All sounds reasonable.
So, in what ways specifically - other than electronics - does a MIK Tokai differ from the Japanese Tokai's or the Gibby LP's ?
I just don't know, marketing being what it is, I'm not convinced a $5k guitar represents 5000 worth of materials and craftsmanship as much as creating an impression. Is it possible the Koreans are trying to establish a reputation for being equivalent to the Japanese build quality and pricing low to penetrate a market they blew the first time around? I think the specifics of what's different would help establish the answers.
(And frankly, there are plenty of expensive cars that don't offer much more than brand appeal at four times the price, it's almost a perfect analogy ;-).
Not really trying to be contrarian just trying to see if there might be more to the new MIK models than meets the eye based on past history and current price; I mean, much of the same was said regarding the Japan-made models 25 years ago, no? The best people to opine would be those who've done some comparisons and are most familiar with the MIK construction, materials, etc.