Tokai SG Copy

My Tokai SG was bought new earlier this year. It is a 2009 model, made in China.
The body is solid mahogany. It has a maple neck with rosewood fingerboard. The body and neck are stained cherry in colour.
Two Tokai PAF MK4 humbucker pick-ups
Tune-O-Matic bridge with stop tailpiece
Weight 6lbs
Neck Radius = a fairly flat 12 inches
Apart from the pups which are excellent, the fittings are cheap unbranded made in China parts.

The sound is what I like best about this guitar. The humbucker pups are tone perfect. I've owned Gibson Les Pauls and a Gibson 333 in the past and the sound from this Tokai matches them. I would challenge anyone to tell the difference between this Tokai sound and the Gibson sound.

The guitar was well set up when I got it but I amde a few personal adjustments, particularly lowering the pups which I felt were too near the strings.
The build quality of the guitar and the paint quality are as good as any Gibson I have seen.
The only downside beint the cheap Chinese fittings.

Unfortunately, within a fortnight of owning this guitar I had to solder on a reputable jack socket as the original Chines fitment simply disintegrated iside the guitar! I expect that in order for the guitar to survive many years of playing it will have to have the other fittings (but not the pups) replaced by quality items.

Usual 12 months guarantee under the SDale of Goods Act.
I don't expect any customer support from China, LOL!

I've been playing guiar for well over 40 years and owned many makes and varieties. As I've already said, soundwise this guitar is up there with my Gibsons on the sound front.
Reliability over the years may be suspect without substituting quality fittings for the cheap Chinese originals.

Cherry 1983 Tokai SG 2-piece? mahohany back and solid neck. 22 large frets excellent condition. Correct headstock and tulip med neck

This guitar resonates way more than it ahas a right to being so light! Has Tokai 57' PAF originals sound great and clean up well. Unmistakeable SG sound! Nice!

It's 25 years old and holding up well. some pitting on the tailpiece and the bridge is showin some age but still works fine. Tuners are smooth and hold a tune well. Nicely crafted guitar as usual from early Tokai

Solid yes, unless you drop it on the head or step on your guitar cord and break it in two( I have seen it). Straight up simple in your face rock guitar very reliable not much can happen but might!

!8 year player of strats and teles and Vintage Made in Japan axes, ARTIST, Roadstar II's, RG550 07' anniversary, Burny, Tokai les pauls( awesome) thru tube amps, Mesa Express, Carvin V3, Fender Hot Rod deville, peavey classic 30. I really like the light weight and the sound is very distinctive. Great vintage Tokai! love it!

Model - SG38 (Made in China)
2004/2005?

This is a 61 Les Paul/SG copy, the body contours are preety the same (not to say exact), Slim/medium C shaped neck, and includes the narrow open book headstock. Black finish. Mistery laquer?

Stoptail and tunomatic bridge (chrome), two PAF's (chrome), small pickguard (b/w/b), plastic Kluson type tunners (dark green), three way switch (peanut butter colored tip), top hat nobs, small strap buttons, neck binding (white), neck inlays (pearloid,trapeze), ogival truss rod cover(b/w/b) with 3 screws, white plastic nut.. and that's about it.

Body in Nato (cheap mahogany), neck in Canadian hard maple (don't know if there is a scarf joint), rosewood fretboard.

Scale length is 24-3/4", 12" radious frets.

0.9-0.42 Factory strings

Played In a Marshall MGDFX 100 combo.

This is a rock'n'roll guitar, period.

Unplugged this lady produces a nice warm/mid tone, it's maple and nato but the tone is well balanced though.
These PAF's (Vintage MK4), have a very peculiar sound, nice high output and a little muddy tone. I liked specially the neck one, great fat sound! The bridge one is quite nice, but I'm still going for the SD (a question of personal taste). And what surprised me the most, these PAF's are wax potted (how many times do you see that on a 'low end' guitar?)! Oh, and no such thing as dead spots.

The factory setup was good, meddium/low action and the bridge was in tune and the neck had no warp or twist. But I do my own setups so one of the things i first did was to lower the strings a bit more and guess what.. no buzz.

