Tokai ES-60 335-Style

A very nice looking 335 copy with the typical 2 humbuckers,2 volume, 2 tone and selector switch

I tried 3 different es60's in a shop and was stunned at the difference in feel and sound in them! the one i purchased is a beautiful natural colour that really sings. I tried it through a Vox Valvetonix and an orange tiny terror and it was amazing that this sound was for the price it was, rock, punk, jazz and blues all sounded clear crisp and defined even distorted the idividual notes rang true. It is when nicely overdriven that mine is at its best bluesy rock is addictive on this guitar. The bridge pickup is bright and responsive with out being shrill whilst the neck pup is smooth with bags of sustain, however the two together was shockingly good for rock low but ditict at the same time.
The other 2 guitars of the same model however were not so great infact the one was awful sounding like a duvet had been thrown over the amp. this is definatly a guitar you must try before you buy but i got a star!

Again the guitar i have is amazing i have a fender standard tele, les paul 1969 goldtop ( which is the best guitar ive ever played!) and a wasburn kc40. This Tokai is excellently set up with great natural finish but once again the same model guitar next to it in the shop had high action and poor tuning stablity. Try before you buy!

Ive not gigged it yet but i have no fear about it as ive put it through its paces ar practices and its more than held up. Again my model is a god send but other were not.

Not sure the shop ( music king, halesowen, uk) is excellent.

I am rating the guitar i own a 9 and well deserved it is, looks great and sounds so clear and crisp no matter what style i play. However the variance in the differnet guitars of the same model in the same shop was shocking! i recommend try before you buy as they can be total class like mine or total arse like the one i left in the shop.

2009 Chinese made ES-60 bought new. For what it is, a 335 copy, it is true to the original and it doesn't lack any features of the original. To fault a clone's features would mean it would have to be missing something and the ES-60 functions as a real 335 would.

I bought this with the idea a pickup upgrade would be necessary. I was more than a little surprised by the sound of the pickups, good output and very dynamic compared to other guitars I've played in this price range. I doubt I change the pups any time soon.

Bought it new from richTone and it was set up really good, it played great out of the box, all I did was change strings and lower the the bridge a tad. I say this in truth that I was able to screw the bridge down as far as it would go with minimal fret buzz. I raised it a tad and this guitar has extremely low action, I was able to set it lower than my Gibson Les Paul and the ES-60 plays great. A small detail worth mentioning is the rosewood on the board was kind of dry so I oiled it. While I had the string off I also hit the frets with some 0000 steel wool to make it a little smoother. I've seen worse action, fit and finish from custom shop models costing thousands more. Again I was more than a little surprised.

The guitar looks and feels solid, as solid as any semi hollowbody. The hardware doesn't look like it's the best in the world but it certainly doesn't give me the impression something will break. Again for what the guitar cost it couldn't be better and the functionality of it is fine so any upgrades would likely yield little as far as improvement goes.

N\A. I doubt I'd even try to contact Tokai about any future issues since the guitar arrived ready to go. Any failure will likely be due to use or an accident.

Been playing for 33 years off and on, daily since '91 or so. I have several other guitars and have owned many, including vintage and high end custom shop stuff. I wanted an affordable semi hollow ES style guitar and tried several Epi's, Gretsch's and few others locally before deciding on the Tokai. Based on Tokai's great rep and my personal experience with late model Korean made Love Rock's I decided to take a chance after see how well built the Chinese made Epi's and Gretsch's were. It came down to not liking the Epi Dot for lack of fret edge binding and the horrid sounding pickups. The price of the ES-60 combined with the great look was enough to order online and wait for it. I'm glad I did, it exceeded my expectations in every way.

