Tokai Love Rock

This guitar was made in 2003 in Japan, it have 22 frets, solid maple top, 2 stock humbuckers, body and neck is mahogany, set neck, the finnish is honey burst, creme bindings, well I guess you already know about the specs of a les paul, it's exactly the same on everyone.I have been reading in some forums that they stopped to build these guitars 2001 in Japan and currently only builds them in Korea, and with lower quality, for you people that have been reading this, I would like to say that the poster probably mixed tokai up with Epiphone, it's not true for Tokai, it is true for the Epiphones tough. but I'm not sure if they did it 2001, never the less, my guitar is built in Japan, I know this because it says (made in Japan) on back of the neck and also on the back side of the pots inside and on back of the humbuckers, and to my knowledge they are still building them, anyway you can't even compare Tokai with Epiphone, Tokai just blow any Epiphone out of the water, it is also not true that older Tokais are of better quality than the new ones, this is true regarding some of the lawsuit models of other brands during the 80's,like Burny, Greco, Fernandes, and so on, Tokai has allways been a brand with the highest of quality, even tough they was also made in the same era, that makes it confusing for some people. and in their ignorance they tend to add Tokai Love Rock to the rest of the bunch.
everything on this guitar is exactly the same as the true gibson specs. the woods and finnish are top notch, even better than some real Gibsons I have played. even the pots and pickups are good comparing to the lawsuits.but they are not as good as gibsons, a replacement of these will do wonders. the stock pickups can be compared to seth lowers in sound. low output crispy woody tone, perfect for blues and early rock n roll. they can be a bit muddy with the covers still on, I removed mine and the tone was instantly more clear and the muddyness disapeared. the covers are soldered on to the backplate of the humbucker, so you need to unsolder that, then carefully loosening the covers, they are also kinda glued with hot wax, it is a little booring but removing them are recommended, for the remaining wax, you can use a cigarette lighter and warm the wax up, it will then drip off and you can take a towel and wipe it off. if you do this, be careful so you not put to much heat. it may add a bit buzz like singlecoils, but I think it's worth it.

I play moslty blues and old rock, the guitar suits my style very well,
a warm crispy woody tone.
the amp is a Peavey delta blues. great amp btw!
maybe I'll write a review on that later?
the guitar is a great player, never go out of tune.
great harmonics, and sustains forever

the guitar is was very well setup, in fact it was perfectly set up.
I havent been needing to change anything, regarding flaws I havent found any. the craftmanship on this guitar is outstanding. I cant imagine that it could be any better, not even on gibsons. really top notch! the woods are AAAA,

this guitar will withstand live playing like any gibson
the finnish is really good, strap buttons are solid, the tuners are great and hold the tuning really well,
I can certanly depend on it. and I could use it without backup, no problem.

I have not had any problems with the guitar so I can't tell,

I have been playing for 30 years, if it was stolen or lost I would get another surley. I absolutely love this guitar, there is nothing to hate about it. I love that it has the exactly the same specs like gibson, even the head angle is correct, I have an old gibson the paul, and even they are not the same model of guitar to compare with, the Tokai kills it in finnish and craftmanship. only the pickups are better wich are T tops, the Tokai pickups sound very simular btw, the T tops are a little more PAF tonewise but still has that same crispy woody tone like the Tokai. I just like you to note that this all sound very nice and you might be suspecting that I want to make this guitar more god like than it really is? I can assure you that this is NOT the case this is really a wonderful guitar! why buy a gibson for 3000-4000 when you can get (allmost) the same thing for about 600 bux?
change the electronics and maybe the pickups ( if you are a fanatic) I recommend Tokai Love Rock to anyone planning to buy a Gibson Les Paul. you can't! get a better deal. period

1985 Tokai Love Rock LS-150 w/ 1 pc. beautiful back and neck, rswood, 22 medium frets, Original all thru came with Dimarzio Super Distortion and PAF style in neck. Neck shape is perfect 59' shape, which is what this guitar is with the correct specs and nitro finish in OS "old sunburst" Top is more subtle flame but is 3-D and flames jump out in right light. All stock weighs 10 pounds

Sounds awesome for rock to jazz. Pickups clean up pretty well. Bridge Dimarzio cuts with high output and makes harmonics a breeze. A very nice sounding LP, fat and sustains brilliantly.

The workmanship is perfect and guitar has held up VERY well. The finish is stunning. The Mahogany back is the most beautiful I have seen!! Hardware is holding up well. Saddles are a little rusty.

Solid guitar. Dependable. If I gig it I will install locking tuners and strap locks

Brilliant guitar! Very rare. Great sound. Heavyish. Maybe coil split for the humbuckers would be good. I have been playing 18 years, rock to country to metal to jazz(a little). I own fender amer strat and MIM tele, various Ibanez RG's & Roadstars, a Burny LP, thru tube amps mesa fender and peavey. These are getting well known for being stellar LP's and their price has come up but still a great deal for this level of craftsmanship and materials. I am blown away by this guitar, gotta be honest.

LS-150 MIJ 1985 in "old sunburst"(beautiful) with all the proper specs 18 degree, Incredibly beautiful one piece mahogany back, mahog. one piece neck w/rswood vintage tunerS. LOVE ROCK model on headstock, bell shaped truss cover. Its a 59'. A very nice 59'!!!. Nitro finish etc

It sounds great. They had ls-50,60, 80, 100,120, 150(special order only) and ls 200 (special order custom specs)during the best period of 1978 thru 89'. The ls-80 and up had nitro finish and fret binding. Mine has stock Dimarzio's! A PAF model in neck(soo sweet and full!!) and a super distortion in the bridge that is pure rock. Harmonics are a breeze. It sustains forever. Pickups are pretty hot but clean up pretty well and sound very musical when doing so.

This guitars' craftmanship and materials are stunning. Made from the finest tonewoods by obviously talented luthiers driven to high standards. No flaws

It's just coming into it's prime. It's too pretty for most gigs. I take several gtrs to gigs.

Tokai is still going strong I would love to try one of their new axes. Still, I like the vintage ones

Been playing 18years. I own various strats amer. and squier MIJ, Guild x-79. Many Ibanez, Roadstars and a new RG550 anniv., Artist 2618 1976. And a Burny Les Paul thats outstanding(late 80's model) These guitars are impossible to find and the prices are getting steep but The ARE worth it. Still a bargain next to a custom shop Les Paul which they are at least as good as. This is the most incredible guitar I have ever played. The top is 3-D! The flames are subtle but really move in the right light. Not too flashy like some new LP's or PRS. Classy. The mahogany is incomparable. I can't do it justice describing it. Sorry to gush, but this LOVE ROCK LS-150 deserves it! If you like les pauls you gotta try an old Tokai( or Burny)

Hi,

whenever you read a review on a guitar written by the owner you have to accept they're gonna be heavily biased - people want you to think that they're guitar is the best in the world. Ive got a les paul classic and while I know its not the best sounder you can buy I gotta say anyone who thinks these tokais sound or feel as good are deluding themselves, the tokai's are far superior to the epiphones and most other les paul copies (especially the dean's) and If you haven't got the money to get a real les paul these should be your second choice. But I used this gutar as a backup to my gibson and when cranked up through a 50 watt tube marshall the sound completely broke up, it lost the low mids and had no clarity over the fuzz. It sounded like 1 of the preamp tubes had packed up but the difference in price does explain it. I've also tried at least 20 - 30 different love rock models (used to work is a few guitar shops) including some by people who claim they are as good as les pauls and they're not so please don't be fooled by fools.

A lot of bands have contracts with guitar manufacturers and when they're seen in public will always use particular brands (tokai, dean etc) cos its in their interest to do so.

I know each individual guitar sounds different and I'm sure theres a few top tokais - especially from the early 80's I've heard. End of the day if you love your guitar, thats all that matters whether its a starter argos job to a custom shop strat.

Played one a guy was selling, SIMILAR lay-out of a Gibson Les Paul(but not the same). I'll give an average score, nothing too uncommon.

Sounds like ****....sorry, I'm REALLY not trying to be smarmy. First, I think it should be known that I'm not Gibson crazy....but this is NOT a Gibson or as nice as one (I own MANY)in my humble opinion. The pups were REALLY sucky....or the sound, don't know what caused the HORRIBLE noise I heard. The toggle was all jacked-up, whenever you'd touch it there was a slight buzz sound coming through the amp. Tone pots were worthless, either they were up all the way or off. The bridge pup literally sounded like nails on a chalk-board with high gain, and the neck pup was REALLY muddy and not balanced to the bridge pup (neck was a little louder). I don't know how these things are getting such good reviews, honestly. Jimmy Page, Slash, Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhodes, Peter Frampton, Peter Green, Pete Townshend, Les Paul, Al Di Meola, and a slew of other GREATS all played Gibson Les Paul guitars remember that. Oh, and just for your own knowledge Gibson made the design, not tokai....don't worry kids you'll play the real thing one day.

It was sticky. The finish looked grimy and dull....I know from research that it WAS REAL flamed maple, but it did look like a veneer. The frets were nice though as was the binding, which was nicer than the stuff Gibson has been using in recent history (This guitar is NOT as nice as a "real" Gibson LP however).

Must be fairly reliable, it had been around since 1983.

Don't think that the current ownership of tokai is the same as it was in the early years of the company.

As said earlier I'm not all over Gibson....I know that their quality control has been REALLY fudged up in the last 10 years. However, this guitar is not NEARLY as nice as a 1959 LP like some of the reviewers here would have you believe. Gibson turned over ownership of their company to the current group because of quality control issues in the 1970s and after "maning the ship" for this long I think that the current ownership has started falling back on the Gibson name. I own a 1994 Gibson Les Paul Standard which is alright, I'm not going to lie and say it's the best thing since bread and butter....but it is nicer than the tokai I played. I also own a Gibson Custom Shop V (real custom made V, not a "Custom V") which I like alot and that is also MUCH nicer than this guitar. I own a epi dot deluxe which I picked up after returning a VERY bad Gibson 335 (the Gibson was a newer one that has the quality control issues that MANY modern Gibsons have like BAD: binding, finish, frets, fretboards, etc.). I would say the Epi Deluxe Dot has about the same quality as this instrument, maybe the tokai was a little better. My main guitar is a 1989 Les Paul Studio (go figure) that came stock with Bill Lawrence pups and now sports a pair of active EMGs....it makes the tokai sound like a Wal-Mart First-Act. I own MANY more Gibson, Fender, PRS, McInturff, Epiphone, G&L, along with a slew of other manufacturers guitars and custom made instruments. I thought I'd list a few "real" Gibson guitars to give you an idea how tokai competes.

Standard Les Paul features, two humbuckers, two tone & two volume controls & three way toggle switch. Nickel plated Tune O matic bridge and tuners compliment a nicely fading sunburst finish. Neck is the most comfortable I have played.

