Gibbo (tokai) guitars.......what's going on?

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cookiemonster

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there seems to be quite a few "Gibbo" re branded tokai's floating about. I've heard that they are slight seconds from the factory and that tokai don't want them sold under the tokai badge. I've also noticed the serial number on the Chinese tokai's has changed from ch to ca, is this due to a factory change (due to tokai wanting quality improvements)?
 
cookiemonster said:
there seems to be quite a few "Gibbo" re branded tokai's floating about. I've heard that they are slight seconds from the factory and that tokai don't want them sold under the tokai badge.
Click to expand...

I call BS.

Sounds like someone trying to offload yet another el-cheapo Chinese non-brand by using Tokai's good name.
 
And it wouldn?t be the first time.
Regarding second question, I?ve never heard about Tokai seconds :roll:, there is no need for it.
 
i know of at least half a dozen shops selling them and apparently they are from the U.K tokai distributer.
 
Paladin2019 said:
cookiemonster said:
there seems to be quite a few "Gibbo" re branded tokai's floating about. I've heard that they are slight seconds from the factory and that tokai don't want them sold under the tokai badge.
Click to expand...

I call BS.

Sounds like someone trying to offload yet another el-cheapo Chinese non-brand by using Tokai's good name.
Click to expand...

I second your BS call. :D
 
cookiemonster said:
I've heard that they are slight seconds from the factory and that tokai don't want them sold under the tokai badge.
Click to expand...

No such thing, complete nonsense.
 
It would not surprise me in the least to find out that a bunch of guitars came out of the Chinese factory that makes Tokais, branded as something else, ready for a fine business person to start selling.

It happens and can't be stopped.
 
cookiemonster said:
i know of at least half a dozen shops selling them and apparently they are from the U.K tokai distributer.
Click to expand...

Maybe so, but that doesn't disprove anything we have said. 8)
 
Sorry, I'm confused.

What name is on the headstock of these guitars?
 
There are a few on eBay.uk.

Here's one:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/gibbo-love-rock-quilted-vintage-sunburst-guitar-/150835364507?_trksid=m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D4%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D192331566396298387&_qi=RTM1084481#ht_500wt_922
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p4712.m570.l1313&_nkw=gibbo&_sacat=See-All-Categories

http://www.musicwarehouse.co.uk/174-gibbo

http://www.rockfactory.co.uk/products.php?cat=Electric+Guitars&sman=268
 
I stand by my opening statement.

But I would like to know where cookie got the idea of a Tokai connection, and if Bob over at Tokai UK really is handling them.

I am also wondering why he's being so defensive over them...
 
Paladin2019 said:
I stand by my opening statement.

But I would like to know where cookie got the idea of a Tokai connection, and if Bob over at Tokai UK really is handling them.

I am also wondering why he's being so defensive over them...
Click to expand...

well to start with i have asked several retailers are they tokai's and they have said yes. (they are also identical down to the placement of screw holes and internal components to MIC tokais).

i was trying to find out why they were re branded as "Gibbo" and why the change in the first 2 letters in the MIC serial numbers, if this is just a one off batch of guitars or a permenent decision by tokai u.k.

now how is that being defensive?

FFS some of the attitude on this thread is a bit un called for, ask a question and give some info in the product in question and you get hit with "This takes pathetic to a new level".

well what can i say............
 
marcusnieman said:
I think the pathetic comment was directed to the product... not you
Click to expand...

Thanks Marcus, I thought cookie would realise my 'pathetic' comment was directed at the guitar itself, and whoever has come up with this bizarre "Gibbo" idea.
And, how anyone would know for certain that it's a MIC Tokai re-branded "Gibbo" with permission from Tokai.

Not too worry, I'll find out...we'll know by tomorrow.
 
cookiemonster said:
(they are also identical down to the placement of screw holes and internal components to MIC tokais).
Click to expand...

We will wait and see what Diamond comes up with, but I think the retailers are either misinformed or you are misinterpreting them; in light of the statement quoted above, I think it's the latter.

The Gibbos are possibly made in the same factory as the Chinese Tokais. But that same factory or factories will be churning out basically the same guitar under dozens of different brand names with only slight alterations. It's like it used to be when everything was made in Korea - Epiphone, the cheaper Tokais, Vintage, Agile, they were all made by Cort or Samick.

So it's really no surprise that the components and screw placements were identical. They would be identical on any Chinese Les Paul copy you could find.

This doesn't mean that Gibbos are Tokais, however.
 

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