Tokai LS80 - Love Rock - 1980 - Honeybrown burst

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What are the likely pickups in this Sept. 1980 LS80? What do these go for in the UK?

I was in a nice guitar shop in Bath UK last summer and was shocked what Gibsons go for.
 
fatherjones said:
I bought it in Carrboro, North Carolina from a fellow. I am clearly blind, I didn't see it on the registry.
Click to expand...

It isn't registered in the Registry. I am logging vintage Tokai's myself for several years now.

It should have uncovered double white Goto S stamped pickups. RDC around 8.50K
 
You are correct! I pulled the bridge pickup and here's what I found. Exactly like you said. Might be that somebody put the covers on afterwards.
20140326_104919.jpg
 
Nobody asked what it cost me. I suppose its worth letting folks know for the sake of market value that I traded a very nice Gibson Les Paul Traditional plus top for it. Even swap. Those go for anywhere between $1300-1700 on the used market in Nort Carolina. I think the Tokai is more 'valuable' both ad a collectible but intrinsically as an instrument and craftwork too.
 
I see the pickup covers aren't soldered. You can easily remove them to see what bobbin color is underneath.
 
thinking about it, the case is Reborn but the guitar is a Love Rock...

thoughts, gentlemen?
 
As long as we don't know if there is a linear relation between serial number and time of production (evidence does not point in that direction), anything could have happened in 1980.
If you use serial number in a linear way then in 1980 Reborn's were produced op to early may, Reborn Old from early may to june and Love Rock from july to december. This guitar would then be from early july, only 2 months after the end of the Reborn era. I did say september 1980 earlier for evidence points in another direction, how I did come to that conclusion is too much to explain for now.
 
We don't know if this is the case the guitar left the factory in. We don't know how the case and the guitar got to Carrboro, North Carolina. It is possible the guitar and the case were purchased separately and later mated. Either before or after leaving Japan. These guitars (and cases) are very rare in the U.S. So I guess the guitar and case came to the U.S. By mail. It could be somebody ordered them separately from Japan.

As a 45 year old guitar obsessive who visits every guitar store in town regularly wherever I live ... And that is D.C., NYC and NC over the past 35 years of playing.... I have never seen a Tokai like this for sale in a store. Indeed, this is the first truly gorgeous "lawsuit" guitar I have ever seen in the u.s. First one of this "Historic" quality.

That said I believe the case left the factory with this guitar back in 1980. It is not too strange to imagine they had more of the Les Paul Reborn cases in inventory and mated them to early Reborns and Love Rocks.
 
Meet a slightly older sibling, albeit by a few days, weeks possibly .......
and one thing that I can't quite fathom is whether these guitars are BS or OS (brown sunburst - old sunburst) ?





The case I have with mine is the normal green/black with the Tokai "star" plate, and I guess it came with the guitar originally. Marcus (Mojo Hobo, who I recently bought the guitar from on here) tells me it came from a well-known Japanese studio musician who presumably had it from new. It has had upgraded pots and Black Cat caps and what looks like original SD 59's with the black tape.
Anyway, it plays and sounds well, with very little playwear for a 34 year old !
One thing to check though - the bridge. I'm waiting on a replacement Faber as they do start to collapse after so many years ......
 
fatherjones said:
20140323_090159.jpg

[/img]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rNNLePsqhMA/Uy78ku7G2sI/AAAAAAAAAAQ/F9_JiQC_DFU/s1600/20140323_090229.jpg[/img]
20140323_090219.jpg
Click to expand...

WOW ... taking all Gibson vintage and custom shop examples into consideration, this must be the nicest Les Paul I have seen in a long time!!! Congratulations!
 
Lovely guitar - I owned a 2006 LR in violin finish, then bought two LP Reborns in 3 months and sold it to a friend who swapped it for a terrible quality Fender USA tele... If I could ever get it back I would be so happy... Played better than anything
 

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