Tokai Les Paul - Made in China - Any Good?
Vložit
- čas přidán 14. 12. 2021
- For my Presets visit: johnnathancordy.gumroad.com/ Thanks to Mike at Rose Morris for letting me check out this Tokai Love Rock UALS62. This is a Chinese made guitar, with a bone nut and maple neck... Here's me playing it for the first time. I think I ended up enjoying it more than I was expecting to!
rosemorris.com/collections/to...
Using the presets "EricLeadHB2Sing"
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
Get my PADs bundle here: www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... (this folder will grow, and I'd encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together for £5 - www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr... - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
Try my patches for Pod GO for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoffee.com/johnnath... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee! - Hudba
Beautiful playing! Considering a CN Tokai Custom Lp myself - by the sound of yours can't go wrong for the price. Thanks 4 the review.
Dancing in the moonlight is one of my favourite solos. Played impeccably by your good self.... Thank you.
Made in China under Quality Control by Japan Mine has never gone out of tune ....Makes me smile every time i Pick it up It's Bang in Tune
I agree, the genuine Chinese licensed ones are really good.
I’ve heard this many times… that Tokai Japan keeps a close eye on the QC of MIC models… but has this ever been confirmed or published anywhere???
That's a good question@@ChappoCrothers
Gorgeous 😍
I love, love, love tokais. ❤
Just got mine yesterday…sounds killer ,clear and crispy
Just picked up a second hand Chinese love rock. Plays nicely, I have both a 96 epiphone and a Gibson gold top, it sits well between the two and is a good gigging guitar
Nice sounding pickups again on a Tokai - clear, balanced. According to the Rose Morris site, pickups made in Korea.
Damn son I do love the way you play...outstanding.
Fantastic playing .
Sounds great, but then again, you are one of those players who could make anything ring like a bell.
I've had a Chinese tokai love rock about 5 years came perfectly set up I removed the covers opened up the sound enormously it absolutely sings 👍
That solo sir! Jeeez😅 flawless
John.... this guitar sounds incredible in your hands....
Quite a nice tone for a humbucker guitar. Good job
Very good tone and playing.
I only watched the intro and I gave it a like, great playing dude :)
Tokai Les Pauls have has the vintage tone love it
I love your teckel sweater. My puppy teckel also likes it. :)
I have a 10 year old Korean Tokai Les Paul. For half the price of an Epi they are amazing!
Got one a few weeks ago. Lowered the bridge and raised the tailpiece and it’s perfect. Pickups are quite hot but sound good. I have a Les Paul I bought new in the late 90s and blindfolded I don’t think I could tell the difference.
Natural Talent!
Beautifully played on the Tokai Les Paul 😊
The beginning of your solo remind me to some song of Thin Lizzy! Great job man. In your hand a Chibson would sounds equaly great! Hat down. I believe there are some differences between the Japanese and Chinese versions, but they are certainly less than what we see between the original and pirated Chinese crime copies (counterfight). People should know that in China (as well as in Korea, India, Indonesia) there are companies that produce guitar parts under contract and they should not be confused with individuals who make illegal copies and still claim they are original! In any case, I think it's worth investing some money in a Chinese version of Tokai than buying a non-genuine Chinese Chibson at twice the price.
Dancing in the moonlight is the song
@@mwoodlarks3121 thank you very much...
A good player will make every shitty guitar play it's full potential.
Also the "bad" reputation of chinese guitar is overrated (in the same way than "specs and tonewoods are also overrated) and, as you said, probably linked to the faked instrument that are absolutely awful for a big part.
But let's point out, that chinese instruments have corner cuts in every corner of them, making them somewhat of a bad deal, as they will grow illnesses with old age. And they will always sound and feel a little less than the real deal.
The main problem in the buy of a chinese instrument is political. But, in the same time, I will stay quiet about the MILLIONS of reasons stating why it's a bad idea, because braindead consumer zombies will fall over me and my wife would probably land in jail as retaliation of speaking the truth.
It's that bad, and that should be reason enough.
