NGD!!! MIJ Tokai ES-120 (335 clone)!!!

[HeartfeltDawn]

Damn, that's high for a copy.

 

Tokai are slightly higher quality than yer Agile copies..

 

but Orvilles are still better than Tokais to me

[chrisebrooks06]

nice congrats

[Hoddy]

Tokai are slightly higher quality than yer Agile copies.. but Orvilles are still better than Tokais to me

 

 

I've compared them both and they're virtually indentical...what in your opinion about the Orville would make it better to a Tokai?

[HeartfeltDawn]

I had a sunburst ES-120 and a cherry Orville 335. I preferred the Orville. The neck was nicer, not a fan of big chunky necks. I also felt the pickups sounded better on the Orville. I can't remember who makes the pickups for Tokai, whether it's Gotoh or DiMarzio, but they did absolutely nothing for me. I am a pickup snob, undoubtedly so, and I've not liked the pups on most MIJ guitars I've played/owned, be it Jazzmasters, Jaguars, an Edwards 335, Toaki 335, Greco Les Pauls (x2)...

 

The Tokai felt bigger to me all round than the Orville. I also learnt early on that I hate flamed woods

 

it's very much horses for courses. There is little difference between Tokai and Orville. I'm not someone who gets excited by nitro finishes. My favourite guitar ever is my '99 Epi Dot that's been modded to hell and has Bareknuckle Stormy Mondays PAFs installed along with a total rewire, bone nut, fret job etc. I've still got the Orville. Slimmer neck. That's what the Dot has going for it. It's the perfect balance between the slim neck 335s and the chunky Tokai/Edwards necks. The Epi is also 1 3/4" wide at the nut which I absolutely love.

 

I do like your tokai though. I'm coming round to natural

[Hoddy]

I had a sunburst ES-120 and a cherry Orville 335. I preferred the Orville. The neck was nicer, not a fan of big chunky necks. I also felt the pickups sounded better on the Orville. I can't remember who makes the pickups for Tokai, whether it's Gotoh or DiMarzio, but they did absolutely nothing for me. I am a pickup snob, undoubtedly so, and I've not liked the pups on most MIJ guitars I've played/owned, be it Jazzmasters, Jaguars, an Edwards 335, Toaki 335, Greco Les Pauls (x2)... The Tokai felt bigger to me all round than the Orville. I also learnt early on that I hate flamed woods it's very much horses for courses. There is little difference between Tokai and Orville. I'm not someone who gets excited by nitro finishes. My favourite guitar ever is my '99 Epi Dot that's been modded to hell and has Bareknuckle Stormy Mondays PAFs installed along with a total rewire, bone nut, fret job etc. I've still got the Orville. Slimmer neck. That's what the Dot has going for it. It's the perfect balance between the slim neck 335s and the chunky Tokai/Edwards necks. The Epi is also 1 3/4" wide at the nut which I absolutely love. I do like your tokai though. I'm coming round to natural

 

I prefer a chunkier neck, but that again si a personal preference....funny, I had a 97 Gibson 335 and I do recall it being thicker than the Tokai...I also had a late 60's 335 that too me seemed thinner than the 97 335...I think a read somewhere that the Gibby 335s from the 80s onward are a bit thicker than the originals. One thing I like about the Tokai over the Gibson is the neck angle...on my Gibson the turn wheels for the bridge were about 3/8 of an inch above the body and the pickups had to be cranked way abover the pickup rings to get them close to the strings. On my Tokai the turn wheels are 1/8 of an inch above the body and the pickups barely poke above the pickup covers...I think that's a much nicer look...then again that's just aesthitics. I'm with you, I've never cared much for flame tops on 335s (my Gibby was a flame top) and when is saw this blonde plaintop I just couldnt resist.