Tokai ES-120 335-Style

Made in Japan (don't know build year) ES 335 guitar, blonde flamed, almost butterscotch. Original humbucker pickups (Gotoh i believe). Neck is slightly narrow, medium thin. Normal 335 features.

I compared it against my friends Gibson 335 Dot and I must say that this guitar is second to none! I wouldn't say that it's better than the Gibson, but it's as good for sure. Then it's about personal taste.
Acousticlly the gibson sounds more woody but the Tokai has a more tight and focused sound.
Plugged in the the same characteristics shine through. Absolutely no reason to change the pickups, they sound great. A bit more output than the Gibby, also a bit tighter sound. Beautiful distorted and clear but bluesy/jazzy clean sound.

Bought it second hand. The neck is i bit narrower than the Gibson. I usually prefer wider necks, but this guitar plays fantastically. Very easy to play and responds very well to bending and vibrato. No dead spots despite low action.
This guitar has some darker tiger stripes in the wood. Some may not like it, but it's nothing wrong, just the natural way of the wood.

Holds tuning during gigs.

Been playing for like 25 years. I've had two Gibson 335's before. Was now looking for one again (realized I really miss one), but they are so expensive! One of the 335's I owned was very good, the other one was so so... this one is at least as good as the better one. Great to play and sound is perfect. You can easily get the Larry Carlton sound and it works great for rock, better than the gibson because of the tighter sound. I don't use too much gain so feedback is not an issue for me.
As a good 335 should this one works great for jazz, rock, blues and pop.
I'm very happy with it. For 1/3 of the Gibson price you get a guitar that sounds just as good and is as well built! So if you don't care about the logo, get one of these.

Wonderful natural finish highly figured flame top bottom and sides incredible for the money - afriend has the gibson equivalent and it does not play or sound any better and gibson is just plain wood
mine is japanese and was bought 2nd hand but unplayed with a case

Mostly play blues and classic rock and it is ideal -just watch the feedback on this style of guitar whatever the make

Perect as supplied I have not had to make any changes other than check the intonation when fitting new strings and it is never far out
I prefer grover tuners so changed the original preesed items for cast ones so no tuning issues

Finish is presumably polyester so no probs and hardware is gotoh I think-no issues

The UK is a major market for Tokai so would not expect any probs with the importers

Why no Tokais in the USA? what happened to free trade?

I use this guitar alongside a PRS custom,a Les Paul Gold Top,a Mexican custom shop 60's Strat(superb)and a FMT Tele and it more than holds it's own

It is played through a Marshall 30th anni head and 4x12 cab or just a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and it just sounds brilliant

A nice new Tokai ES-120. Haven't got a clue of the year as I haven't looked it up, I suspect by the serial number it's 2004. Made in Japan by people who really seem to give a damn about guitar making. It has a maple arched top, rosewood fingerboard, mahogany neck, two PAF vintage pickups... classic ES-355 configuration.

An interesting one.. .acoustically it sounds beautiful, very playable with the amp off. When I bought it, I had just the one amp, a Laney LC15R with Jensen speaker in place. To me on the bridge pickup, the sound through this was a little brittle, a bit harsh. However on a borrowed Vox, it sounded fabulous. I'm currently playing using NI's Guitar Rig 2 software using a PreSonus TubePre as a DI box. It sounds very impressive to my ears, I'm liking the sounds I can get with it. Maybe I will upgrade the pickups in the future but for now I'm happy.

The guitar came from Coda Music, part of their New Year sale, and was excellent played from the box. The action was good, I did give the trussrod an extra quarter turn clockwise and lowered the bridge and it's a good player. I believe it's strung with 10s, I'm moving over to 11s soon so it'll need some alteration there.

After a couple of weeks of playing, I did notice my fingers felt a little cramped at the bottom end. I was surprised once I got the measure out to find that the string spacing was much smaller than my other guitars. My Epiphone Dot (upgraded with many elements including a bone nut) measures a smidge under 37 mm from the outside of the 1st string to the outside of the 6th string. My 1976 Ibanez 2457 (quality Japanese Gibson 345 copy) measures 365. mm using the same points, as does my Greco Les Paul and Maya J200 (yes I like Japanese guitars!) However the Tokai ES-120 measures under 34 mm for the same measurement. 2.5 mm may not sound like a lot but it feels like a lot. I can't describe this as a flaw, it's just too small for my own personal tastes. The finish on the guitar is excellent, mine is a lightly flamed maple top which looks marvellous with the vintage sunburst. The pickup height is right, action good, tuners feel good..

