Tokai Love Rock

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