Bridge pickup is bright and clear, neck is warm and woody. The neck pickup in particular is the best sounding I have played (including several Gibsons. I tend to use the bridge pickup for Riffs & rhythm and the neck pickup for solos
I play rock music mainly, using a Cornford Harlequin amp and a variety of overdrive/distortion pedals in front.
If I were to be hyper critical the bridge pickup is a little thin (hence my preference for the neckup for solos)

Excellent finish - Ive had this guitar 21 years and its bearing up well.
I bought the guitar second hand - the set up was fine and has not been a problem over the years

no problems over the the years beyond normal wear & tear. I do most of my own setup (truss rod adjustment, intonation etc) and its needed 2 overhauls over the 20 odd years from a professional - which for me means this is a well built guitar.

Bought second hand and never needed to go back to Tokai

I have been playing for 20+ years and have a modest collection of guitars (Gibson SG, Yamaha SA800 & Vantage 728GTD-1). This is my fall back to guitar and the one I would rescue from a fire if it came to it.

1981 Tokai Love Rock LS-80 Made in Japan 22 Frets Solid Maple Flame top under Gold Nitro-laquor-REAL NICE FLAME...NOT veneer like the later models -The control cavity had a circuit board apparatus that was taken out and replaced by good caps and pots. I have read some other reviews about how Gibson is so great blah ..blah ..blah...The plain facts of the matter is both Gibson and Fender made great guitars in the 50's and 60's and then sold their companies. It is ACCEPTED COMMON KNOWLEDGE to most(except to the extraordinarily bullheaded) that Gibson and Fender both made a poor product in the 70's. In its high models Tokai made their Les Pauls like the old ones..they used light Honduras mahoghanny -(more sustain) correct 18 degree head slant (more sustain) -Long neck tenon (yes more sustain) None of these features are on a 70's Les Paul. I am convinced that Fender and Gibson had to create "custom shop" guitars because the early Japan high end copies kicked their butts

I am a proffessional musician and have owned high dollar collectible Fender and Gibsons from the 60's and 50's..The Tokai sounds better period..yes I know your 59 is worth 250,000 dollars -so what -Stevie Ray-ZZ Top have that money as chump change and still gigged w/Tokai's...I feel the same ..each guitar in the world has it's own sound.. you may prefer your 80's les paul to a 59 les paul...I prefer my 81 Tokai to every Gibson Les paul I have owned since the 50's to the present-Fantastic sustain and tone- I think I'll make clocks out of my crappy 70's les pauls with their pancake bodies (norlin waterlog tone robbers)The guitar has houndwound upgrade pups that absolutely and without a doubt surpass the real PAFS that were in my 50's Les Paul..sorry collectors..but it's the truth

Perfect action--best les Paul neck I have ever played--Much better than 70's to 80's Norlin and Nashville offerings-One piece mahaghany not 3 piece tone robbers-Proper lightwieght aluminum tailpiece-proper pickup routing-not the later tone killing routing on Later Pauls Proper abr bridge not the later offering--Seems that Tokai just built their Les Paul like it was supposed to be built...I don't know who Gibson was trying to copy in the 70's and 80's but they must have lost their building plans.Bone-nut-Jumbo frets w/covered binding all there on the Tokai

I've seen a jillion Gibsons with broken headstocks -The Tokai has a solid chunk of wood but it is nice and round and plays effortlessly-you can access the upper frets much easier than non 50's Pauls--Solid and as dependable as any guitar made--I take other guitars anyway too gigs so I won't have to change strings until the break.Let's see 59 les Paul 250,000$ ...Tokai 2,000$ ... -features are very ,very close...what a great bang for the buck...and maybe that 59 Les Paul does'nt really sound all that great after all and is just an overpriced relic -

Best Les Paul I have owned including A plethora of Gibson products. If it was stolen I would scour the earth for the perpetrator and have him beheaded

IMG:http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a42/Craigar/guitars/Craig_DLX2004_2.jpg[/IMG]MIK DLX 2004,
c/w flamed maple veneer top. 2 volume, 1 tone.
mahogany back and neck.

I play a lot of hard rock, and when I got this guitar, I put it straight into the Marshall JCM-900. Also used a Boss GX-700 processor aswell. MEGA SUSTAIN, this guitar just oozes sustain.
The pickups are very warm, jazzy almost. I usually like pickups with a little more bite, but the stock ones will do just fine. The pickups are very clean and have great low end when running just straight into the amp with no other effects.
Can't say I have any dislikes about the guitar, I payed just over $700.00 Canadian for it, and hell..... in my opinion I would have payed more just for the abalone binding on it.

The guitar was set up really well, although I think Kevin at JSD's Guitar Shack set it up before he shipped it to me. Great action, slight buzz but nothing that bothers me. Pickups height was great, the neck joint seems rugged and well glued in. Tunners are pretty nice for being just stock ones. The abalone binding one the body and on the neck in phenominal. There was only one flaw to this guitar and that was on the headstock. There was a slight run in the finish. Still... not a big deal to me.

Well I just got this guitar, so I can't say how it will withstand the rigors of palying live. Hardware overall seems great. I am going to purchase some graphite saddles from Stewart McDonald though. Actually, I'm also amazed how well this thing stays in tune.
The only reason it doesn't get a 10 here, is because I still have to break it in before I can say how rugged it is.

not sure, don't think I'll need it.

I've been playing guitar since I was 6 and I"m 30 now. I have played a lot of guitars, but this one I think will be with me for a long time. If this guitar were ever stolen, I'd call C.S.I. Lol! No, seriously, I"d have to track down another one somehow, because these DLX's are limited editions so finding another could be tuff. One last thing, if you want a great guitar and the best "bang for the buck" then try out a few Tokai MIK's.
Everyone keeps braggin up the Jap tokai's and I have had one of those too. They are also great guitars no doubt, but not everyone can afford or even find them. The Tokai MIK's have my support. Also if you want great service and a pretty darn good selection of Tok's then check out JSD's Guitar Shack, they have a great selection of Tok's and if you don't see what you like there.... drop them an e-mail, and they will find it for ya! Thanks to Kevin at JSD's Guitar shack for selling me such an awesome axe!

Japan, a Gibson by any other name. Typical Gibson features.

this is the first "real" guitar I've ever owned and it absolutely r-o-c-k-s. I always wondered how Free, Bad Company, Jimmy Page, Gary Moore and anybody who's good got their sound. This is the type of guitar that does the bizz. The bridge pickup is an absolute monster and the neck pickup - well hey I play heavy rock so I might try it some time ;-)

Looks great - red & gold sunburst with the tiger stripes. Far too good for me to be holding the damn thing

OK the 3 way switch is crap and has let me down on a couple of occasions but who needs the neck pick up anyhoo. I was just unlucky on this occasion.

Crap. Tried e-mailing them about the above prob. Still waiting for a reply after a year. Maybe they don't bother to reply to emails. A lot of folks don't get the point. However if you buy something of said value you'd expect special treatment - but hey that's rock 'n' roll

Been playing a while now in various bands. Should be better but I have my moments. Wish I'd had this rock machine in a previous life. I would have blown the guys away. I used to play loud but this guitar gives you the beef to go with it. Def make you sound like a guitarist.

LS50 All original - standard features

Neck pickup - amazing tone. Best solo sound from anything else I've heard - including my 79 Anniversary strat.
Bridge pickup a bit bright for me.

LIke a piece of antinque furniture. MUCH better made than any Gibson i've handled.

Still feels like a new guitar after 25 years.

N/A - nothing has gone wrong.

Playing for 30 years. Currently use a Hughes & Kettner sw/ch tube combo.
I would buy another if stolen.
The finish is amazing. Favourite is the neck p/u tone.

Before I bought one of these I was sceptical about the right ups.
The proof in the pudding is in the playing.

The difference between these and the Epiphones is embarressing.

Pat Fenis: The spoonerism above obviously has never played one of these as he's overdone the low ratings. He probably works or has shares in Gibson.

The Japanese Love Rocks are amazing!

although i dont own one, have played many in stores etc. I was just reading the reviews, and you get a lot of people saying 'not les paul like at all', 'not powerful enough' etc. Im not sure wether tese people ACTUALLY know how to acheive the 'Les Paul' Tone. People like Gary Moore/Slash etc dont play infornt of 10,000 people through a home amp. You need at least a 50w tube head (marshall/soldano/mesa), If you have an amp equipped with a CRUNCH switch, then use it - DO NOT USE THE OD channel, And turn the amp up FULL. Then play the Pariseinne Walkways middle note, and you will get infinate sustain. Les pauls/Love Rocks Drive a tube amp at High Volumes. Not at vol positio 2, dirty channel full gain. Read an early Moore interview in guitar Player mag "Q: Do use any effects with your les paul? A: No, I go straight into the marshall, clean up full".

I've only been playing guitar for six months. Yeah, I stink, but didn't everyone when they started? Anyway, I bought a Mexican-made Nashville Deluxe Telecaster as a starter because I could afford to give up on it if I decided guitar playing wasn't my gig. became interested in the Japanese sellers right away after seeing a "lawsuit" guitar in the Guitar Center one day. The salesman gave the usual scoff when I asked him about an Aria ES-335 clone. Figured he was on commission. The experience led me to eBay where I found oodles of Japan-based sellers with the whole lawsuit story. I remember everyone scoffing at Toyotas and Hondas in the late 70's and the whole "buy American" mantra. Well, today the Camrys and Accords outsell and outlast everything. My '91 Maxima has outlasted three of my mom's Tauruses at a fraction of the cost. Take note, my friends. So I bought a new Burny ES-335 clone from Japan for $720 delivered. Very nice, but the frets are a bit hard on a beginner's fingers. Love the sound, though. Then I bought a used, near mint '96 MIJ Fender '54' re-issue Strat. Very easy to play and well made. Then on a lark, I bought a Jap-made '79 Mansfield Gibson SG clone from Canada on eBay for $187 delivered. Best guitar of the aforementioned bunch, and it came in the original case, which I figured was worth $70 if the guitar sucked. Solid mahagony body had already achieved that deep burgundy color. Spent $180 for a fret job and a switch, and my local luthier said the guitar is five times the value of a new $900 SG. I figured I'd need a Les Paul style guitar to round out the taste panel, so I bought an '83 Tokai Love Rock on eBay for $710 delivered. I don't know much about art, but I know what I like, and I wish I'd bought this guitar first. My luthier and future instructor had never seen one, and he was in awe, especially after I told him what I'd paid for it. I'm keeping the Mansfield and Burny, and the Fenders I'll sell at less than my cost if that's what it takes for me to get the jack to buy a Tokai one-piece body Les Paul Reborn before they're the toys of millionaires. Money always follows value, and I suspect the next generation of collectors will be looking for vintage "lawsuit" guitars from Japan because the rock stars will own all the $40,000 vintage American guitars. Whether I play or not, I hope in 20 years the early Tokais are worth about 10 times what I paid for them because I'll have a bunch on hand to sell to the highest bidders. By the way, my Japanese sellers say the quality of the Tokais started going downhill in 1983.

