software

Been damn long since I posted here last time.Anyways...

I found a Tokai that I really fell for on the bay, it's situated in Japan. Have any of you guys imported a guitar from Japan?

It's a KATANA Guitar Auction, so have any of you done business with him? He seem like a very good Ebayer with 99% good feedback or something like that.

Anything special to consider before bidding if I bid?

How about the shipping? it comes with a hardcase.

And at last how about the climate differences between Japan and Northern Europe...Would I end up with a quot;banana neckquot;?

Fast answer are really appreciated

before that, try here.

from : localhost/ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/tokai/index.htm

lots of folks at the tele forum had good experience with ishibashi. click on the tab 'in english' on the top right and send them an email. the customer service reps do speak and write english.

best of luck!
dani

I would expect to pay AT LEAST $100 for shipping. That's why companies don't mind licencing in Japan. They figure by the time you pay for the guitar and shipping, you will have spent as much as it would cost for the real thing.

Here's a link:
from : localhost/cgi.ebay.com/RARE-1980-Tokai-...QQcmdZViewItem

I've checked Ishibashi. But since it's a 1980 Love Rock....it's kinda not gonna work with Ishibashi. (If i were after a new Tokai I'd buy it from a webshop in my country)

Shipping is 160$ and guitar 899$, it still won't be that much in euro since the dollar isn't that high right now. Besides I won't find a -70 or -80 Love Rock in Finland without LOADS of luck

You could be like me and go pick it up. (Had to make this business trip worthwhile...) Ishibashi was awesome to deal with, by the way (Nagoya).

Sorry that doesn't apply to your situation. I just knew shipping was going to be $100 and I really wanted a Fender Japan '52 Tele. So I waited until this trip.

Typically you'll spend around $120 for shipping. The two individual Greco Les Paul Custom clones I bought were around that. The shipping carrier is caleld EMS and when they hit the states they hand off to the USPS, but do so to the top-tier of them; they delivered my first one on a Sunday morning. The website is about as current as UPS' tend to be.

The two orders of two guitars were packaged together and came to about $140 I believe, so if you've got a hankering for two then it would be a good plan to get you to save on shipping.

If you're getting it off of eBay it's the usual gamble. Buying a guitar without laying hands on itis a bet that you can make it play like you want it to, or at least pay someone who can.

Climate differences aren't a major issue; they have Winter there too and a pretty hot Summer now and again. It's wood; just make sure that if you're in the middle of a very warm or cold snap to let it acclimate IN THE BOX. Give it 24 hours and then open it up. It sucks to wait and 24 is probably overkill but I've never heard of major problems with finish cracking or other issues with that span of time.

Okay! I've kinda backed off that eBay guitar now... even though I didn't really want to

Here's my new plan.

Tokai Love Rock ALS-48...price 519€. (from a shop within Finland, no import)

I kinda fell in love with the looks of a coverd pickup in the neck and then a zebra in the bridge. I'm interested in the SD Antiquity (around 160€)...so I'm thinking that one in the neck and a zebra Alnico II Pro or '59 (around 90€) in the bridge. How does that sound?

Then my final price would be 780€ ca. 15€ shipping. And I would have a good guitar with great microphones.

Or should order a Love Rock LS-75( from : localhost/ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/tokai/ls75.htm) instead from Japan, with shipping and all it would cost me about the same as the Love Rock ALS-48 in Finland....

Do you think it's worth ordering the better one from Japan, I mean there are more quot;risksquot; than ordering the cheaper Love Rock from within my country. Dammit, I can't decide...:P

Anyone tried both the ALS-48 and the LS-75 that could comment on the quality?

FWIW...an 80s MIJ Tokia is gonna be a far better guitar than a current production Tokai, that said both are fine guitars but the older Tokai is gonna be a KILLER piece.


Originally Posted by eresseracaOr should order a Love Rock LS-75( from : localhost/ishibashi.co.jp/webshop/guitar/tokai/ls75.htm) instead from Japan, with shipping and all it would cost me about the same as the Love Rock ALS-48 in Finland....

Definitely.

Do you think it's worth ordering the better one from Japan, I mean there are more quot;risksquot; than ordering the cheaper Love Rock from within my country. Dammit, I can't decide...:P

Which risks should that be? Both come with UPS or whatever service there is in Finland...

Anyone tried both the ALS-48 and the LS-75 that could comment on the quality?

I've never played a Korean model (would like to test one though), but own two MIJ Tokais. If you can afford it, always go for the higher model.

thanks for your input!

Tokai Love Rock LS-75 (Violin Finish)

BODY: Maple 2pcs Top , Mahogany back
NECK: Mahogany One Piece Set-Neck
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
BRIDGE: LS-VB
TAILPIECE: LS-VT
PICKUPS: 2 PAF-Vintage MK3
CONTROLS: 2 Volume , 2Tone , 3way-SW
CASE: Soft Case Included
FINISH: Gloss Finish

I think they make 'em in Hammamatsu, Japan.

