Tokai LS80 - Love Rock - 1980 - Honeybrown burst

fatherjones · Last edited by fatherjones on Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:36 am; edited 1 time in total

I've been looking for one of these for a long time. I finally got one, and I'm thrilled beyond words. So I have joined the registry.

It's an interesting piece in that it has double ring tuners, a model number sticker ('80') on the back, impressed serial number 0009909, and the case says Les Paul Reborn on it.

I haven't pulled the pickups to see what they are. They sound like very nice low output vintagey type PAFs.

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

Sigmania · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:28 am Post subject:

Beauty! And I see you are in North Carolina too. Welcome!
_________________
Regards, Geoff

fatherjones · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 9:31 am Post subject:

Yes, I'm in Raleigh. Thanks. Based on my research this guitar is an early example of a 'Love Rock' -- I was surprised that it would have the double rings instead of single, a Les Paul Reborn case, and the 80 sticker -- given the 000 serial number too. They must have had some mix/match elements in those transitional months of 1980 between Les Paul Reborn, Reborn Old, and Love Rock.

brokentoes · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:16 am Post subject:

Beauty !! Just my kind of Tokai.

Sigmania · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:50 am Post subject:

Here is my 79 LS80 Les Paul Reborn for comparison. It has a pink lined case. I'm not an expert so not sure about the green lined case or the rings.

Switched out the pickups to 1980 vintage DiMarzio PAFs.

My favorite axe by far.

_________________
Regards, Geoff

Reborn Old · Guitar God Joined: 11 May 2010 Posts: 481

Very nice guys ... congrats !

jacco · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:02 pm Post subject:

Very nice indeed!!
HNGD!!

Are you really sure about the serial number?

Mono · Posted: Sun Mar 23, 2014 6:33 pm Post subject:

damn, lovely top and finish on that one!
more photos pulreeease

luis · Guitar God Joined: 15 Sep 2001 Posts: 2365 Location: Spain

LS-80 shown has that brown denser mahogany common on Goldtops and LS-60/50s of that time 1980-81. Fortunatly my LS-50 has the reddish back finnish ones I like better.

fatherjones · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:39 am Post subject:

Pretty sure about the serial.

Here's some pics:

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jacco · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 9:34 am Post subject:

Thanks!
I misread your post, thought it said 9099, which is virtually impossible for a Love Rock.
9909 is not a really early Love Rock example btw.
Nice guitar, again congrats!

fatherjones · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:42 am Post subject:

I wonder where most of the good vintage Tokais are -- certainly not many around here. I see there's folks on this thread from UK, Netherlands and Spain. Any guesses as to when in 1980 this 0009909 would have been made?

Mono · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:07 am Post subject:

need better photos than that!!! take your time with the focus.. i want to see that grain

but seriously... if anyone was ever looking for a 59 burst MIJ version, these vintage tokais are where it is at. congrats.

and yes... there are a lot of nice 79-81 tokais LPs in the UK

jacco · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 11:09 am Post subject:

We all have multiple Tokai's

I don't know, I see them all the time on forums, Ebay, Yahoo Japan.
The were around 20.000 Tokai's produced in 1980 alone.

jacco · Posted: Mon Mar 24, 2014 12:36 pm Post subject: