Tokai 2001 Limited Edition Love Rock Flame Top

This one's a 2003 custom shop, which I'm told is the exact same specs and materials as the limited edition 2001's. It's a 59 L.P. flame top copy from Korea. enough said.

I run this guitar through a traynor custom valve and a marshall 4x12 with some simple effects (wah, big muff, memoryman) and play the gambit of rock in general. I thought I'd be replacing the pickups right away in this thing but in my opinion they sound pretty authentic and they're staying in there. Great tonal variety, good definition and huge amounts of sustain.

It was set up perfectly when I got it. It went straight from the UPS guy that morning to my gig that night. There are no flaws in the construction that I can see, and I looked for them.

It seems solid enough to withstand gigging and certainly has so far. I like the oversized strap buttons on it and don't think you could easily drop it. Though I'd easily trust this guitar not to fart out on me I'd never gig without a backup, whether this was a korean Tokai or a real deal '59 Gibson

No clue, haven't dealt with 'em, highly doubt I'd need to

I've been gigging profesionally for about ten years now,playing in general about 20. I have owned all kinds of guitars and used to have a Gibson L.P. standard and a L.P. from The Heritage(gibson's old kalamazoo factory)both of which got stolen one night after a gig.
I couldn't afford the ABSOLUTELTY CRIMINAL price of a Gibson again so I bought the Tokai figuring if it sucked I could sell it off as quick as a bought it considering the price. After getting it I honestly beleive that for the minimal differences between this and my old L.P.'s I was foolish to hand over thousands of dollars more for slightly better hardware and the name brand on the headstock. I'm not saying it's at par with the Gibson 59 reissue, but at roughly TWO GRAND LESS it's pretty damn close and will kill any epiphone you put it up against.

2001 ltd. ed. Love Rock.
'59 Les Paul copy with overseas production and materials.
Allegedlly solid mahogany back and maple top, I've taken the pick-ups out and checked all the cavities, including the control cavities, and can't tell, as I don't plan on completely stripping the finish just to see if it's solid. Pick-ups really suck. I replaced the bridge pu w/a Lindy Fralin, nice!! I'm giving it a 6, frankly the hardware sucks, pu's suck, and what's with the rosewood fretboard being dyed/finished( mine has finish bleed on the binding?!) and I'm still pissed about being duped into paying $850. P.S. real pearl inlays?!! Maybe if your eyesights bad. However, it's got the Gibson shaped headstock and fat(!)'59 style neck and it looks pretty.

I was looking for a cool Les Paul without the price tag. Was really in the market for a Tokai, unfortunately, I did not know about the Korean manufacturing of these Tokai guitars, before I purchased it. I plan on customizing/upgrading where I can i.e. inlays, pu-s, hardware. I have to say, after replacing the bridge pu, I fell in love, it's light( i've been playing an Epi Riviera), sounds like a Les Paul, has a really comfortable neck, and it takes a lot of abuse(it's been subject to quite a bit, since I found out about it's origin)and it sustains and got me sick of my Epi.(I know a lot of Gibson snobs are laughing, but I had the opportunity to A/B a real Standard with my Epi through my set-up, and have to say I wasn't impressed with the tone, too metal! And I know I'd be pissed to have to replace pu's on an already very fucking expensive guitar)P.S. I have a very non-metal set-up:Reissue Bluesbreaker, Reissue Vox Wah, Fulltone Soul-Bender, Danelectro Delay.

It came with a weird finish flaw on the side, looked like someone layed a hot soldering iron on it. Frets were suprisingly well dressed and smooth. Top is nicely bookmatched and honey-burst finish looks pretty cool. I've had it for a few months now and the jack is already giving me trouble, but then again I had the same problem w/an american
made Strat. Action was cool and set-up was generally allround decent.

Like I said I'm less than careful with it, skipped entirely thru the "babying" stage, and it's held up fairly well, now that I've done some minor adjustments(had to glue a toothpick into the strap button route, because I tore it out the third day I had it strapped on!!AAARRRGGGHHH!!)I would never gig without a back-up, but if I had to I would feel pretty confident.

Haven't tried to contact them, but considering Tokai's dishonesty with the Specs on the hang tags, I don't think I would bother.

I've been playing seriously for 6 years plus on and off for 3 years prior. If it were lost stolen,etc... I would probably get a Japanese made Tokai, I love this guitar, but had I known it's origin I would not have purchased it, especially for the price! So if the dishonest prick in Jersey that sold this to me is reading this, GO TO HELL! Anyway, prior to any mods I would give it a 5. However, seeing as how if I had a real Standard, I would change the pick-ups, and I've often read complaints about Gibson strap buttons, I would rate the Tokai as an 8 on a good day, considering even a plain top Tokai would set you back over a grand.