__________________________________________________ _______

Tokai Love Rock ALS-48 (Violin Finish)TOKAI ALS-48
519€ 15€ shipping
Maple Set-Neck
Rosewood Fingerboard
Flamed Sycamore Laminated Top, Alder back
PAF-vintage MK4 Pickups

The ALS-48 is made in Korea.
__________________________________________________ ______

I mailed ishibashi and asked about the LS75. It would cost:

60000 JPY (429€) Love Rock LS75
16000 JPY (114€) shipping/insurance fee
3000 JPY (22€) bankwire fee
-------------------------------
79000JPY (565€)

That would in other words be a great deal. Only one problem...the LS75 is out of stock. And they won't get it in stock before late December early January, that sucks.... I don't want to wait that long!

Then another question. What is paying by quot;bankwirequot;? I don't have a Creditcard so it would kinda have to be the bankwire. It ain't regular money transfer from my bankaccount to theirs, am I right? An definition of quot;bankwirequot; would be great

bankwire means you would need to go to your bank and have them transfer the money to ishibashi's japanese bank account. in other words, its money transfer.

Take the Japanese one.
They are very highquality guitars.
Used to work in a shop here in DK that carried Tokai.
Woodsound in Denmark has quite a few Tokai's.

Check out Burnys, Orvilles, and Orville by Gibson. The latter is the best LP-clone. High end japan-made guitars.

Well, I'm prob going for a Japanese one from Ishibashi...but a LS-70 instead of a LS-75. It's 4000JPY cheaper, if they got it in stock I might order that one.

They don't have a pic of a Violin Finish one on their site just one with a Gold Top. But I only difference in the little info that I find between the two models are that this one says quot;Maple Topquot; and the LS75 seems to have a quot;Maple 2pcs Topquot;. Anyone knows what the difference between the tops might result in, and any other differences between these two models?

BODY: Maple Top , Mahogany back
NECK: Mahogany One Piece Set-Neck
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
BRIDGE: LS-VB
TAILPIECE: LS-VT
PICKUPS: 2 PAF-Vintage MK3
CONTROLS: 2 Volume , 2Tone , 3way-SW
CASE: Soft Case Included
FINISH: Gloss Finish

The maple top on the LS70 might have three pieces while the LS75 has a bookmatched plain 2-piece top as seen on the picture. The body might also be three instead of two pieces of mahogany.

My advice would either be to wait until December (we are almost in November already) or look for older MIJ Tokais on ebay.com/.co.uk/.de that can be found for EUR 500-600 quite often.

By the way, that picture of the ALS48 rather shows a NLS70, originally made in Japan for the North American export market with rounded cutaway and reversed volume and tone knobs as well as mahogany neck and body and an ABR-1 bridge. An MIK ALS48 has the usual cutaway and knobs, but a maple neck and alder body as well as Nashville style bridge if made for the international market (Canadian versions might have a mahogany body, too).

Just in the future though if you see another auction with the Katakana guys they're really great people. I've trusted them on multiple occasions through ebay. They even give you a link to a site that tracks the travel of the box as it leaves their building then through customs and to you local post office to your house! Really cool.

~#12469;#12531;#12481;#12519;~

Okay, thanks Bob. Good to know that

Hans-Jürgen, i googled imaged on ALS48 and that pic came up so I thought that it at least miight be a proper pic, but I thought it looked a little different though. Okay, 3pcs instead of two of both top and body...how bad is that? No, just joking...I mean how big are differences in tone and such, It's about two months to late December/early Januari.

Should I aim for the LS80F instead then, it's 64000JPY (458€). I've always liked plaintops better than flamed though...what I like though about the LS80F is that they have it with a matt finish, which would be nice imo. Picture is in Matt Oak but anyways...
BODY: Flamed Sycamore Maple Top , Mahogany back
NECK: Mahogany One Piece Set-Neck
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
BRIDGE: LS-VB
TAILPIECE: LS-VT
PICKUPS: 2 PAF-Vintage MK2
CONTROLS: 2 Volume , 2Tone , 3way-SW
CASE: Soft Case Included
FINISH:Matt Finish

It differs how good or bad a three-piece maple top can look, I've seen some really pretty ones in the past e.g. on old Reborns. As for sound difference I would guess you couldn't distinguish it from a two-piece top, because the important thing is that it's solid. But as this is impossible to prove (like other things concerning the neck tenon or veneer) you should go for the looks in my opinion. If you see a three-piece top that you like, buy it. And I only guess that the body of a LS70 would be three pieces of mahogany, the catalog doesn't say this explicitely. So it may come with a two-piece back, too. The influence on sound might also be a little bit bigger, as the mahogany is the main part of the body.

The resale value of a flamed top is of course higher than a plain top, but this is only a hypothetical issue, because you probably will not sell it. And the matt finish might be cool first, but I've also read postings where people tried to polish it afterwards. By the way, there was a nice plain top Tokai LS80 in brown sunburst on Ebay today, but at ~$800 because of its age (from 1980).

Thanks, since I didn't have that much knowledge in les paul type of guitars...Well, Ishibashi will probably reply tomorrow about the LS-70. Might ask them about the LS80F also depending on how it all turns out. I'll sure post more questions after they replied You guys are great

The LS80 that you saw on ebay might? the one that I have linked to in my second post in this tread...RARE Tokai Love Rock LS-80 (1980)? Or is it another one that I have missed?