Dancing in the Moonlight!!! Played John Nathan Style....Hells YESSSSSS \m/ Is sounds so goddamn awesome to hear you rockin' out to the Mighty Thin Lizzy....a decent guitar and decent amps / pedals or modeler and lotsa talent / skill....Slash's Guitar on Appetite was a Les Copy, EVH played a $150 guitar. Buy some reasonably priced gear and Keep Playing and get more guitar music out there \m/
i bought mine and made some mod....change to cts pot,open the pickups covers,install good capacitor...it sounds amazing...
Nice playing. Could you do a review of the Vintage V100 guitar? It's a British brand that has been on the market for several years. Their single cut guitars look really good if you look at the specifications and attractive price.
Dancing in the moonlight listening to that love rock:)
So does it play well or not? With the right signal chain you can make anything sound good, I wanna play about the playing feel
I think it sounds damn good
I hear Eric Johnson runs , very cool. I like your style. Not sure if EJ or not. But hey, we all have influences.
I Love Eric Johnson!!
Broo that knife is bigger than the box 😂 love the tokais , hopefully i get one soon
In the meantime, I tried to find some Les Paul by Tokai, but I couldn't find it at an acceptable price because the models (at least the ones I found) had a price almost equal to the Gibson models and I couldn't accept that. But that's why I bought a cheap Tokai E-Ex73 Explorer (China made) and "out of the box" it looks and sounds decent, except that the action was too low and it seems to me that the G string in the attached bridge "doesn't lie" properly and creates a buzz . Anyway, I intend to replace the "golden" hardware, which looks really cheap, with black, and the bridge with TonePros or Faber, complete electronics with an EMG pair... and then it will be a workhorse for parades.
I've been considering one of these ever since I saw one on the Dawson's website (after they'd gone bust?! Which put me off!) They really do look the part. And sound great. Just not quite like a Les Paul? Is it the maple neck?
I'd hoped you'd try one out. But given your dislike for Les Pauls I didn't hold out much hope! Thanks for doing this vid.
I'm pretty sure the necks are mahogany. I know you aren't asking me but I'm pretty sure just like Gibson and epi. I din't know if the top is a maple veneer slab or actual maple though.
Good grief, what do you use the knife for lol,, great playing and great guitar
Where do you buy these?
Every guitar sound nice through an eventide or such..
Beautifully 👍 ✅ done
Some very good guitar pulling faces.
Sounds great
Guys, i'd like to order one. What is this model exactly? Cheers.
Just curious - do you find bending easier on that kind of guitar?
Yes the shorter scale helps, although obviously the upper fret access is Les Paulish...
how does it compare next to the Sire L7?
So the fit and finish looks a little tidier, but the Sire takes the edge for playability in my opinion, although it's obviously not as close to an actual Les Paul because of the neck join?
Sounds great as always Jon, but we do need to talk about that knife 🔪
You think I need something bigger?
@@johnnathancordy I was thinking a chainsaw with a hockey mask. But, that's just me.
@@SteveKuhMusic say no more
. I'll see what I can find
Ho does that compare to a Sire L7?
You didn't answer the question in your title. Are they worth the money or not? Are Epis better?
3 seconds in - it sounds like they re worth it.
I came here to view the guitar - I stayed for the playing -
wow, this gives new option for lespaul goers.
Where you bin livin Tokai make killer guitars and pedals and have done so for decades….there are loads of les paul esque type models they make gold tops 335/355 teles all sorts with great build quality BUT FOR ME THERE IS ONLY ONE GIBSON LES PAUL and mine is a 2021 60s neck les paul std and I love playing it GIBSON REALLY GOT THEIR CRAP TOGETHER THEY ARE BACK AT THE TOP.
Yeh, but the well regarded Tokais are made in japan?
The Japanese higher grade Tokai Les Pauls are better in almost every respect!😊
Please do a side by side comparison video of the two. Thanks.
Maybe you should 'do' Les Pauls more often. Sounding great. I know what you mean though; I like Les Pauls but I rarely play mine as they are not the easiest guitar to just sit and jam on. Too uncomfortable and have a habit of diving off your knee if you're not paying attention
The only thing that I really seem to have a problem with about these type guitars is they look like they have been dipped in clear plastic 4 or 5 times. It really shows in the light reflecting on that LP.
