Guitarist 51

tokai ls-140f, es-155 $2,299, $2,399ELECTRICS

Tokai LS-140F, ES-155 $2,299, $2,399Tokai’s Gibson aping models are no mere knock-offs writes Steve Henderson

The Tokai Gakki Company is an enigma. There’s no other oriental guitar

company (including Ibanez) so revered, and whose instruments are so sought after. Stranger still, this reputation is based not on original designs but on direct, authentic copies of American classics. 1977 saw Tokai, a company already 30 years old, release high quality, affordable copies of Fender’s best models, and top quality Gibson copies followed a year later. It didn’t hurt that both Fender and Gibson had dropped the ball and opened the door for an offshore competitor who knew how to make a great instrument. Fender and Gibson would not address the quality issue for some years to come and other American companies seemed happy to match the quality of the Big Two, rather than offer better alternatives. As a result of legal pressure brought against Tokai, the company chose to concentrate on their original designs. Hence, the current desire for Tokai’s “vintage” instruments.

Fender and Gibson eventually woke to what the market was demanding and started building their own “copies” – first under the Squire and Epiphone marques (some of which were actually made by Tokai!), then under their own traditional logos. Companies like Ibanez, Aria and Tokai developed original designs (mostly variations on the

classics) with varied success and grabbed their share of the low to middle range market – Ibanez even finding frequent success with some models at the serious pro level. Tokai currently has an extensive catalogue of instruments, once again focusing on certain “familiar” designs, with manufacturing located in Japan and China (depending on the series). The two guitars under review are from the Japanese “Vintage Series” and are evidence of Tokai’s well-known commitment to building fine musical instruments, demonstrating just how “vintage” a new guitar can really be.

The LS-140 is a Les Paul-style solid body, while the Tokai ES-155 is a dot-neck thinline. They share certain

construction values: one-piece mahogany neck (with an 18° headstock angle), bone nut, rosewood board, chrome hardware, Gotoh tuners, Japanese PAF-style pickups, and even the cool brown “vintage paisley deluxe” case (not that we’ve ever actually seen an old brown paisley case) which is exclusive to Australia. They also have a five-year warranty – not too shabby! So, we loaded up some Ernie Ball 10-52s and got ready to rock.

LS-140FIs there a classier-looking rock guitar than a cherry burst Les Paul? 60 years on, the design is still as contemporary as ever. It’s perfect for most styles of music played today and has proved its worth on countless stages and sessions by artists as

Test Gear

Mesa TA-15, Mesa/Boogie Mk IV, tweed Fender Bassman, VHT Classic 18, Blackstar HT Club 40, HiWatt G50; Boss DS-1 and DN-2, MI Audio Crunch Box, Suhr Riot, Suhr Shiba Drive, Rocktron Valve Charger, Hermida Audio Zendrive.GUITAR: Tokai LS-140F

diverse as Chuck Berry, Zakk Wylde, Al Di Meola, the late Gary Moore, Neil Young, Keith Urban, Mike Bloomfield and even, believe it or not… Les Paul. Those robust rhythm and lead tones just seem to work. Tokai’s latest take on this iconic design is no cheesy imitation but a solid tribute to a classic.

As soon as you pick up the LS-140F, you feel like this guitar was made to rock. And the look is decidedly familiar (so is the weight) and it has all the right features so there’s no mistaking the heritage or the intent. The maple top has a striking but not-too-overdone flame with a beautifully applied sunburst. The mahogany body is surprisingly resonant,

Probably due to Carlton’s influence, the ES-155 seems to thrive in a high gain environment

50 Guitarist

tokai ls-140f, es-155 $2,299, $2,399ELECTRICS

and a long-tenon neck joint makes for excellent transfer – so the neck and body really feel like one unit. Also, the 18º headstock angle (more like the old Gibsons than the ‘70s and ‘80s models) increases the string tension and can’t help but make a difference. Actually, the neck is a nice replication of a comfortable ‘50s neck, but not the bulkier version and not at all like the slim ‘60s necks. Combine all this with the rich rosewood fretboard and the perfectly dressed frets, and you have a superbly playable instrument with plenty of feel and loads of character.

The LS-140F has tone for days! Through our Boogies, our Deluxe Reverb and an MI Amplification Iron Duke, it performed mightily, with all the mid punch you’d expect from this type of guitar. These Japanese pickups are high output and big on tone, offering a rich and focused voice, even through the Deluxe. Predictably, the middle position was not as useful as the front and back sounds. The 50-watt Iron Duke offered all those Brit tones (only smoother) that gave birth to heavy rock, and it was like these two were born for each other. We dragged out our venerable DS-1 pedal and plugged into the Deluxe for some righteous low-level crunch and grind, and into a Mk.IV Boogie the LS-140F is absolutely right!

The “Love Rock” moniker notwithstanding (it was cool in the ‘70s and this guitar is a re-issue, sort of), the Tokai LS-140F is a killer guitar at a great price. The lacquer finish and the aged binding add to the cool vintage vibe but the sound is what grabs you – it’s loud, rich

and articulate. Details such as the smooth taper of the pots, the positive feel to the switch, the aluminium tailpiece and the brass saddles all add to a satisfying playing experience and give evidence to the care and attention-to-detail for which Tokai is renowned, and it’s also reflected in the five-year warranty. Having played a number of these in the last couple of years, it’s great to see consistently high quality in the workmanship and the sound – because, in the end, it’s all about touch and tone. With a vintage sound and an old-school feel, the LS-140F delivers on both counts.