I bought this one new. Not sure, but I believe this one was made in China. The orange label says it's a product of Tokai Gakki, and it just looks like the Japanese thing. But I'm dead sure it's not a Japanese one.
Wood seems to be all maple. The top is not figured but that's okay.
The paint job is okay, with no attention to detail. When painting the headstock top (black) they didn't mask the wood well, so the black washes a bit into the red sides of the headstock. The F-holes also show poor attention to detail - the black lining is not done with a lot of accuracy. Apart from these smaller misses, the guitar is painted pretty well (cherry red).
Hard ware is poor: heavy bridge, heavy tailpiece. The bridge is anchored in huge studs. Although even the big G nowadays does that, these are even bigger than those on a true 335. Pick Ups were pretty weak - I didn't measure the Ohms but even for a vintage pick up they didn't really cut it. Tuners are of poor quality - when pushing the rod a bit, it actually moves.
The frets were sticking out the fretboard - probably due to shrinking of the fretboard wood.
Pots crackled - so did the pickup selector switch.
All in all, the neck plays fine - shaped like a slim taper from the early sixties. There's a maple sustain block inside the body and the guitar -even with the cheap hard ware it came with - had a reasonable sustain. But clearly the package was not up to standards, so it would pass for a proper 335.

So, everything hardware went... my luthier pulled the bridge studs, filled the holes with wooden plugs and mounted a light weight, brass saddle ABR-1 type bridge. The tailpiece now is an aluminum one. Light and sustain-adding.
Pick Ups got replaced by Haeussel Vintages - German make. They are close to original PAFs with a bit more meat.
Top of the line Gotoh tuners help to keep the guitar in tune.
The saddle was replaced by a mammoth bone one.
Pots are now CTS 500 kOhm with orange drop caps and a better p/u selector switch mounted. Crackle is gone - needless to say.

Out of the box sound the guitar had not too bad of a sustain. The pickups are a bit weak and resolution of individual strings is wanting.
After making the above mentioned changes the guitar now sounds great. It's great for blues and blues rock. Sustain is good and the lady truely sings...
Now it can hold up with any G****n 335 with regards to punch and sustain.
Out of the box I rate it a 4 - now it is definitely a 9.

See comments above. Out of the box I rate it a 6 - now it is a 8.
But don't get me wrong - given the cost of this guitar (I got it on eBay at less than 400$ new) it is a good buy. Just be prepared to put in a bit more money to make the thing a guitar to be considered a keeper. The changes I made total top approx 550 US$.

Out of the box I wouldn't trust it for use on stage, hence my rating it a 4. Now I think it is absolutely fit to stand the rigors of any live and/or studio use - rating = 8/9.

Don't know - didn't use it.

I now got this guitar a few weeks. I own many guitars, Gibsons, Fenders, PRS, custom builds, etc. I'm ususally not satisfied with comes of a production line - irregardless of how famous the brand is. So, all my guitars - except the custom build ones - undergo a thorough makeover by a luthier.
I bought this guitar, because I like (Japanese) Tokais and I so far lack a semi-acoustic. Given the price it was a real bargain.
I can recommend the guitar to anybody who needs a workhorse and is prepared to put in some extra work to make it sound and play great.

335 style guitar, two HB pickups, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard very clear,near to brown,nice frets,nice bridge and tailpiece.
Korean made in 2006, bought in London in october of 2006.
Natural color very clear, sometimes yellow, depends of the light, but very beaultiful guitar, and very well made.
The body is made from nato and weight around 3,5 to 3,6 kilos.
The headstock is very nice with the Kluson style machines.
With case.

I have this guitar for 8/9 months, and I am really enjoying playing this guitar each time more and more. I had in the past expensive guitars that came in terrible condition ... this one came very well ... very good set up.
The sound is full comparing with Fenders for example, and the pickups are very quite and very good in a clear chanel or even with overdrive, both pickups are very nice in sound, just roll off a little of the tone of the bridge pickup, and the sound is beaultiful; the neck pickup is also very full and very nice.
This guitar is fantastic for Blues and Rock and roll.
I use this guitar with a TS9,chorus and one Delay from Boss.

Very nice the set up of the factory or the store?
As I told before, the guitar came in a perfect condition, the only think could be better is the nut that could be a better material.
After the trip I had to move the tensor a bit (loosen)

I play just for fun with my Band, and this guitar stays in tune for Days if you know what I mean ...
Once I play in a hot day of my country ...(around 40 Celsius)in front of one big light(RED)... and after, in my home, I checked it was "still in tune".
Yes, this guitar is solid.

