Korean Tokai Quality?

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Snap

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I bought a new Tokai last week and had to exchange because it had a hump in the neck. I was just playing the new Love Rock that I exchanged for and the strap button and the screw just came completely out of the guitar. In all my years I have never had this happen while standing lightly playing.

I'm going to exchange it tomorrow hopefully and never touch a Korean Tokai again.
 
I feel sorry for you. My experience with Korean have been good so far though. You'd expect such things to happen on lower end products, yet korean tokai definitely beats anything else in its price range.
 
This was suppose to be my "big"30th birthday present and it has turned out terrible. I guess I'll stick with the fender and epi where I have a god history
 
Snap said:
This was suppose to be my "big"30th birthday present and it has turned out terrible. I guess I'll stick with the fender and epi where I have a god history

Dude, there's a reason why Korean guitars cost less, and it's not just cheaper labor. For the price of a Korean Epi, you can get a pretty killer MIJ Love Rock. Don't buy a 3-legged dog, then complain because it limps.
 
This happens with even the most expensive guitars, drop it in its *** ans it will wreck the strap button.
 
I originally had reserves about buying a Korean Tokai,
mainly because of what i read about them,but i have to say
having owned 2 of them they turned out to be high quality guitars.
Maybe you should try another guitar store?
 
rabpal said:
I originally had reserves about buying a Korean Tokai,
mainly because of what i read about them,but i have to say
having owned 2 of them they turned out to be high quality guitars.
Maybe you should try another guitar store?

Quality issues even occur in the highest end automobiles - anything made by a human can have problems.

I owned and regretably sold two Korean Love Rocks (the limited edition models produced in 2001 and distributed by Mikes Music in Canada - the one's with the trussrod cover that read MM2001 Limited Edition) and I sold them only because they were Korean........big mistake.

They were every bit as toneful with meticulous attention to detail as any of their comparable Japanese cousins. If I could buy them back, I would but they are scarce....I don't know the last time I saw one for sale.

Don't step over a dollar to pick up a penny.....
 
I have a Koeran Tokai Love Rock and it's gorgeous and I love it. I fully admit I am no expert but I do read a lot and I ask a lot of questions, so I felt confident in buying my LR. So far so good, it's proving to be a beautiful and well made guitar.

I too think you are over reacting and should just put the screw back in. You can buy a Rolls Royce or a Bentley and have some silly thing go wrong with it. Dont be so down on the whole company because of one or two very small issues.

Funkynassau
 
Snap said:
I was just playing the new Love Rock that I exchanged for and the strap button and the screw just came completely out of the guitar. In all my years I have never had this happen while standing lightly playing.

Wood filler is your friend. Get the stuff that comes in a tube (with a nozzle, or the type you put in a mastic gun) and squirt some in the hole. When it's *almost* set, put the screw back in and leave the filler to harden.

Works every time with me... this happens on all of my guitars because I use Schaller straplocks, and their screws are always a tiny bit narrower than the ones that come with the guitars.


Adrian
 
QuattroSte said:
Dude, the strap button just came out. Get a screwdriver and put it back in. :eek:

Indeed, this is a well known problem on all les paul type guitars (but particularly cheaper ones). Happened on my epi quite a few times.

Stick a matchstick and some wood glue down the hole, screw the screw back in. No more problem.

And take it easy! I know it's you're 30 now but come on...
 
Canadians seem to have a line on better quality MIK guitars. I am not sure why, but we were foturnate. Unfortunately, I have heard that we will not longer be able to purchase Tokai guitars in Canada. Something to do with the big boys.

Oh well, we were lucky for a while.
 
I bought an MIK Love Rock in December. No complaints, the overall quality is far superior to what I would have anticipated in a Korean guitar. It also has a natural feel and vibe that I did not find in any of the Epi LPs that I tried.

As for the strap peg screw, yet another option. Fill the hole with white glue then put as many toothpicks in there as possible and let the glue dry. Cut off the ends of the toothpicks, put the screw back in and you're good to go.
 
I recenlty bought a PR52. It had to go back because the setup hadn't been done correctly (yeah, right, it hadn't be done at all) and not is great. Not as nice as my LS60 but its still a good guitar. Build quality is also considerably better than I thought it would be.
 
bobb said:
As for the strap peg screw, yet another option. Fill the hole with white glue then put as many toothpicks in there as possible and let the glue dry. Cut off the ends of the toothpicks, put the screw back in and you're good to go.


+1. Every tech I know does it this way, exceot you usually only need 1 or 2 of them. Some white glue in the hole, snap off the ends, thread in the screw. Voila!
 
I've gone threw two in a matter of a week never happened with quality fenders or Gibson's I own. I know how to fix a guitar but after less than an hour playing time?

Anyway stuck to what I know and love Fender and I've washed my hands of the MIK stuff.
 
Snap said:
Anyway stuck to what I know and love Fender and I've washed my hands of the MIK stuff.

Well, you had some bad luck so sorry about that. But you have to realise that one of the ones you "went through" suffered a very common and very easily fixed problem that was really a non-issue. It just so happened that you were a bit sensitive to it at a time when you'd just got rid of a guitar with a genuine problem.

Ever tried a Korean Fender? 8)
 
Tried a Korean Fender and they are nothing to write home about either. I love Tokai but will only go for a MIJ product. I thought that I could get away w/buying a Korean product and getting the classic Tokai Love Rock but in my opinion the product I guess is good but not as good from what I've seen. Yes, I am particular about my guitars so it could be me as well.
 
I kinda of agree with you mate. A product (regardless of what it is) shouldn't break as soon as you use it. While I appreciate that the idea of glueing in the strap button is a great one, if it happened as soon as I got a new guitar home I'd take it back to the shop.

As I said earlier though, my PR50 is very nice so its not the fact its a MIK thats the problem, its just that particular piece of equipment was not correct.
 
Well - here goes, I bought a Love Rock out of Canada in 2002 for approx $450 - since then it has been gigged relentlessly to the point where it is beginning to need a refret. It has been knocked off it's stand, bashed into a kick drum mic stand, even survived a TV falling on it (luckily I took most of the brunt of that one). Apart from a couple of dings it has performed flawlessly, has managed to hold it's own against real Les Pauls, and although it was bought as a back up, is my favorite 'go to' guitar. I read a lot of Korea bashing, maybe I got lucky?
 

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