one question for you les paul players

[Roe]

why does almost all tokai player want a les paul type guitar (usually a standard but sometimes a custom)? It seems to me that people often overlook studios, specials, SGs, and ESs here. The latter are great guitars. and arguably, the sg175 and es175 are better values than the ls320/370 etc. It is very expensive to make a good les paul clone - you need a lot of honduran mahogny etc. an es175, on the other hand, is a great guitar but cheaper. having tried a lot of tokais I'd say that the sg175 and es175 are much better guitars than the ls150 and ls160. and, the two former are closer copies of vintage gibsons than the two latter. I'm asking: why do you want to choose a mediocre or decent les paul over a great sg or a great ES?

 

[mrsuspend]

Well, Stratocasters and Les Pauls are the most common electric guitar models in the world so that's what people look for.
Personally I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a Tokai Junior

/Magnus

 

[coolcustomer31]

if you want the les paul sound, you need to get a les paul. i have an tokai sg and i love it, but i still want a les paul too.

 

[Roe]

the low end models won't give you the les paul sound. the legendary les paul sound is very hard to get and few succedd in capturing it IMO

 

[marcusnieman]

the low end models won't give you the les paul sound. the legendary les paul sound is very hard to get and few succedd in capturing it IMO

You asked for people's input - let them give it without picking it apart afterward.

I own pretty much every Gibson like model and I play them at different times because as stated previously, the tone differs from guitar to guitar. I play a 335 when I want a 335 tone or feel. I play a Les Paul when it's what I want - also, the pick attack is different between the two models and that highly affects the end result - a 335 usually rides higher on your body than a Les Paul or SG. My two cent's worth....

 

[Derby Ant]

No one mentions Explorers or Vee's very often either.

It is largely down to popularity and options.
Tokai have quite a limited range of SG's, and the MIJ ones are not that far off the price of a US Gibson.

At the end of the day the LP is one of the most succesful guitar shapes ever, and unlike the strat it has rarely been popular in modified form.
You only have to go Tokai shopping to realise the LP is probably the guitar that keeps them going.

I should get myself an SG at some point mind

 

[Anonymous]

I'm hardly the world's greatest LP fan, but even I bought an LS85S - Goldtop with P90s - because I wanted a cool looking guitar with a retro vibe and P90s. Despite the poly finish, i still prefer it to my 1997 Gibson LP Special, the sound has more character and "bite", maybe because of the maple cap.

I used to have an excellent Tokai SG in the late 80s/early 90s, but they balance strangely - the neck seems to stick out further than it should. Never tried a 335, though I guess I should. I have my 330 for when I want a hollow body sound or feel.

What made me get a Tokai LR was getting a Tokai Firebird! Stupid thing, I've never known a guitar so neck heavy and cumbersome. :evil: Ridiculous. So I sold it and used the money to buy a Korean LR - much better guitar.

Anyway, who said you need Honudran mahogany to make a LP?

Mike

 

[Roe]

You need low weight thats for sure. Most of the inepensive models are too heavy. also, honduran mahogny gets closer to the sound and feel of the old LPs.

 

[Roe]

the low end models won't give you the les paul sound. the legendary les paul sound is very hard to get and few succedd in capturing it IMO

You asked for people's input - let them give it without picking it apart afterward.
....

I just want to see if people have good reasons for their choices of LPs. Shouldn't it be allowable to discuss this?

 

[JohnA]

the low end models won't give you the les paul sound. the legendary les paul sound is very hard to get and few succedd in capturing it IMO

A low-end Japanese Tokai will get close enough to the Les Paul sound for 99.99% of players. I own quite a few high-end models and recently played a LS85F and was very impressed, a 2-piece body and no fret-edge binding has no effect on the sound.

 

[marcusnieman]

duplicate

 

[marcusnieman]

I just want to see if people have good reasons for their choices of LPs. Shouldn't it be allowable to discuss this?

Sure....but again, your comments sound like rebuttals to what people are saying (after all, they are YOUR opinions):

You need low weight thats for sure. Most of the inepensive models are too heavy. also, honduran mahogny gets closer to the sound and feel of the old LPs.