Korean-made Les Paul replicant with standard LP features. Body appears to be three-piece mahogany, neck is also mahogany with a scarfed headstock (as found on epi lps) and features more of a '59-type profile, rather than the thinner '60/classic shape. Fretboard is rosewood with interesting inlays; though they're obviously plastic they exhibit a multi-color sheen similar to mother-of-pearl or abalone. Frets are well-seated and, like the epi lps, extend over the binding on each side of the fretboard. The guitars' top is evidently crafted of sycamore and features a flame-pattern which, though not as exquisite as some of the gibson reissues or the older japanese loverocks, is quite striking. Finish appears to be poly, not lacquer. Tuners are classic kluson lp clones which hold tune well. Hardware is chrome, probably as good or better than that found on other korean instruments. Bridge features heavier posts than those found on the older japanese tokais. Pickups are good paf-style designs, but I'll be replacing these with gibson classic '57s anyway, so..

This guitar is very resonant. Sounds good unplugged, always a good sign. The stock pickups can do the "lp through a cranked marshall" thing well, though they don't seem to provide enough detail for clean sonics. I usually replace pickups anyway, so this really isn't an issue for me..

Guitar arrived with slightly higher-than-usual action for a lp, though not crippling by any stretch. Neck was straight, frets seem well-planed. Finish is very well-done, no apparent flaws. The only real problem area was with the plastic nut, which appeared to be haphazardly slotted. I may end up replacing this with a gibson replacement..

This guitar has already seen a lot of abuse and always cheerfully comes back for more. I would use this axe now as-is for sessions or gigs; and once she's been completely set-up and modded then there won't be any reliability issues whatsoever. Initially I was going to replace the tailpiece, but when the guitar arrived I figured the stock unit would work okay. Still might install some straplocks, though. Les Pauls are EXTREMELY vulnerable to trauma at the headstock; if you've ever tried to restore one that has been damaged you know what I'm talking about..

Never dealt with Tokai.

I believe these guitars have received some unfair raps both here @ HC and at the tokai registry. Okay, so you're not getting the one-piece necks/bodies, lacquer-finish, etc., but you have to realistically examine the comparative price point vs. performance ratios. The "real" gibsons start at 1500. This Ltd.Ed.loverock plays just as solidly as either of my gibson lps, and weighs in about the same. None of the epi lps I examined met these criteria. And, of course, the days of finding used gibson Les Paul Standards for 500. or less are OVER! I looked at dozens of epi lps and quite a few gibson classics before deciding to buy the loverock. No regrets, I saved well over a grand in the process! I also needed a lp that I could customize at will; a new guitar that costs over two grand is not a good vehicle for this sort of endeavor. These guitars are neither "copies" nor "toys", they're replicas that feature modern manufacturing techniques/materials that keep the consumers' price down to a reasonable level. Heck, even the new japanese loverocks are going for 1600.+, if and when you can find them. Granted, I'll admit that the materials and workmanship on my gibsons and japanese loverock are superior to anything found on the korean imports. For the money, however, I would have to recommend the Ltd.Ed. Loverock as a serious contender. There's nothing in it's price range that comes this close to capturing the essence of a "real" Les Paul Standard. And I'm betting that with new pickups/electronics the SONIC differences between the Loverock and a new gibson classic will be negligible, if noticable at all in a blindfold test scenario. An added bonus is that you're less likely to suffer a fatal coronary if the loverock gets thoroughly doused with cheap beer while you're playing at your favorite local dives... ;)

LP style guitar with nice looks from across the room, up close and personal, just an average Korean made guitar, and for what I paid, I could have bought an epiphone les paul copy for about $200 less. The pickups are OK but I'll be replaciing soon. The real Toka's are the Made In Japan Models. It appears to be a mahogany body and neck, with a venier top of maple.

Sound on par with an epi les paul, OK but a little thin for the money.

OK fit and finish, some orange peal around the headstock edge.

The hardware is average Korean style chrome, I've seen an original Japan Tokai Love Rock, and this does not appear to be on the same level.

TOkai does not appear to have any support in the USA and since I've found out that this is not a completely legal product in the US due to our copyright laws, thus no local dealers for help.

I would not repurchase this guitar, I could have bought a epiphone les paul standard from my local dealer for $200 less than this guitar but you live and learn. I did learn since my purchase that if you have a Tokai Love Rock and you need to know if it's Japan Or Korean, the Japan model has only two screws in the truss rod cover, the Korean made model has 3 screws holding the truss rud cover.

This is the same guitar mentioned a couple other times here. It is a Les Paul style guitar made in Korea to "Japan" specs. I won't go into the details too much except to say that it has a mahogany body and a REAL flame maple top. You are already aware of the general Les Paul layout.

