MK2: Keyio vs Gotoh

andrews · Jan 25, 2012

Just out of curiosity, has anyone tried comparing modern Gotoh and Keyio made MK2 pickups? How do they differ?

Does anyone know their characteristics, like resonance peak, EQ and other technical information?

It's kind of uncool that Tokai does not tell, in their catalogues, which manufacturer's MK2 are in the guitars, so you don't actually know what pickups are in your guitar (unless you buy the cheapest or the most expensive model - then you can be sure, going by the rule that Keyio are in the lower end models and Gotoh are in the higher end ones).
There are people who claim that MK2 are very good, and there are others who claim they are not so good... That is natural and normal, but the funny thing is that they are probably talking about different pickups, but some of them don't know that, because they all are "Vintage PAF MK2" in the catalogues. So has anyone compared both and maybe come to some conclusions?

dombat · Jan 26, 2012

going by the rule that Keyio are in the lower end models and Gotoh are in the higher end ones

I think it's the opposite: the metal braided Keyio are (were) in higher end models than the Gotoh green and yellow wires

andrews · Jan 26, 2012

I myself have got the 98 model and it's a metal-braided wire (like in this picture: http://a.imageshack.us/img152/8781/mediumtenonoftokais.jpg)

dombat · Jan 26, 2012

Your pickup is a Keyio.
Which mfg year is your guitar?
The keyio DC are around 7.5K for the neck and 11k for the bridge
The Gotoh are around 8K neck and bridge

luis · Jan 26, 2012

Keiyo make Tokai MK-II after 2005 or around.Befor that time(it could be 2003 top butnot verified 100%) MK-II were made by Gotoh as far as Gotoh made Reborn and LS series pickups, a model called Tokai '57 if I remember correctly. There were Tokai MK-III(LS-60&65 2002/2003) and IV(korean models).Have to check for Keiyo 2005 pickups,I geuss I had pics somewhere but not here.

settebello · Jan 26, 2012

dombat said:
Your pickup is a Keyio.
Which mfg year is your guitar?
The keyio DC are around 7.5K for the neck and 11k for the bridge
The Gotoh are around 8K neck and bridge

+1

Volker

andrews · Jan 27, 2012

Tokai sells MK2 pickups separately, but only one model: http://www1.odn.ne.jp/tokaigakki/products/accessories/mk2.html

It has a metal-braided wire, so it looks like my Keyio pickup. Is it Keyio that Tokai sell currenty?

I'm a little confused: so do they make Gotoh MK2 nowadays and put them in to higher end models?

DaveWW · Jan 27, 2012

These MkIIs are from my 2004 LS125 SEB and are now fitted into my 1980 LP Navigator. They are one of my all time favourite pickups. Anyone know for definite whether they are Gotoh or Keiyo....?

Dave

luis · Jan 27, 2012

Tokai advertised MKII as Keiyo made.

andrews · Jan 28, 2012

My are exactly like those that DaveWW posted. Mine bridge is also around 11,5k.

Here is the info I found in the other threads:
"I definetly prefer Gotoh ones (neck about 7ohms and bridge 8ohms vs Keyio's 8/12+ ohms)" ( http://www.tokaiforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=130779#130779 )

andrews · Jan 28, 2012

But I wish that someone who has tried them both commented on them, compared their sound, other specifications other than output.

Paladin2019 · Jan 28, 2012

Do you like they way they sound? If yes, no problem. If no, change them.

People think about this sort of thing WAY too much.

DaveWW · Jan 28, 2012

Well these are my guitars at the tokai convention

The LS125SEB with the tokai MkIIs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICYpA4zrasg&feature=plcp&context=C3e37641UDOEgsToPDskLbe0lpvPDjLxo5OUpUBwSu

and my 1980 Navigator with the exact same MkIIs. Sold the SEB but took the pickups out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuRd-Gsxmlw&feature=plcp&context=C315954bUDOEgsToPDskIuwaBUjd4NRiG_nJelO3Ck

The videos don't really do the sound justice but the pickups sound much better in the Navigator. The guitar (and your fingers) has more to do with it than a lot of people think.

Dave

andrews · Jan 28, 2012

Paladin2019 said:
Do you like they way they sound? If yes, no problem. If no, change them.

I already changed them to Seyour Duncan and I won't be buying MK2, but I'm kind of a nerd, I like to find the truth just to know it. I just want to know what is it what people mean when they praise MK2 - is it really the same pickup that I heard and didn't like that much, or is it actually a different thing...

Paladin2019 said:
If no, change them.

That is an other problem. It's rather hard to choose the right pickups without first hearing them in the same settings that I hear the ones I am changing, so at least some of the technical information, like on Seymour Duncan website, would have helped. Also, I still want that information so that I could understand what makes the difference that I hear.

DaveWW · Jan 28, 2012

andrews said:
But I wish that someone who has tried them both commented on them, compared their sound, other specifications other than output.

Well you have your answer to that question now anyway.

Luis, thanks for your input. I guess these mark IIs are Keiyo. I think I prefer them to the very old Gotohs I had in my 1980 LS80GT but as I said it's really hard to make comparisons because the guitar affects the tone so much. As paladin said. If you like em use em.....

Dave

dombat · Jan 28, 2012

I own several Tokai Keiyo and Gotoh sets.
There are 2 kind of Tokai mk2 Gotoh pu:
The common LS guitar "LP-A" which are around 8k both neck and bridge, and the SG guitar "LP-F" which are around 11k both neck and bridge.
These pu are marked as -F for front (neck) and -R for rear (bridge).

I also own these new AH-1 Gotoh pickups, supposed to be a VH-1 reissue, paf style.
I haven't tried them yet

andrews · Jan 29, 2012

DaveWW said:
Well you have your answer to that question now anyway.

I don't think so. You provided two videos of the same pickup in different guitars... but honestly, I don't think I can get any picture about how the pickups sound from such videos: different amps, different speakers, I suppose, also different ways of recording (I suppose different cameras, so different microphones) and also sound compression on Youtube - I don't see how I can just remove all these differences from the equation to judge the sound of the guitar or pickups... I mean, I am unable to compare to videos made in completely different settings.
[/quote]

DaveWW · Jan 29, 2012

Yes, but much more reliable than subjectively trying to describe sounds in words....!

andrews · Jan 29, 2012

Yes, but if someone comes and says he tried both Keyio and Gotoh and that, for example, Keyio are muddier than Gotoh, that description would be informative enough for me. That is why I am asking for someone to compare both version of the pickups. Not to describe how Keyio or how Gotoh sounds, but to compare them both. But enough of this discussion. Unless anyone has tried both pickups, I think this discussion can now be ended.

DaveWW · Jan 29, 2012

I've tried both pickups but in different guitars and my amps etc have also changed since then, probably my ears as well.... anyway thank you & good night.

MK2: Keyio vs Gotoh

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