Newbie Here, ES130 question

Hello...firstly i am a newbie, please be kind i am still learning about this tokai stuff

i have recently been struck by GAS....and got hit bad,

I have been a huge fan of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club for a long time, and have always fancied a Es335 style guitar (emulation i suppose)

I was looking for an epiphone....but then i played one and was hugely dissapointed, it was more expensive than my Mexican Standard Strat but it was such a horrible feeling guitar....i then had a quick go on the "real deal"....a gibson ES335 and was very impressed

unfortunately i do not have ?2350 to spend on a guitar, so i stumbled across tokai...now i like the fact that they Look like gibsons from a distance, and they are obviously miles ahead of a Epi 335

so it has been decided, to suppliment my strat (a very fine guitar in itself) i have decided on an ES130 with Block inlays (prefer that to the dots) in sunburst

the main reason for me looking is that i am sure a 335 will give a different sound to my strat, i also like playing a lot of BRMC songs in my band and that often requires drop tuning (they are not metal or anything though)....which my strat does not like at all (the joys of a floating tremolo bridge)

so the ES130 should fit in nicely as a 2nd guitar (while my strat will take on practice dutys.....leaving the 335 safe at home until it's needed)

and should sound amazing through my Marshall JMP2203 half stack (and my pedalboard...which is being handbuilt by myself...

(basically i dont want to buy crappy pedals for ?100 a time, so i am slowly building myself a full pedalboard, all true bypass with proper filtering and everything..... nouthing to fancy, just a Wah, Delay, Chorus, Tremolo, and perhaps some sort of clean boost, all controlled by a AB switch for my amps high and low inputs, with the ability to drop all the pedals out of the loop automatically when non are being used.....i am still working on that one though, its proving to be a challenge)



anyway enough of that

basically i am looking for a Tokai Es130 in sunburst (with block inlays)...the major problem is that i am a lefty

now i have been in contact with Tokai UK, who have said they car get the guitar within 3-4 months and at a cost of ?995

i know nouthing about this, but i have no problems ordering from japan as they seem to be very relaible and take great pride in everything

what avenue should i take now.....i know it's very likely i will have to wait for the guitar to be made, but which shops in japan (or elsewhere....in europe?) should i be looking at contacting, and how much would you recon i could save over the ?995 price i have been quoted


I am looking foreward to contributing to the forum, and await your advice

thanks

Matthew Eames (Chester, United Kingdom)

Welcome to the forum. Our forum mate, togps might be able to help you out. He's had some nice lefty's up for grabs lately.

Hey Matthew

I have no experience with Japanese shops as I have just gotten my Tokais (mostly Silver Stars) off eBay. But I recently bought a new but plain red ES 100 (flame, schmame) that I am currently agog with wonder over. It's a truly great sounding guitar. It actually sounded good with the original Gotoh zinc bridge. But once I dropped in an aluminum Gotoh (from Stewart-McDonald) man it was awesome. Greatly improved resonance, harmonics and the acoustic tone now leaps out. Amped, very very nice. The pickups have a nice vintage sound to them, the neck especially. I will give them a good long listen and I may keep them in. Great clean tones as well and it can sound somewhat Stratlike if you use the tone controls a bit. It can also growl and scream. Very versatile instrument. Sounds good with flatpick or fingers. Outstanding for blues. Great jazz tone with bigger strings. Fretwork is tops and there were no finish flaws. The tuners work reasonably well and the guitar has a solid feel, although being semi hollow and having a larger body than a Les Paul it does feel lighter. IMO at the price I nabbed it at ($750 w/new hardshell case, plus $130 shipping from Japan) it just plain stomps the ES 335s Gibson is making now, and mind you, my ES 100 is a nonflame model. I can only imagine the ES 130 or higher model you are considering.

Good luck to you and let us know how it sounds if you get one.

cheers

Steve

Nobody Else?

'ello

I got a lefthanded ES 120 in sunburst earlier this year from Coda and its a great guitar and I'll second what Tokaigeezer said - Frets and finish were 100% and the stock pickups sound good to me so they're going nowhere. All in all, a very well made, very versatile guitar

I've no idea about importing I'm afraid, but I think it'd probably be your best bet unless you want to wait and hope for one to turn up somewhere.


Good luck!

I recently bought a 2004 ES 120 sunburst. I love it, but not the pups. The neck is quite nice (7.6k), but a little too warm for my liking. I love that hollow that PAF type of sound, which makes the neck real woody sounding - like a Seth Lover or Duncan Antquities. The bridge is a 11k pup wound probably with a thinner wire (like a Duncan Custom but less winds). Its thin, clangy and a little compressed. This shines at moderat distortion level, but is lacking in clean.

Bridge pickup is too much hot for my taste too. I measured one of the new MKII pup and was 11 K as hamerfan says.Maybe softer pup would suit better but young people like to sound high and hard so I guess this could the one of the reasons for placing a pickup with this high reading .
Now I?m about to try a Reborn(thanks villager! ) I will try old Gotoh MKII pickups and will be able to make a comparison with new Gotoh (LS70) and new Keiyo MKII, and MKI.