Yngwiestein
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Who makes the best Les Paul type guitars besides Gibson and Epiphone?
Best Les Paul Copies?
- Thread starter Yngwiestein
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Yngwiestein
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ModestCargo
New member
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
Old MIJ Tokai's kick MAJOR ass. My '81 Love Rock beats any Gibson I've ever had my hands on (Edit: Okay, any Gibson Les Paul Standard, my bad. The Historics are in a class of their own.)
New MIJ Tokai's cost a lot and are supposed to be good.
New MIK Tokai's are.. uh.. well, they're MIK.
1981 Tokai Love Rock LS-60
(Now loaded with Phat Cats, of course).
Old MIJ Tokai's kick MAJOR ass. My '81 Love Rock beats any Gibson I've ever had my hands on (Edit: Okay, any Gibson Les Paul Standard, my bad. The Historics are in a class of their own.)
New MIJ Tokai's cost a lot and are supposed to be good.
New MIK Tokai's are.. uh.. well, they're MIK.
1981 Tokai Love Rock LS-60
(Now loaded with Phat Cats, of course).
G
Guest
Guest
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
I dig my 2005 MIJ Tokai a lot! Would buy another one if someone stole it, it broke or something like that. Super quality/price ratio!
I dig my 2005 MIJ Tokai a lot! Would buy another one if someone stole it, it broke or something like that. Super quality/price ratio!
Yngwiestein
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Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
Do they still make Tokai Japan? If so what are the costs like?
Do they still make Tokai Japan? If so what are the costs like?
Uk Ant
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Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
In the uk they start at around £600 ($1200+) and go up.
So they're half the price of a gibson for 90% of the guitar, and most of that last ten percent is the pups. Not that they're bad for stock pups but nothing like burstbuckers.
My love rock is by far my best guitar. The quality is superb and duncan loaded it sounds great.
The higher price bracket Tokai's come with seymour duncan pups and are apparently really, really good.
If you can find one the early eighties ones are the beasts to catch but then your paying Gibson Money for Japanese guitars, althougth they are far better than the gibsons made back then.
Yes I'd buy another MIJ Tokai, but probably not another made in Korea one, althougth they're still pretty good.
Yes you can still get MIJ Tokai's.
In the uk they start at around £600 ($1200+) and go up.
So they're half the price of a gibson for 90% of the guitar, and most of that last ten percent is the pups. Not that they're bad for stock pups but nothing like burstbuckers.
My love rock is by far my best guitar. The quality is superb and duncan loaded it sounds great.
The higher price bracket Tokai's come with seymour duncan pups and are apparently really, really good.
If you can find one the early eighties ones are the beasts to catch but then your paying Gibson Money for Japanese guitars, althougth they are far better than the gibsons made back then.
Yes I'd buy another MIJ Tokai, but probably not another made in Korea one, althougth they're still pretty good.
Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
I picked up an Orville LP Custom one time that wasn't any different from any Gibson Custom I've owned. One difference is imports always have frets that aren't covered by the binding nibs. On Gibsons, the binding rises up to cover the fret ends.
I picked up an Orville LP Custom one time that wasn't any different from any Gibson Custom I've owned. One difference is imports always have frets that aren't covered by the binding nibs. On Gibsons, the binding rises up to cover the fret ends.
uOpt
Something Cool
F
feedback
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Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
ME And my ESP eclipses - with 59 in the neck and PAT distortion - Bridge
ME And my ESP eclipses - with 59 in the neck and PAT distortion - Bridge
Johtosotku
New member
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
MIJ ESP and Tokai are my favourites. I own a Tokai myself, as good a bargain as they come, especially used. They're great old and new.
MIJ ESP and Tokai are my favourites. I own a Tokai myself, as good a bargain as they come, especially used. They're great old and new.
kherman
New member
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
Still loving my ESP Edwards John Sykes replica.
Diodati 59Q, Edwards Sykes LPC, Diodati 58, Fernandes Ravelle Deluxe.
Also there are my Diodatis. Japan made, But, no longer in production. Once in a great while one may pop up on Ebay.
The Fernandes Ravelle is nice also. Better than the MIK/MIC Epis imho.
Others to look for.
Bacchus Duke.
Epiphone Elitist and Epiphone Japan.
Czech made Dean EVO premium.
Yamaha Studio Lord.
Aria Pro Leo Parade.
Still loving my ESP Edwards John Sykes replica.
Diodati 59Q, Edwards Sykes LPC, Diodati 58, Fernandes Ravelle Deluxe.
Also there are my Diodatis. Japan made, But, no longer in production. Once in a great while one may pop up on Ebay.
The Fernandes Ravelle is nice also. Better than the MIK/MIC Epis imho.
Others to look for.
Bacchus Duke.
Epiphone Elitist and Epiphone Japan.
Czech made Dean EVO premium.
Yamaha Studio Lord.
Aria Pro Leo Parade.
JeffB
Let it B
Re: Best Les Paul Copies?
Tokai , Orville, older Burnys, and old Greco's are the absolute most spot on.
edwards are built incredibly well, but have a certain "cheap" feel to them with some of the finishes, binding, and hardware. now mind you I'm not talking cheap like an epiphone- but they still lag a bit behind the ones mentioned above.
If I had to buy a new Les Paul again, I'd be looking at a Bacchus, followed by Tokai.
Having owned/played a few of the MIJs and god knows how many Gibsons, I have to say most of the MIJ Les Pauls kick the production line Gibsons to the curb for build quality and playability out of the box.
Gibson Historics/Custom shops are an entirely different matter.
Tokai , Orville, older Burnys, and old Greco's are the absolute most spot on.
edwards are built incredibly well, but have a certain "cheap" feel to them with some of the finishes, binding, and hardware. now mind you I'm not talking cheap like an epiphone- but they still lag a bit behind the ones mentioned above.
If I had to buy a new Les Paul again, I'd be looking at a Bacchus, followed by Tokai.
Having owned/played a few of the MIJs and god knows how many Gibsons, I have to say most of the MIJ Les Pauls kick the production line Gibsons to the curb for build quality and playability out of the box.
Gibson Historics/Custom shops are an entirely different matter.