I won't give an overall rating, all I cna say is that this guitar is very well made.

I'ver owned it for three weeks. I'm sure it'll last for ages if treated well.

The best place for help with any Tokai guitar is to go through the Tokai Registry forum at http://www.tokaiforum.com/. Lots of people there with lots of knowledge, as well as a few like me with none :)

I paid #650 for this, a brand new instrument, light shop use. To my mind that is a great price for so much guitar. I love semi acoustics, ever since I bought my first one (an Epiphone Dot). I've now got three 335 clones (the Dot, Ibanez 2457 and the Tokai), have owned ome fairly expensive instruments such as a Rickenbacker 360 and can safely say this guitar feels right to me. It's the best constructed instrument I've owned and one of the best I've played. Is a Gibson better? Perhaps it is but you can't beat Tokai guitars for sheer value. When that value is matched by quality of sound, you can't go wrong. I shall be buying more Toakis in the future, that's for sure.

Let me just say that this is an AWESOME instrument. I have played on a Gibson 335 before and as far as I'm concerned this is just as good and probably even better! Like some of you other guys have said, it puts Gibson to shame. Why pay an extra #500 or $900 for a gibson when you can buy a tokai thats better! All you are paying for now when you buy a gibson is the name, so you can tell all of your friends that your playing a gibson. The most important thing when it comes to guitars is the sound. So buy the best, buy a tokai!
I also got a great hard shell case with this, included

Like I said before, this is probably better than a gibson, even one of the classics from the sixties. What more do I need to say?
Fantastic rich sound, I play alot of Jazz and it suits it perfectly. However it is also fantastic for anything from rock to blues. The tones are so warm, brilliant.

My Tokai ES-120 is in a gorgous sunburst finish. However it also come in a more common cherry red. I prefer the sunburst personnaly (thats why I bought it!) It looks absolutely fantastic. My only real moan about the guitar at all, is that i don't really like having a varnished neck. If your hands get sweaty while your playing, your hands can stick to the neck a little. But I usually use a lubricant on the neck between gigs, and it seems to fix it. If I were you I wouldn't worry about this though, like I said, this is the only problem I have with the guitar, and there are ALOT more positives than negatives.

I try to be as careful as i can with it, it's probably my best guitar at the moment, I have heard about how delicate semi-acoustics can be. So my heart sank into my shoes when I dropped it in my room last week, I picked it up straight away and there was not a mark on it! Very durable indeed. It is the only guitar I use on gigs, one because it is so flexible it can pay any type of music, but it is also reliable, I have owned it for 3 and a half years and have not had a single problem yet.

I have never needed to deal with Tokai.

Returning to the beginning, this is all you could want in a guitar. Perfect for ANY music. VERY reliable. INCREDIBLY attractive. Why pay an extra #500 or $800 for a Gibson when Tokais are made better, sound better, just generally better in every way. Like someone said before me, Tokai are the best kept secret in the world.

Sunburst finish, with flamed maple top and I think most of the features is covered here already. This is not the Korean version they sell in japan & korea for 600 bucks or something. this is the japanese made version and is so close to the gibson its unbeliveable.

It sounds much better than a 335 I thought, very rich and full just what youd want from a matured 335. Very larry carlton. theres nothin I dislike about the guitar sound. It beats the gibsons hands down as far as sound goes and it was aLOT cheaper than an original

This is where my guitar excels because the standard of workmanship is outstanding. Everything is just soooo well made on this guitar. Well done Tokai....no wonder they wont let you sell this guitar outside of japan because they are scared cos its so darn good. Tokais are the best kept secret on the planet !!!

Oh man this thing is strong and solid better than a gibson.

The finish and the back/sides will put any gibson to shame

Well i doubt i'll need any and anyway its a guitar..what can possibly go wrong with it heck..!! Anyway I bought it in japan so I guess I could call the factory but they probably dont speak english and my japanese doesnt go much beyond "Arigato"

Let me say again here folks, this is not the newer $600 Korean version which they will sell you at the factory outlet, this is the Japanese made version of which they only produce a few pieces per year and wont sell it at the factory. The korean ones are not good in my opinion...they are just like a cheap epiphone dot and are probably made in the Saimick factory too just like th epiphones are Dont buy a korean one as although they look the same they have poor korean workmanship and crap weak thin sounding pick ups.

