LS-320 Arrives
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villager
Well-known member
quote rich..
I have put my money where my mouth is & I stand completely 110% by my claims in the below thread
christ thats a lot of cash ....heh
I have put my money where my mouth is & I stand completely 110% by my claims in the below thread
christ thats a lot of cash ....heh
MIJvintage
Well-known member
villager said:
:lol: keep your day job Mark; you're not much of a comedian :wink: ..................
villager
Well-known member
heh i couldnt resist rich..
so you gonna sell the 320?
so you gonna sell the 320?
MIJvintage
Well-known member
villager said:
everything (well, almost everything) is for sale, for the right price :wink:
MIJvintage
Well-known member
I've been evaluating my circa 2000 Tokia LS320 on a somewhat intermitent basis, as I actually do not play it that often.
I have recently been playing it quite a bit more, and decided to throw out an evaluation, based loosely on the Harmony Central format.
Cheers............
Features: highly flamed 2 piece center seam maple top, Jacaranda fingerboard, 1 piece Honduran mahogany body, 1 piece Honduran mahogany neck, long neck tenon, fret edge binding, Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pick-ups
Sound: there is a bit of noise from the circuitry, that I did not expect from a guitar of this price ($3K+) range, and from a guitar with such an overall stellar reputation. The SD Seth Lover pups have grown on me a bit more but I'm not completely satisfied with their sound response, particularlly the neck pup.
Action, Fit, Finish: The action on this guitar is amazing; it almost plays itself. The tuning stability is the BEST, as it stays in proper tuning throughout extended periods of full note bends. The nitro finish is super thin. The neck profile is not huge at all, and is perfect for my hand; could not have asked for better. Neck binding work, and the position marker inlay work are somewhat sloppy, for a guitar of this price range. The stop tail is installed slightly off center, which again is not an indication of the price this model commands but it seems to have no affect whatsoever on the playability, or tuning stability of the guitar.
Overall Rating: What is it that most people immediately notice when they see a Tokai LS320? Of course, it's the maple top!!! The maple top on this example is nothing short of stunning. I have seen only two LS320 examples with tops that I like better; one from TF member villager, and one from TF member currypowder. I have seen several examples of maple tops on LS320 models that frankly, look quite boring, as they have very straight & narrow flame, with little if any ribbon (curl) characteristic. The Jacaranda used for the fingerboard is visually better than many examples I have seen, and particularlly so from the 12th fret & up, where it has a nice alternating color. This looks very nice set against the flame maple. The Jacaranda has a silky smoothness that only Brazilian can offer; makes me wish all my guitars had Brazilian.
As much as I would like to, and considering it has received all 10 ratings on Harmony Central, I honestly cannot give this guitar a 10 rating.
IMO, a 10 rating would be perfection, which of course is impossible.
I will give my 2000 LS320 a solid 9.0 rating.
Alternatives: Gibson is a potential alternative, when considering a Les Paul of this specification, i.e. highly flamed maple top, Brazilian fretboard, 1 piece body, 1 piece neck, long neck tenon, top shelf pickups & caps, etc.
Locating a verified Brazilian R8, R9, or R0 Gibson is possible but one must do their home work. Most examples I have seen are from 2003.
I have seen examples priced from $9K to $18K, and to be honest, the higher priced ones really didn't have maple tops to match the maple in the LS320 I have.
IMO, I believe the Tokai LS320 is an extreme bargain, as compared to the Gibson alternative.
I have recently been playing it quite a bit more, and decided to throw out an evaluation, based loosely on the Harmony Central format.
Cheers............
Features: highly flamed 2 piece center seam maple top, Jacaranda fingerboard, 1 piece Honduran mahogany body, 1 piece Honduran mahogany neck, long neck tenon, fret edge binding, Seymour Duncan Seth Lover pick-ups
Sound: there is a bit of noise from the circuitry, that I did not expect from a guitar of this price ($3K+) range, and from a guitar with such an overall stellar reputation. The SD Seth Lover pups have grown on me a bit more but I'm not completely satisfied with their sound response, particularlly the neck pup.
Action, Fit, Finish: The action on this guitar is amazing; it almost plays itself. The tuning stability is the BEST, as it stays in proper tuning throughout extended periods of full note bends. The nitro finish is super thin. The neck profile is not huge at all, and is perfect for my hand; could not have asked for better. Neck binding work, and the position marker inlay work are somewhat sloppy, for a guitar of this price range. The stop tail is installed slightly off center, which again is not an indication of the price this model commands but it seems to have no affect whatsoever on the playability, or tuning stability of the guitar.
Overall Rating: What is it that most people immediately notice when they see a Tokai LS320? Of course, it's the maple top!!! The maple top on this example is nothing short of stunning. I have seen only two LS320 examples with tops that I like better; one from TF member villager, and one from TF member currypowder. I have seen several examples of maple tops on LS320 models that frankly, look quite boring, as they have very straight & narrow flame, with little if any ribbon (curl) characteristic. The Jacaranda used for the fingerboard is visually better than many examples I have seen, and particularlly so from the 12th fret & up, where it has a nice alternating color. This looks very nice set against the flame maple. The Jacaranda has a silky smoothness that only Brazilian can offer; makes me wish all my guitars had Brazilian.
As much as I would like to, and considering it has received all 10 ratings on Harmony Central, I honestly cannot give this guitar a 10 rating.
IMO, a 10 rating would be perfection, which of course is impossible.
I will give my 2000 LS320 a solid 9.0 rating.
Alternatives: Gibson is a potential alternative, when considering a Les Paul of this specification, i.e. highly flamed maple top, Brazilian fretboard, 1 piece body, 1 piece neck, long neck tenon, top shelf pickups & caps, etc.
Locating a verified Brazilian R8, R9, or R0 Gibson is possible but one must do their home work. Most examples I have seen are from 2003.
I have seen examples priced from $9K to $18K, and to be honest, the higher priced ones really didn't have maple tops to match the maple in the LS320 I have.
IMO, I believe the Tokai LS320 is an extreme bargain, as compared to the Gibson alternative.
MIJvintage
Well-known member
ganzua said:Hey MIJ, quite interesting, thanks for the review!
Doo itashimashite, It has been my pleasure
