Tokai Guitars. Any good?

Bill Hicks

This Tele comes with Seymour Duncan pick ups, don't know what they sound like cranked up loud yet but we're in the rehearsal studio this Sunday so I'll have a chance to crank up the volume and see if they buzz at all?

Aerial Man

Hogwash, Fender invented the strat. Tokai is a cheap copy guitar maker in Japan.

Far eastern imports can be good value for money. Some even argue that the quality is better with some copy guitars than the major manufacturers originals ie. fender, gibson. I think the argument over quality can be a valid one sometimes but debatable especially when you take ethics into account.

Having a real american Fender gives you streetcred, it's desireable and will hold it's value. It's a proper investment.

A copy guitar is good value for money but none of the above. Some 'vintage collectable' ones are desireable and have some value.

RBZ5416

Tokai copies were certainly very well regarded 30 years ago, I've no idea about now.

According to this Wiki entry (so could be nonsense), Tokai have built Fender's Japanese guitars for some time.

As others have said, you can get perfectly serviceable instruments for not much money these days. I've got a Korean PRS that's superb quality for the money but for me, there's something special about having the genuine article in your hands.

Chadford

Oh dear.

A good guitar is like a comfortable pair of shoes, find the one you like and that's that. I collect 70's Antoria guitars essentially just for fun, some of them are good and some are rubbish. In the 80's I owned a Antoria SG JR, it's best instrument I've ever owned. It got nicked and I replaced it with a authentic Gibson - this Gibson felt like a plank of wood in comparison.    
I agree that the quality of American Gibson and Fenders is pretty good and as such perhaps a benchmark, but an instrument is a personal thing, some work and some don't, investment and streetcred are not something I would associate with an instrument that you spend many hours with and brings joy to you (hopefully ).

BTW: Set-up is king, a bit of messing around can work wonders.

Aerial Man

Setup can make anything playable. Why did you buy a guitar you did not like ?

Chadford

I was young and I thought everything Gibson was wonderful and I thought I'd get to like it.

Aerial Man

Well thats a bad stroke of luck. I was lucky with mine. Bought it via mail order and love it, would never sell it. It needed a full setup to make perfect but now thats exactly what it is.

Lightning quick neck, it's solid as a rock but the resonance through the body and neck is phenominal for how solid it feels.

Would have sent it straight back if It wasn't what I wanted.

Chadford

What have you got, have you a photo?

charvelj

Not true !  Some guitars are so poorly manufactured that it is impossible to get a good setup without major work. I've had to do a level, re-crown and dress  the frets on quite a few guitars that have come out of the factory which has supposedly qc'd them.

Aerial Man

Diddn't mean it that literally, I mean good guitars can be awfull until they are setup. You could be put off buying a perfectly good guitar because of setup.

This is my beauty. Ive also got the hots for an es125, and a Rickenbacker 330 If funds ever allow that is