I have a lower end LS60 that is as heavy as a boat anchor and it sounds great - sounds like an old LP to me and it sure as hell isn't Honduran mahogany nor did it cost an arm and a leg like a high end Honduran model.

I'm not trying to argue the point with you Roe - just let people say what they think freely and you can draw your own conclusions.

 

[Roe]

having tried a few duzin of tokais recently I am not impressed by the sound and quality of the low end models. I think that a 2 piece body can affect the sound.

Regarding weight: one of the main reasons why the LP was discontinued in the first place was that it was to heavy. and that was the relative lightweight early models made of honduran mahogny. A very heavy guitar isn't a good thing - that's what I say, and what Gibson said in 1960.

Of course, you should think for yourself. but isn't it possible that my criticism of what people are saying is somewhat well-founded or reasonable? The fact that a opinion is mine or yours does not in itself say something about whether it is true or well-founded.

Its nice with a discussion IMO :wink:

 

[JohnA]

'Too Heavy' is subjective. There are plenty of non-honduran, and non weight relieved Tokai LP's out there that are around 9lbs, the perfect weight for a LP in my opinion.

I also stand by my statement that a 2-piece (or three for that matter) body has no effect on the sound at all.

 

[Anonymous]

I think that a 2 piece body can affect the sound.

Are you suggesting that all the early LPs had a single piece back?

 

[Paladin2019]

I'd rather have good honest heavy mahogany than the swiss cheese that passes for mahogany on more 'prestigious' brands. If multi-piece backs affect the sound (and I'm VERY sceptical about that, I think the 1-piece business is all about premium image and bragging rights), then those holes must play merry hell.

My LR weighs just under 9lb and with a good padded strap it feels comfortable for hours on end.

 

[SteveDoG]

For me, the Les Paul is about chug and balance. Never found another style of guitar that has that 300hz chug that is so natural and usable. Plus, clean, no other solid guitar has that slight acoustic plumpness.

 

[marcusnieman]

For me, a Les Paul doesn't feel like a Les Paul without some heft to it - and I'm talking about between 9 and 10 lbs. Don't get me wrong - I love a light one but all of the OLD Gibsons LP's I've handled have been like a piece of furniture.

From the old school, I've heard that heavy, dense wood provides a more even transfer of string tone resonance through the body. Porous, airy wood resonates more as an echo would.

My heavy LS60 Reborn compared to my featherweight Edwards Jimmy Page is like night and day. But you can't compare not like models to one another - different pickups, different electronics, hardware, wood etc.

In order to come to a conclusive finding, you'd need to take the same year, same model, same specs but with one of say African Mahogany and the other Brazilian and A/B test them - that'll never happen because that A and B does not exist.

Good discussion but totally subjective. It's like the chicken and the egg.

 

[pedrocortez]

FWIW,

I have an early ( pre CNC ) PRS McCarty, a Firebird 76, a Godin LGXT , a 1980 Ibanez AM-100, an EB Silhouette Special and now a newly acquired 2005 Tokai LS150 HDC. ( Lucky me...."So what" you say .....)

I played it A/B longside my mates Gibbo 57 Goldtop RI, and IMO it sounds every bit as good as the Gibbo, and plays every bit as well as my other guitars.

No, its not a high end LP, but its pretty **** good, and a whole lot better value for money. I'd love a VOS LP but I cant afford it unless I sell half my guitars, and I'm not about to do that.

I dont think an LS150 is a mediocre / low end guitar. And I will definitely be looking for an early Love Rock or Reborn after acquiring the LS150 and being so impressed with it.

What made me go for an LP type guitar ? - great reviews of Tokai, and ultimately it was seeing Scott Gorham's LP on the inner sleeve of Live & Dangerous !!

cheers
Pete

 

[leadguitar_323]

Also i have 2 Honduran mahogany guitars, 1 is light and the other is heavy. They both sound different to each other, {different pups and one has ebony fingerboard} but they still have the LP grunt, but i would also like to say that a lot of your tone comes from your fingers, my guitars sound different when i play them compared to anyone else playing them.....especially when soloing

Mick