Clear plastic = clearer tone
I mean my Gisbon Les Paul would probably look the same in that light. He clearly has either a window there or softboxes/ some sort of light modifiers.
Well, if you skip a couple of processes in polishing the finish will look less glossy, this guitar is well polished, it has nothing to do with thickness of finish.
If the same guitar was painted with satin poly finish it would appear thin and look like aged unpolished nitro.
@@guitartoneSA key words in my comment are "they look like". The actual thickness or any other reason is truly irrelevant.
a green pad to buff it down will be perfect 🤩
👍😁
I have one - brilliant guitar, but one of the frets was lifting. I had them all glued in and dressed by a luthier. Added £90 to the cost but it's a lot better than either of the Gibson Les Pauls I've had.
What about the electrics? Epiphone has come along way now. for 900 you can get nice lest paul with CTS pots and good caps along with burstbuckers. I have been wanting a les paul but if i buy a Gibson it will be studio and they have bumped the new ones up to 1500 because of crazy new paint jobs. You can pick a nice used one up for 800 with case if you keep your eyes open. Tokai's top les pauls are close to 2 grand.
@@monmixer i'd go with the used gibson studio all day. i find it weird that epiphone doubled their prices for adding electronics worth 20 bucks and a different kind of pickup from their own brand. the newer epiphone pickups are much better then the old style though. still a bit hefty price increase. i dont really see the actual guitars being made that much better then before. also a used gibson will probable keep its value. a new standard epiphone drops in value once you play the first note...
good luck on your guitar hunt
@@monmixer i can attest that epiphone electronics have gotten way better, their pickups were barely serviceable tone wise in the 2000s, however they still aren't quite as good as gibson stuff or the Japanese brands
@@andrewgarcia3136 Problem with Epiphone is they raised price too much. Right now there are a lot of budget brands that are on par or better than Epiphone in terms of build quality and hardware, but are on a tier lower in price. If you are going to have a professional setup anyway (which is necessary IMO for all guitars sub $1k), then the factory setup issues in some of the lower price guitars stops being a problem, and then suddenly the price discount matters, since you can afford to swap out hardware to your liking, that rivals or beats Epiphone's offering. IMO both Fender (Squire) and Epiphone are selling their namesake at this point, very little value in either.
@@monmixerYou’re thinking of the higher spec Japanese models which many consider to be better than Gibson’s!
This is the Chinese made variety which can be purchased new for around £500!
what kind is this model lespaul sir
Tokai love rock I think.
Have u tried a grassroots Les Paul definitely built better than a Epiphone !
I was looking forward to your comments at the end of the video but alas there were none
Next, they need to send you a Tokai TST-50 Modern or Relic.
What they relic now!?
@@johnnathancordy Yeah some of the high end models from Japan are relic'd.
What is it that makes these £1,000 less than the other ones?
I guess they’re made in Japan, but what is the £1,000 difference?
Every single component including the wood plus cost of labor is vastly differrent
Great for sure but I´m sorry John - You´ve already convinced me to grab a Sire next time.
They are fine if you want something that looks “almost” like a Les Paul from certain angles and in certain light!
Can you get these in the US or no...
Why would you ask that question to a UK youtuber
I want an MIJ one but just like Gibson USA I'm not willing to pay that price. I have one jewel that I bought in 1980 and it much better than any Gibson I could find in stock at the local music stores as we had no internet or anything like that back then. E had land line phones and answering machines to take messages if we were not home when they called. Better days in some way and today is better in other ways. I bought rand new 4 digit Hamer Standard after owning two Hamer Sunbursts. I sold one of the Sunbursts and traded the other with cash for the Standard. Hand crafted in the USA. Even their lowest priced guitar called the special was better than an SG. It's pretty much a copy of a DC Les Paul with a completely different headstock than a Gibson. That 4 digit standard is worth 4 digits easy today and they keep going up in value. Mine has been in a case for awhile. It needs very little. A good cleaning up, new nut, the low E slot was wearing a bit low and I think I broke the switch after to many of those switch wobbles back in the 80's and 90's. I really wanted a Gibson but a competitor snuck thru the back door at the back street music store. Never stop looking folks. they are out there.