And we get to the downside of this guitar.. the finish. The headstock inlays, neck binding and overall paintjob are good. The fret board inlays are flawless, all parellel, no chips, holes, etc. But there are some details.. I'll start by the worst thing in this lady, the nut. White-rough-plastic-badly-cut-sharp-edge-crap. The string slots are too tight (looks like it won't fit a 0.10 E), but in the correct high though. Crappy nut out, custom bone nut in, thank you.
There is a very small smudge in the neck joint, next to the neck binding (in the 'treble' side), that seems a retouch, it's just a little mate spot in the neck direction, almost imperceptible, but it's there. In the neck binding (pickup side), there are 3 dots of black ink, very tiny, but still there. Next to the pots cavity, on the body edge tere is a paint flaw, seems like someone over sanded it and got to the wood, but it has the laquer finish on top of the mess! It seem that they were blind to that spot.. hey if I was working for a meal a day I would say "f*%# that spot!" too! And like the other flaws, it's a little tiny spot.
In the neck pickup cavity the neck tennon is a bit messy, we can??t really see what's going on because it's paited in black, but no way that is a clean cut tennon/cavity joint. By the way, the pickup cavities were all dusty.
The neck and frets are very confortable but the fret ends aren't so nicely bevelled..

Another thing I found curious, ridiculous but worth thinking, was the knobs misplacement (knobs, not pots!). The neck pup had two volume knobs and the bridge one had two tone knobs. Again, if I was an exploited chinese worker I couldn't care less if the knobs were misplaced..

If I was rating only the action and fit it would be a 9/10, but the finish is was it is so, i'll give this thread a 7.

Of course it will withstand live playing!

The electronics are the usual chinese ones, standard jack input, small pots. Not necessarily bad, they aren't scratchy and work properly. The pickup switch is really good, very solid! The tunners seem trustworthy, for now.

Don't know for shure how this one will stand the test of time, but I believe she will do just fine! And if the finish starts to wear off, that's fine by me!

The only warranty I got was from the dealer (very "helpfull/friendly"), 15 days to test drive, if I wasn't satisfied I could send her back and get my money.

As for Tokai people.. cheers to them!

I've been playing for 9/10 years, been doing some luthier works ocasionaly, I have build, assembled and moded several guitars, owned and sold a few ones, played a long range of low-end and high-end guitars. I just love guitars, when everything in your life seems to go wrong, they stand by you, I just can't get enough of them. The SG model is my favourite one, it just fits me.

This Tokai SG38 (now re-named 'China Girl'), is magnificent. We are talking about a low-end guitar made in china, but don't get fooled, this is not low -end at all! She is magnificent.

I am going to make several mods in this guitar, don't quite like standard guitars, those changes will include another pickup, a bone nut, another kind of pickguard, etc, etc.. personal taste stuff. Even if she was a high rated expensive guitar I'd make those changes.

Nobody's gonna steal her from me, and i won't lose her, but if i had to buy another I would buy her again, and again, and again... every time in a diferent colour!

I paid 250??? for this one, that's 322.283 USD, you can call her a bang for the buck. If you are thinking of buying one, don't think, just buy her.


P.S.- Sorry for some kind of errors in the english writing!

This is a left handed guitar and has a standard red cherry finish with black scratchplate. Standard SG type bridge, 22 frets with block inlays in the usual places, set neck. Made in Korea. Two nickel covered pick ups with standard tone and volume pots for each one. I bought it new from Rockers in London in 2006. All in all simple but effective!

Guitar souds pretty good unplugged, not dull. When plugged in through my Marshall AVT275 with medium gain it sounds good - not as good as my Ibanez AS-200 Artist but then what does? :-)
I'm in the process of having the pick ups replaced with zebra GFS "Fat PAFs" to try and get a bit more bite and clarity.

The guitar was set up ok when I got it. The nut was a bit sticky and had sharp edges on the outside but filed them down and run a pencil over it and it seems to be fine. would have preferred a black nut rather than a white one too.

