Tokai Blazing Fire Talbo

From what I have been able to find on the internet this guitar is from 1984 the year they started making them. 22 frets Maple high gloss neck and fret board. S/S/S pickup configuration with a 5 way switch. Original Tokai electronics and pickups. The Body is an unusual semi-hollow aluminum body with an even more unusual shape, almost looks like a whale with a fin (the lower horn) kind of similar to looks as the old rat fink guitars if you have ever seen one. Pretty standard trem assembly with whammy bar. Non locking. With vintage kluson type tuners. I purchased it with the original tweed hard shell case.

This guitar works well with my style of playing and music. I play world, ambient, folk, new age, classic rock, blues and some pop... but mostly pretty trippy meditative type stuff. I have a whack of gear from tube amps to solid state amps.. all kinds of pedals and rack effects.. too much gear to mention although I just submitted a review on the Tokai Gold Star Strat so if you really are curious about the gear I use you can check there.. what I think is more important is that I share info on the sound of this unusual breed of guitars.. I am starting to realize that Tokai make amazing guitars and this one is no exception.. with the three single coil pickups there is a small amount of single coil buzz but less then any Fender I have played. The pickups have a much higher output then any stock Fender single coils I have ever used.. the first time I plugged it in I had to turn down the Fender prosonic tube amp about a third what I was just playing My Japanese Fender Strat with 68 RI Voodoo Tribute pickups installed at. Not only were they louder but they were much more defined somehow.. very sweet indeed.. lots of warmth but also very clean.. and bright sounding.. very hard to try and desribe the sound of a pickup as sound is such a subjective thing.. I love them! Creamy smooth.. very full and rounded.. rich... glassy and and quite nice for ambient esoteric type music.. these things put out and I can see them being usefull for just about anything you may want to play but I especially like them because of their clarity of tone.. exceptional..! even nicer than my 81 Gold Star Sound Tokai.. but then again they should be as these guitars.. the new ones which are still being made and sold out of Japan sell for $1500. I am certain that the aluminum body adds to the bell type clear tone this thing has.. over all I love this guitar.. when I first got it I wasn't sure if I liked the strange body shape.. but once I realized it looks like a cartoon whale with the fin it has since grown on me.. just a drastic change from the traditional telecaster, strat and les paul type bodies I am accustomed to.

I have no idea how they come set up from the factory as this baby is a 1984 model. the year they started making them. The only flaw if one would consider a flaw is that the 5 way selector switch is a little worn.. it still works perfect but the notches are little hard to distinguish.. it may just need a shot of contact spray.. the finish on the paint has a some discoloration from age.. the white is turning a buttery yellow tone in some places.

This guitar is as solid as a tank! Hey it is literally made of steel...:):) Everything on this thing is high quality and very solid. It is 21 years old and in excellent condition.

Never used their customer support as I have only purchased their vintage guitars.. which I will continue to do so.. this is my third Tokai guitar in the last year and I will be trying their Tele and Les Paul copies.

Been playing for 33 years.. I have at least 18 or so guitars and this is my third Tokai guitar.. I just purchased a fourth last week which will hopefully be here tomorrow.. I will review it in a few weeks.. it is an 86 Custom Edition Strat.. the Talbo is a high quality instrument with excellent tone and if it were lost or stolen I would probably try one of their new ones just because finding another used 84 for the price I got this one might be quite hard to do.. as far as I know they are quite rare and hard to come by.. and sell for more then the new ones do.. as with any vintage guitar they increase in value.. the 80s Tokais will continue to raise in price.. especially considering they are a cut above the rest as far as quality and tone go.. I will continue to explore the full line of Tokais and list my reviews accordingly.. if you find a deal on a Tokai don't hesitate to buy it..! it will never lose it's value..