Tokai-UK lately?

Tokai uk come across as asset strippers.

Interesting. All of my experience is with vintage Tokais.

I guess I have a few questions:

1. Are those guitars apples and apples? Hard to tell with painted guitars. The materials and construction can be very different under the paint. I don’t know, just asking the question.

2. Is it possible that the Tokai brand has built such a reputation that they are leaning on that re value of the product in the same way Gibson did?

3. Is Tokai a corporation with publicly traded stock?

Looking like option 2. They have allegedly commissioned Tokai guitars to their own spec, direct from China. So here we have all sorts of possibilities with spec and model numbers.

Chinese factory only pays a licence fee to Tokai Gakki.

The Tokai and the Gibson I used as an example are broadly apples and apples. Both all mahogany construction with P90's - both guitars come with cases. I think the Tokai has a bone nut and poly finish while the Gibson has a Graphtec nut a nitro finish. I'm sure the Tokai is a fine guitar and that many people in a blindfold test might favour it over the original but favour it enought to pay an extra £250? I don't think so. Especially if you factor in the resale hit you'll take if you want to move it on.

Tokai still has a strong reputation in the UK so can support robust pricing but Tokai's reputation was founded on being better and cheaper than the originals they were copying. This is no longer the case. Companies like FGN, Eastman offer better value. Hell, even Yamaha looks better value at the moment especially if you're looking to pick up a semi acoustic. The Yamaha SA2200 comes in at £500 cheaper than a Tokai UES198 or save yourself a measly £200 and pick up an actual Gibson 335. Madness.

FGN is a big unknown for me. I have read a lot about them and had several peoples asking me to post reviews of them, but I never had the pleasure to meet one.

We don't know the guitar you used pollo. So we can't really add anything, it may be.

but favour it enought to pay an extra £250? I don't think so. Especially if you factor in the resale hit you'll take if you want to move it on.

Click to expand...

This is a point where a debate can be hold.
My Tokai LS196s (premium) costed me around 1'650 Euros new, 1900 if you count expedition from Japan and VAT. It's extremely cheap when compared to a Gibson RI60 that has less assembling care and worse wood quality.

Honestly, it would be ridiculous for me to sell it under 1'650 actual euros. This would make no sense at all in regard to instruments with the same fit and finish (navigator, momose, Gibson RI)... But yes, for the Tokais that are of the "vintage series", the price drop when bought new is surely a thing to look at.

Another example, a Tokai LS420 ordered over the internet costs 3'600 Euros.

Peoples in the future will DEFINITELY be ready to pay that price for this quality of instruments. I don't know exactly why, but there is a fascination about good Les Pauls... and good clones from Tokai are highly searched on the market. Last summer, a member of the Tokai Facebook group sold his 80's LS200 for 7'500 $. He sold it in three weeks.

Harima_San if the Tokia's in the UK were priced the same as the examples you gave then we wouldn't be having this conversation but a Tokai LS196s in the UK is currently 2,772 Euros: https://www.fretsguitarcentre.co.uk...-Relic-'Old-Reborn'---Vintage-Lemon-Drop.html

Remember that the UK is no longer in the EU so ordering from Europe is not an option unless you want to pay import duty and transaction fees (roughly 25% on top of what you paid for the instrument)

This is, indeed, a complicating factor and you have my heartfell compassion for that.
So I hope, we will be able to concede that this problem isn't simple, and the point of view about it vary greatly depending of where you are located in the world.