I live far from the country that I bought ...

I??ve been playing guitar for 7 years, and have one American telecaster that realy enjoy. This guitar is a great sound guitar, good looking guitar, everybody enjoy ...I don??t have the real 335 from Gibson, but some people say that this one is almost there...

If you are a professional player buy a es 130 from Tokai (Japan),
Or if you don??t have that money ... try this one!! ES 60.

I've owned this for over a year. I'd guess its a 2000-2003.

Another korean made 335 copy, pretty much flawless orangey sunburst, (not as pretty as Gibson's version IMO, but that's a matter of taste), maple veneer not figured. stock everything, Kluson copies, nice, well-fitted case etc
Hard to rate the features -vs a 335 it's a 10 because it's the same. Will add coil splitting.
One thing I really like about this type of guitar is the easy access to the upper registers.

Versatile as a 335, and it is nice to play for most music of the usual styles one would encounter.
I use it with an old traynor YRM-1 at athe moment, an ED.
It isn't noisy or bothersome really, but I think the pickups could be better, I concur with another poster that the bridge pickup is not well balanced with the neck, it needs to be hotter, and cannot really be resolved by adjusting it. I purchased (but have not yet installed) some duncans to remedy.
Otherwise sounds like a Humbucker equipped guitar, and at volume has that cool 335 resonance. Acoustically it feels/sounds like a decent gibson. (I've played plenty) I rate it a 7 only because of the pickups.

Played poorly out of the box. (mine had been sitting for years, so may not be a fair comment)
Action was OK after setup, but still getting some buzzes. More tinkering. Action is probably too low.
Nut is not as well finished as some, but the height is right and the slots are porperly cut. More than I can say for some.
Finishn is excellent, slim neck feels great, it'd be OK if it were thicker, but I have big hands. Fret-ends and overally feel of teh fretboard is better than most of the mid-range gibson models which feel untouched by human hands.
The fretboard is quite flat on this model - it really struck me when I first got it. String spacing is narrowish. Rosewood fretboard is not as nice as some (again, look at the price...)
Tuner shafts are too short for the thickness of the headstock! They are clearly meant for a thinner headstock - check how many turns you can get on the low E?
Knobs are not a precise fit on the pots, but work OK. Again, price...

Low rating because of tuners, but everything else was decent - price wise you really can't go wrong. It plays better than many Gibsons with the factory setup. A friend has an epiphone casino, and this Tokai is much better on nearly all respects.
I'll rate it a 7. For the price it might be higher.

I wouldn't expect any problems.

Tokai has little if any. I tried to get the tuner issue resolved and finally gave up. Their Canadian agent sucks. He was elusive, screens and did not return calls and despite promising to do so did not provide replacment tuners. I gave up, got better things to do.

I've been playing since 1977 or so. On and off, for fun. I'd guess I've owned somewhere around 25 guitars. Currently have 10 or 11 but favoutes are US deluxe tele, Gibson the Paul, Music man Silhouette, Ibanez talman (3 lipstick pups), Crosby acoustic.

I bought the Tokai to try a "335" to see if I liked it. I do. I have been thinking about getting a Gibson and have been playing many over the last few months.
The Tokai stands up very well in comparison when the cost is considered, and is much better than many other similar guitars at the same price point. I wouldn't bother with an Epi though I did play a really nice used Sheraton I should have grabbed. (made in Japan) I played an Epi elitist which was much nicer than any of the Gibsons in the same store....

If it were stolen I'd do nothing and keep looking for a nice gibson, but if that was not an option I'd buy another Tokai 335 without hesitation. If I were going to live forever with the Tokai I would change the pickups and possibly the tuners.

I think this guitar is a great instrument for the price.

Korean made 2002. It plays like a dream.
The neck is 335 slim taper. It's a blast to play
live.

Hard Rock/Punk Rock. Through a Peavey Butcher & 2x12 cab with 1 vintage 30 & 1 Texas Heat speaker. This guitar is great for Rock & Roll. The pickups are PAF tone all the way. It's a perfect sounding 335.