To anyone out there who thinks Gibson Guitars rock....get a life, the Yanks have become complaisant and lazy in maintaining a standard which was lost since the early sixties. I have 2 love rocks (Jap built) a 92 and 2003 model, both cherry burst with tiger strip grain. They are exact replicas of 57-59 les pauls. I had a lutheran master listen to it (i blind folded him so he caouldn't see the guitar beforehand), he was in utter shock when we removed the blindfold.....as he puts it "it surpasses Gibson on all levels and the price is a steal". He, like I could not fault the guitar....it is a masterpiece of craftsmanship and god knows the Japs have pride in there work as well as descipline....which thos fat Yanks have no concept of. Gibson ....it's just a name, Tokai...its perfect !!!

My babies are perfect for so many styles of playing....just so diverse, but they sound especially fabulous on fender valve amps. The pick ups are is only minor drawback....I had to get the potted in wax to stop feedback....once done, they are as good as origianl PAF's.

Like I said earlier, Gibson have rested on there laurels for to long. Tokai and PRS Guitars shit all over the gibson range. Gone are the days of Jap Crap....now its Yankee Crap. The Japs have caught up and passed them by....by a long shot. Action from new sensational, Hardware is Gotoh and prestine. Pickups ???? see above remark. My guitars as fully Jap, not Korean cheapies....they have full solid mahogany bodies with bookend matched 2 piece maple tops (tiger stripe grain) with a AAAA rating. The over fit and finish would put most Gibsons to shame. Frets and fret board immaculate, no fuzz...low action. Why would anyone even bother with pissy epiphone...NO CONTEST !!!!

Could not fault anything....how can you when something is PERFECT. To all you die hard Gibson purist peasants....I turned my back on you and Gibson years ago...and never looked back. I even sold my two Les Pauls originals, as I was dusgusted in them in the long run. A piece of trivia....listen to Dire Straits (Brothers in Arms), the studio recording was on a Tokai Love Rock model, not a Les Paul....I know this as my Barristers neighbour is Bass Player from Dire Straits (John Illsley)....he confirmed to me that is what Knofler used in the studio...just listen to the tone and sustain....Gibson MY ASS !

Why would I need it, if I knew I liked it when I bought the dam thing and was impressed by the damn instrument...I could see these instruments were not lemons from day one.

Lets put it this way, I would trade in my wife before I would surrender these gems. And yes I would buy another one if it were stolen. In terms of quality etc it is up there with PRS. The attention to detail, craftsmanship and build is 110 percent flawless. I have been to the gibson factory in Nashville, seen how they make them etc....even bought my tokai into the factory , people were offended but when I played the dammed thing all mouths shut up and were left in awe, and yes my budding muzo's I have been to Japan for a holiday even went to the Tokai factory...lets put is this way...a Tokai takes longer to build than a real les paul, why ? because you can not rush quality ....that is why !!!! They are so focused on every instrument they build...and they so richly deserve this appraisal.

MY attention was caught by what looked like a very good copy of a 59 honeyburst Les paul. When seeing the name Tokai I assumed it would cost me a considerable amount of cash but I was then informed that it was korean and it was priced at #399 (Acadamy of Sound UK). While trying the guitar in the shop I found all the hardwear and electrics fine, action a little high for my taste but otherwise o.k. Neck profile very nice, apparently taken from the original 59s. Sounded nice in the shop through a new rolland combo (not sure what model).

Having used a strat a great deal in the past its taking some getting used to not having that sharp biting sound cutting through but the Les Paul does have a nice sound of its own either mellow and round on the neck setting or with some overdrive help a good blues/rock punch from the tail.

From three paces away the Les Paul looks great but on closer inspection its not 100%. The nut is awful , a real Friday-afternooner!!. When looking from the bridge along the top surface of the guitar the neck seating/fretboard looks slightly low on the E,A side. The vaneer top is not bookmatched and seems to dip slightly where the pick-up are situated. Set-up from the factory: Intonation was o.k but action rather high. 22nd and 23rd frets need attention.

Despite my nit-picking this will probably be an O.K.instument. it plays nicely and sounds good in the right venue or jam session. It certainly looks great on stage if you cannot afford the real thing. Tuning does drift slightly but being a blues player (major string bending with 9s) I have to expect that. Durability: I am confident it will go the distance.

I have owned the guitar for four months and complained about the proud 22nd and 23rd frets a couple of weeks ago and the shop said they will pay for a fret-dress so no complaints there.

I have been playing for thirty years and should know better!!. I didn`t look closely enough at this guitar before purchase. If it was stolen I would claim the insurance and buy a nice big garden shed. I recently tried a friends Epiphone L.P. and the Tokai is better but its not perfect. Value for money...Yes, perhaps better than Mex Srats etc but check it over carefully before parting with the cash. If you have another #200 go for the Japanese model.

Purchased the ALS 48, made is South Korea. Black, 22 frets. Laminated top, 2 volumes, 2 tones, 3 way toggle switch. cream body and neck binding. Pickup confirguration - EMG 85 active (neck) and EMG 81 active (bridge). Flamed sycamore body, alder back laminated top, maple neck, rosewood fingerboard. Finish - looks satin to me. Body style Les Paul. Tune-o-matic bridge with stop bar. Non-locking tuners, factory made. Came with an SKB case. Free re-stringing. Great deal.

Suits my music style perfectly rock/metal/blues/jazz - the active EMG's bring out the best in everything. Have to turn down the gain a bit even! I crank up on a Laney LC50, through a G2D Morpheus and Cry baby wah. Beautiful. Clean is crisp, bright and rich, while distortion is sweet, scooped and full. Takes a bit of punch to get an artificial harmonic through, but nonetheless it sings any tune - from 1st to 22nd fret. I love everything about the sounds it can produce. I'm sure I haven't even discovered the half of its potential. I say this while having my customised Fender Strat (US) in mind. And that's a hard guitar to beat.

Well set up in the factory. Briliiant action. Was very surprised myself. Pickups were adjusted perfectly. Bridge set right, saddles in alignment. No flaws, except when i removed the pickguard (i hate playing with the pickguard on) there were a couple minor chips/cracks around the screw hole. But very minor. Everything - from bracing, fretwire, finish, wood, hardware, tuning pegs, nut, saddles, pickup selector, controls were in mint condition of very high quality.

This guitar will definitely be able to withstand the abuse and ardour of live performances. The hardware may oxidise over time, but nonetheless will in terms of durability last for as long as one takes good care of it. As with all finish, it needs a good polish and shine once in awhile. The strap buttons seem sturdy, but would be best to get a locked strap. A very dependable instrument and would easily bring just this if I had to only play one type of music.

No aware of any customer support - but I'd go back to my dealer if I needed help - NZ Rock Shop, K'Road, Auckland , New Zealand. Hard to find a repuatble website for Tokai.

I've been playing for almost 20 years now and have seen many guiatrs come my way. I own a customised Fender Strat (US), had a vintage Fender amp, and now own a Laney LC50. A couple stomp boxes, the usual Boss', but now play a G2D Morpheus. Obviously also equipped with a Cry baby Wah.

I initially was looking for an ESP Kirk Hammet edition. But was swayed into the Tokais. Never really heard much of it before, but once I tested it, while also trying the ESP and Epihone, the Tokai beat them hands down. I was blown away. The neck initially felt better on the ESP, but the having said that, the Tokai was easy to get used to.

I used to and still do view Asian guitars with much skepticism and I also don't give 9's/10's easily. But I think they've come a long way since the days of crappy Samicks and Aria pros. The Love Rock models are definitiely a gem, and for the price you pay and for what you get, it's a wonder why they're priced so well! I recommend this axe to any guitarist, even the hard-core Gibson-only musicians. You'll be very pleasantly surprised at what you'll discover...

Hey vanneste!! I was given a Tokai Les Paul copy by my chick.
Now read carefully.
This is an early '80's Tokai, Les Paul copy. "LOVE ROCK" is on the headstock. It has a very faded finish, with solid top, and pronounced tight flames. The back, sides and neck are kind of a washed-out red tint. The hardware is lightweight, and nickel plated. The pickups are exquisite. They're the Tokai PAF copies. This is one light-ass guitar!! If it's mahogany, it's the cheapest available. This guitar has no sound. I have an old Strat that's had so much wood taken out of it for research purposes, that it sounds like a banjo...and it sustains better than this Tokai.

Actually, I don't use it...at all. This guitar just doesn't cut it.
I treid it on ALL my gear. Ampegs, Marshalls, Boogies. Korg A3's, A2's A1's, Lexicon, T.C Electronics...and it just didn't sound any good. It was lifeless, non-descript, washed-out. Took the pickups out and slapped them into one of my Burst repros....I was flabbergasted! Tokai pickups are fantastic. I prefer REAL PAFs...but the Tokais are excellent! One more thing...I'm not saying ALL Tokais are rubbish...just the 10 or so that I've had. And Brazilian rosewood and Honduras mahogany aren't illegal in the U.S....those two countries put embargoes on their woods.....in 1961-62. Give this some though: would Ernest and Julio Gallo make wine out of turnips? Get real vanneste!

This guitar looked very nice. It had the "reliced" look. Too bad about the sound.
The top, I am going to remove and slap onto one of my repros. it's quite nice.
Actually...the neck was mounted on the body 4 degrees off center, so that when viewed from the top, with the imaginary centerline of the guitar pointing to 12 o'clock, the body is pointing to 4 minutes after. Ok....has anyone EVER seen a Gibson Les Paul come out of the factory with a neck joint like that? Didn't think so...

Seems to me that this guitar is too flimsy to be considered a pro.
The hardware will last. The finish, even though it's of little consequence, will last, yes.
I'd never use this on a gig/session! lol
BUT.....It looks nice! I hve respect for guitars, let that be understood. But this is such an "anti-guitar", that I am going to put a clock in it, and mount it above my fireplace. This guitar is best left unheard.

Sorry....never knew there was customer support.
LOL! It's waaaay past warranty.