Guitar plays well and feels a nice weight. Easy access to all frets. Have rehearsed with it on a number of occasions and it's been fine. won't gig with it until it's properly played in and the pick-ups have been changed though.

No need to contact anyone so no opinion.

Looking at the scores I've given this guitar it looks like I think it's ok, well I don't - I think it's a really good guitar that just needs some tweaking with the pick ups and the nut to make it excellent at this price. I would definitely consider replacing it with another Tokai if I lost it. If Tokai could improve their quality control at the factory re the nut I would have given a 9.

Features have been covered elsewhere - heck, it's a copy of 61 SG reissue. Cherry finish. Korean made. One of the last new ones available in North America. About two weeks after I got this, the last of them disappeared. Not available here anymore. Bought it new on ebay from a Canadian vendor.

I play all styles - this suits blues, rock, metal, even fusion. I play through various gear - Boss GT-8, Digitech 2120, either direct or through a Mesa Boogie 50/50 and a pair of Avatar 412s fitted with Celestion G12H30s and Vintage 30s.

Love these Gotoh pickups - especially the bridge pup. Clean and crisp, with lots of bite. As noted elsewhere, I tried six different Gibson SGs, but I can't compare the sound to them as I did not play through the same amp. So I can't say if it sounds the same or not, but it sounds damn good to these ears.

This guitar came set up already, but I swapped strings and reintonated, and lowered the action. Amazing just how low you can go with this guitar, with no buzz anywhere.

The dealer told me this guitar was perfect - and he wasn't lying. Absolutely flawless. Beautiful grain and gorgeous cherry finish. binding, neck, everything - perfect. Frets were done right. Neck feels great.

Now I checked out six different Gibson SGs in the local music stores before buying this guitar, and they all had issues. Poorly cut nut, finish flaws, sharp fret ends, scratchy electronics - no excuse for that given what they charge. This Tokai costs a quarter of what Gibson wants for their 61 reissue, and the build quality puts them to shame.

This my third Tokai - I also have a Soundstream T-3 and an 80s Super Edition strat copy. The build quality on all of them is top notch. No disappointments.

I've had this guitar about three months now. No hesitation is gigging with it. The hardware is all Gotoh, excellent quality, and the tuning stability is excellent. Like any guitar, with care it will last a long time. Do I need to say it? Never gig without a backup.

Tokai? Customer Support? Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha.

Don't need any anyway.

Been playing about eight years, and this is the 14th guitar in my stable. And the most coveted. If it disappeared, I would become homicidal and then try to find another one.

There isn't anything about this guitar I don't like. An amazing instrument, well made and beautiful to look at. The bang for the buck doesn't get any better than this. If you can find one in decent shape, you owe it to yourself to try it before spending more.

2004 for the Canadian market.
Looks & plays like a Reissue Gibson.

Sounds great, the Gotoh Pickups are awesome.

Top notch & Second to NONE!
Gibson should be ashamed of themselves. A Korean Tokai SG plays
better out of the box than any American made SG. How the hell does
that happen.

I know the pots aren't the best but other than that, these
guitars Rule!

NONE!
The only down side to Tokai.

This guitar is incredible. However, I have sold it since I've turned into a nut that can only play a 60's slim tapered neck. (The neck is a little Beefy, exactly like the 61 re-issues). Tokai's from Canada are among the BEST! I don't care of they're made in Korea.

I've been at his Rock & Roll thing far TOO LONG & when a guitar feels & plays like a dream it's rare! I have owned 5 GIbson SG's & this Koeran Tokai plays better & sounds as good as all of them.

I can't say enough good things about these guitars without sounding like I work for Tokai. If you can find a Tokai SG for under $400 BUY IT!

Made in Korea. Think this is a nato bodied one. Has a smooth satin finish in cherry red. You know the rest - its an sg copy!!! Has the blatant gibson rip-off headstock shape.

