Tokai LC-60 Love Rock

Used 1985 Japan made Les Paul Standard copy. Standard model patterned after the 1958 vintage burst. This is a pretty faithful reproduction. At a glance, it's dead on. You have to look for the differences which are either concealed inside or are manifest in the headstock (different truss rod cover and top contour). I'm not an expert on '58 bursts as I can't afford a real one at today's prices but from what I've seen and heard, this is close. The neck profile is medium thin, which may not be true to a '58, but is more like a Jimmy Paige. Honeyburst, bookmatched, carved flame maple top, 3 piece mahogany body (not sandwiched), set one-piece mahogany neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Body and neck are bound and the binding is narrow in the cutaway revealing maple below it. I can't say for sure at this point if the flame is laminated onto plain maple or if it's a full flame cap. It appears to be the latter but I haven't investigated fully into the pickup cavities to see any further clues. The cavities appear to have a shield can in them for better isolation. The other cavities are painted with conductive shielding paint. The toggle switch is in the correct location and of the correct type. The pickups were replaced with Suhr DSV PAFs and a Tone-Pros tailpiece is on it. I didn't get the origonals and I'm not sure I miss them. It has the tune-o-matic bridge (non-locking) which may also be a replacement. The tuners are the kluson style single ring variety and seem to work very well. There is a circuit board in the control cavity for the electronic connections and caps but the electronics are passive (as they should be). Not much here that shouldn't be.

So far I've only played it through my Jones KL-50 on both channels. WOW! The sound is amazing! Pretty quiet on high gain/distortion channel and silent on clean. All of my guitars hum a little on the dirty channel and this one is one of the quietest. The tone is all Les Paul. Rich and satisfying. It fits my blues based/classic rock style to a T. The only effects I've used with it so far are a digital delay for a touch of ambience and a TZF Flanger.

Don't know about factory set-up as I got it used. It came to me in very playable condition. Everything seemed to be in order. The action is fast and plays well with 10's which feel stiff to me on some other guitars. The wood & finish appear to be top notch. It's 21 years old and doesn't have any checking or nasties anywhere. The pickups are well adjusted but are replacements as mentioned above. The frets appear to be origonal, but I'm not positive there either. They are a medium jumbo with some play wear and look to be worn at the same level of the guitar. In fact, the body and neck show the wear less than the frets as this instrument was enjoyed and well cared for.

The fact that it is 21 and still going strong, I'd say it'll last as will the finish. It's road-worthy but I'm probably going to keep it at home. It definitly seems dependable.

Not applicable.

Been playing off & on for around 40 years. I've played & owned several Les Pauls and this stacks up. I would try to replace it if lost or stolen. I have looked at and played a number of burst knock-offs by different makers; Tradition, Washburn, Epiphone, Gibson re-issues and this one feels right to me. The sound is right on and it isn't too heavy. Not too expensive and has the right vibe.

2002 Japanese made Les Paul clone. 22 frets. Solid top.
2 volume, 2 tone, 1 3-way selector, HH pickup config. Polyurethane finish, etc... (standard Les Paul style features)

I've recently changed the pickups from the stock PAF-style pickups to a pair of Swineshead Warthog humbuckers.

The guitar has all the features you'd expect on a Les Paul style guitar, there's still potential for coil-splitting, phase reversal, series-parallel switching and all that kind of stuff.

When stock the guitar was most suitable for blues, classic rock and that kind of thing.

WHen heavily distorted the stock pickups could lack clarity. They were nice and warm, just lacking punch at times. No noticable noise problems though.

I use the guitar with a Vox Tonelab (amp modeller) most of the time, so I've tried it with a range of nice amp sounds (sadly not the real amps though). The guitar sounds great with Marshall style amp sounds.

The guitar is quite capable up to a point. For blues and rock, it's great, for something a little heavier, the pickups need changing.

THis is where the guitar really shines.

The fit and finish are great. The guitar I got is in a solid black finish with cream binding and scratchplate. It's absolutely fantastic looking, and flawless.

The action is low, but there's no fret buzz. The nut is cut well, the intonation is great.

I have absolutely no criticism here.

The guitar seems as solidly built as any Les Paul style guitar I've seen. The Polyurethane should be more resiliant than a Nitro finish would be, as well.

Everything here seems like it should last well. The strap buttons seem just fine. I really don't see any kind of problem here.

I'd happily rely on this guitar for a gig without a backup.

I've never dealt with Tokai, so I really can't comment

I've been playing for 12-13 years. I mainly played Fenders (for 7 years) until I got this guitar, but I think I've been converted.

I had a fair idea from other user's comments that I'd need to replace the pickups. I've done that now and it's taken the guitar from an 8 to a 10.

If the guitar was lost or stolen I'd be distraught and would replace it ASAP. I love the range of tones it's capable of, and I love the fact that I have a fantastic LP style guitar for a third of the price of a Gibson.

The rating I've given is for the guitar as I bought it. I've mentioned the pickups a number of times, but it's worth keeping in mind that you may need to budget a little for new pickups to really get the best from this guitar.