What do I love about this guitar: nothing
What do I like about this guitar: It looks good, and will make a nice clock.
Now don't take it personally if someone disagrees with you regarding choice of guitars, Tokai-boy. The fact that Tokais aren't the greatest on the planet should have no effect on your happiness.
Jeez...I don't know, but what does qualify one to write a good critique? Is one qualified because he has played and built for
40 years? Who knows. Maybe it does. If it indeed DOES (and I'm still not saying it does), then perhaps you'd be better off listening, and learning. It's entirely possible after all those years of playing and building, that I know next to nothing, and that you know waaay more than me. Who can say? Until someone comes up with some type of exotic device that measures time spent playing, ability, experience, and assigns a number to it, so that we may use it like a doctor uses "M.D.", you'll just have to go with what we have.
Me...I 'll listen to anything once. I've had many Tokais...and not a single one came anywhere NEAR to being as good as even my crappiest maple-necked, heavy-as-Hell, water-logged-sounding, late '70's Gibson Les Paul. I'd LOVED to have been able to spend 1,000's less on gear, to get good gear, but the Tokais just weren't IT, baby. I say say that as dispassionately as is humanly possible.
So relax, and enjoy your Tokai. Plus...listen and learn.

Mahogany/Maple single cut body with set mahogany neck. 2 volumes, 2 tones, 2 humbucking pickups, gold hardware with black knobs and trapazoidal inlays from the 1st fret. Weights a lot considering it's size.

Clean it is a bit dark, muddy and heavy which is typical of a Les Paul depending on the pu's that is -- well even then they are still too dark;)

With some drive it's thick like honey in winter and the bridge pu is nice and well rounded.

These guitars have the mahogany body on the back with the maple top and a set neck of mahogany like some other manufacturer of Les Paul guitars such as Gibson use.

My guitar was made in Japan however some are from Korea out of the Samick factory like the cheap Gib-Ephones banana is talking about. These are not worthy however nothing Gibson makes sounds like AND has a neck like a '59LP now days but not many people know this and fewer really care.

Mine is white on the body with a black binding and gold hardware. It is quite nice if you like the Les Paul sound and this guitar is every bit a Les Paul of the modern ilk and it is easily the match of a Gibson in fit, finish and sound.

In the 80's in Australia you couldn't give away a Les Paul and I own a couple from that era. An early studio model which is an ok entry level USA Gibson, and a white colored special.

Now days people want to knock you on the head when you load up the car so I have this Tokai and it's not a bad unit at all actually.

It's is durable in as much as it's not cheap Korean junk, well that's not fair because some nice durable stuff has come out of that massive factory that makes the most guitars on the planet. I have a '95 valley arts strat which is about the first of the run (Wilkinson) and it's great. Later ones were very bad (Floyd Rose) so it's a pick of the bunch thing I guess. The Ibanez AX range is some great Samick product so there :)

Unsure have not contacted them

I give a 7.5 as it's a realistic purchase achieveing a high quality sound rather than the same sound for insane money. You can by this and a TSL602 instead of one LP Special.

2000 Don't know where it was made. This is a Tokai Les Paul copy. And not a very good one either. I suppose the cat (vanneste) who responded to my earlier critique ( he called me a "complete banana" !! LOL!!) likes the Tokai. Good for him. If he likes them, I'm happy for him. I don't suppose that the fact I was playing for $$ before he was born counts for anything, so I won't lean on it. Anyway, Les Pauls in the '50's had Brazilian rosewood fretboards. That was a contributing factor to the sound/feel of those guitars. Change that, and they're simply NOT THE SAME ANYMORE! Regardless what vanneste believes, that's just the way it is. I didn't make it up. He also states that we would pay DEARLY for a guitar with Brazilian rosewood....that's UNTRUE. I make exact copies of Les Paul Sunbursts and GoldTops from Brazilian rosewood and Honduras mahogany. The total cost for the materials is WELL under $100.00 (per guitar) Canadian. So it's VERY possible for Gibson to make the Les Pauls with these woods. Why do they not use these woods? Only THEY know. The wood is THE most important part of the guitar. Change the wood in a Les Paul Sunburst repro from Honduras and Brazilian to whatever Gibson and Tokai use now...and they simply will not sound the same.
I think the wood in this Tokai is a cheap African mahogany. The coating is a thick, hard polyester that has to be BURNED OFF to be removed. Again, if nitrocellulose isn't used, the guitar won't sound authentic. The butt of the neck where it meets the body is not like a real Les Paul either. As well...the channel where the wiring goes from the control cavity to the pickups switch, is round....where the real Gibson is square. Again...change ANYTHING....and it's NOT THE SAME. Y'all can bark and bark and bark about how those things make little difference, and that I'm being picayune. Just add up all the differences, and you'll begin to see what I mean....or maybe you won't. Chances are you won't, because you've been dazzled by these pretty guitars.

This guitar sounded ok. I play all styles. This guitar suited them all fairly well. I used it through a Mesa-Boogie DC-5, Ampeg V-2, V-4, Marshall JTM, Boogie Mark1,2,3 and 4. All through Marshall 4x12, Boogie 2x12, Traynor GuitarMate cabinet 1x12. All these have Peavey Scorpion Plus's. Rack full of Korg A-3's. Roland GR-1, GR-33.
This guitar was not anywhere NEAR as full-sounding as my Les Pauls.
I put in a set of '60 Gibson PAF's out of a Les Paul/SG...and this guitar still sounded the same. The wood people...the WOOD! Pickups are just like microphones. You'll sound the same regardless of what mic you sing through...a guitar will still sound the same with different pickups. Sure...it may have more bottom end, or more treble, but the "character" of the guitar won't EVER be removed or covered up by a pickup.
When both pickups are on, I get a neat "Chet Atkins" type of sound reminicent of "Mountains Of Illinois". One tenth the "sound" of a real Les Paul
This guitar is still just a toy though. A good one...but still a toy.

No complaints here. It was as well made as a copy is expected to be. Sure, Gibson's quality for a spell was horrible. Their sound at that time was STILL better than any copy's sound I ever heard.
The plating was acceptable. The hardware is good (pretty hard to screw up hardware).

This guitar will take a beating. The headstaock will still snap off as easily as a Gibson's, but we already know that, and take the proper precautions, right? Right.
I wouldn't ever just use one guitar anyway.
I can depend on this guitar, yes. I wouldn't sweat putting this on a plane to Kuwait. My real Gibsons....never.

N/A

Playing 41 years.
Wouldn't worry if it got ripped off.
Wouldn't get another one. I just prefer the real thing, is all.
I'm kind of indifferent to this guitar. I appreciate the work that went into making it, but...
Another thing...those Tokai PAF copy pickups? They're GREAT!! I put those from this copy into one of my Burst repros....and they were fantastic. Tokai makes great pickups. Guitars?....well...

Mine is 2003 Japan made LS75Q (Q stands, as you already know for 'quilted' [2 pcs matched maple top]. The body seems to be 2 pcs, too though I had hard time to find a joint - well done! Actually, nothing new for those who know what we are talkind about. Not sure about PUs - probably Tokai MKIII.

A/B'd to LP Studio (ebony fretboard)into Marshall Valvestate, no FX, LS is defenitely different - less high end, more pronounced mids, though there's evident LP 'accent' there. A sustain is fo-o-or-eve-e-e-r. Overdriven both guitars are so close, that it's hard to tell one from another. Nice guitar for not-too-modern rock, blues. I'm thinking about replacing PUs for Seymour's '59 (neck) and JB (bridge, coil-split).

Right from the box the guitar is about ready to gig. Little buzz on a high side - no problem to fix in a minute. Otherwise, excellent (poly?) finish, nothing that can disturb you fron playing.

Dont't know yet. One week is not enought to tell. Looks pretty well-made, though. No doubt, will last long.

Hopefully, will never know

Playing more that 20 years, mostly classic rock and blues, I'd say this guitar is a very good addition to my arsenal (Custom Tele, '83 Strat, LP). If it were lost or stolen I'd by the same guitar in a heartbeat - different PUs, maybe...
No, it is NOT a Les Paul, but this is a great substitution for much less money. Perhaps, with Seymors it will be even more that that...

I am a professional musician in the UK. I have played the guitar for 20 years, I am also lefthanded. Finding decent lefthanded instruments in the Uk is a nightmare. I played a US strat for years and an Ibanez Artist (les paul with twin cutaway but better !). For the last 10 years I have effortlessly tried to find a decent Gibson Les Paul to replace my nackered Ibanez (needs a 3rd refret !).

Could I find one ? Well yes mayby a black one with crap paint job or poor fret job etc.... or mayby a #3,500 59' reissue that played like a pants #59.99 starter guitar. I eventually came to the desicion that Gibson either made crap instruments until......... I tried a TOKAI LOVE ROCK !!!!!!!!

Well blow me down... Peter Green riffs, Kossoff riffs etc.. were flowing all over the place in Denmark Street, London during Spring of 2001. I bought the guitar on the SPOT.

Now everyone says man that Gibson sounds cool and I say NO its actually better than a Gibson its a Tokai and they go Oh.. and walk away in disbelief.
I even told the guys at the Gibson stank in the UK guitar show that I thought their guitars were crap and vastly overpriced.

I got some news for you Gibson...get youre shite together! or be eaten alive by PRS or TOKAI HA !!

Changed Bridge pickup to Seymoure Duncan JB. Absouloutly awsome sounding Ever heard Billy Gibbons live ? if so you would be getting close.

Beat any Gibo close to PRS.

Up to now it has not let me down once. Changed saddles to graphtech ones.

No

Plaed far to long. Compared this guitar to approx 10-15 les pauls over the years from #850 to #3,500

This is a (1999?) ALS-48 Tokai Love Rock, sun-burst colour, with stock pick ups (2 humbuckers).
22 frets. Tone and volume controls for both pups and a three-way switch.
Great finish, I have found nothing to complain about. I got a SKB-case with it.

I bought this guitar to get that Les Paulish sound. I have a Strat with single coils, and wanted some humbucker drive to some songs we play (hard/heavy rock-style). And I got what I wanted.
I play it through Fender Roc Pro 1000 with some effects. Love Rock delivers a thick, and fat sound; great with distortion. As all LP:s, with clean it tends to be a bit dull, compared to that singing Strat sound. You get some nice feedback easily, and the sustain is awesome.
WARNING:
I had to pot the pick-ups. Before that, they gave a horrible non-musical feedback, like a microphone. [This happened with a distortion and loud volume, not at low volumes; but I had to do something about that, because I needed the volume and sound.] Potting ("waxing") helped and now I can stand in the same room with my guitar's volume on 10 and have any volume & distortion on my amp, but still can't stand face to face with my amp and guitar. So, I guess you have to either wax the pups or buy new ones. The sound of the pick ups is very nice, though!

This one has got quite a low action, but it still has got a lot of sustain. Some bends are little hard to do with such a low action, but I've got used to that. Feels very solid and well build when you pick it up. I bought this used, so it was set-up very well.
If you have small hands, it could be a little difficult to reach the higher notes up on the neck. But I think, this is how real Les Pauls are built, too.
I'll give it only 7 for I had to do that potting.

