'85 Tokai LS60, or perhaps something else?

[Bubblewrap]

The other day I bought what seems to be an LS-60 from 1985. The specs are as follows:

- Serial number 50XXXXX
- Body is made of 2 pieces
- Flamed maple top, subtle from some angles but livelier from other angles, probably veneer but I?m not 100% sure
- Cherry Sunburst I guess, ?CS? written in neck pickup pocket
- Tokai 57 PAF pickups
- Absolutely gorgeous dark rosewood fingerboard
- 17-18 degree headstock angle
- Bridge reads ?JAPAN? underneath
- Electronics seem original, pots are attached to a PCB board
- Tuners have been changed to Schallers at some point
- I assume the finish is poly, but it?s the most beautifully aged poly I?ve seen, and I must say it resembles nitro in more than one way
- Neck profile feels a bit thinner than on the newer Love Rocks I?ve played (?03 and ?07)
- Came with original black hardcase with small brass (?) emblem that reads ?Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd.?

It has its share of wear and tear, collected through the years. To me that's just a sign of a well loved and played guitar. The body is in great shape with only a couple of nicks down to the wood. A lot of buckle rash on the back but nothing penetrating the finish. The neck and headstock are however a different story. The neck?s got a fair amount of dents, and some previous owner was a little rough-handed when tightening the nuts for the Schallers, as the tuners have sunk into the headstock by just enough to break the black finish. Doesn?t bother me that much though, as it?s purely cosmetics.

LS-60 was my first guess, but the correct model could perhaps be LS-80?

Some pics to prove it DID happen

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[marcusnieman]

Pretty. Those are great pickups too....

 

[Barks67]

Nice!

I had a similar little search for true legacy fro my 1985 Love Rock that I've owned for 21 years:

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=18135

What I did learn is that mine is an LS50 non export, and that it is similar to the LS60 sans Flame top.

Also that the 50 and 60 did not have fret edge binding (FEB) whereas the LS80 did.
So I guess yours is the LS60.

Mine has replacement Schallers too but the tulip kind.

barks

 

[Bubblewrap]

Thanks for your comments!

Barks, I read your thread, very interesting. The Love Rocks from 1985 seem to be somewhat problematic, as the specs tend to vary (?). At least that?s how I?ve interpreted it.

The guitar was horribly adjusted when I got it with all too much relief in the neck, basically dead notes upwards from the 10th/12th fret. I?ve tweaked the truss rod ever so slightly from day to day, checking the relief as I go along. Last night she seemed to have settled in quite nicely. The frets are going to need some dressing, but that?ll only contribute to the playability.

The pickups are, as marcusnieman pointed out, pretty nice. Low output and really clear, although not the most dynamic pickups I?ve played. The rolloff on the volume and tone seem to work really nicely, much better than on some of the newer Tokais I?ve played.

I?m probably going to replace the Schallers with something more in the style of the original tuners, perhaps pre-aged to fit in with the dings and dents. Other than that, I think I?m going to resist the geek inside and just play it stock for now!

 

[jacco]

Yes, that's an LS60, nice.

 

[Barks67]

Hi Bubblewrap,

Another thing is that mine definitely has a one piece mahogany body.

Most seem to be two or three piece - though there are reports that some 50 and 60 models from 84-84 have one piece.

Whats the status on yours?

Also mine has the bell TRC which is another anomaly to most - even Japanese non export models of that time.

all interesting stuff!

barks

 

[Bubblewrap]

Barks: Mine's definitely made of 2 pieces, they join at the strap pin.

The truss rod cover is the "sharper" bell on mine, I saw similar covers when browsing the 1985 Tokai catalogue, I guess it's original.

Strange how these guitars and model numbers and specs can be so fascinating

 

[Barks67]

You may need to put in the Schaller Vintage ones like on mine:

http://www.thomann.de/gb/schaller_st6kn_mechanik.htm

It looks like your headstock has been drilled out to accommodate the hex nut, so you may have to stay with this brand.
I'd assume the barrels of both tuners are the same width?

Mine have been going strong now for 16 years. The only issue is the double ring which is not exactly authentic!

cheers

barks