ez2slip
Member
I received this guitar today after purchasing it on eBay from Mike's Music in Canada. Price, including shipping and insurance, was $358 US. No case included.
Fit & Finish:
Construction on this guitar is very clean. Neck/body joint is clean and tight. The finish is natural, so crummy glue joints are hard to hide. Nut installation is clean. Overhangs the neck by a hair on the bass side. Tuners seem decent. Time will tell. One tuner grommet isn't seated right. That will require a light tap to remedy. All tuners are tight, turn easily and feel precise. The bindings are very attractive and precisely installed. I have seen worse binding jobs on real Gibson J200's. Same goes for the center strip on the back and the bottom at the endpin where the sides meet.
Bridge and fingerboard are rosewood. Frets are well set, medium in size. Setup was good when I received it. I may lower it a tad. Intonation was spot on. Inlays in the bridge aren't particularly elegant in their looks, as opposed to the fingerboard inlays which are quite attractive. All inlays show some degree of filler around them, but for this price point, they probably need to get them in there quickly.
Finish is a natural with an amber tint that is very striking in appearance. The finish gives the guitar a slightly antiqued appearance which works well. A couple of slight depressions in the finsh where small pits in the guitar went unfilled. There was one small spot on the guitar where glue runout was not completely sanded out, resulting in a lighter color than the surrounding finish. All in all it is very well done.
The top is 2-piece solid spruce. Grain lines are fairly tight and there are a few darker streaks in the top that are not unattractive. The two sides of the top match. Back and sides are flamed maple. The flame is very dramatic on the sides. The back is apparently laminated maple. The flame is quite good, and there is movement as you change your viewing angle. No photoflame. The neck is maple and has a bit of flame as well, although not a lot. The neck is straight.
Sound & Playability:
The guitar is quite light and feels good in your lap. Balance is good. It is bright with a decent bass response. It projects well if you honk on it. All in all the sound is balanced well and sounds good with a pick or your fingers. The action is very good. It plays cleanly up the neck. No dead spots or buzzing.
Bottom line:
I had my doubts about buying a Korean manufactured instrument, and hoped that Tokai Japan's reputation would carry through in its Korean operation. It has in this instrument. I consider it a tremendous value for the money. In my opinion is it worthy of a much higher pricetag.
Chris
Fit & Finish:
Construction on this guitar is very clean. Neck/body joint is clean and tight. The finish is natural, so crummy glue joints are hard to hide. Nut installation is clean. Overhangs the neck by a hair on the bass side. Tuners seem decent. Time will tell. One tuner grommet isn't seated right. That will require a light tap to remedy. All tuners are tight, turn easily and feel precise. The bindings are very attractive and precisely installed. I have seen worse binding jobs on real Gibson J200's. Same goes for the center strip on the back and the bottom at the endpin where the sides meet.
Bridge and fingerboard are rosewood. Frets are well set, medium in size. Setup was good when I received it. I may lower it a tad. Intonation was spot on. Inlays in the bridge aren't particularly elegant in their looks, as opposed to the fingerboard inlays which are quite attractive. All inlays show some degree of filler around them, but for this price point, they probably need to get them in there quickly.
Finish is a natural with an amber tint that is very striking in appearance. The finish gives the guitar a slightly antiqued appearance which works well. A couple of slight depressions in the finsh where small pits in the guitar went unfilled. There was one small spot on the guitar where glue runout was not completely sanded out, resulting in a lighter color than the surrounding finish. All in all it is very well done.
The top is 2-piece solid spruce. Grain lines are fairly tight and there are a few darker streaks in the top that are not unattractive. The two sides of the top match. Back and sides are flamed maple. The flame is very dramatic on the sides. The back is apparently laminated maple. The flame is quite good, and there is movement as you change your viewing angle. No photoflame. The neck is maple and has a bit of flame as well, although not a lot. The neck is straight.
Sound & Playability:
The guitar is quite light and feels good in your lap. Balance is good. It is bright with a decent bass response. It projects well if you honk on it. All in all the sound is balanced well and sounds good with a pick or your fingers. The action is very good. It plays cleanly up the neck. No dead spots or buzzing.
Bottom line:
I had my doubts about buying a Korean manufactured instrument, and hoped that Tokai Japan's reputation would carry through in its Korean operation. It has in this instrument. I consider it a tremendous value for the money. In my opinion is it worthy of a much higher pricetag.
Chris
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