I have used this for like a month now, and have experienced no problems at all.
As I said, it seems to be built very well and I guess it'll withstand many years of hard rocking.

Dunno.

I have played guitar for 7 years now. I own a few acoustics and a Mexican Fender Stratocaster Deluxe and another strat-kind Epiphone.
This is my first LP-type guitar, and I really love it. It delivers the punch that a Strat can't give. It is very easy to sound good with this guitar, it's not as demanding to play as a Strat (this is a good thing as well as a bad thing, in my opinion.)
This is great value for money. I tested a real Gibson LP, and I'd say this Tokai has got a better finish than that particular LP. Epiphones seemed to be like toys compared to Tokais.
Wish it had a switch to split the humbuckers to a single coils.

Had to write in response to the complete banana (playing 40 years and making for 30...yawn ) who wrote giving an earlier opinion. If it ain't not Brazillian rosewood (illegal in the US after 1970 I believe) etc etc then it's basically a pile of nasty copy rubbish.

Erm, wrong. The spec this chap is giving basically means you've got to fork out an insane sum for a vintage (pre 1970) Gibson Les Paul. Well quite, put me down for a couple and while you're at it a mint Marshall Plexi while you're at it.

Meanwhile back in reality world the facts are that Gibson's standards (pardon the delightful pun) have been less than we might hope for, ooh, well, for about as long as anyone can care to remember. Admittedly their very latest all new 2002 Les Paul's are looking to fight back but I've not tried one of those yet so can't comment. What I do know is that up until 2001 a top of the line Tokai Love Rock is the better instrument. Just how it is and I have the cash to buy either.

I've been all over the place in the UK, time and again testing my Love Rock side by side with new GLP Standards. Trying, in fact, to find a Les Paul that can stand up to my Love Rock. If I found it I'd buy it.

Features? Its all there and it all works very well indeed. Even stays in tune.

The sound is rich, full of tone and enhanced by a 1st class neck that has the happy knack of making you feel very at home, very quickly. The sustain in all it should be (awesome). I've found the individual string definition on the neck pickup to be marginally better on a GLP but that's it and very subjective. You might well not feel so.

The Tokai bridge humbucker is a class ahead. It sings, it screams, it rocks. Absolute peach, and lets face it that's the pcikup you're buying. Never found a GLP to touch it, and the funny thing is the longer you play them side by side the bigger the difference becomes.

Mine wasn't that good straight from the factory, just OK. There was a fair degree of fret buzz and the frets felt a little grainy. At the time I didn't bat an eyelid as it was still better than the typical Gibson fayre I was being offered.

Makes no odds to me, any guitar I buy gets immediately taken to bits and carefully set-up. To me it doesn't feel 'mine' until I have played with it internally, adjusted the bridge, checked the nut, dressed the frets and sighted for relief several times.

Yum.

Finish was flawless.

The proverbial brick whatsit. No probs whatsoever in nearly 15 years.

Who cares? Irrelevant to me.

Been playing 22 years now. I own a US Fender from the 80's, a Love Rock and that's it. I have my eye on one of the new Yamaha SG2000's, but I'll probably hold out for an early 80's if/when I ever find one in really good condition. I used to own a 1983 Ibanez Destroyer Custom and will wish to the grave that I'd kept it, they were made from some amazing wood that really sang. I've given up hope of ever finding another but I'd buy one like a shot.

To me these days the GLP Standard is a Love Rock copy. Trust your ears.

Right now I run through a Marshall JCM2000 TS122 with extension cab for larger venues. Finest amp I've ever owned. Made Marshall great again. Before that amongst others it was a old Vox AC30.

This is just an update on an earlier post: THE ONLY GUYS THAT DON'T LIKE THE TOKAI & ORVILLE COPIES OF THE LES PAUL, ARE THE GUYS WHO ARE TRYING TO SELL THEIR OVER-PRICED (OFTEN GUTTED OF ORIGINAL PARTS) OLD PAULS. I HAVE PLAYED MANY "REAL" GIBSON LES PAULS, ONLY TO WALK AWAY IN DISGUST AT THE HIGH-A$$ED PRICES, THESE "OLD-A$$ED" GEEZERS ARE ASKING. GET A LOVE ROCK (JAPAN) OR AN ORVILLE (JAPAN). DON'T GO BY JUST THE NAME...CAUSE WE KNOW ABOUT THE CRAP THAT GIBSON HAS PUT OUT, over the years, BESIDES THE RESALE ON THE "LOVE ROCKS" & "ORVILLES" ARE GOING UP! not down like you see on E-BAY with the Gibsons

sweet

sweet

can you say: broken neck gibsons sell for alot less

Quality, not Quanity

This is a follow up of my review below. It's a Love Rock sunburst LS60 from 1992 bought new in 2001. I put Grover tuners on it, they look great and the guitar stays in tune better with even more sustain. At first i replaced the stock humbuckers with Gibson 490/498 pickups, wich gave a slight improvement in sound. Now i replaced the Gibsons with Seymour Duncan Jazz(neck) and JB(bridge).

With the Seymours the Love Rock really shows what it can do! With my 1 channel, 6 knob Marshall JCM800 combo i can go from an almost funky clean sound with both pickups on 2, to hard rock with the neck pickup on 10, and anything inbetween. Compared to the Seymours the Gibsons sound muddy. The Jazz and the JB are perfectly balanced. The definition and clarity are incredible. Now i can even play a solo on the neck pickup! On rehearsal i had several favourable comments on my guitar sound from knowledgeable people.
Next thing i'm going to try out are push/pull pots to split the Seymours with, they come with a 4 conductor cable. Seymour Rules!!

I have had the guitar for over a year now, no major problems except for the jack output ring wich i have to fasten every now and then.
Maybe i'll take her to a repair man to have a look at the nut, it could be too narrow for the 010 strings i play. Sometimes it gets out of tune after a heavy bend.

I played it on rehearsals and gigs without backup, no problems. Alas it got a couple of tiny scratches, what can you do? Just put it in the case or in a good stand to prevent it from falling on the weak spot where the neck joins the headstock.

Since my previous posting there is some more info on the web about Tokai, no thanks to the company itself. There's the excellent tokairegistry.com site with good info. I just made a site with pictures of over 130 Tokai guitars, basses and effects/parts, the URL is:
http://tokaiguitarspics.bravepages.com/

What more can i say? Tokai is exporting again to many countries in Europe, but i understand that even new Tokai Love Rocks are scarce and gone quickly. I look at the classifieds on the web in Holland almost every day, i haven't seen a second hand Love Rock in months. On Ebay they fetch good prices. Get one if you can!

Japanese '59 Les Paul reproduction Tokai from 2000 based on the serial number. 22 frets, with a 2 piece flame maple top (not sycamore, or whatever they later used), nice and thick and visable well below the binding in the cut-away just like a real '59
2 piece mahogany body and one piece neck with wings added to the headstock. All in all a good copy of a '59 and for far less than Gibson can do it. Only area of compalint was the trussrod cover which was not the correct bell shape. Still, an actual Gibson cover ($20.00 CDN!!!) fits perfectly. Not sure if the finish is laquer or urethane. I'll guess the later and deduct a point. If I am wrong, add one back in. I did find the string tension higher than on some Les Pauls I tried, but about average to most. I will switch to 9's in the future. In the meantime deduct a half point. Great sustain, and decent volume unplugged. Again, some gibbos are this way, some are dead accoustically. Came with two sets off pick-ups, original Tokais and Gibson 57's.

Sounds very much like the Les Pauls I compared Love Rocks against wover the past year and a half of searching for a Les Paul I liked (missed a great one in L.A.), only slightly warmer and more full. Currently has 2 Gibson '57's humbuckers but I think I will change back to the Tokai Humbuckers as the tone has suffered slightly. Seems less mature. Big surprise.
Very good for the E.C. Beano Album sound.

Again set-up seems "tight", but other than that no complaints.

Built like a tank. If your mind the potentially weak headstock area in common with all guitars of this type.

N/A

I have been playing 4 years. I currently own 16 guitars including 1 Cunutto Era Custom Shop Mary Kaye Relic Strat and a 1999 Relic Tele with a custom order 9 1/2" neck, an FDP LE Fender Strat, A Burns Marquee, A Danolectro U2, A Simon & Patrick Accoustic, a Fender Electro-Accoustic, a Union Jack Noel Gallager Epiphone Supernova, a '52 re-issue Tele (signed by the Stereophonics), a '57 MIJ Reisue Strat, and a MIJ 50's Telecaster, a Pete Townsend SG (Note the limited run, but a US production instrument) and a made in Korea Tokai SG.
As well I have owned 3 Epiphone Les Pauls, and 2 Gibson Les Pauls. All were sold, with no regrets. Can't say that about all the guitars I've sold, including a couple other Gibsons.
Oh, and by the way I would rate a most current Les Pauls at 6, and the one mentioned in LA as a 10. But lets just say at the price it was it had better be a 10!!!

Ok, here we go.2001 Tokai Love Rock, model LS65, bought 4 weeks ago. Definately made in Japan. Serial no. stamped on back of headstock, i believe the first 2 digits denote the year of manufacture. This guitar has Tokia's 'violin finish' which is exactly the same as honeyburst in Gibson parlance. I used to have a Gibson Les Paul in honeyburst and this Tokai is a deadringer for it. Gotoh hardware and pick-ups, mahogany body ( not 1 piece) and solid 2 piece maple top (i have checked). Nice piece of Rosewood for the fingerboard, not dry like 1 or 2 Gibson guitars i have picked up recently. Apart from the different shape truss rod cover and writing on the headstock, which reads 'Love Rock model'and of course'Tokai instead of 'Gibson', this guitar is a Les Paul.

Can't say to much about sound, have not used it in anger yet. Tried it in the shop, but not at monster volume. Seems quiet, all the pots and the switch work well, no crackles or squeaks. If it sounds like a cross between Billy Duffy and Billy Gibbons i will be a very happy man.

Everything would seem to be Aok. Action is fine but i have changed the strings to girly 9's, it came with manly 10's. No visible flaws, pretty perfect really.

Don't know yet, looks like it will stand the test of time.

1 Year warranty. Never dealt with UK importer, would just go through retailer. Importer for the UK is a 1 man operation in Sheffield, Yorkshire. Does a very good impression of a blue arse fly.

I had to search around for this guitar in the 'Violin finsh'. In the UK they seem to be like rocking horse shit. Such a small quantity come into the country because the importer just can't get enough to satisfy demand. I can't believe Tokai can produce a guitar of this quality for this money. A genuine Les Paul is around #1600-1700 at the moment in the UK, so if you want a quality Les Paul but you don't have the finance, get one of these, not an Epiphone. NO CONTEST !!