Tokai must really piss Gibson off with the 335's & Love Rock's. I have one of each & I'm a Tokai guy from hear on out. Finish is perfect, you can set it up in about an hour & the neck & frets are quality.

I play the hell out of this guitar.
Tokai makes Top of the line Guitars!

There's no support in the States. I buy my Tokai's in Canada or Ebay. Gibson has been trying to get $money$ from Tokai for years.

24 years of being a Band dude. It's the one thing I do well, Guitars & Amps are the most kick ass fun thing in the world to me. I would buy another Tokai in a second. I love Gibsons & Fender guitars, but there's just something cool about saving big-time cash on a major guitar purchase. I could buy 3 of these ES60's for the price of a decent Gibson 335. I never thought I'd be playing guitars made in Korea. I want to support made in the USA guitars & still do. If you come across any Tokai pick it up & play it. Your fingers don't care where it's made as long as it plays well.

These guitars are the best find EVER!

2004 Korean made. Laminate top. Mine is a vintage sunburst with keystone-green kluson style tuners. The neck is like a gibson 60's style. Maple set-neck.

It came with a snug-fitting arched top case with black tolex.

Its a 335 copy so the features are exactly what you'd expect.

I play mainly a blues-rock style. Have not gigged this guitar yet. I play through a Fender Blues Deluxe and a little Marshall practice amp. My main effects are a Barber Direct Drive, a Keeley modded Boss Chorus, a Keeley modded Boss Tremelo. My other electrics are a Am Standard Strat and a Gibson Les Paul Standard.

I'm not very experienced with 335 type guitars. I was looking for a used Epiphone Sheraton II and came across the Tokai. Through the years I've read about a number of pro players who love their knock-offs of LPs and I looked at the above reviews here to make my decision to by it off eBay (bold move I know but it wasn't much money).

I am thoroughly impressed by the sound. I like it tons better than the Sheratons I've tried. compared to my LP which has Burstbuckers, it's not as hot but it has plenty of tone and gets across the "semi" sound I was looking for. All three pu positions give a fat tone, I love the neck pu sound as it is nice and round but not muddy at all. Very well balanced across the strings. It's nice and punchy and sounds like it will cut through the band just fine.

Very good fit and finish. The finish appears to be poly (wouldn't expect nitro at this price) and perfectly applied. The neck is fantastic. The frets are wide and lower than my LP. Feels great but doesn't fret out on bends. Very low action, no buzz. The fret-ends are nicely finished, but not covered by the binding like on the LP. the binding is very well done. The hardware all looks very good the tuners are smooth and hold the tune. the brand and "potted tulip" inlay are perfect. No filler on the dots on the neck, which appear to be pearl. The switches on some of the Epi's I tried were dodgey, not so here, no problems with the knobs either (which are a darker amber than the LP...cool!)

The only problem I see is that the nut wasn't properly installed. There is a tiny gap at the headstock on the bass side of the nut. It doesn't appear to be causing a problem but I may get it redone sometime. I'd give it a 10 if it weren't for this problem.

The top is of course, laminated. It's a plain top sunburst but there is just a bit of figuring showing through with that "3-D" effect. the sunburst was expertly applied. It's more orange than the Epi vintage sunburst. Looks good to me.

ES60 seems very solid all around. I'm planning to gig it soon...don't see the need for a backup. It seems nicely built without being over-built. Light enough to alive feeling but solid enough to really use it.

No dealings with company...used-so no warranty. However, in looking at their US & UK websites, you don't get a whole lot of info.

I've been playing for 35 years. I have to say I've been an American guitar snob, but this thing has really changed my mind. I'm glad I took a chance on it...I haven't been this happy with a guitar purchase in a long time. And then factor in the price...you just can't go wrong.

- 2000 Korean made
- 22 frets
- 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3 way switch
- 2 x PAF pickups

came with a hard case

Considering the hardware is Korean I still give it a high rating because I found nothing to complain. Pickups are nice, PAF sounding without feedback problems so no problem on them either. I'll eventually replace them but they're ok.