I found a Goldtop version with p90's, used 500, 100 to ship.
what's the model?
@@fanmike0615 Actually I switched gears and bought a dark cherry burst LSQ142 MIJ. Good price on ebay, free shipping from Japan.
Never seen indiana jones doing an unboxing with a big knife like that .
Nice nod to Paul Hogan 😉 Over here, the MIC Tokai LP’s are good value for money, and cheaper than the Epiphones, which ain’t that good anyway. Their Pickups have a nice tone too. Tokai seem to have got the Chinese quality control right. Hopefully you get sent an LSS next time.
Im not slagging MIC Tokais, but I bought an inspired by Gibson junior and its the best les paul I've ever had, and I used to have a tokai...
@@stewdapples267 Love my Epi '59 Les Paul!!!
@@stewdapples267 I think Epiphone have upped their game a little bit recently, I have one of the inspired by gibson SG specials with p90s and I love it! But from what i have heard their QC is all over the place. In my experience the newer range is better than in the past, I had a 2016 Epi LP studio with awful unlevelled frets and pickups sounded muddy as hell
Even made in china with Japanese QC .they’re still better than the poor finished stuff Gibson are now putting out .hopefully the new CEO will sort it out. I like Gibson’s got a couple of them , not knocking them as such ,but for the money they cost ,it’s not good enough …when these and the Japanese tokais are well finished and are cheaper ..they must of been good back in the day that’s why Gibson tried to stop them .they were out Gibsoning Gibson with their les Paul’s ..and seems they still are for QC ❤❤
You've proved that it's the player that makes the guitar. As long as it's of good quality, regardless of where it's made. The days of the Megabucks guitars are numbered. Gibson will not be able to shift enough £2,500+ guitars, to men in suits, to sustain a long term future.
😂 For God's sake, man... we'll send you a smaller safety knife to open your boxes!!! Your fingers are going to come in handy in the future if you decide to continue playing the guitar!! I have a 1989 TOKAI Love Rock myself (LS70-F) - I concur as to the quality and value of the Japanese instruments.
You need a bigger knife John :)
A bad workman blames his tools. Great guitar players let every guitar sing, like you. Please try LS196 MIJ at least. It's with lacquer finish and hard case. I once looked for vintage LS Reborn Old, but price increased higher and higher. It's nonsense lol. Newer is better. LS196 is better than Les Paul Studio. I don't like recent Studio with Ultra Modern Weight Relief.
I think there's something MIJ coming up soon!
@@johnnathancordy It's real new vintage. You will be surprised and satisfied with its quality, maybe.
An LS196 has Gibson 'Historic' specs, without fret edge binding. I'd say it's a LOT LOT better than a LP Studio. 🙂
It has a one piece body, solid maple top, deep neck tenon joint, Gotoh hardware, ABR-1 bridge, brass saddles, aluminium tailpiece, Sanko frets, and of course Nitro finish.
@@guitartoneSA I'll take four
@@guitartoneSA Yes, right. LS MIJ is the value for money.
...so?
The black crap on your fingers is off the strings... new cheap strings will do it as will older dirty strings. Its nickel mostly
Please don’t cut your hand off with that knife 😮
So to address the title of your video that you DIDNT answer, are they worth it? Well, you wont know till you play one.
Its as simole as that.
I own full blown gibson that play like shit and chibsons that after aome minor upgrades play like a dream.
Each olayers tastea and techniques are as individual as the person.
Is it worth it? Go play one and find out for yourself.
If you can't put it down and it inspires you to play more, you'll have your answer.
shame on anyone who buys a Chinese guitar. might as well buy blood diamonds.
Cobblers!
I’ve got a Japanese Tokai sg 136. It’s amazing and it doesn’t day those sad words……..love rock.🪨 why on why did they call it that!!!!!