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MFarina87

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I just got done modding my 2019 Tokai Breezysound Sakura and wanted to share.

Graph Tech Ratio Locking Tuners: Absolutely nothing wrong with the previous vintage style tuners, but I prefer the ease of locking tuners and they are the highest ratio tuners that I’m aware of. I’m never selling this guitar, so I opted to not use the Invisomatch Plates. The Kluson ones require cutting to fit anyway and that would have stuck out way more than my hole fill job.

The tuner holes were 7-8mm so they needed reaming to 10mm which was easily the scariest part. StewMac sells a reamer for over $100 which I’m sure is great quality but for two guitars of reaming, I went for the only other option I could find which was Harbor Freight. There’s was about $4 and all the reviews mentioned they used it for the same task. It definitely dulled out quickly and the handle hurt my hand by the time I got to the 3rd string, but the job got done and well. I’m going to purchase a fresh one today for when I do my Goldstar Sound. My hands regret it but my wallet doesn’t.

Toothpicks fit the old tuner holes perfectly and the ones I had have little grooves for the wood glue to fill. I let that set for a day and then chiseled them flat....ish. I started the day by slightly gouging my finger getting the cover off of it so I got a little thrown off. The wood filler I had on hand was very dark so it isn’t perfect, but after some Tru Oil to cover and match the color it doesn’t look bad to me.

Finally I had to drill the holes for the little knobs on the tuner to sit in to keep it in place (similar to newer fenders). I had done this on my Warmoth build last year so this wasn’t daunting. This Invisomatch plates were useful here because it makes it easy to mark the pilot holes. A little drilling, and some more final reaming and I had a perfect fit.

Lastly I replaced the saddles with some Gotoh “In-Tune” titanium saddles. I have them on my Explorer/Telecaster build and like them. They allow for better intonation especially with the tricky G string. This was pretty simple and made even easier with a cheap electric screwdriver I bought on my trip to Harbor Freight.

I did a full fresh setup on her and got her playing perfect. Working on guitars is a great experience that really helps you bond and get to know how your guitar plays the way it does.

Also to add, I did experiment with switching necks on my Goldstar Sound and a Fender Vintera Strat neck to see what it would look like with a maple neck. The holes align perfectly but I do remember the Fender neck being maybe 1mm narrower than the Tokai Neck Pocket. These types of differences can be variance in any guitar even within the same brand and it would have been fine, but I switched the necks back because I prefer the Neck Profile on my Tokais.

Enough of me prattling on. Do you guys have any stories with Modding Tokai guitars? I’m curious with Goldstar Sounds and replacement Tremolos because the string spacing is very specific apparently.
 
Yes, but my mod was very limited.

I bought a premium LS195s that is already a custom shop instrument. But something lacked with the PU sound. I changed for amber pickups paf replicas.

The result was so impressive, that the shop that installed the micros, called me at 10pm and ask if they could mod it more ? I agree and they put some vintage correct caps in her. They bought the same model from the same shop I bought mine, soon after.

Since then, I have an authentic "old Les Paul" sound. Sometime, it is so authentic that I must choose another guitar to not sound too much like a Zeppelin album stereotype.
 
I try to not do any mods that are not reversible.

I have a 1982 LS120 that someone bored out the holes to fit Grovers in it. I was lucky to find Kluson type tuners that didn't require bushings to fit.

So I try to only do reversible mods on a guitar that is vintage or is nice enough that a future owner may want to restore, and put any parts in the case for the future.

Things go in and out of style, like the Yngwei scalloping craze or tremolos on a Les Paul. I have seen so many guitars ruined by guys carving out the tops to fit a trem unit.

Like this guitar:

http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=25796

Just had to add that.
 
My Love Rock is my #1 and I will never sell it. I could have kept it stock and preserved its financial value for posterity but if I did that I would probably have sold it by now because I wouldn't love it so much!

I also try to avoid irreversible mods, but only to keep my future options open. Having said that I have zero regrets about putting Grovers on this guitar. They are gorgeous, work really well and all the best 50's bursts had it done too.

This guitar is modded to the extreme. Almost every piece of metal and plastic have been changed over time. We've got the standard stuff like pickups, the fussy stuff like bridge/tailpiece, the creative stuff like a custom wiring scheme, and the really small details like the pickup rings and jack plate. It's also has a refret.

One of the things I'm weirdly proud of is that apart from a few obvious standouts like the Grovers and mismatched zebra pickups you'd have to have a good eye for detail to know it was modded at all.
 
That's great. Everybody mods guitars in one way or another.

My point was to pause and think before you start drilling, routering, or, in the case of another thread today, stripping the original paint off of a guitar.

I have seen so many nightmare modifications where the guy was surely convinced they were making the guitar better.

Most often when I’m modifying a guitar it’s a used guitar that someone replaced parts on and then lost them. I’m currently restoring a very rare 1979 Ibanez AR500BK that someone modified by cutting wires in the active circuitry and losing compartment covers, etc. that I had to manufacture and am still searching for (see classified section).

At the same time, I’ve switched out all the usual stuff on one guitar or another (pickups, tuners, bridge, pots, caps, etc.).

I’ve never carved into the wood, yet have had to fill holes from Bigsby and blend color and finish)

4OPp1mX.jpg


or fit a third pickup where someone thought they were Peter Frampton and routered out the top of a rare 1978 Ibanez guitar.


Just suggesting people think before you do something a future owner will regret. (Goes for home renovations too. 8) )
 
Bought a 2005 LC80 in Wine Red a couple of months ago. Replaced the stock Gotoh tuners with Graph Tech Ratio locking tuners as soon as I received the guitar. Got a set of gold "Premium" InvisoMatch mounting plates on the way. That's probably the last mod I'm gonna do to the guitar in the near future because I've already done these:

- Replaced the stock Gotoh bridge with a Gotoh Ti103B. Love the titanium saddles and the extra intonation range of the wider Nashville style body. Finally got the low E string intonated properly.

- Gotoh aluminum stop tailpiece in place of the stock Gotoh zinc tailpiece. And finally a set of Schaller S-Locks.
 

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