I play mostly rock with a taste of hard rock/metal.
Play through Marshall JCM 800, the pickups are a bit too weak for my tastes so when changing guitar (from Gibson Les Paul) to Tokai I need to adjust the volume. But after that, Tokai sounds great. No additional noises etc. Very warm sound.

For a stock guitar everything is fine and there's no real need to change anything..

Factory setup was really really bad.. all string buzzed a lot from 1st fret but a bit of adjusting and new set of string it plays wonderfully!

No construction flaws of any kind, it really is really really well made!

For the factory setup I need to rate it low snce it was unplayable out of the box!

I replaced the strap buttons with strap locks and now I use this guitar live!
Only main concern is the pickup switch that might be the first one to get broken but it's easy to replace.

Never dealt directly with Tokai but I rate my local store instead.. They're great! :)

I've been playing 13 years and owned several guitars. Today my main guitar is Gibson Les Paul with this new Tokai 335 standing right besides it.
Compared to Epiphone 335 replicas this one wins hands down!

New-in-box Korean made red 335 copy. smooth quality Kluson style tuners, chrome hardware, paf copy pickups, etc...a tad heavy for a 335, but not bad really. All the good features of the 335 are there, described well in the previous review. The only thing that is not directly copied from original is the neck is maple, not mahog, and it could have been a bit chunkier imho. Factory setup is great. This is a quality instrument, and for the price is unbeatable.

Sounds fantastic. Really good pickups. The bridge pickup could be a tad stronger, but this can be adjusted. Everything is right with the guitar-stays in tune, no buzzes, good sustain, nice acoustic ring which is a trademark of the 335 sound.

Outstanding finish, good chrome plating, binding is well done and the right color. There are a couple of minor imperfectons if you look hard enough, such as the fingerboard looks a bit lighter at the edge of the neck at one fret due to too much muscle on fret dressing - so it is not perfect. But it is nearly perfect, and as good as or better than an instrument costing 10 times as much. The finish is a bit thicker than I like, and I'm pretty sure it is not Nitro-lacquer, but it looks great.

This guitar will be around.

The dealer was great to work with. Don't know about the MFR, but the company has been making superb copies for many, many years.

This unit is better than most of the Korean copies out there. I had a Johnson 335 copy which looked good, but did not play or sound as good.
Wish it was a bit lighter in weight and that it had a MAhogony neck, but then it may have cost more as well. Not that big of a deal. Dangelicos have maple necks. So do dozens of other high-end instruments. Maple is a good neck wood. It has less than a 2% effect on tone in my opinion.

This is an exact replica of a 62 Gibson ES 335. Cherry red,
chrome hardware. The only difference is the tokai-logo on the
headstock. The guitar is made of maple, the sustain-block is massive mahagony. The finish is very nice, the wood shines through.
Tuners are well-functioning kluson-replicas.

If you know how a good 335 should sound, you know what the tokai does.
I purchased the guitar via ebay, so the pickups were my main concern.
They are PAF-copies and they sound like a PAF. Very clear! No mud
on the bass strings. One of the best sounding semis I ever heard.

No complaints. Everything is well constructed. No flaws. Nice
finish. Factory setup was great. A genuine looker. I only replaced
the strap buttons with strap locks.

I will play the tokai at live gigs and I am shure it will last.
I always have a backup, no matter which guitar I play at a gig.
I change guitars sometimes, to make things more interesting.

I haven't dealt with the company. I got it from a tokai reseller
via ebay. This guy was nice. There is no tokai dealer in germany, they handle the shipping from england (www.tokai-guitars.co.uk)

I play blues for 12 years. I own a 80s Epiphone Sheraton II
which is also very good since I replaced the crappy pickups with custom build pickups, and I have a self resembled Rockinger-Tele which is also great (see the review at harmony central: Rockinger Tele-Kit.
My amp is a 70s Fender Twin Reverb. As an effect I only use a Ibanez TS-808. Overall: a great guitar, that is as good as any 335 for the
fraction of the price of the original.