I don't know how Tokai got under my skin...

[AJS914]

I think it was a Guitaristas (youtube) video. I love LPs. Everybody has a Gibson or Epiphone and I always go for something a little different. Tokais are kind of pricey on Reverb and Ebay but then I found Zenmarket and a whole new world opened up to me.

I just bought my first - a 2015 LS-115 in apparently excellent condition for 96000 yen on yahoo auctions.

I'm sure this one will just be my first but I wanted to get in at a budget price to try one.

I appreciate the help I've gotten on the forum so far.

Cheers,

AJ

 

[Sigmania]

That seems like a great price! And a workhorse model that has had different names over the years,

Let us know what you think once it arrives.

 

[AJS914]

My LS115F arrived yesterday. I'm really really impressed. I've been testing a bunch of Gibson Les Paul Standard at guitar stores over the last few months and this Tokai seems to compare in every way. The quality is clearly very high and the woods are gorgeous. It seems to be nicely setup out of the box. The string action isn't too low but it still feels easy to play like the strings just need a light touch.

I know that this one has a poly finish and will not age like a nitro lacquer guitar. This finish feels a little bit thinner than the Epiphone LP Standard I currently have (old Korean one) and other poly finish guitars I've played.

This 2015 model seems to have never been played. It looks like it's new out of the box and I got the original Tokai gig bag, warranty card, and truss rod tool included. As a bonus I got some Japanese newspaper in the packing material to look at. Overall, I did really well with this auction. Zenmarket really packs them well (paid for the extra safe packing 1000 yen).

 

[Sigmania]

Congrats. Happy new guitar day.

 

[Fredmant]

I have an LS50 (1980?) that has a three piece flamed top. No attempt to line grains up at all. It’s stunning and different.

 

[Sigmania]

I have an LS50 (1980?) that has a three piece flamed top. No attempt to line grains up at all. It’s stunning and different.

LS50 had 3 piece tops typically. They are solid pieces of maple.

The guitar featured in this post has a laminated top. The 2015 catalog says it is a maple laminate over a maple cap, but looks a lot like sycamore to my untrained eyes. I'm probably wrong.