[info needed] Just got my 03 LS80F - satin finish?

[ArthurS]

Hi,

I just received a 2003 LS80F that I bought on eBay, which has a 'satin'finish. I didn't really realize this when I bought it (figured it was just the pictures ) but it turns out that the neck is also finished in 'satin' which makes it a lot smoother to play in my opinion than full glossy finishes. I have never seen or heard of such a finish before and it's fairly hard to describe. It looks real nice (much better than on the pictures) and is not as shiny as other Les Pauls.

To illustrate:

The warranty card says LS-80F MVF, which I suppose stands for something like Matte Violin Finish. The seller however seemed to believe it was an LS-75 (which seems hard to believe since the 03 LS75s have plain tops as far as I can see).

Can anybody give me some information on this guitar? Is it some sort of limited edition special finish or is it just a new Tokai-color? And what kind of finish is it? Poly, lacquer or maybe something else? Thanks!

 

[luis]

Hi Arthur,welcome.LS-80 model seems to be the old LS-70 VF-violin finish-(2.000).I bought my LS-70 on 2.001,so inflation goes very hard .If you see 2.000 Tokai catalogue you can compare the colour.Ah the pickups are metal covered on mine,so is different on yours I see.aAnd LS-75 WAS FOR QUILTED TOP OR GOLDTOP,NOT A" FLAMED" finish.But I have seen on Universe web Tokai is very flexible to make special orders(1 piece Honduras Mahagtany neck and laquer finish)-LS 80-85-90 models and I have discovered a LS-160 model.

 

[sneakyjapan]

Hi, I`m just looking at the 2003-2004 catalog I picked up today. In it, there is an LS-80F... looks just like yours in the pics. It has what they call a Matt finish. 1 piece neck, PAF Vintage MK2 pups, doesn`t mention what type of finish.
There is however a LS120F guitar... the differences seem to be a deep joint neck, brass saddle and aluminium tailpiece, same pups but they do say it has a lacquer finish. I guess if they don`t say lacquer then it isn`t.

 

[QuiltTop]

That's a nice looking guitar. Much like an old Les Paul!

Guitar Universe had these special edition Love Rock for sales just year. I believe they have one-piece hondarus neck, cream pickups and the satin finish. Looks really cool like an old les paul with finish all dulled up! Anyway, i didn't realised that Tokai has switched to this finish and format! I would have waited before I got mine last month!

SneakyJapan, will u be able to post pics of the new catalog? Would love to see what's new? Thanks.

Oh! Congrats on such fine guitar! The volin finish is just to die for! Would love if you can post more pics on the guitar. Perhaps a close-up on the body?

Cool....

 

[sneakyjapan]

I guess I could take pics of the catalog with our digital and send them to Ned.

 

[ArthurS]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I'm starting to like the finish more and more: it looks great (especially with lights on it) and feels wonderful. Some more pictures:

These were all taken by the seller and to be honest they don't do the guitar justice. It actually looks much nicer in reality. The colors are a bit more vibrant in real life, though the back is darker than in the pictures, and the flame is quite pronounced especially when looking up-close. The flame also has a sort of 3-dimensional quality to it: it varies according to the position you look at it.

By the way, QuiltTop: I must say your guitar is insanely beautiful as well. Also, your recent review here was an important influence in my decision to buy this LS80. I was just wondering though if the posts of the bridge on your guitar are screwed directly into the body as well (they are on mine)?

 

[QuiltTop]

SneakyJapan,

Please do take some pics! Would really love to see the new lineup!

Arthur,

Glad my review did some good for you. That one beautiful guitar... something I would definitely get if I see it first. Definitely look more like a Peter Green's 59 than mine. Yes, the posts are screwed directly to the body, just like yours. I am not sure but I think the original bursts are done this way. I've just ordered the book "Beauty of the Burst" and will let you know if that's the case.

Do you mind telling me where you get this guitar from and how much you've paid for it? Email me if you want.

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

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[ArthurS]

Thanks for the compliment LondonBarry. Indeed the satin neck has a great feel to it and I'm happy that I didn't have to make any changes to it to make it feel that way! Your relic looks great as well - lots of character and a gorgeous flame. How does the relic compare to the Gibson next to it by the way?

QuiltTop - I bought the guitar on eBay. It was an auction from an online store called Bluzey.com, which I think is located in the US but works through the Japanese webstore Ishibashi (my guitar was shipped from Japan and the sender was 'Ishibashi Web Shop / Bluzey.com). My experience with Bluzey was excellent: they were very helpful and shipped fast (took only a few days to arrive). I paid $599 for the guitar, and another $95 for shipping to Europe. You can find the auction here.

I contacted the seller about the matte finish by the way, and he said it was a fairly thin finish which was meant to help resonance (though it isn't incredibly loud unplugged). Maybe it's lacquer after all then.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

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[ArthurS]

Yes the neck on mine is pretty fat as well. Still it's quite comfortable even though I have fairly small hands for my length (1.83m). Playing for too long has given me some cramp once already though... but aside from that I really like the neck

LondonBarry - I just assume Ishibashi is working with Bluzey, as it said so on the label. Of course I don't know if all of Bluzey's guitars are handled by Ishibashi. Btw I wouldn't worry about your Classic's red... it'll probably fade with age and look even better than it does today

 

[BluesEd]

I really do like that finish ArthurS, very vintage looking.

Did you have to pay any import tax or was it only about $700 all in. If thats the case I wish I had tried buying one from Bluezy, Im in the UK though so would expect to pay more than that price plus shipping.

 

[ArthurS]

Thanks BluesEd, I'm enjoying it more and more every day. I did have to pay import tax in the end, which came to about $125 (or E100). Unfortunately there's pretty much no way around that, unless you buy within the EU. However, I feel it's still a very good deal at around E700. A new Epiphone costs E525, and in my opinion the extra E175 is really a small price to pay for a guitar that's so much nicer (I've tried at least 15 Epi LPs and never found one I truly liked).

 

[BluesEd]

Yeh that's a very good price, mine cost around E1000, I did get a nice hard case a strap and set of 10's.

It was nicely set up but I had to drop the bridge pu down a little.

I tried it through an Engl and a cheaper Peavey, it sounded excellent through both.

I thought about buying direct but I just thought by the time they added vat and import tax the savings would not be so great.

Btw nice Relic Love Rock LondonBarry, but you should of sent it back it's got a big chip on it :wink: