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Les Pauls - does it really need to be a gibson?


samzadgan

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Tokai Les Pauls are awesome. After playing and recording a few they sound really good. If you had three Gibsons and three Tokais in a blind fold test, most would not be able to tell.

 

sorry, but I would :)

 

I've played quite a few Tokai LPs and, while they are very good, they are not as good in terms of tone and feel as a Les Paul Standard. Of course, this is just based on my own experience.

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Awesome! I just picked up a '74 Univox LP copy, because that's what I could afford right now. Always wanted a LP, will still get on, but just not right now.

 

 

I have a 1967 Univox accoustic which is a very good copy of the Gibson Humingbird. Univox's are very well made and, if your's is in decent shape, I'm betting it will impress you to the extent you won't be in a hurry for a true LP. They are fast becoming quite collectible with prices climbing too. I'd love to see a pic of your's.

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My experience, which is somewhat limited to about 50 electric guitars I've owned plus all I've played with is: A good Gibson LP is really hard to find the equal of in less expensive brands. Put another way, I have never personally played a set-neck guitar with humbuckers which did "that" as well as a genuine Gibson. The feel, the sound, the presence of a good Gibson is just special. No it's not all in my head.

 

 

I might have to agree. I've only played a few Gibson's, maybe it's just the prestige and the beauty of a custom but it's just not the same, playing anything else. It's probably in my head, I'm sure tone wise you can get real close but there's just this thing about them.... The look, the feel, the prestige just feels right.

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I've had two Gibson LPs over the past 23 years, sold both off. Found a Dillion gold top copy from Canada for around $275 shipped last year, I believe these are made by Tokai in Korea. GREAT, dead-on copy. Love it. Doubt I'd be able to find anything else as good for under $500.

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Whoa that rocks, what is it?

 

 

The luthier at SMK built that lp completely by hand for himself. He doesnt sell them. Its got a 3piece maple neck, ebony board, jumbo frets, duncan '59s, purple burst nitro finish, gibson hardware, maple top and the mahogany back is shaved a bit to cut some weight. Switchcraft, CTS, etc. Neck & headstock angles are true to the original. Bone nut.

 

I love the disappearing flame top. Never seen anything like it. Goes from wild to mild depending on the angle and lighting. Just an awesome lp all the way around.

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The luthier at SMK built that lp completely by hand for himself. He doesnt sell them. Its got a 3piece maple neck, ebony board, jumbo frets, duncan '59s, purple burst nitro finish, gibson hardware, maple top and the mahogany back is shaved a bit to cut some weight. Switchcraft, CTS, etc. Neck & headstock angles are true to the original. Bone nut.


I love the disappearing flame top. Never seen anything like it. Goes from wild to mild depending on the angle and lighting. Just an awesome lp all the way around.

 

 

Yeah, it's ridiculous.

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I've had a Tokai that was dead on an early80`s one. i had a Korean one a few years ago and it was utter crap. the wood wasn't hard enough to hold the bridge in place when i bent a string, i had that thing for two days. i do regret selling the Japanese Tokai. at the moment I have an early 80`s Hamer that just smokes anything ever made by anybody. one piece mahogany back and one piece flame maple top, cant get that on a gibbo.

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sorry, but I would
:)

I've played quite a few Tokai LPs and, while they are very good, they are not as good in terms of tone and feel as a Les Paul Standard. Of course, this is just based on my own experience.

 

if you're talking mij tokais i couldn't disagree with you more

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see, the thing with me is that as much as i would like to go for

anything BUT a gibson les paul (as everyone has them. no originality...)

what i keep looking for in guitars is that feel. as of late, every guitar

i pick up has that nasty bullet proof poly finish on them that really

irritate me.

 

and when i pickup a gibson, i imedetly fall in love with that nitro finish.

i love seeing a bit of the grain in the back of the neck and the body.

i love seeing a bit of that ripple effect on the flamed top

i love seeing the small imperfections in the grains of guitar

and thats why i LOVE the feel of them.

 

however, when i say i love the feel of the gibsons, i really dont

care what i'm grabbing. if its a 3000 dollar gibson custom, or a 600

dollar faded mahogany, or 800-1000 dollar BFG, they all play the same to me.

or the 850 dollar 50's and 60's tributes....

 

with that said, my favorite guitars are actually the cheaper faded mahogany and the BFG line....go figure...

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I've had two Gibson LPs over the past 23 years, sold both off. Found a Dillion gold top copy from Canada for around $275 shipped last year, I believe these are made by Tokai in Korea. GREAT, dead-on copy. Love it. Doubt I'd be able to find anything else as good for under $500.

 

 

look into Agile guitars.

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In my heart of hearts, is a Non-Gibson Les Paul as good as a real Les Paul?

Maybe!

I have a Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II that I play far more than my 1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard.

My 1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard is a fine guitar but nowhere near as versatile as my Epiphone Les Paul Ultra II. Also my 1976 Gibson Les Paul Standard is too heavy.

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see, the thing with me is that as much as i would like to go for

anything BUT a gibson les paul (as everyone has them. no originality...)

what i keep looking for in guitars is that feel. as of late, every guitar

i pick up has that nasty bullet proof poly finish on them that really

irritate me.


and when i pickup a gibson, i imedetly fall in love with that nitro finish.

i love seeing a bit of the grain in the back of the neck and the body.

i love seeing a bit of that ripple effect on the flamed top

i love seeing the small imperfections in the grains of guitar

and thats why i LOVE the feel of them.


however, when i say i love the feel of the gibsons, i really dont

care what i'm grabbing. if its a 3000 dollar gibson custom, or a 600

dollar faded mahogany, or 800-1000 dollar BFG, they all play the same to me.

or the 850 dollar 50's and 60's tributes....


with that said, my favorite guitars are actually the cheaper faded mahogany and the BFG line....go figure...

 

 

Nitro is pretty easy to find on MIJ copies. A few even do oil finishes.

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Trying to match a Les Paul Standard is every bit as difficult as trying to match any other guitar. There are many variables that make it very difficult to do. Is the Les Paul Standard a very good guitar? For many, yes, it is. Are there other guitars better than the LP Standard? Absolutely! They sound different and play different but there are many that are superior for less money and for more money.

 

The most important aspect for me is HOW is plays. Most of the sound is in the amp and then the pickups anyway and that can always be changed.

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Just my experience. Maybe I have been unusually fortunate to have owned very good Les Paul Standards
:)

 

or maybe you played very low end tokai's? They made so many models over the years all up and down the price spectrum....and many not even made in Japan.

 

People do tend to blanket some of the brands like tokai as one thing...either all fantastic or whatever....but it really depends on the model.

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