1980 Tokai Love Rock

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Phantom

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What model would you say this is guys?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/280936865434?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_720wt_1397
 
You mistake the 80-100 difference for the 100-120 difference Peter. Both the 100 & 120 have DiMarzio PAFs, the 80 has the Goto PAFs.
I've got the feeling this one has a solid top, based on nothing really..
 
I have tried recently a 1980 LS-100 with a solid plain top, no flame there. Very good guitar, those old Tokais have something special. I do love that neck profile in 80s and up.
We are looking for a soft case for it, it seems it was missing on the process of buying.
 
Hi guys,
Whilst you are correct about the pick-ups (PAF for LS100 and LS120V) this didn't happen until 1981 when the LS-120V was released on the market.
Reborn Old stopped at around 0009570 and was then Love Rock. This serial number 0011181 means it was made in the latter part of 1980, it is not conclusive that it is an LS-120V - it could in fact be a very fine LS-100
as Tokai still had access to some awesome lumber because they hadn't signed the CITES treaty yet. This could be an LS-100 with a flamed top getting ready to become the LS-120 model in a few months.
Vol 3 (1980) was released Nov 1979 but Vol 4 (1981) was in March 1981 so there is quite a gap compared to other catalogs and there is no model LS-120 in the 1980 catalog. It is listed as a new product in the 1981 catalog
Hope this helps the discussion
Peter Mac
 
Hi Peter, I don't always understand what the catalogs say for they are in Japanese. I do however know that none of the LS100s I have logged from 1978 to 1980 have Goto pickups. Do a search and you will see all of them have DiMarzio PAFs.
 
luis said:
I have tried recently a 1980 LS-100 with a solid plain top, no flame there. Very good guitar, those old Tokais have something special. I do love that neck profile in 80s and up.
We are looking for a soft case for it, it seems it was missing on the process of buying.

I believe the soft case has arrived..
 
Hi Jacco
I have already conceded the point between Gotoh and DiM pups on the LS-100 - I was thinking of LS-80 to LS-100.
I did study Japanese at school and can understand bits of script but this LS-120 really has me puzzled. It shows up in 1981 Vol 4 as a new product which generally means "Just Released" however villager has a 1980 LPR with stamped fretboard and 0007400 ser.#, placing it before Reborn Old.
This is one for further investigation.
Peter Mac
 
Do you mean that the LS120 was released in 1981 according to the catalogs?
The alledged 1981 arched top and flat top catalogs don't say 1981 on front & back or anywhere inside so far I can see. Only on the bottom of the next to last page there's 810340C in the arched and 810360C in the flat top catalog. The same page features a large Reborn Old Tokai logo, so maybe that's a 1980 catalog? Can you shed some light on this?
BTW I have logged 6 1979 LS120s all in the 9005xxx range.
 
Peter Mac said:
Hi guys,
Whilst you are correct about the pick-ups (PAF for LS100 and LS120V) this didn't happen until 1981 when the LS-120V was released on the market.
Reborn Old stopped at around 0009570 and was then Love Rock. This serial number 0011181 means it was made in the latter part of 1980, it is not conclusive that it is an LS-120V - it could in fact be a very fine LS-100
as Tokai still had access to some awesome lumber because they hadn't signed the CITES treaty yet. This could be an LS-100 with a flamed top getting ready to become the LS-120 model in a few months.
Vol 3 (1980) was released Nov 1979 but Vol 4 (1981) was in March 1981 so there is quite a gap compared to other catalogs and there is no model LS-120 in the 1980 catalog. It is listed as a new product in the 1981 catalog
Hope this helps the discussion
Peter Mac

Great info Peter,

Beautiful flamed top on that one too.
 
That used to be mine. The seller is a third party -- he got it from the person I sold it to. It's an LS-120 with a veneer top. The residue from the model sticker on the back of the head used to be very legible but it's faded since I bought it 5 years ago. The "2" is still visible and it's certainly not an LS-200. All the specs match '80 Love Rock 120's. (Edit: the original truss rod cover was crudely reshaped by a previous owner into a poor approximation of a Gibson bell cover, but you can see the pointy ghosts of the original cover shape in the finish's patina. There are ghosts where the missing knob pointers used to be.)

I need to contact the seller and mention some issues he may not have noticed. But in the meantime you might search my username for posts and pics in a couple of "veneer or solid 120" threads.

It does play well and it sounds amazing. The dents, dings, wear, and patina look better than any Murphy-aged relic finish. But it's definitely a player, not a museum piece.
 
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