This is an update to my previous submission back in 1999. Meanwhile I have used my Tokai Love Rock for numerous gigs, home recording sessions, rehersals and practicings. I have quite a better idea of the guitar and its history now. First of all this guitar is probably from 1981-1984 period which is the law suit era. The truss-rod cover is slightly different from the original bell shape. I saw some pictures and I suspect this one to be a more expensive model like LS-100 or LS-120 which means its original retail price back in 1980s was 100,000 - 120,000 Yens. A Japanese salesman at Ishibashi in Tokyo told me that this means USD 2,500 - 3,000 in today's standards.

I had to change the tuners because of a stupid luthier who told me that they were the problem. So I bought a set of Gibson Deluxe and replaced them with the double ring vintage Schaller Klusons. I recently changed my pickups from Gotoh PAFs with 12 adjustment screws to an Alnico Pro II at the bridge and a Schaller Golden 50's at the neck. Jimmy Page electronics give me 20 pickup selection options, all of which are pretty usable. Although it is a result of my own hard work, this guitar deserves a 10 :))

So to summarize again this guitar has:

2 humbuckers, splittable and switchable to parrallel/series and in/out of phase
2 piece thick mahogany body
1 piece very fat mahogany neck (headstock wings separately added)
2 piece bookmatched curly maple top
A dark rosewood fretboard
LACQUER finish unlike somebody else stated below. (He must be a Gibson employee)
Tune-o-matic bridge with aluminium tailpiece.
Gibson Deluxe Kluson Style tuners

Sound? Which one? After this modification, I put my Strat to rest because even the single coil sounds from split humbuckers sound fatter and simply much better. Of course it is not a pure Strat tone, but take my word, it is better. In a few pushes and pulls I can go from Peter Green to Slash, from Santana to Knopfler. (And of course everything Page has).

I use this with my Trace Elliot Velocette Class A tube amp, Ibanez UE-405 analog multi effects rack and a Mesa Boogie V-Twin tube preamp. The tone is pure in every setting from full saturated drive to crystal clean sounds.

I bought this guitar when she was probably 18 years old. Now she is 20. There are dings and scratches and cracks everywhere but not a problem with any piece of hardware. I set the action pretty high and string it with 0.10s. This gives her a great action and tone. However, I have no idea about the factory setup.

It does withstand everything. I gig without a backup. If I break a string, I change it on stage before the solo. (Once I even went for a pee and catched the solo !!) Nothing else can happen unless an earthquake collapses the building.

Yes I contacted the company and they responded. However this company is not represented in the US because of lawsuit reasons, and probably in a few countries in Europe. For more information on Tokais from every era www.tokairegistry.com is a very good source. There is lots of information there.

A perfect piece of workmanship. I have read reviews about old Tokais and what they say is that these the difference between a 70s-80s Tokai copy and an original 50s Strat or Les Paul is not more than the difference between 2 originals. I know that prices for these have risen enormously, but still if you cannot get an aged 1959 reissue, this is the best thing to get. I was so lucky to find it in Istanbul where people had no idea of its value and I simply exchanged it with an Epiphone without paying a cent!!!!

To see pictures of my guitar (before the modifications) visit my page at www.andac-mats.com/tokai

2000 les paul style,twin humbucking p/u,laminated flame top, mohgany back and neck. Basic set up, two volume,two tone controls

real mellow sounding guitar.my style is mostly harder classic rock,b.o.c. black sabbath etc.My love rock sounds real full, no noise when switching pick-ups. Great highs and clear lows,as good as my gibson LP studio.

Fit,finish and action were dead on when i recieved it. this is where tokai shines.being ultra picky about my guitars, my love rock was perfect, no overspray,frets dressed nicely, no flaws.Action was low, but not to low,no string buzz. Came with 10's, but changed to 9's whith same results

had it 2 weeks, so time will tell,but looks and feels like it was built to last.

There web site is no help,so i don't think i'll even try to deal with them

been playing for 20 years, and own tons of gear(strats,les pauls,rickys) all the major brands and models.She was a gift from my wife Debbie (thanks baby)and as soon as i picked it up i knew it was going to be my favorite.Tokai's quality is top notch, so is the workmanship. I loved it so much i just ordered a gold top from mikes music in canada

Japanese Tokai Love Rock. Sunburst copy. Solid flame top.The body/neck woods could be Klingon Bahtahkwood for all it looks like, and sounds like.

Non-descript sound. definitely NOT Les Paulish!

Looks like the Poly rock-hard plastic finish is thick, and brittle.
Yuk.

Totallu usable for live, especially for all you Pete Townshend wannabees!!! Please!

I've been playing for 40 years. Building guitars for 30 years. I wouldn't buy another one if the one I bought wa ripped off. These guitars look good.but don't bear close scrutiny. They are not finished with nitrocellulose lacquer, so they will not have "the" tone or feel. The neck/body joint is very different than the original. If a Les Paul , copy or eitherwise is made of anything other than Honduras mahogany, and Brazilian rosewood, and finished with anything other than nitrocellulose....it's not worth buying. They may look great..but they won't have the feel or sound of a real vintage Les Paul. To those who don't care about that, Tokais are excellent. Gibson should be laughing thier asses off at these copies. The only problem with that is....few people realize that Tokai Love Rocks' AREN'T Les Pauls...and buy them thinking they are just as good as genuine Les Pauls. They most definitely aren't like the Real Thing..and don't even come close. THAT is what hurts Gibson.

Gibson Les Paul Sunburst copy, probably type LS-35, made in Japan, colour cherry sunburst with cherry red back and neck, 3 piece plain maple top, 2 piece mahogany back, 1 piece mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard. Identical to GLP sunburst except truss rod cover(see above). I already had a Goldstar Sound strat and there's one thing i really like about Tokai: it's an "honest" guitar, WYSIWYG so to speak. I changed the PU's (see below) and what you see then is REAL wood, mahogany and a 1 cm thick solid maple top. No veneers, no coverups.

This is a real guitar made of solid woods , even unplugged it rings with sustain. With the stock PU's you get the basic LP sounds you would expect. I already had two Gibson 490/498 humbuckers from a LP Custom. The Gibsons had less "string pull" than the Tokais, giving a tighter sound without false overtones. The Gibsons were quieter than the Tokais (less hum) and they didn't "smear" as much, even on a distorted Marshall you can hear every note inside a chord and the amp cleans up more when you back off the volume on the guitar.
So the rating is 8 with stock PU's, 9 with the Gibsons.

I mean action after restringing it with D`Addario 010s and setting up the bridge. Didn't have to readjust the neck. Fit and finish are perfect.

I just bought the guitar, so it hasn't seen any road action yet. But the S/N is from 1992! I bought it from a shop in The Hague, Holland and the guy said Tokai isn't going to be imported in Europe any longer! Could be sales talk off course? You could call this Tokai "New Old Stock" , probably one of the last Love Rocks sold new in Holland!

Tokai is a very low profile company, on their own website they don't even mention the copy guitars. Understandable after the lawsuits back in the 80ies, but there isn't much info on the web. I put in Gibson humbuckers(see above) but found out the Japanese screws didn't fit in the USA pickups. The guy in the store provided them for free

I had been looking for a Les Paul for a while. The price level of the real thing has really gotten out of hand here in Europe, even second hand Gibsons start at HFL 2500. The only new alternative is Epiphone, which is a beginners/second guitar with a veneer top. The week before i bought the Love Rock i saw a Tokai Goldtop LP for sale on the web for HFL 600. I called the guy right away, it turned out the guitar had fallen over backward, causing real damage to the headstock. He said it could be repaired for HFL 100, which added to the price. I said no problem. Then he said he got so much response he would sell to the highest bidder. When i called back a week later the price had gone up to HFL 1000 !
To sum it up, for the price of a new Epiphone i got a guitar that can stand up against most Gibsons. I really hope the sales guy lied when he told me about Tokai stopping all exports to Europe!

1999? Tokai Love Rock model LS-70 VF. VF stands for violin finish which is roughly equivalent to Gibson's honeyburst finish. This model was made in JAPAN and has the serial # stamped into the back of the headstock. Pick-ups, controls and switch, same position as GLP. EVERYthing same as GLP except (1) Sycamore flame top, (2)truss rod cover different, but not much. Does not have bell shape, but the damn holes almost line up! Has 2 screws, same position as LP. (3) Toggle slightly longer, but good replica. (I think I am going to change mine to a Gibson piece), and finally, (4) Acrylic cear finish instead of nitrocelluose. Other than that, the guitar is identical! Correct headstock, neck angle, weight,and playability. BEAUTIFUL flametop! Removed front pick-up to check cavity inscription and verified that top is solid, NOT photoflame. Oh yeah, forgot to mention....very quiet electronics.

My style is blues, rock, heavy jamming. Using '92 MesaBoogie Mark IV combo with 12" EMV. With that amp, I rarely use effects. The guitar is dead quiet. Tons of tone. Those Tokai pick-ups with the solid construction are screamers. Sustain forever, well balanced, and still you can hear every string being plucked. Has typical Les Paul sounds. These guys nailed it on this one. I am tonally impressed!

The guitar was set-up like J U N K!. Buzzes from 8th to 14th fret. Terrible action. The thing was pretty much unplayable beyond the 4th fret. I got it used, so I'm not sure how it came from the factory, but I'd be willing to bet it was set-up better than this. The bridge was also on backwards, which wasn't helping. To remedy the problem I had the frets leveled, crowned, and dressed. Nut and truss rod needed adjustment, too. After that, it plays just like the real thing. The neck is nice and fat, but not chunky. It's like a 1960 Classic slim taper, but wider. Real nice feel. Flame top is book-matched beautifully and the depth of the flame is nice, but not over the top. I have made a side by side comparison with my real ones. Everyone who has seen this guitar loves it. What more can I say?

As durable as any les paul. Finish is acrylic and I'm not sure what that means to the durability. I have always had Gibson Les Pauls and I currently own 8. This Tokai is every bit a les paul. I don't look on it as anything less. I originally bought this one to play out with. When I got it, I was so impressed with it that I put it into my collection. I am actually using a Classic for my player. It might be real, but it doesn't have that flametop that the Tokai executes so well. If you're gonna grab one, buy a Jap one; forget the Korean ones...they are all photoflames and they are not constructed or finished anywhere near as good as the Japan ones. They make a LS 320 which is only available in Japan that is like a dream, but that's another story.

never dealt with Tokai

I have been playing, on and off, for about 26 years. I own Gibsons of all types, mostly Les Pauls, Sg's and 335's. If it was stolen, I would look high and low for another one. They are certainly more rare than even the real ones.(Ha!) I hated the way it was set-up. But, after that was fixed, I love it!

