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could YOU ever consider choosing a Tokai Love Rock LS320 in preference to a Historic

J

jholcomb

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Sep 10, 2003
Messages
269
I have a '90 Greco Mint Collection EG900 LP with a killer honeyburst flametop. Weighs right at 8 lbs, sounds every bit as good or better than my R7. Aside from the two piece mahogany body (which is matched so well it is virtually impossible to detect under normal light) the only other difference is that is says "Greco" on the headstock. Only difference besides the fact that I paid just 500 bucks for it, that is! I was just in my local Guitar Center yesterday, and none of the Gibson Historics had tops that were anywhere near as pretty, OR authentic!
 
JustAHack

JustAHack

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Feb 5, 2004
Messages
387
tall guy said:
think about it and be honest, could you close your eyes to the name on the headstock ?
Click to expand...

By feel alone, not even plugged in, yes.

Tokai is great, for what it is. If I had no other choice, sure.

...But (fortunately, for now) I do have a choice. And as much as I hate Gibson these days, and refuse to buy new Gibson, there's no comparison between a fully-tuned Gibson and fully-tuned Tokai. I've owned both.

Don't kid yourself. Flaws and all, close your eyes, and try it yourself.
 
L

lasher

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Aug 9, 2003
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644
here's a pic of a les paul reborn i owned. it was an ls-120, made in 78. had double white dimarzios in it. had a solid top, subtle flame. it is a very nice guitar.

ls3.JPG
 
somebodyelseuk

somebodyelseuk

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Messages
457
tall guy said:
ever see a LS320 Love Rock.....eh ?

Friggin hell , no wonder Gibson were shittin bricks when they saw it . Read its spec, just like an old 59 burst and the craftmanship is outstanding to say the very least.

some folks say the LS320 by Tokai is just about as close to the real deal as say a Max replica, ive never tried one so I cant ofer any opinion.

If an R9 was set beside a LS320 , do you think you could take the Tokai ?

Be honest with yourself, the LS320 may just be the better guitar , again , i dont know, ive never tried one. Would the Tokai name on a possibly superior guitar be the deciding factor, is that Gibson logo the deciding factor ?

For me, yeah, having that Gibson logo on a devestating R9 = all I want, and thats it . The tokai aint got a fraction of the history, mojo or a lengthy list of legendary users like the historic gibson............case closed.

So ,whats your thoughts, could you pass the historic for a potentially superior non-USA but Japanese guitar that just might take to you closer to owning real burst Les Paul, those things are specced alarmingly close to a real deal burst.

think about it and be honest, could you close your eyes to the name on the headstock ?
Click to expand...
I sort of did.
I've been promising myself for ten years that if I ever have the spare cash, I'd treat myself to an R9. Since then, I've been in the position twice and bottled out twice. Last time I actually went in the shop to buy an R8, was handed a Tokai LS150F to try.
From a build quality perspective, there's no difference. None. Out of the box, the Gibson sounds better - the Tokai pickups on this model are... meh.
Nevertheless, it wasnt worth two grand more to have Gibson on the head, for me. I bought the Tokai and put some of the difference in to Amber So59s and Bareknuckles electronics. NOWmy Tokai sounds better than THAT R8... IMHO
Now the difference between the LS150 and 320, as I understand it, are the 320 has better pickups, fret nibbing/binding... Posher case... I'm not sure what else.
I still have the itch for an R9, but I'm not getting rid of the Tokai.
 
Rockhard

Rockhard

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Sep 6, 2001
Messages
113
Well it's actually an LS370 . 2009 . Can't seem to upload .
 
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greg-delta

greg-delta

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Messages
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My opinion: at that price point, you're getting diminishing returns.

Is there anything about either that justifies such an extraordinary price? for me, no....

TBH, I'm not even sure why the price is so high for either...it's some wood and magnets and some wires...I just don't see how that can add up to $3,000+ item. It's a guitar, a les paul no less, there are hundreds of thousands of them out there

The tokai looks better, I'd probably take it over a gibson if money was no object, but I guess it would come down to how each feels
 
greg-delta

greg-delta

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Joined
Jul 7, 2020
Messages
47
JustAHack said:
By feel alone, not even plugged in, yes.

Tokai is great, for what it is. If I had no other choice, sure.

...But (fortunately, for now) I do have a choice. And as much as I hate Gibson these days, and refuse to buy new Gibson, there's no comparison between a fully-tuned Gibson and fully-tuned Tokai. I've owned both.

Don't kid yourself. Flaws and all, close your eyes, and try it yourself.
Click to expand...

so interesting...my $1200 Edward LP Custom is better than any gibson I've ever played, vintage, current, custom shop, whatever.
 
rockabilly69

rockabilly69

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Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
2,875
tall guy said:
ever see a LS320 Love Rock.....eh ?

Friggin hell , no wonder Gibson were shittin bricks when they saw it . Read its spec, just like an old 59 burst and the craftmanship is outstanding to say the very least.

some folks say the LS320 by Tokai is just about as close to the real deal as say a Max replica, ive never tried one so I cant ofer any opinion.

If an R9 was set beside a LS320 , do you think you could take the Tokai ?

Be honest with yourself, the LS320 may just be the better guitar , again , i dont know, ive never tried one. Would the Tokai name on a possibly superior guitar be the deciding factor, is that Gibson logo the deciding factor ?

For me, yeah, having that Gibson logo on a devestating R9 = all I want, and thats it . The tokai aint got a fraction of the history, mojo or a lengthy list of legendary users like the historic gibson............case closed.

So ,whats your thoughts, could you pass the historic for a potentially superior non-USA but Japanese guitar that just might take to you closer to owning real burst Les Paul, those things are specced alarmingly close to a real deal burst.

think about it and be honest, could you close your eyes to the name on the headstock ?
Click to expand...
Potentially superior my ass! Go find a Tokai forum and spout that crap there. First off, the company is stealing their whole design from Gibson, and second, they will never be a Gibson!
 
El Gringo

El Gringo

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Apr 8, 2015
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5,668
rockabilly69 said:
Potentially superior my ass! Go find a Tokai forum and spout that crap there. First off, the company is stealing their whole design from Gibson, and second, they will never be a Gibson!
Click to expand...

+1, I couldn't have said it any better !
 
greg-delta

greg-delta

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rockabilly69 said:
Potentially superior my ass! Go find a Tokai forum and spout that crap there. First off, the company is stealing their whole design from Gibson, and second, they will never be a Gibson!
Click to expand...

they’re better than Gibson’s at this point


gibson disrespects “their” design. It’s not “stealing” if you do it better and do it right. Gibson insists on inferior workmanship at a higher price. Time for grandpa to step aside
 
El Gringo

El Gringo

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Of course they would and never mind the respective Custom Shop presentations of both Fender and Gibson . I really think it all boils down to price points for the consumer and enthusiast ,which is great because it gives folks choices and options a price points . When anyone gets down to judgments that's where it's personal choice and taste . I think we can agree on that ?
 
rockabilly69

rockabilly69

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greg-delta said:
they’re better than Gibson’s at this point


gibson disrespects “their” design. It’s not “stealing” if you do it better and do it right. Gibson insists on inferior workmanship at a higher price. Time for grandpa to step aside
Click to expand...


You come here to extol the wonderful awesomeness of your replica guitar, and your knowledge of what makes a great Les Paul? :troll
 
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