Had an epiphone vintage g400 for a week before i bought this.
The epiphone pickups sounded better than the factory pickups on this - i guess it must be becuase gibson designed those ones.
They just sounded fuller and a bit glassier so I decided to get new pickups for this tokai and sell the epiphone (?? see below)

This is were the tokai comes into its own. I have owned a dozen or so guitars over the past 10 years and I currently own a us series tele, a japanese squier strat and have owned epiphone les pauls and fender mustangs in the past. This was the first time i decided to buy outside fender/squier and gibson/epiphone. Let me tell you for a so called budget model, this guitar really is something else. Granted you will need to get a serious nut installed (the factory one is woeful, to say the least) also one downer was the scratch plate - it looks nasty and poor quality. Now the good things....
The action on this thing can go to within an atom's distance from the twelth fret without any 15th fret choking, which is more than i can say for the epiphone. It has a fatter neck than the epiphone which is always a bonus nowadays (guitar necks seem to be getting thinner and thinner??). Excellent tuning stability and intonation compared to the epiphone. You will have a great guitar if you buy a new nut and fit more sg-like pickups and to my ears there is no difference between nato and mahogany. Electronics aside (which is less important in my mind as they are replaceable) this is an outstanding guitar in terms of wood craftmanship for the money. Trust me - im obsessive about my guitars - hence why ive sold so many in the neverending search for satisfaction. By the way, I also tried a gibson SG special when i bought the epiphone - hardly any difference there. Gibson had better pickups and fatter neck thats about it.

I expect it to withstand live playing. Strap locks seem to be strong and secure. Nice, toneful feedback at high volumes.
Couldnt say if the factory pickups had microphonics as i stripped them out pretty quickly.

No chance. Who uses customer support on guitars anyway???

I cant remember being this pleased with an instrument in terms of what i got for my money. If you are considering buying an sg like guitar in this price range, try and demo a tokai before you part with your cash on another epiphone or gibson special.

Model USG-75S
Made in Japan (Non-export)

It is a faithful copy of a vintage white Gibson SG Special with two P90 pickups with black covers, three-way toggle switch with aged tip, top hat numbered tone and volume knobs with metal pointers, and three-ply black-white-black pickguard.

The body is made with a one-piece light density mahogany. The finish is real lacquer and not too thick, which allows the natural grain of the mahogany to lightly show through.

The neck is a one-piece (no scarf joint) mahogany set-neck style bound with ivory-colored binding. The scale length is 24-3/4" inches. It has a nice 12" radiused closed-grain chocolate-colored rosewood fretboard surface, vintage white kidney bean three-on-a-side tuners, and 22 medium frets that are dressed properly. The nut appears to be bone or micarta and is polished nicely with well cut string slots.

In terms of authenticity: the body has the proper contours and radius; the headstock is the exact same "moustache-type" Gibson shape with the narrow width; the neck profile is a fat oval profile good for large hands; and the switch and potentiometers are correctly placed, not like the other clones like Epiphone. Even the strap buttons are authentic Gibson shaped smaller types. The bridge is a LP Junior compensated bridge/stoptail style with staggered intonation ridges.

Subjective criteria: Played through a MXR Microamp set with neutral gain (to convert signal path to lower impedence) directly into the following amps: Deluxe Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb, Vox AC-30, and Laney GH50 with Marshall 1960A (Celestions). Amp tone settings were set neutral. Cables used were Planet Waves gold contact high grade cables.

The P90 pickups are rich in midrange with lighter and sweet highs. The bass response is excellent and not boomey. In fact, these are very complimentary to the Gibson '57 Classic humbuckers I have in a Gibson SG Supreme, except with lower output than the humbuckers.

When played aggressively they really "bark" with good definition on diads and triads. Chords are open and have good definition across all fretted stings.

When played softly the P90's sound very stratocaster-like with more high end chime and clarity. The bass reponse is perfect.

The neck and bridge pickups are well balanced and sound great together, and are hum-cancelling when the pickup selector is in the middle position. With the switch in either neck or bridge position there isn't much hum even when sitting near my computer recording gear. Qualitatively, the Tokai P90's sound much nicer, fuller sounding, and stronger than the Gibson P90's in my Gibson SG Classic or PRS McCarty Soapbar.

