I haven't posted in a while, as I've been selling a few things, and doing a bit of guitar shopping at the same time, which has taken up way more of my time than expected.
A Yamaha SL500 or an Aria Pro II Leopard were looking promising at one stage, as I was looking around for a vintage Japanese Les Paul, and then I saw a Tokai Love Rock from the premium range appear second-hand for a decent price... slight change of plan and budget.
It's a 59-spec Les Paul, and it feels and sounds great. I wasn't sure about the Seymour Duncan Phat Cat P90-style pickups the previous owner had installed, but they sound good. The previous owner was selling the Love Rock as he's a Fender guy and could never get used to the neck profile.
TOKAI LS260 LOVE ROCK - MADE IN JAPAN, 2011
HOW DOES THE LOVE ROCK SOUND?
It's often difficult to describe sound, but I'll give it a go. Acoustically it sounds really nice - loud and clear, good note articulation - one of the best solid body electrics I've ever heard acoustically.
The neck pickup has a nice rounded tone, enough bass to make me happy but not enough to get muddy, and it's not too bright either. The bridge pickup has a good focused midrange bite, but it's not too hard on the ears. A bridge pickup that I can live with is usually a sign of a decent set of pickups to me, as I generally prefer the neck.
And of course, a 59 Les Paul is famous for sustain - who better to describe it than Nigel from Spinal Tap.
LOVE ROCK LS260 BUILD QUALITY
It's pretty much flawless, from what I can see. The action is low, and the fretwork is excellent.
The neck profile is on the slightly larger side of things compared to some modern necks, but still very comfortable. I like it.
Electronics and hardware are all great. The cavity is insulated.
It's one of the few guitars that I've bought where I don't feel like I need to change anything or tweak it for better playability.
IS THE TOKAI LOVE ROXK BETTER THAN A GIBSON LES PAUL?
The age-old question/debate for a high-end Japanese Les Paul - is it better than a Gibson? It's definitely better than a Gibson that I recently played, but I've never actually picked up a 1959 Les Paul. So better than some, yes, better than all, probably not. For the money I paid, there's no question that it's better value, as long as you're OK with a guitar called "Love Rock".
TOKAI LOVE ROCK LS260 SPECIFICATIONS - 2011, MADE IN JAPAN
- Two piece Maple top - looks like a honey burst
- One piece Mahogany back
- One-piece Mahogany neck
- Rosewood fretboard, 12-inch radius
- 22 frets
- Switchcraft switch and jack
- CTS pots
- Sprague black beauty capacitors - which are gigantic... and completely pointless as a cap is a cap…. I’ve seen a few different options in higher-end Tokai’s, so I guess someone thinks this is a selling point.
- PAF Vintage MKII hum buckers are stock - this one had Seymour Duncan Phat Cats installed (it did come with the original pickups in the case)
- Pickguards are installed upon request, which is nice - no holes in the guitar if you prefer not to have one
- Not sure about the weight - it's not light, that's for sure
Excellent choice! I'm a big fan of les paul and own an R9。It’s amazing, but it’s too expensive for me, so I don’t take it out to livehouse。I usually bring TOKAI or Epiphone with BurstBucker pickups 。
ReplyDeleteHi Ding. Nice…. I think I’d be leaving the R9 at home as well.
Deletelooks lovely, pristine condition, ever seen/heard the larry corsa peter green pickups, thats what i'd go for, but thats just my biasted opinion, seeing pg is my favourite blues guitarist
ReplyDeleteI’ve not heard of Larry Corsa, let alone Peter Green. Will have to look them up.
DeleteThe pickups are fine for me. This is one guitar I’m happy to leave alone. Although there is a reasonable chance that I’ll put the original hum buckers back in one day.
There’s a guy down the road from me that winds pickups (Dave Leddin). He did a PAF style humbucker for the neck position of my Epiphone Dot, and it’s great - if I ever need anything he would be my go to. Slightly hot Gibson in the bridge position for the record.