FA245 VS
SN 209262
2020 Tokai FA245 ES-Style Hollowbody Archtop Electric Guitar Vintage Sunburst w/ Case & Tag, Japan
Up for sale, a 2020 Tokai FA245 in showroom clean condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case and hangtag. Representing the highest tiered models in Tokai's current range, the Premium Series instruments are crafted by a small team of luthiers in Tokai's Hamamatsu facility. No detail was overlooked in this faithful and uncompromising recreation of Gibson's golden age ES-175, which features a nitro lacquer Vintage Sunburst high gloss finish, Tokai's PAF-Vintage Mk2 humbuckers, CTS pots and Switchcraft jacks, Sprague Orange Drop tone caps, and Gotoh-made hardware including an ABR-1 bridge with brass saddles. Tonewoods include Canadian maple top, back, and sides, and an African mahogany neck capped with an Indian rosewood fingerboard.
The guitar has a round, sweet-sounding acoustic voice with both articulation and breadth, and the instrument is currently strung with Thomastik flatwound 11s. THe PAF-Vintage Mk2 humbuckers deliver an array of vital and clear tones, with an authoritative and airy bridge pickup that is sensitive to pick attack, and a fat, smooth neck pickup ideal for complex chording and spirited lead work. Featherweight at 6lbs 10oz, we've further dialed in the factory setup here at Mike & Mike's Guitar Bar with easy-playing action and accurate intonation.
The one-piece African mahogany neck has a modestly slender C-shaped profile carve with just enough roundness in the shoulders and a fast, easy-playing feel, measuring .835" deep at the 1st fret and .910" at the 9th. The bound Indian rosewood fretboard features split parallelogram inlay and perfect medium jumbo fretwire, playing cleanly up the 24 3/4" scale with a straight neck and responsive, optimally adjusted truss rod. The bone nut measures a full 1 11/16" in width, and the headstock features Kluson-style Gotoh tuning machines with greened buttons and a very smooth, reliable response.
The electronics function flawlessly, with dedicated Volume and Tone knobs for each humbucker, and the nickel hardware is positively gleaming including the Gotoh ABR-1 bridge with brass saddles and the trapeze tailpiece. Plastics comprise a quartet of amber bonnet knobs and a floating four-ply pickguard with a few requisite pick scuffs across the guard. There's barely a scratch on the high gloss nitro lacquer Vintage Sunburst finish on the body, and the gloss on the neck profile is similarly pristine.
The original hardshell case and hangtag is included.