It is a P90 equipped guitar and perfect for vintage sounds or classic tones - it is NOT meant for high output metal, shred, grung, or other strident sounds.

The guitar action was set up very well. The sting height was medium and could be lowered if desired. Since I use medium gauge strings and like sustain, I kept the height where it was set.

The intonation was adjusted good, but the LP Junior style compensated bridge is meant to be used with a wound third (G) string although it came with modern D'Addario (010-046) EXL type strings. Therefore, the G string intonates sharp and cannot be adjusted separately due to the design limitation of the bridge.

I bought this guitar knowing this limitation and ultimetly replaced the bridge/stop tail with a Wilkinson/Gotoh adjustable type. Now I can use modern (non-wound third) types of strings. Plus the Gotoh keeps the vintage look intact. The Tonepros version looks too much like the ABR or Tune-O-Matic type that appeared on later Gibsons.

The neck relief was set to 3/64" at the 7th fret and required no adjustment.

The general fit and finish is excellent. I have many other MIA Fenders, Gibsons, PRS's, two other Japanese Tokai's and this one rivals them all. I bought the guitar directly from Japan as I had been to Tokyo to find this very guitar. Unfortunatly, when I was in Tokyo I couldn't find a dealer with this particular model and color. The Japanese collectors and other collectors around the world are snatching them up as fast as Tokai can make them. That is exactly why I wanted this particular model. I eventually ordered it from Japan Vintage and it was well worth the effort and wait.

Note: The Korean Tokai's are not as good quality. Although they are fine for amatures who want "that look" they are made with multi-piece bodies and necks, sport inferior hardware, pickups, etc. and are not well made like the Japanese Tokai guitars!

In my opinion, this is not the kind of guitar one should use as an everyday gig worthy guitar. I have no doubts that it would hold up under touring/gigging conditions, however I would use my Gibson instead. I'm willing to use the Gibson for sacrifice as I can always get another here in the USA if it gets destroyed or stolen.

The Tokai hardware is first rate, although the strap buttons would need to be replaced with locking types if touring.

The potentiometers and switches are Japanese and one could replace them with CTS, Switchcraft, Gibson, or other full size types. I won't do that as I think they will last just fine. Besides it is a Japanese guitar and their electronics are generally good quality. I have replaced pots and switches in my domestic guitars with better versions, but it really doesn't make much difference on tone.

One should never gig without a backup unless they have a harmonica or a recorder. lol Gigging without a backup is stupid unless you're a novice, poor (get a real job), or just had your other guitar ripped off. I cannot conceive one would actually gig without spare everythings!

Tokai? Have you ever heard of anyone actually getting in touch with these guys? To my knowledge, there are no US Distributors nor service centers in the US for Tokai.

Fortunately, Tokai (Japan) makes guitars that don't require much customer support. Find a good luthier for repairs and modifications and he'll appreciate working on a real guitar made from real quality materials.

I have been playing guitar since 1968. I have plenty of other quality gear - too much to mention. In the past I have bought, sold, pawned, traded, lost, and destroyed more gear than most practicing guitarists ever will. I have grown to appreciate fine equipment and quality construction. This Tokai is top-notch!

I seldom gig anymore. I record now and I value my hearing more than ever (Use tone - not volume to impress audiences and USE earplugs!)

I love this Tokai because it is NOT a Gibson and it is made better than a Gibson (from any era) and I didn't have to liquidate my 401K to buy a quality vintage style guitar. eBay is full of people passing off junk of as quality "vintage" guitars. Most of the old stuff is crappy, beat up, over priced kindling! I know, because I played that stuff when it was new, cool, and expensive too.

I actually play my collection of guitar unlike other "collectors". I treat my gear well and it treats me to fine tone. This Tokai is a worthy addition to my collection.

It would have been nice to get a hardshell case with it, but that's okay - I just put it in another Gibson SG case and put the Gibson in the gig bag that came with the Tokai. lol

Perfect 61 Gibson SG copy. Weighs in at six pounds. Mahogony? body & set neck. White neck binding, flawless, beautiful, though a little light colored for my taste, 22 fret rosewood fretboard with trapezoid inlays. Two volume, two tone. Stop tailiece, Gibson knock-off green tuners. Nice thick chunky neck(where the sound lies).