I play this guitar through a Korg AX1000G into a 50 watt Marshall JCM800 Master Volume head feeding a 4X12 Marshall cabinet. Ever heard of the classic Les Paul/Marshall sound? Well, I got it in spades!! Fat, round distortion and singing sustain from a guitar that feels like a weapon in your hands!! The only problem with it is that it's too pretty!! LOL... And friggin heavy!!! This guitar is a Les Paul in every form of the word. All that's missing is the name and the extra $2000.00 price tag.

I went over this guitar with a fine tooth comb when picking it out. It has no finishing flaws that I can see except for a small "blip" at the neck joint. Binding is accurate, Flame top is beautiful, finish is awesome... Like I said before, It's so pretty I hardly want to subject it to my fat licks! The action was set very well for my style although this is an area that can always use improvement. No dead spots and no "brown outs".

I would say that some of the hardware (mostly the stop tail piece)is pretty cheap looking compared to a real Les Paul... The finish of it anyways. It looks like it wouldn't take much to put it on the road to trouble ( I sweat like a mofo on stage too so I'm not speaking for you "stand in one place" guys). The pickups, tuning pegs and other misc. hardware is really top notch. I especially love the retro volume knobs.

I have yet to gig with this guitar but have rehearsed with the band a few times. Stays in tune, sounds great and is a really solid freakin piece of wood!! I will know more about this after it's debut next week. I will have to play "Sweet Child O' Mine" on this for sure!! LOL. I'm gonna give this an 8 until I see what it can really do live.

Never dealt with Tokai but Mike from Mike's Music (where I picked this up) was a really great guy to deal with. He was upfront about everything and made sure I walked away a happy man. If you are looking for a Tokai I suggest you look him up.

I've been playing for about 14 years and have owned many guitars and amps. This is by far the most beautiful instrument I've owned. It is also the best sounding for my application which is light to heavier rock. I use Ibanez guitars for any Metal I play although this guitar sounds great with mega distortion as well. I've only had this guitar for a couple weeks so I'm not gonna profess my undying love to it quite yet. My heart still belongs to my long suffering Ibanez RG550 which I've had about a thousand gigs with. I really like it so far and am looking forward to mastering the Les Paul style. The one thing I dislike about this is that it doesn't play like my other guitars so I have to adjust to my picking hand's placement!! Real pain in the butt if you ask me. I give this a 9 because for the price and what I've gotten out of it so far I'd be insane not to endorse this guitar.

Made in late 2000. Made in Korea. 22 frets .Sycamore Flame Top, possibly laminated. 2 volume, 2 tone. 3-way switch. Two PAF type humbuckers.Mahogony body ,Sycamore top, Mahogony neck with scarf-jointed headstock. Med size neck,24 3/4 scale .Klusson style tuners.

Used for everything from Jazz, Blues,and Rock. I have used with 66 Fender Vibrolux Reverb, Mesa Boogie Mark IV, Fender Bassman Re-issue with Reverb Tank, Fender Champ 12. Electronics are quite. Sound is full, but with low output for humbucker guitar. Sound is on the darker side with not much treble. Not much bite in these pickups, almost muddy. Compared with my 86 PRS Custom and early 70's Les Paul ,less volume at same settings and not the same top end sparkle or clarity. Notes don't jump out . Not as articulate in the mix or live with others playing in band. Overall guitar plays very well for being low cost.

Overall setup was good. I had to re-adjust intonation . Was not adjusted correctly. Neck had very little to no relief. No buzzing thought. Played pretty well out of box. Pickups were alittle low.Sycamore Top looked good.Interesting flame. Not deep like a Maple top,ie. PRS. Hardware looks like typical Korean fashion. Same as other Korean guitars out there. Same bridge and stoptail. Pots were lesser quality. Pickup covers had gaps where it meets the top.Did not sit flush with top. Poor assembly in my opinion in this area of finish. Finish ,color of sunburst, looks excellent though.

A good Korean Les Paul copy.

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I purchased from Mike's Music on Ebay. I had asked if this was a Japanese or Korean guitar before I had bid. Mike answered that these guitars were Japanese models. After receiving the guitar and inspecting it , I noticed that it was similar in alot of ways to Korean guitars,ie. Epiphone,Dean... I have since found out that these are Korean. I wouldn't have purchased this guitar if I had known this before hand. It's an OK guitar. I own many guitars , 2 early PRS's 3 American Signature Strats, 1970 Les Paul, Custom Shop Relic Tele, Yamaha L-5, ... I was looking for Japanese made Love Rock..not Korean. There is a difference. It is unfortunate that Mike's Music was not upfront on the manufacture location of this guitar.