This hand made japanese model is so darn good and was worth every cent of what I paid. Gosh these craftsmen know how to build a guitar and you cant argue with jpanese quality. This is so accurately like a gibson es-335. I am lucky cos I have a japanese girlfriend I met on holiday and she got it for me. I cant buy this in the USA as they are illegal here so I had to get it sent to my girlfriends house in Tokyo, Japan and then pick it up when I went on holiday so its taken me quite a few months from when I sent the money until I actually got my hands on it !!!! Cost me like $20 to have it sent there.

If you are a serious guitar player and want a Gibson, dont waste your money, buy a Tokai ES-120 and you will not be sorry as it is far better materials and workmanship, those guys know what they are doing in the Tokai custom workshop. I aint ever selling this guitar not ever and if it got stolen I'd get my japanese girlfriend to buy me another one straight away !!! Good Luck in trying to find one as they are as rare as anything and most folks seem to have to go to Japan to get theirs. I think you can buy them in the UK is the only other country that will allow them to be sold outside of Japan. Either way they are very hard to find and are banned in most countries cos they put the Gibsons to shame as they are better in every way.

Like 60?s Gibson ES-335. Lacquer finish over vintage tobacco burst with light flame. Aged looking plastic pickup selector and binding, PAF Humbuckers and standard Gibson style volume and tone controls. Silky smooth tuners. Medium neck thickness, between Gibson?s 50s and 60s type necks. All the features needed on this type of guitar.

Fantastic sounding guitar. Sings beautifully unplugged, very versatile through a decent amp. It has it?s own voice, but can venture deep into Les Paul territory (although not as dark and can?t get as nasal), and also covers a lot of Tele ground (although can?t get as sharp and twangy on the bridge PU). Between the Tokai and my Strat, I can cover about 95% of the places I want to go with the instrument.

I have yet to find a flaw. The guitar is rock solid, electronics seem perfect, came with great set-up. God is in the details.

I'll never have the access as I did not buy this guitar through a dealer and it is not legal to sell in the US.

I always discount Harmony-Central reviews that give 10s for all categories in a rating, but to give this guitar anything else would be lying.

Semi-hollow body, lacquered antique tobacco burst with nice flame, two Humbuckers w/ standard Gibson style tone/volume controls, rosewood fretboard, very nice hardshell case, medium-thick neck (chunkier than a Gibson 60s neck, much thinner than Gibson 50s neck), fairly light guitar. Great attention to detail including yellowed binding & pickup toggle switch, vintage style pickguard attachment. Silky-smooth tuners. ?Features? rating implies more is better, but this guitar has all the features I could want from any guitar.

A wonderful sounding guitar. It?s got its own distinct voice, but can venture very deep into Les Paul territory, although not as dark or nasal, and also well into Telecaster land minus the sharpest tele bridge pu tones. She sounds great unplugged, excellent sustain, and does very well amplified. I?ve played live with giant distortion and had no problems with feedback. Between my Tokai and my Strat, I can cover about 95% of anyplace I typically want to go.

So far, action/fit/finish seem flawless, a very solid guitar, lowish action, zero buzz from frets or loose hardware. The guitar came set up for .10s, I will change to .11s soon.

I had a friend pick it up for me while visiting Tokai factory in Japan.

I?m always mistrustful of those Harmony-Central reviews that list 10s for all areas. I considered giving one of the ratings an 8 or 9 to lend credibility to my review, but any rating other than "10" would be untrue.

This guitar is a 335 dot copy made in Korea and purchased new.

The guitar is finished in natural quilted maple with a rosewood fingerboard. It has a one-piece neck, stoptail and Tune-o-matic type bridge. Pickups are Tokai PAFs.

It has the same configuration of switch and volume/tone controls as a 335.

I play blues mostly using a US strat plus fitted with Lindy Fralin blues specials. The Tokai gives me some additional range with a clear, warm open sound that contrasts well with the compressed sound of the strat. The pickups have a nice balance and the sound penetrates surprisingly well.

This guitar was perfectly set up straight from the box. Even the intonation was correct. The only fault I could find was some
'binding' on the top string when bending, due to the nut being cut slightly tight.

I have tried Tokais before and they are always well-made but the quality of construction and materials used in this guitar is remarkable for the price.

I've only had this guitar a few weeks and like any semi it's a rather delicate creature compared with a strat, say. But it's part of the appeal that it's not just a plank.

That said, I see no problem with the finish or fittings that would not apply to any other semi.

Haven't dealt with Tokai and I wouldn't be optimistic about doing so since it is really difficult to find out information even from their website which is not up to date as another reviewer noticed.