I took a gamble on this guitar. It paid off. BIGTIME!!!
Very rich, bright, full solid sound. I used to own an ESP Viper 301. It was NOTHING like this.
My current guitar is an older Epiphone Les Paul Custom with the ZW 81/85 pu's,and I expected this thing to NEVER stack up against the mighty Les Paul. HOLY CRAP!!! I am very, very impressed. Very resonant body, even when playing unplugged. Awesome, awesome sustain for such a light guitar.
Limited intimacy with this new guitar still reveals how surprisingly awesome a cheap guitar can actually be. It fits my "Zakk Sabbath" style perfectly. The stock pickups were also a shock. Very impressive for a cheap guitar.
I can't wait until I slap the Iommi's in this baby.

Action & fit & finish are sweet.

Seems solid enough to gig without a backup(but why would you) The finish seems possibly a little on the thin side, but only time will tell. If it were to wear off I'd probably have it repainted. Fairly decent hardware for the price I paid for it. I probably replace the tuners for now, but that's about it. I had Iommi pickups planned for this thing before I even bought it, so they don't count.

N/A

I've only been playing for about 2 years, but I've been all about music for over twenty years. I was also a sound man, and I know what sounds good.
This guitar sounds good!!!
Definately stacks up to my Les Paul. Even in stock trim.
I said earlier that I took a gamble on this guitar. Hard to find information about, dealers, or anybody who's even heard about it. Seems to ring a lawsuit bell with some people though.
If it were lost I'd be hostile, If it were stolen, I'd go and find the sorry bastard that laid his dick-beaters on my shit, and own his ass!!!
I'd definately buy one again.....If I could find one. I'd rate this guitar closer to 10 than nine, but it could & will be better.
Good stuff Tokai. I am very pleased with this guitar.
To make this thing perfect I'll probably spend another $250.00.
A definate cheap alternative to Gibson. MUCH better than Epiphone.

Its a 2000 or 2001 Tokai SG, 22 frets, 2 vol 2 tone knobs, 2 hummbuckers. Mahogany body with a red trans finish. This guitar is identical to a gibson SG, this is a lawsuit model with the gibson style turnning page headstock!!! A beautiful plank with strings basicly!!!

This guitar is everything you would expect from a gibson only at a more modest price!!!! This guitar sounds as close to a Gison SG as a Gibson does if not better. Unlike most "copy" guitars the pick ups really shine in this guitar!!! The 2 humbuckers are noiseless clear crisp with a very pronounced low end, perfect for any style of music from grindcore to jazz!!!!!! I've tryed it through a fender twin, 70's marshall jcm 800 and a traynor mark 3 combo. Through all 3 amps this jap gem sounded brilant, i prefer the traynor the most though.

The set up was great right from the factory. Every aspect of this guitar came set up beautifully. I must also thank Tokai for not putting stupidly light strings on there guitars!!! The transparent Cherry finish is great, nicer than any finish in its price range by far!!!

A solid guitar all around!!! I've never gigged with a backup and im not about to start now. I cant see things going wrong with this guitar too often, they're built stronger and better than gibsons in my opinion. I played this back to back with an mid 90's Gibson Sg in the store and this guitar felt more stable than the gibson by quite alot!!!

I've never tryed to contact tokai and i doubt ill have to. Even if i did i dont think they could help me because this guitar is a pre lawsuit model so i doubt its covered by any warranty.

I've been playing for 7 years everything from freejazz to grindcore i have owned fender 2 strats and teles, epiphone SG's and 335's, and dillion guitars. I have played many Gibson SG's in my day and the Tokai is far perfered by me and a friend of mine who owns a Gibson SG!!! If this guitar was stolen i have no idea what id do... since its a lawsuit model i doubt id be able to find one..... perhaps id cry and buy a gibson.........and check ebay franticly for a Tokai