How good are Tokai Telecasters?

[6942]

You can't get them here in the USA.
However, I can get a Rosewood 52 re-issue (new) for $399, from a dealer in Canada.
Good deal? :?:

 

[bebopalula]

they used to be

*very* good.

i believe some our Brit posters will tell you they find them to be good quailty.

are the specs/headstock/body shapes "lawsuit material"?


and is that $399 in Canadian dollars??

sounds like you'd be in the MIM Standard Tele price range
for a Tele model available in the US....but then,
except for the Classic 50's Tele(which is probably $400 to $450 new)you can't get an MIM, '52 re-issue.

can you send it back if it's a dog??

 

[6942]

I'm sure it's $399, in American currency, & yes I can send it back, if I do not like it.

 

[genelovesjez]

Keep in mind there are two types of Tokai Telecasters - the ones made in Japan, called Breezy Sounds, and the ones made in Korea, called (I believe) Goldstar Sounds.

Without getting into the merits of the two types, $399 would be a great price for a Japanese Tokai Breezy Sound, but not a great price for a Korean Telecaster copy.

If this is the type of guitar you're considering, it appears to be Korean made. I suspect that $399 is pretty close to the regular street price for that.

 

[jericho60]

The MIJ ones are really sweet. The MIK ones don't do much for me.

 

[Telemarkman]

Had a Breezy Sound once - bought it used. (Mid-80's vintage).

Brown, quilted top and white binding - a real looker !

I'd say it was as good as my old, mid-60's Teles. 8)

If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't notice the difference, I guess.......

 

[6942]

The one for $399, in Canada, is Korean made.
Have read great reviews on Tokia Les Paul clones (Love Rocks, I think?). Figured they might make a real nice tele also? I guess, I'm going to have to reconsider purchasing the Korean made Tokai. Thanks everyone for all the great input, I appreciate it!!

 

[HatsEntertainment]

For some reason, most of the Tokais available in Canada seem to be MIK. The general feeling amongst those who've tried them seems to be that they're on a par with your typical modern-day Epiphone instrument in terms of quality; they probably get a bit of a hard assessment because of not being as good as the MIJ Tokais, which really are great guitars.

eBay often has older MIJ Tokai Fender-type guitars come up for a not unreasonable price (well, they'll probably rocket like most MIJ guitars on eBay but...), so you may like to look out for one of those.

 

[6942]

Yes, I have noticed that the MIJ Tokai's, go for big $$$ on e-bay.

 

[Pete Galati]

Myrareguitars.com usually has a few Tokai guitars. A couple months back, one of them was a very sweet looking Tele that I passed on, and I'm sort of regretting that because I'm starting to want a traditional Tele that has no particular value.

Mike indicates that the ones he has are "Japanese parts, assembled in Canada"

(link removed)

At the moment, he just seems to have a black Strat, and something that's really too wierd for me to want.

I've had this website bookmarked for a few months I think. Tokai Guitars USA.

http://www.tokai-guitars.com/

But it never really looks like they've got things worked out yet. I haven't tried contacting them. I think they might be the same company that distributes Maxon pedals, but I'm not sure about that.

Pete

 

[magenta placenta]

When it comes to any of the Japanese clone/lawsuit guitars, you definitely want to get a higher-end one that was MIJ, not Korea, or China, Philippines, Vietnam, wherever they're made nowadays.

I have a '78 Greco EG-1000 (Les Paul) and it played/sounded better than my 2 "real" Gibsons, which went the way of ebay.

The Japanese have some of the finest luthiers ANYWHERE.

 

[jericho60]

What about Springy Sound? Are those the Tokai Strat clones?

Weren't MIJ Fenders made by Tokai back in the 80s? Wonder how many other 70s and 80s MIJ names were actually coming from the Tokai factory...

 

[winny pooh]

Apparently the newly formed FMIC was very impressed and intimidated by Tokai's quality and even negotiated with them to produce Fender Japan's guitars, they however eventually went with Fujigen Gakki (?) who also produced Ibanez guitars.

And yeah the springy sound's were the strat models.

 

[jericho60]

Any idea who the Aria name was made by back then?

I ran across an Aria LP copy once that was easily the equal of a Greco or Tokai. Never saw another one like it.

 

[tdu]

I have seen the ones on myrareguitars.com too. They look great. I didn't assume they were any better than a MIM standard, but does anyone know how they compare to one?

The one I saw on myrareguitars awhile ago looked great. It looked like a 52 RI. It was $399, but the prices on there are in American $'s (even though they are in Canada).

 

[KK Jale]

Springy Sound/Goldstar Sound does not indicate country of origin AFAIK...

Both were used on orij. MIJ Tokai Strat clones but indicated different quality levels (GS was higher).... equally, the number suffix on model name (sticker on neck heel) was linked to yen price in 1000's eg. 40, 50, 70, 80...

Not impressed by MIK Tokai Breezys myself... cheesy hardware, inferior pickups, ghastly headstock... current Fender CIJ definitely better, especially non-export models, see Ishibashi...

Best site for Tokai info inc. a forum is http://www.tokairegistry.com/

Hope this helps

 

[Pete Galati]

I have seen the ones on myrareguitars.com too. They look great. I didn't assume they were any better than a MIM standard, but does anyone know how they compare to one?

The one I saw on myrareguitars awhile ago looked great. It looked like a 52 RI. It was $399, but the prices on there are in American $'s (even though they are in Canada).

I didn't know he was in Canada. I'm trying to find something on his website giving his location, but I'm not finding it.

His auctions say:
"Item location: North America, United States"

Ahhh.... ok, found it:

http://www.myrareguitars.com/paymentoptions.html

Our mailing address is:

Mike Robinson
75 Main Street South
Brampton, ONT
L6Y 1M9
CANADA

 

[Grin'n'pick]

I have owned two 'lawsuit' MIJ guitars. The first was an early Tokai strat that was on paper going to be amazing but just felt dead to play. Very pretty piece but a complete dog. So I guess they're not all good, but that applies to any guitar I suppose. I swapped it for a Fernandes Strat which I recently and somewhat regretfully sold after over ten years of ownership to get a tele I really wanted. It was an eighties MIJ and whilst not as stunning aesthetically as the Tokai it really was a player. I left everything stock because if you had define the classic bell-like strat sound this guitar was it. It beat hands down the majority of real Fender Strats I've owned be they MIA or MIJ. The neck was figured, and beautifully finished although a little slim for my tastes. So, I think what I'm trying to say is that whilst Tokai get all the hype and often turn(ed) out superb instruments they also know how to build a duffer. Also, and I'm sure many will agree on here, it is well worth seeking out some Fernandes models. They go for a little less than Tokai usually but the quality is very impressive.

I would imagine that the MIK's hold no particular mystique, they're going to be fairly run-of-the-mill clones that could have one of many names on the headstock. Koreans are making very decent guitars nowadays but they probably won't have the x-factor of an earlier MIJ lawsuit guitar where the manufacturers strived for and often achieved astonishing levels of accuracy in copying original Fender designs. That's what the fuss is about.

Another to consider might be the earlier JV butterscotch Squier tele. Played of few of them and they're well worth seeking out.