This is a new japanese hand made Tokai '59 flame top and not an 80's model. I've only had it for a few days but I could tell straight away that the quality is well up to scratch with my 80's Tokai Gold Top. I put them side by side and there is very little difference. The truss rod cover on this new model is a half elipse with two screws as opposed to the bell shaped one on my 12 year old Tokai. It has a lighter cream binding than the Gold Top but the older one may have faded over the 12 yrs I've had it. The pearl crown inlays are also lighter with less detail (they look less colourful in comparison to the deeper colours in the Gold Top's inlays) and the tail piece sits lower to the body than the older Love Rock. The top is sycamore (I believe) as opposed to maple and is a nice flame job in cherry sunburst and the mahogany is very red looking as opposed to the brown of my older Tokai (have they cherry stained the mahogany I wonder?). They are both about the same weight and the thickness of the wood and feel of the neck is the same as far as I can tell. The neck joints are both the same style and dimensions. The fretboard is a nice dark rosewood (at least I assume it's rosewood). The klusson style machine heads on the new one do not have 'deluxe' stamped on the back like the older guitar. Oh, and the toggle switch on the '59 is longer than the Gold Top's so it doesn't fit into the same close fitting case quite as well as the older Tokai.

I use a Pod.v2 and Marshall 2x12 Combo. Archetype Les Paul sound which is thicker than my '80's Gold Top sound but there again I have put a Duncan '59 PAF in the Gold Top which may have brightened the sound slightly. One very noticable thing is that I no longer get a buzzing noise from the new Tokai from my room's dimmer switch. The earlier models were not supposed to be very good regarding the electrics and I agree with this. I'm pleased to say that this new '59 is electrically 'quiet'.

Guitar came setup with no flaws. The action is higher than I prefer but it's just personal preference as there's nothing wrong with it. The fretting is slighty better than my older Tokai Love Rock as the frets are better finished at the ends whereas the older one has a less finished appearance. I can't comment on how the finish will stand up against my older Tokai as my other Tokai is in excellent condition and I don't do any gigging and therefore don't smash them about.

It is just as well made as my older Tokai Love Rock and is typical of a Les Paul i.e. solid, heavy, built to last, bomb proof etc.

Never deat with them. I understand that the Tokai company that built this guitar is not the same as the Tokai company that built my '80's Gold Top. Anyway I've never had to deal with either of them.

An excellent guitar. As I already own an '80's Tokai Love Rock Gold Top I was nervous about the quality of a new Love Rock. Although I've only owned it for a few days I'm happy to say that I am very impressed with the quality, look and sound of this guitar. It is easily as good as my old Love Rock and in terms of the fretting is actually better. The new Tokai company also make Love Rock's in Korea and they are cheaper but I don't know what the quality is like. Bear this in mind when making comparisons. Both my Tokai's are Japanese hand made models. I imported this new Tokai from Canada, which cost me a bomb, but all things said and done there is no way I could get an equivalent Gibson for anything like what it cost me to bring this beauty into the UK. Don't get me wrong, I love Gibson's and of course the Les Paul in particular but can't afford one! I would be interested from anyone who owns a Korean Tokai Love Rock model to put a review in to harmony-central. This is very cheeky of Tokai as they are also competing with Gibson's Epiphone's and I wonder which is the better of the two. The Epi' Les Paul's or the Korean Tokai Love Rock's. The Jap Tokai's are easily better than the Epiphone's of course. Please e-mail me with any additional info regarding the new Love Rock's especially if it's possible to 'read' the serial numbers for date of manufacture etc. Mine is 0004132.

Don't know when it was made but I've had it for 12 yrs. UK importers didn't keep serial number details unfortunately! Mahogany body, maple top and mahogany set neck. Gold Top finish with crown inlays and body and neck binding. Kluson style machine heads. Gibson identical bell-shaped truss rod cover (I thought this was a Gibson copyright). H/H chrome plate covers pickups. Basically an identical replica of the 1958 Gold Top LP.

I use a Pod.v2 and also a Marshall 2x12 Combo. Archetype Les Paul sound. I've added a Duncan '59 PAF in the bridge position which is a bit brighter but otherwise it's a Les Paul in every respect.

Guitar came setup OK with no flaws. Only thing I would level against it is that the frets were not as well dressed as they could have been but this was probably not done by Tokai but by whoever imported the guitar.

Guitar is very solid and heavy unlike some of Tokai's other Les Paul's which were a different type of mahogany and therefore a bit lighter. It is not flimsy in any respect and is built to last. Pickup surrounds crack easily so don't over tighten if changing pickups!

Never dealt with Tokai.

An excellent guitar indistinguishable from the real thing. They are becoming collectable now and are said to be better than anything currently produced by Gibson but I can't testify to that. The necks were never the easiest to play and the rosewood fretboard is a little dry and 'sticky' when moving around quickly but it is exactly like the original was so how can you pass comment on something like that! I only wish I'd bought more of these. The only other finish available at the time I bought it was the pre-faded flame maple sunburst so I chose the Gold Top as it was a bit cheaper.

Basic Les Paul. I don't know if this one is a copy of some specific Les Paul model. It has a flame maple top, no pickguard, chrome hardware (pickups also), black pot knobs. Just your basic Les Paul configuration. Dot inlays in neck. I'm not sure about the exact headstock shape, but I'm almost positive that the truss rod cover isn't exactly the same shape as a Gibson. Maybe the Gibson's "bell-shaped" cover is trademarked or something? Dunno.

The pickup switch's knob is missing, shop's fault. They didn't even have a new one so they gave me a free strap. I guess any Les Paul's knob will fit but the nearest music shop doesn't have those and a shop that has always closes before I can get there...

No binding, no pearl anywhere. No nonsense. I could wish for binding and pearl inlays on the fingerboard, but it is also beautiful now.

Absolutely great sound. Haven't ever got a chance to play a "real" Les Paul (I'm a beginner in electrics, have played classical since I was six), but I can't find any dislikes in the sound. I play a lot of heavy rock, metal, stuff like that. I considered buying a Jackson or other "heavy metal guitar", but they all just sucked in every other sound than all-out full-gain distortion. And also, I'm a classical guitarist, those thin-as-paper necks really feel crappy. :) I'm really happy with this guitar. I play mostly through a Marshall 8080 12" Valvestate combo and I couldn't wish for better sounds. For almost any kind of music. Clean sound on the Marshall, neck pickup, lots of reverb... blew my mind :)

The action was a bit too low when I got the guitar, but that wasn't a problem, I adjusted it at home and now it's perfect.

Not a single problem yet. Once I played a gig with my friend's guitar which didn't have strap locks and dropped the guitar just before a solo... Now I won't rely on normal strap buttons. I was going to buy straplocks right after I bought this guitar, but since my strap has "cliplocks" I just screwed the strap buttons right through the strap to the body so that the ends of the strap are now attached to the guitar with the screws. I can use the cliplocks to remove the strap. Now it definately is secure :-)

Everything works just fine.

The guitar is very beautiful, great to play, sounds great. What more could you wish for? It's my first electric guitar. When I was buying a guitar and really hadn't any more money than $350 to spend, I thought I would surely only get a "cheap" "practice" guitar for that money, but in every guitarist I know that has seen and played this guitar, say it is definately a good guitar, and feels and sounds like a Paul. So I guess I won't have to buy a new electric in some time because this one would be "insufficient". Maybe in some point I will put a DiMarzio or Duncan in the bridge position for heavier sounds, but the neck pickup is definately not going anywhere. Don't know, maybe some day I fall in love with another guitar and have to sell my Love to get the money, but I doubt that day will come anytime soon. This was by the way the cheapest Love Rock I have ever seen. The next cheapest cost something like 580 bucks and the most expensive ones went over $1500. But I think this looks even better than most the more expensive ones. And, I also played some of them, I can't say they would feel of sound any better than this one.

Great guitar, especially for the price I paid for it. 'Nuff said. :-)

I'm assuming this guitar was made some time in the early 80s. My father gave it to me(he traded an old chainsaw for it that didn't run). It sat in a closet at the house for about 2 years after he got it. We figured just another cheap Japanese guitar. WRONG! I love this thing and it's my favorite of any guitar I've ever owned. If you like Les Pauls you'll like the Tokai Love Rock. This one is black with creme accessories(pickguard,pickup covers,buttons,etc). It has a few scratches and dings on it. The last owner didn't take very good care of it and when I got it two of the tuning knobs were bent really bad. I threw on a set I had on an old Fender acoustic,meaning to change them some time later, but the thing stays in amazing tune so why bother?
The only bad thing I can say about this guitar is the pickups are a bit noisy. Lowering them helped a great deal. The sound is amazing. It's your typical Les Paul setup,3-way pickup selector,set of humbuckers at the bridge and neck,stop tailpiece bridge. Heavy like a Paul and better than many of the Pauls I've played. I own several guitars and play this one more than any.

I play in a rock band and this Tokai fits in perfectly. I run it through a Peavey Classic Chorus 212 and only use a Crybaby for additional effects. I've had many local musicians praise me on the sound of this guitar,some of them not even realizing it wasn't a Les Paul. The pickups are a bit noisy and microphonic when I had them cranked up as high as they would go. Dropping them down just a bit helped. Thought about changing them but they're hot just the way they are. Nice bright sound on the bridge setting,very deep and bluesy at the neck. Do I have any dislikes in this category? None.

Short and sweet. Everything is as close to perfect as can be. Even the intonation was right on when I got this guitar. That's incredible since I played it for something like 2 years without knowing what to look for in that area. Someone told me how to check it...we did it and it was right there. Except for the scratches and dings in this guitar I can see no factory errors anywhere.

Will this guitar withstand live playing?...I've played it sometimes 5 nights a week without a let-down.
Does the hardware seem like it will last?...See above
Is the finish good enough to last, or does it seem thin and easy to wear off with lots of playing?...This guitar will probably outlive me.
Are the strap buttons solid?...It hasn't fallen off yet
Can you depend on it?...I can and I do.
Would you use it on a gig without a backup?...I have many times and won't hesitate to do it again. Except for the occasional broken string this thing has never let me down. Of course it's always good to have a backup in case that happens.

I hear Tokai is back in business again but have never had the need to contact them. If something ever went wrong with this guitar Les Paul parts will fit without a problem. I would like to buy a new one someday just to see if their new models are as good as this one.

I've been playing for 20 years and this is by far my favorite guitar I have ever owned to this day. If it was ever stolen or something drastic happened to it I would cry like a baby! Don't email me asking me to sell it. I will NEVER sell my Love Rock. EVER
I would love to hear from other Tokai owners. I have 2 others,a Super Edition strat style and a .38 Special. I got both of them off Ebay.com and got good deals on both.

i think i don't need to explain this, everyone who knows les paul knows this!

I think this fits to my style (rock/pop) very good because it's got fat,warm and dark sound.i'm using an leem's 40w amp, and crybaby wah,it's great with the wah-wah. This has got so much better sound than any strat i have heard!

it was very good can't find anything except that the octaves had a little bit problems, NOT MUCH!

