Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

[SirJackdeFuzz]

FIRST THINGS FIRST . . .


. . . please do not turn this into a grudge match, by saying X-guitar will always be inferior to Z-guitar. Or A-guitar IS better than B-guitar just because of it's name, and, and, and !


This is a genuine question, and i will have to act quick if i want either one.

Again, BOTH guitars will be bought unplayed, as i live 10 and 12 hour away from both.

Right now, do not consider resale value, as i have ZERO plans on selling the guitar, no matter wich one i go for.




Question :


Which guitar do you feel will have the best bang for my buck ?



1) BRAND NEW 2013 Tokai LS92 (w. Tokai H/S case) - asking price 1K (USD)

2) USED 2002 Gibson Classic 1960 RI (w. Gibson H/S case) - asking price 1.6K (USD)


Also keep in mind, i WILL replace the *pick ups, no matter which guitar i take.

* I already have two sets in mind.
** I already own both sets.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Where's that Tokai made, and by who?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Where's that Tokai made, and by who?

No idea by whom, but the official imported over here, tells me is is the MIJ model.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

In general I am a huge Tokai fan. I had a killer LS75 with tons of upgrades. I prefer them greatly over similar Edwards models

But sight unseen , I will go with the Classic. Snot green inlays and all.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

It is a hard call. A MIJ for 1 K isn't bad, but it won't be nitro and the Classic is. Also, black is an attractive color and plaintop low-contrast burst maybe not so.

On the other hand, there is no indication that the Gibson will play or sound better for it's 60% upcharge.

Does the tokai state whether it has any weight relief and if so what kind? Does it have an ABR-1 bridge?

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

It is a hard call. A MIJ for 1 K isn't bad, but it won't be nitro and the Classic is. Also, black is an attractive color and plaintop low-contrast burst maybe not so.

On the other hand, there is no indication that the Gibson will play or sound better for it's 60% upcharge.

Does the tokai state whether it has any weight relief and if so what kind? Does it have an ABR-1 bridge?

The Tokai is in the running, BECAUSE of it's, 'plaintop low-contrast burst'

No idea about either the weight relief or the ABR-1 bridge.
I can find out.

I did not know that the Classic come std with NITRO - good to know !

PS : not wanting to sound stupid, but what is an 'ABR-1' bridge as opposed to a 'regular' bridge ?

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

The Tokai seems high for what it is to me. If the Gibson pictures are not the actual guitar, without knowing the condition, can't tell if it's a good deal or not. I would expect the Gibson to have better sounding tone wood in it. I don't know enough about where Tokai is sourcing their wood from, however. I played some Tokai LPs when I was in Japan and acoustically they sounded thin and varied more widely one from another, similar to Epis I've played.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

The Tokai seems high for what it is to me.

If the Gibson pictures are not the actual guitar, without knowing the condition, can't tell if it's a good deal or not.

I would expect the Gibson to have better sounding tone wood in it.
I don't know enough about where Tokai is sourcing their wood from, however.
I played some Tokai LPs when I was in Japan and acoustically they sounded thin and varied more widely one from another, similar to Epis I've played.

The Ebony Gibson you see in the pic's IS the actual LP for sale.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Well, if the main question is which one is better value. The Gibson is 60% more expensive and apart from the nitro (all US Gibsons are nitro) there is nothing that makes it a better guitar, and it is also guaranteed to be weight relieved while Tokai might be less so.

The ABR-1 bridge is narrower but more importantly the pots screw into the guitar top, you don't have that large metal anchors sitting in the guitar top that the Nashvilles use. In my option the ABR-1 bridge is a true sign of a high quality Les Paul.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Well, if the main question is which one is better value. The Gibson is 60% more expensive and apart from the nitro (all US Gibsons are nitro) there is nothing that makes it a better guitar, and it is also guaranteed to be weight relieved while Tokai might be less so.

The ABR-1 bridge is narrower but more importantly the pots screw into the guitar top, you don't have that large metal anchors sitting in the guitar top that the Nashvilles use. In my option the ABR-1 bridge is a true sign of a high quality Les Paul.

Thanks for the ABR-1 explanation

 

[Hecubus]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

I see Ebony Classics regularly priced at $1300 on ebay, craigslist, and GC used. See if you can talk him down. Better will be a matter of opinion, but I would take the Classic.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Hard choice. How important is the nitro to you? I LOVE alot of the vintage Japanese copies, ( I have a Burny that Id pit against nearly anything, cept for the thick finish) but know the new ones normally arent made in Japan or as good. However, Looks like that Tokai model you are looking at is Japanese made and is a step above some of the other models. the site doesnt say whether or not its weight relieved. I was leary of the new Burnys, but apparently they are good cuz a few pro players are using them in lieu of Gibbys. Fwiw. kinda off topic, but just saying the new Tok may not be bad

http://www.tokaiguitars.co.za/vintageseries.htm

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

You can get a used black classic for a hell of alot cheaper than$1600. There's no way in hell I'd pay that much.

 

[Oinkus]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Go with the Tokai they make pretty decent guitars that can get real close to the Gibson with upgrades. You can spend that $600 bucks on a Babicz bridge , Graphtech Tusq XL nut , Planet Waves trim lok tuners and have enough left for a refret in stainless steel almost. Not counting the pots,switch and jack replacement either.

 

[Brian Griffin]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

I would go for the Tokai (as long as it's Japanese). I like the 'plain top low contrast' finish, sick of flame/ quilted maple top. It's beautiful. And the Gibson is 1.6 times the price of the Tokai, a big difference.

 

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

I'd go with the Tokai. I have only played 2 Tokai's so my experience is limited but they tended to be right up there with Gibson quality. Like Bloodrose said, depends on how important Nitro is to you... and with all the plasticizers in today's nitro... meh, I think the Tokai is a better deal all around. Looks better too.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

By now, anyone who knows me will know what I'm going to recommend. Sight unseen, it would be the Tokai every time, doubly so when it's an MIJ. Their quality of workmanship is better out of the box than any Gibson I've had my hands on. I've just had a bit of a look round to see if I can see what the finish is on the LS92, but came away empty handed. You can have a look at the link below though to see my local place back in the UK; they're the only place I know that has any quantity of stock on sale. Both my LS116F's came from there (both nitro btw).

http://fretsguitarcentre.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d447.html

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Great, great info - many thanks to all you guys !

Still not made up my mind . . . it is harder than i thought.

Keep those ideas/thoughts/insights coming.

 

[SirJackdeFuzz]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

By now, anyone who knows me will know what I'm going to recommend. Sight unseen, it would be the Tokai every time, doubly so when it's an MIJ. Their quality of workmanship is better out of the box than any Gibson I've had my hands on. I've just had a bit of a look round to see if I can see what the finish is on the LS92, but came away empty handed. You can have a look at the link below though to see my local place back in the UK; they're the only place I know that has any quantity of stock on sale. Both my LS116F's came from there (both nitro btw).

http://fretsguitarcentre.co.uk/contents/en-uk/d447.html

Thanks for the link Chris.

I would love to walk around in your local guitar store.
Been looking through their inventory.
Bloody great !

 

[Chocklit_Thunda]

Re: Gibson VS. Tokai . . . looking for the the best value for my money.

Tokai, dude. Hands down. Where are the guitars and where are you? Perhaps get someone to play it for you?