's an amazing fiddle.. Better than any reissue I have owned..
 

J.D.

Well-known member
Joined
May 24, 2006
Messages
10,030
One of my first electric guitars was an ESP "Traditional" which was basically a vintage Fender Strat replica. It was honestly one of the best sounding Strat style guitars I'd ever played.
 

Texas Blues

Active member
Joined
Apr 13, 2008
Messages
4,641
I remember several years ago at Cowtown, in the big dry ditch of Las Vegas and before

Jesse took over they had some lawsuit guitars.

A matching pair of a V and and Explorer.

They looked awesome together.

I never played them but they wanted big jing $$ for them and I didn't dare touchem'.

Still, they were waaaaay cool.
 

frazettafan

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
I've never tried out a lawsuit V but I hear they are pretty good.

I don't have any problems with this one, but I heard Explorers suffer from tuning instability due to the string spread across the headstock? Anyone know if this is true?
 

Kris Ford

New member
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
4,003
I've never tried out a lawsuit V but I hear they are pretty good.

I don't have any problems with this one, but I heard Explorers suffer from tuning instability due to the string spread across the headstock? Anyone know if this is true?
Never had an issue with the one I had!:salude
 

DanD

Active member
Joined
Apr 8, 2007
Messages
2,368
My number 1 Strat uses an early 80s '56 2 piece CAR Tokai body. I don't know what they used for paint but mine has checked nicely. Maybe Acrylic lacquer? IDK but it is an extremely thin finish.

The higher end Tokai/ESP/Fugi Gen stuff coming from Japan at this time really smokes most of the the US product from that time by both Gibson and Fender. :peace2
 

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
My brother owns a Tokai '58 V but made from mahogany. It's a really nice guitar. I still have a Tokai Love Rock and a Strat.
 

frazettafan

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
Right - got any pics, Dave? I understand that they are very good too - and quite rare.

I don't know if they did it with the V's but I heard that the Explorers, although made from mahogany, to achieve the correct colour the wood was somehow 'bleached' to make it look lighter in tone, like korina.



qpu5.jpg
 
Last edited:

Dave P

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 13, 2001
Messages
976
I used to have pix but they were lost in a hard drive crash. His is dark mahogany colored. but otherwise looks like a 58 V. I'll have to get after him to dig it out of the dungeon...
 

58Lover

Active member
Joined
Oct 27, 2001
Messages
4,133
If you look, the bridge pup is closer to the bridge (like it was supposed to be), unlike virtually all imports from Korea and Indonesia. Even Epis.

To my ears there's diff in the tone
 

frazettafan

New member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Messages
4,072
If you look, the bridge pup is closer to the bridge (like it was supposed to be), unlike virtually all imports from Korea and Indonesia. Even Epis.

To my ears there's diff in the tone

I think I see what you mean. And the overall shape is closer to a '58 than the gibson '70's reissues.
 

oldflame

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
1,142
Had many a 79-84 Tokai myself. Used to hunt them down in the free ad papers back in the late 80's and through into the 90's.Never got my hands on a LS200 though. That would have been a great score.
 

Megawatt70

New member
Joined
Dec 29, 2019
Messages
2
I've never tried out a lawsuit V but I hear they are pretty good.

I don't have any problems with this one, but I heard Explorers suffer from tuning instability due to the string spread across the headstock? Anyone know if this is true?

I own a 1984 lawsuit Tokai explorer. Bought new from a guitar shop in London called “ Allbang & Strumit” . It was made to order in 1984. Cost £352 which was a fair bit in those days. Gibson had finally reissued a korina style model with a black scratch plate but it was £900 and I wasn’t that rich then. It is free from any tuning issues and is a great guitar however, it has done a fair few gigs in its 35 years so condition is good to average. It’s solid mahogany but has a lighter coloured lacquer to give it its “korina” finish. I have no idea what it’s worth but I’m keeping it anyway. I will post some pictures at some point.
 

oldflame

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2004
Messages
1,142
I own a 1984 lawsuit Tokai explorer. Bought new from a guitar shop in London called “ Allbang & Strumit” . It was made to order in 1984. Cost £352 which was a fair bit in those days. Gibson had finally reissued a korina style model with a black scratch plate but it was £900 and I wasn’t that rich then. It is free from any tuning issues and is a great guitar however, it has done a fair few gigs in its 35 years so condition is good to average. It’s solid mahogany but has a lighter coloured lacquer to give it its “korina” finish. I have no idea what it’s worth but I’m keeping it anyway. I will post some pictures at some point.

That would have been John Gold who sold you that marvelous plank. Great little store that sadly went in the late 80's. John lives in the US now. Any top end Tokai was very difficult to find in the UK back in the 80's. Not many were imported via 'Blue Suede Music' who were the distributor. Mainly because they were pretty expensive. I think the LS 200 was quoted in the '84 catalogue price guide at 900 quid.
 
Top