Tokai LS150

Tokai is a small Japanese company that has been making clones of 50s and 60s Gibsons and Fenders since the late seventies. Why? Because at the time the quality of both companies was at rock-bottom. Japanese players were crying out for the classic models that made these companies famous - something they chose not to give for profit reasons. Several local companies stepped into the gap and gave the world its first replicas of the famous vintage guitars.

 

Now they have been making these replicas longer than anyone else, even though Gibson and Fender have begun making their own replicas. Fender contracted their Japanese-made guitars to Tokai and other quality Japanese makers, while Gibson charged a huge premium for quality that came standard in the 50s and 60s.

 

Tokai has been doing it longer, and still at reasonable prices. This guitar is Tokai's equivalent of a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard. It's light, resonant, woody - and yet it's made from solid mahogany without "tone-chambers" or "weight-relief" that Gibson uses to bring it's low-grade mahogany down to 50s weight in its factory models. The stock pickups are comprehensively rich and deep. The tone is magical.

 

I think I know how Clapton felt when he plugged his 1960 Les Paul into an amplifier in the shop, played a bit, and said: "Yeah. I'll take it."

 

The amp is a "silver-face" Fender Bassman 10 that needs some serious TLC. Someone did a number on this old gal. It's only carrying 3 speakers and some mysterious and pointless tinkering has gone on under the hood.

 

One of these days I'll have it thoroughly serviced. It sounds so good that it deserves it.

Done