ES-155Thinlines were first seen in 1958, designed to be the missing link between the new-ish solid body and a traditional jazzer. Larry Carlton, Eric Clapton, John Scofield, Alvin Lee, Chuck

Berry, Eric Johnson, Alex Lifeson, BB King, Gatemouth Brown, John McLaughlin, Dave Grohl, and even Jimi… all found the thinline to be a significant instrument. The ES series is still available – the only electric guitar range from the Big G to be in continual production for all that time. And why not? It’s a classic design that covers more aural ground than most, and it’s spawned a host of serious copies (not your $100 knock-offs) from some serious companies – most notably Yamaha (SA2000), Ibanez (Artist) and, of course, Tokai. While Yamaha and Ibanez chose to create their own unique variations on the basic design, Tokai went after a more authentic reproduction, with no shortcuts.

The ES-155 is a smart looking guitar – the sunbursting, the classy flame, the vintage-style

cream binding, the lacquer finish, the tulip-button tuners, the Mickey Mouse ears… even the headstock inlay is in roughly the right spot. The rosewood fingerboard looks fine and is great to play, and the neck is slim (but not skinny), fast and super-comfy, and the body vibrates confidently with every brush of the pick. The tones are strong and mid-focused, with a good deal more air and a little more top-end zing. Probably due to Carlton’s influence, this guitar seems to thrive (at least, in our collective psyche) in a high gain environment, so the Boogies and the Iron Duke offered some impressive lead tones, tones that retained plenty of the guitar’s inherent character. Cranking up the DN-2 and the Shiba Drive into a Deluxe gave us some tones that were more focused, not as broad, and totally useable. Feedback, you ask? At high levels, absolutely – and it’s entirely controllable and just adds to the fun. Access up the neck is no problem but you have to get used to the bulk of the body because it doesn’t “move” like a solid body, the upside of which is that the

The LS-140F’s solid mahogany flamed maple top

52 Guitarist

tokai las-140f, es-155 $2299, $2399ELECTRICS

Tokai ES-155

PRiCe: $2399oRiGiN: JapantYPe: Electric thinlineBoDY: Flamed, laminated mapleNeCk: Mahogany, set and gluedsCale leNGtH: 629mm / 24.75”tUNeRs: Gotoh (Kluson-style)NUt: BoneWiDtH of neck at the nut: 41.2mm/1.62”WiDtH of neck at the 15th fret: 54.1mm/2.13”fiNGeRBoaRD: Rosewood, 12”/304.8mm radiusfRets: 22, mediumHaRDWaRe: ChromeBRiDGe/sPaCiNG: Tunamatic, 52.0mm/2.04”eleCtRoNiCs: 2 x PAF-style humbuckers, 3-way, 2 x volume, 2 x tonefiNisH: High gloss lacqueraCCessoRies: Tokai Vintage Paisley Deluxe Case (included)

Test results

Build quality Playability sound Value for money

GUitaRist RatiNG

Tokai LS-140F

PRiCe: $2299oRiGiN: JapantYPe: Electric solidbodyBoDY: Solid mahogany, flamed maple topNeCk: Mahogany, set and gluedsCale leNGtH: 629mm / 24.75”tUNeRs: Gotoh (Kluson-style)NUt: BoneWiDtH of neck at the nut: 42.7mm/1.68”WiDtH of neck at the 15th fret: 54.1mm/2.13”fiNGeRBoaRD: Rosewood, 12”/304.8mm radiusfRets: 22, mediumHaRDWaRe: ChromeBRiDGe/sPaCiNG: Tunamatic, brass saddles, 54.5mm/2.14”eleCtRoNiCs: 2 x PAF-style humbuckers, 3-way, 2 x volume, 2 x tonefiNisH: High gloss lacqueraCCessoRies: Tokai Vintage Paisley Deluxe Case (included) Jade australia03 9457 8000www.jadeaustralia.com.au

Test results

Build quality Playability sound Value for money

GUitaRist RatiNG

ES-155 feels more “connected” to the player.

In fact, there’s something about playing a thinline that’s just a little more organic than other guitars. It’s not just the semi-acoustic nature of the design, it’s also the size, the shape and the way it kinda hugs you while you’re playing – most other guitars just love you at the gig, this one wants a relationship. The ES-155 has all that and more – like a punchy output and a fast neck, like a tune-o-matic bridge without that annoying retaining spring, like a very slightly narrowed string spacing that makes for easier upper fret work, like an 18° headstock angle that adds a little more tension without the extra bulk of heavier strings.

But it’s the clean tones that really set this type of guitar apart from its solid body siblings. There’s a certain ring to both single notes and chords, a certain breath that the semi-hollow body imparts, and a particular percussive attack, unlike any other electric, that presents itself uncompressed and loaded with presence. The ES-155 delivers some gorgeous

The Bottom LineWe like: Great rock feel and drive.We dislike: Middle sound is not quite funky enough. Guitarist says: A genuine alternative at a good price.

The Bottom LineWe like: Rich tones and a great feel.We dislike: Middle position won’t see much action. Guitarist says: A seriously good thinline for the working muso.

“The ES-155 is an infectious guitar to play - we didn’t want to put it down, let alone give it back...”

Get a load of that headstock, eh?

clean tones, even through a solid-state combo. The back pickup has plenty of warm bight and growl, but the front pickup is big and round and so toneful that you might not use much else. And the middle position, like just about all twin humbucker guitars, is there but you’ll probably never use it…those other two sounds are just so good.

While solid bodies have a strong focus to their tone, they can sound quite sterile when compared to the ES-155’s organic shimmer – it’s a sound that let’s you play cleaner through whatever the set up due to its more complex harmonic content. The overtones seem to be bubbling away just below the surface. Most of all, it’s an infectious guitar to play. We didn’t want to put it down, let alone give it back. It arrived nicely set up but we changed the strings anyway – it sounded fine but it absolutely thrived on the Ernie Ball 10-52s, the perfect gauge for this scale length. If you want “that” sound but with a bit more breadth, this may be the one to check out.