Tokai LS-140F, ES-155 - tokai guitars australia

tokai ls-140F, es-155 $2,299, $2,399
ELECTRICS
tokai ls-140f, es-155 $2,299, $2,399
ELECTRICS
Tokai LS-140F, ES-155 $2,299, $2,399
Tokai’s Gibson aping models are no mere knock-offs writes Steve Henderson
T
he 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
50 Guitarist
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-140F
Is 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
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,
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
The LS-140F’s solid mahogany flamed maple top
Probably due to Carlton’s influence,
the ES-155 seems to thrive in a high
gain environment
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 fiveyear 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-155
Thinlines 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 knockoffs) 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 midfocused, 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
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
Guitarist 51
tokai las-140f, ES-155 $2299, $2399
ELECTRICS
Get a load of that headstock, eh?
“The ES-155 is an infectious guitar to
play - we didn’t want to put it down, let
alone give it back...”
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 semihollow 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
52 Guitarist
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.
The Bottom Line
The Bottom Line
We like: Great rock feel and
drive.
We dislike: Middle sound is
not quite funky enough.
Guitarist says: A genuine
alternative at a good price.
We 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.
Tokai LS-140F
Tokai ES-155
PRICE: $2299
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Electric solidbody
BODY: Solid mahogany, flamed
maple top
NECK: Mahogany, set and glued
SCALE LENGTH: 629mm / 24.75”
TUNERS: Gotoh (Kluson-style)
NUT: Bone
WIDTH 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 radius
FRETS: 22, medium
HARDWARE: Chrome
BRIDGE/SPACING: Tunamatic,
brass saddles, 54.5mm/2.14”
ELECTRONICS: 2 x PAF-style
humbuckers, 3-way, 2 x volume, 2 x
tone
FINISH: High gloss lacquer
ACCESSORIES: Tokai Vintage Paisley
Deluxe Case (included)
Jade Australia
03 9457 8000
www.jadeaustralia.com.au
PRICE: $2399
ORIGIN: Japan
TYPE: Electric thinline
BODY: Flamed, laminated maple
NECK: Mahogany, set and glued
SCALE LENGTH: 629mm / 24.75”
TUNERS: Gotoh (Kluson-style)
NUT: Bone
WIDTH 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 radius
FRETS: 22, medium
HARDWARE: Chrome
BRIDGE/SPACING: Tunamatic,
52.0mm/2.04”
ELECTRONICS: 2 x PAF-style
humbuckers, 3-way, 2 x volume, 2 x
tone
FINISH: High gloss lacquer
ACCESSORIES: Tokai Vintage Paisley
Deluxe Case (included)
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