On the other hand, I've never had to deal with the manufacturer of any other guitar I've owned, so why should this be different ?

I've been playing for over 20 years and I own several other guitars including a strat plus and a Tom Anderson droptop. For quality of construction Anderson is unbeatable but the Tokai comes close. A Gibson collector friend of mine has taken a look and he was favourably impressed with it. I am too.

335 copy which says everything about the features, laminated with sunburst finish. Bone nut, rosewood fingerboard, you get the idea. Came with the best fitten hard-shell case I've ever seen, This thing fits like a glove, which is key for me since I fly a lot and don't want it getting bruised up by some clown tossing it around.

This guitar, although I just got it recently and haven't played it extensively, suits my style of playing to a 'T'. I play some rock and a ton of blues. Can't get a whole lot more bluesy than this ax. Pickups are stock but have good sound (as far as my ears can tell). I'm living in Asia currently so I don't have an amp, rather I'm running it through my pc with a Line 6 Guitar Port and some high quality pc speakers. So you can figure that this would limit my abiltiy to rate the sound since I can't play it through a kick ass amp. I think it sounds great, but I don't think it would be fair to rate it a 10 based on my lack of access to a quality amp to play it through.

Set-up was great. Didn't have to do anything to it. Just tuned it and it was ready to sing for me. The sunburst finish looks awesome, although it does have a few dark streaks in it should be light on the finish. I don't know what they are but it does take away from an otherwise perfect looking body. Noticeable if youi look for them but not a huge deal. My only real gripe is the fingerboard. I was surprised to see the quality of wood used for this fingerboard is easily matched by any entry level guitar. Very dissapointed in this. I couldn't really control it since I bought this through an e-mail transaction. It looks good, awesome actually; just not as good, in my opinion, as a top-of-the-line offering from a guitar compnay should look like. Maybe when I oil it up well, it'll look better. But for now...

solid build (with the exception of the sub-par fingerboard), solid hardware. Dunno about gigging since I don't play in a band, but it seems solid enough to take a reasonable beating. Again, it's quite new so I haven't 'broken it in' yet.

Didn't deal with the company. Only dealt with Yoshi at Guitar Universe in Hamamatsu, Japan. Class 'A' guy all the way. His service was awesome, he answered every question I had with utmost patience, would definitely deal with him again. I was a little concerned about the guitar (fingerboard and such) but then I thought, "Hell, I'm really picky. Some people wouldn't even notice what I noticed." So I can't really knock the seller for that. As far as his customer service, I'd give him an 11 if I could, but since I can't...

I've ben playing for a few years now. I own a Washburn Idol 64DL, a Cort acoustic, and this. Since I fly quite a bit, I hadn't spent a lot of money on a guitar until this one. I play my electrics through a Guitar Port which suits me fine since I don't have friends here that play. I didn't have any questions about the guitar that Yoshi didn't answer. He couldn't really tell me about the fingerboard since that's pretty subject to how picky you are. I chose this because I heard such good things about Tokais. I also looked at some of the other 335 copies like an Epiphone, Cort, Washburn, Dillion, etc. but the reviews onthis guitar and others I've read about Tokai made me decide on them. Time will tell if I made the right choice. Can't really comment on if I'd replace it or not since it's pretty much new and I haven't had the chance to court it and fall in love, or send it packing.

Made in '02. 22 frets, typical 335 set-up. Made in Japan. Has laminated flame maple body in Natural (Blonde). Tokai pick-ups (excellent). Dark rosewood fretborad with mahogany one piece neck. Flamed maple bookmatched nicely front and back. Flame just right, not over the top. Just like '59 335. Came with nice Tokai hardshell case with emerald green lining. Class act all the way.

Sounds great! Very expressive and soulful. Quiet electronics and GREAT pick-ups. Thought I was going to have to replace them just because they were "stock", but Tokai does their homework when it comes to pick-ups. No need to replace....just enjoy as is. Gets all the typical 335 sounds.

Well made would be an understatement. From the rear it looks like 4,000 dollar Gibson it replicates. No complaints and I am a picky SOB. Set-up from factory was great and required no adjustment. I can't say this for other guitars I've bought new, which is a rarity for me. But this one was irrestible. Try to find a blonde flame 335 and you'll pay a bunch, even for junk! This one is smooth and even though it needs breaking in, as all new axes do, it felt great and sounded great right out of the box. I didn't even set it up. I just tuned it a played. Wish all purchases were this smooth. I hate it when you pay a boatload on money for a guitar and it only looks good. No worries with this one.

Great value! Nothing else to say.