TOKAI ES 335 IDENTIFICATION HELP

mikeydane · Mar 3, 2011

hey people,
im new here...
fell in love with a tokai already

i wanna get this tokai.
buyer said that it was made in korea.year 2001.es335 copy.sadly,i have forgotten to ask him the serial no. and that he's out of town now.
so, ihave to rely on you guys to help me identify this tokai.even a small contribution will help me understand the world of tokai here...
what i need to know
1)is this genuine stuff
2)is it worth it paying 500 bucks for it
3)body and neck specifications
4)MOMENT OF TRUTH-Is the guitar as good as what people say it is?

luckily,i have pics of the tokai.
i hope it will suffice.
http://img707.imageshack.us/g/img0162xk.jpg/

many thanks,

Dane

Lesblues · Mar 3, 2011

Hi, sorry I can't confirm for sure that the guitar is a genuine Tokai. however the 3 screws on the truss rod cover would indicate that it is a Korean model. the made in Japan Tokais are the top end guitars and therefore the most sought after. that is not to say that the Korean models are no good. I have a Tokai Korean Love Rock and I like it a lot but it is not as good as a MIJ guitar. the exchange rate today says that $500 US = ?307. You can buy a new one for that amount here in the uk.

dombat · Mar 3, 2011

@Lesblues: the new one will be made in china, and not open book in uk.
@mikeydane: I have a korean ES60, no serial number, just "made in korea", same model and color, purchased ?220 on ebay, very good, I just changed the hardware and pickups for Gibson ones that I already had in a drawer and a bone nut.
MIJ may be better of course, but mine is not bad

mikeydane · Mar 3, 2011

thanks leblues!so it's definitely made in korea because of the 3 screws on the truss rod cover.Good thing is that the price is not fixed

dombat:is the guitar im abt to buy an ES60?
you mind hitting me with the specs of the guitar?what body/neck/tuners etc

also,u said abt changing hardware.isnt the stock hardware good?why do u feel the need to change it?

let me hear yr input guys..

rlan52 · Mar 4, 2011

I also have an ES 60 and mine is made in Korea. That said, the ones currently made in China also have 3 screw truss rod cover. I do believe that the Korean ones have "Made In Korea" on the back of the headstock. Some with serial number and some without.

I am also not sure about the picture of the fretboard. All of the ES 60's that I have seen have a rather shiny almost laminate type of rosewood fret board. In that picture, it is too dark for me to see. It is the one aspect of my ES 60 that I do not like. The fretboard has a more plastic feel than a wood feel.

Overall, I have been using my ES 60 in it's stock condition. The Pickups are not that great and it does need a new nut but, my tuners seem to hold tune well.

For the money, it is a great investment for a guitar to play in the house and at rehearsals. For shows, I don't know...

dombat · Mar 4, 2011

Mine is a mik ES60 "made in korea" on the bottom back of the headstock, no serial number.
As I told you, I had all the hardware, Gibson and Gotoh, in a drawer, that's the only reason I changed it, using adapters to mount the Gibson nashville bridge.
At that time I needed a more modern sound, that's why I've put the Gibson 498T/490R combo
How can anybody feel that the fingerboard is laminate? scraping it?
The neck is a little narrower at the nut than all my other guitars, and it's profile is quite 60's and very fast.
Here is a picture from my facebook profile
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=652257982&aid=150267#!/photo.php?fbid=335355732982&set=a.301116917982.150267.652257982&theater

rlan52 · Mar 4, 2011

(How can anybody feel that the fingerboard is laminate?)

Because it is very glassy/smooth
Feel the fretboard on your SG60 and then the one on the ES60. Maybe there is a coating on the wood but it doesn't feel right, that's all...

dombat · Mar 6, 2011

You're right, the fretboard is smoother, and the color is also different.
Maybe an other kind of wood?
But for me it doesn't feel bad, just different, like a fender mapple neck

TOKAI ES 335 IDENTIFICATION HELP

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