Well it seems that it needs to take really hard hits before it will broke up!I would use this on a gig without backup, absolutely!

i have been playing for two years, if it would be stolen or lost, i would buy it back.

These Tokai's are just an amazingly accurate replica WoW!
I have several 59 Flame top burst replicas and they are every bit as good if not nicer than the 69 goldtop & 75 burst gibson les pauls I have owned. Set neck, Paf humbuckers that rival the best anywere!
super vivid 3-d flame top WoW!!!!!

I own three:

2-cherry burst flame top..........beautiful....10++
1 heritage dark burst ............beautiful....10++

I guess I went a little Tokai flame top crazy?

I blay blues, rock & jazz and I find the les paul "love Rock" to
be an excellent choise if you can find them.

Just perfict workmanship is obviously a top priority @ Tokai...

better than my gibsons...

Solid as a rock!!!

about 8.5 lbs
great hardware..it stays in tune!!

The paf's sound as good as seth lover & fralins!

crap!
who needs it?
if you have one you'll love it!

playing 30 yrs
I own a 64 & 66 vintage strats , a 67 335, es175 and several others
black faced super & delux reverbs, pro reverbs

if my tokai was stolen I'd get another..these are keepers

I do own 3# and will sell two of them @ about $950 each on a cash drive to make down on a house...my loss your gain! Thanks

Les Paul Copy, Cherry sunburst Flame Top. Two humbuckers, with tone and volume each. Standard les paul setup

I can't play that much but I love to play. I use it with a Fender Musicmaster Bass amp and a MXR Distortion + thats all folks. It plays real nice the action is excellent and I like the sound. Maybe alittle screachy but thats cool considering what we play!

The guitar is great, it has nice bookmarked maple flame top and the neck is lovely. I can find no flaws in this instrument.

Very durable I only play at home or my friends house so it gets rather pampered. No dings and seams to have a very strong finish.

I guess their out to lunch, maybe forever?? sadly

I really adopted it from my Japanese wife. I thought it was some cheesey LP copy when I took it from the gig bag. I lifted it up and thought emm it's heavy? looking at the finish I thought looks nice--well built? Played the strings and thought emm still in tune? OK lets plug it in. It Played real nice and I thought great she came with a guitar what a deal! Well I never thought much more of the guitar and I play it and enjoy it. I was cruising on the net and I saw one for sale at like $1200 us and was shocked! I really thought it was worth 200 but just a nice copy, well I see now other people really like these models. I think I will go home tonight and play it again.

Japanese Les Paul replica. Year unknown. The typical Les Paul layout is what you get, with 3 way selector, 2 volume + 2 tone controls, 2 humbuckers (exposed cream plastics with considerably high output in this case. Comparing this guitar to my previous Epiphone Les Paul Standard, I can't help but fall in love with the quality of the mahogany and maple used. When played unamplified (and late at night) the response is unbeliavable. Millions of harmonics fill the air as you strung the notes. This is mostly due to the thick carved maple top, quite different from Epipohne. One more thing is that the stud tailpiece is aluminium alloy as on real vintage models.

It is either that the wood is too resonant or responsive or the pickups are too powerful, the tone was somewhat too harsh. Lowering the pickups resulted in somewhat better tonality, but the best will be to change the pickups. (I swear it is worth investing for this guitar) Moreover, I'm planning to apply some Jimmy Page electronics with push/pull knobs to effect coil split, parallel/series and phase in/out switching for superb versatility.

I didn't buy the guitar new. There is a deep wound at the upper side of the neck, near the 12th fret. However in no way this may effect playability. The finish otherwise is great. The top is birdseye meets quilted meets flame maple. So in no way this is a traffic stopper. But not a plain top either. Although pretty old, it is not oxidised, due to aluminium alloy used.

I could only use it live once, but with original Kluson style tuners nd high build quality this guitar will definitely stand years of abuse, unlike my Epiphone, which broke away (tuners, jack slot, etc.)I opened up this guitar, and everything inside is of premium guality.

The company is in Japan. By the way I contacted them an they responded.

I've been playing for 10 years. I own a Mesa Boogie V-Twin, a Zoom 8080, a Trace Elliot Velocette. If I could find another, I would buy it in case this one is stolen. If not, I could go for a Heritage. Comparing this guitar to my Epiphone is like comparing a custom shop instrument to a Chinese / Taiwanese copy. Comparing it to the Gibsons I've played, I can only say that with better pickups this quitar can do a lot better than most of them.

This Guitar is a VERY GOOD copy of a 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard in Cherry sunburst with, you guessed it a Flame Maple top! The Back of the guitar is Dark Cherry With a very even contoured neck. The Rosewood on the fingerboard is the Darkest Brizilian Rosewood I've seen other than on a real '59. The inlays are crowns and are made of a pearly white plastic very close to the original type used by Gibson in the 50's. All the Hardware is nickel and the Plastic is the correct off white color not CREAM! Look at a '59 les paul and thats what this looks like.

My Main style of playing is '70,s rock. My Band Circus Ricky in Dayton Ohio Has Played everything from Kiss to Alice Cooper as well as Doors, Aerosmith, Zeppelin, You get the idea and this has been my Number One Guitar for the last six years. I've owned over thirty real Les Pauls including some $5000.00 jobs but none have played or sounded like my Love Rock. I Run My Love Rock into a Marshall Silver Jubilee 50 watt head(el-34) then into a 4x12 Marshall Bottom. As for FX's it's Stompboxes all the way,Boss super overdrive,Boss Chorus, Boss noise Supressor,and thats it. I Did change the pickups to some Gibson's I like.(500t/496r) these are the ones that came in one of my LP Classic guitars and I thought they sounded Great.

I got the guitar when it was about ten yaers old but it played fine when I got it. The top is a great bookmatch. The only flaw to the guitar was a plastic nut. Now it has a Bone nut as it should be.(Gibson Les Pauls Have a plastic nut by the way.)

Once while playing a Holloween show a Flashpot went off off Q and I knew it had to have blown the headstock off my guitar but to my great surprise it was still attached!(Missed it I Think) I also did change the strapbuttons to locking units as so I wouldn't Drop it. I use to bring a backup all the time but now I just bring my Love Rock.

Company is no more TOO BAD I Would love 10 more of these Guitars.

Ive been Playing guitar since '76. I teach 40 plus students each week at my local music store as well as do sales on the weekends and gig with my band. I have looked high and low for another love rock and have even called an ad I saw posted in a UK Mag (the guy lived in London,England) but he had already sold it. If anything I wish it had a Brother and I owned it too. I should add that the Tokai US headqurters was here in Ohio in the '80,s and I was able to talk to one of thier old sales reps awhile back. He told me that they only imported a small number of the Love Rocks as Gibson was talking law suit. It's very hard to find These guitars today. The last one I saw was BEAT and the guy wanted $1250.00. I do have some printed literature with color pics but most of the printing is in Japanese. These came from my boss, he got them in the '80,s at the LA NAMM show when Tokai was just starting out in the US. I hope someone enjoys this info. You can e-mail me if you like.

This guitar was made in Japan in the early/mid eighties (this is a "script" Tokai, with the script logo on the headstock that looked so much like "Fender" from any distance). It's a meticulous replica of a Les Paul Custom -- 22 frets, carved maple top, tune-o-matic and a wide, fat neck. It has the typical dual-humbuckers with individual tone/volume controls and a three-way selector switch. The finish on this one was white, but has yellowed nicely to cream over the years. The hardware was gold, but much of it has worn off. Lots of mother-of-pearl in the headstock and beautiful block inlays. Basically, it's exactly what you'd expect in a Les Paul -- while playing it (or from ten feet away in the front) you can't tell the difference.

I play blues-rock, Heavy Metal (a la the Seventies/Eighties), and folk rock, predominantly. I run the Love Rock through a Marshall JCM 900 and/or a Crate Blue Voodoo with a Morely Wah, Boss OD-1, CE-3, and DD-3, and an Ibanez TS-9 (or TS-5). The original pickups were highly microphonic at anything approaching loud volumes (a lot like Epi p/u's), so I replaced them, but the weight and quality of this guitar screams LP! It's got that heavy-weight, neck-through ultra sustain. The new pickups are a Dimarzio Tone Zone (in the bridge) and a Seymore Duncan '59 PAF model (in the neck). Both are coil tapped using the tone controls (up to 8.5, humbuckers; 9 or higher, the outside coils) and the the single coils are wired out of phase for a really groovy middle position sound. Still, I owned the guitar for a year before finally breaking down and putting new pickups in it -- the originals were ok, but squealed too much at volume. The rating I'm giving it is for with the mods -- give it a 8 as original.

I bought this guitar used, but it had beautiful action when I picked it up. Basically, I'd been looking for a good used Les Paul for about a year when I picked it up on a lark in a local music store. I figured that for the price, it would have to be a complete piece of shit. Imagine my suprise when, after noodling on it for an hour without even plugging it in, I realized this was the nicest guitar I'd ever played! The finish is very good, though mine's been played and has a couple of dings in it. The fit of the neck joint is imaculate. The hardware (except the pickups) is good quality despite the fact that the gold's worn off. The tuning machines are great (this thing STAYS in tune!) and the nut is perfectly cut (no canyon notches here!) This is a HIGH QUALITY guitar. The Japanese guys who put it together obviously new what they were doing and were trying to do it well...

This guitar is built like a real Les Paul -- which means it's made to rock! I figure it to be about fifteen years old, and it's still going strong. The original strap buttons were good, but I replaced them with Schaller straplocks as I do on all my guitars (you only have to drop one, once!). This guitar is very dependable, but who'd gig without a backup? My Epiphone SG follows me everywhere (what if I break a string?)

The company's toast. Ain't none.

I've only been playing a few years now (used to play in high school, then gave it up for years and years), so I'm not eager to drop thousands of dollars on a guitar (actually, I am eager, but I work and live in the real world, where mortgages, car payments, gym memberships, clothes, food, etc. preclude spending thousands on a guitar unless absolutely necessary :-) I also play an Epiphone SG (a really nice one that I lucked into), and Ovation and Yamaha accoustics. I have owned (but have since disposed of) a Fender Stratocaster, an Ovation Breadwinner, and an Ibanez Tallman. I've only seen one other guitar like this, and the owner wasn't willing to give it up for anything... I feel the same way -- I love this guitar, and will keep it until I die. I did see an ad for one, once, in Vintage Guitar magazine going for US $800(?!?), but these things are quite rare -- especially in North America (I believe they were only imported here for a couple of years or so), so if it were stolen I probably couldn't replace it. I don't want to think about it, actually, and when it leaves the house, it never leaves my side. If I ever found another for sale, I'd buy it in an instant.