Tokai LS 150 HDC 2005 doubt

[Fran]

Hello everyone, I'm new on the forum!
I just bought a 2005 tokai LS150 HDC and my doubt arises because I have seen that the nomenclature of this is usually LS150F, but on mine it says LS150 without the “F”
and it seems that the maple top is flamed. Can you give me your opinions?
Thank you

 

[Sigmania]

We need pictures...

Btw, the 2003/04 and 2007 catalogs do not show an LS150 or 150F, so pics are very important here. Including the serial number.

 

[Sigmania]

For reference, here is a 2010 ULS150F. It was a special order made for the UK and does not appear in catalogs.

Help! What do I have? MIJ Tokai Love Rock

 

[Fran]

Here are some pics of the guitar. Thank you!

 

[Sigmania]

Nice guitar.

You said yours says 150. Where does it say that? Is it stamped in the cavity or do you have a COA?

 

[Sigmania]

If it is stamped 150 or it is on a COA, I bet it is a special order guitar.

And your top is probably a solid top with some flame and not a veneer. Probably lacquer too, but you would have to test that to be sure.

Do you have the orange caps in the control compartment like that 2010 ULS150F I linked?

 

[Sigmania]

That is a really sweet guitar btw.

If you use a flash when you photograph the top the flame will jump out at you I bet.

 

[Fran]

That is a really sweet guitar btw.

If you use a flash when you photograph the top the flame will jump out at you I bet.

View attachment 37406

Thank you! I’ve got the COA and it has orange caps. It’s has and strange flame but I like it very much! I think it’s a good constructed guitar

 

[Sigmania]

Looks really nice to be honest. Should be a solid top.

Congratulations.

 

[Sigmania]

HDC = Heritage dark cherry color

 

[Fran]

Thank you very much for the comments, the little information about these guitars is somewhat confusing. I have read that the LS 150 began to be manufactured in 2005 after many years without manufacturing them

 

[luis]

That guitar I think was mine. One of the first brougth to Europe. I guess 4.4 kg if i recall well. It should have burstbuckers....
Heritage Dark Cherry (a sort of brockburst interpretation by Tokai. I did nor choose the finish it was offered to me done yet).

Let me know if you sell it....

Regards.

 

[eborej]

Congrats on the 2005 LS-150. These were a non-catalog special run by Tokai using solid 3A or 4A flamed maple in 2005. In subsequent years the LS-150 was manufactured as a plain top. Here is some information about them from an interview with the Tokai president at the time:

https://www.tokaiforum.com/threads/q-as-with-mr-shohei-adachi-president-of-tokai-gakki.4434/
Here is my 2005 LS-150 & warranty card which I picked up a few years ago:

 

[Fran]

That guitar I think was mine. One of the first brougth to Europe. I guess 4.4 kg if i recall well. It should have burstbuckers....
Heritage Dark Cherry (a sort of brockburst interpretation by Tokai. I did nor choose the finish it was offered to me done yet).

Let me know if you sell it....

Regards.

That guitar I think was mine. One of the first brougth to Europe. I guess 4.4 kg if i recall well. It should have burstbuckers....
Heritage Dark Cherry (a sort of brockburst interpretation by Tokai. I did nor choose the finish it was offered to me done yet).

Let me know if you sell it....

Regards.

If you have recognized it, it was surely yours, the maple top is unmistakable. The previous owner changed the burstbuckers for Lindy Fralins, they sound pretty good. Were you the first owner?
At the moment I am delighted with it, but if I decided to sell it I would tell you. thank you

 

[Fran]

Congrats on the 2005 LS-150. These were a non-catalog special run by Tokai using solid 3A or 4A flamed maple in 2005. In subsequent years the LS-150 was manufactured as a plain top. Here is some information about them from an interview with the Tokai president at the time:

https://www.tokaiforum.com/threads/q-as-with-mr-shohei-adachi-president-of-tokai-gakki.4434/
Here is my 2005 LS-150 & warranty card which I picked up a few years ago:

View attachment 37521
View attachment 37522

Very interesting interview, thanks for sharing the link. Your tokai is very similar to mine, at first I thought it was the same!!

 

[eborej]

Very interesting interview, thanks for sharing the link. Your tokai is very similar to mine, at first I thought it was the same!!

Just curious...is the neck on your LS150 big and round like a '58 LP profile? I wasn't expecting that on a Tokai LS.

Mine has the biggest chunkiest neck of any Tokai LS that I own.

 

[Fran]

Just curious...is the neck on your LS150 big and round like a '58 LP profile? I wasn't expecting that on a Tokai LS.

Mine has the biggest chunkiest neck of any Tokai LS that I own.

I have compared it with a Gibson R8 and the thickness of the neck is very similar, I would even say that the one on the tokai is somewhat bigger. The tokai's body is also thicker and somewhat larger, which also surprised me. I noticed by chance that when I put the tokai in the R8 case it fit more tightly.

 

[luis]

So confirmed it was mine if neck is fat, the fattest I have ever try in a Tokai.
I don´t know why, maybe an order by someone not coming through, a guitar for a Guitar Show or a prototype, who knows.
I would ask Adachi-san about the guitar, but he no longer is at Tokai and the girl at communications nowadays is not so open as he was....

I am feeeling some changes came through with Grace new mannaggement and not so good for us .....

 

[Sigmania]

Corrected and edited:

Special orders by different stores, different specs, and at different times?

2005 (LS150-AAA) order placed in Japan.

2010 (ULS150F AAAA) order placed in the U.K.

 

[eborej]

Sounds like special orders by a store/stores in Europe.

Multiple years.
2005 (LS150-AAA)
2010 (ULS150F AAAA)

I thought no models starting with "LS" were exported by Tokai from Japan. Adachi states this in the interview:
"We will never sell our LS models in the USA and Germany as you know."

It's likely that the 2005 LS-150s were only sold through Tokai dealers in Japan. You can still find 2005 Japanese music store listings of them online if you dig deep enough.