Gibson vs Tokai - Who makes the best LP?

[NicoRubioGuitar]

For $3500 dollars difference… Tokai do an excelent job!

[capitaldharma]

I got a used Tokai Love Rock at a shop in Tokyo for $600. I replaced the pickups and I have to say it was an insane deal for a total of $900. Looks and plays beautifully. I’d much rather have this guitar than a LP studio.

[hkguitar]

Gibson guitars will always be a favorite of Players everywhere.
That said, 3 years ago I purchased a Tokai R4 Goldtop from their Japan Custom Shop, quality of this Tokai is fantastic, every bit as good as a typical Gibson USA.
Pretty amazing as the Custom Tokai cost only 75% of a comparable Gibson.
Great Video and Playing, thank you for the content.

[gregmacklin]

I think the difference between the two is negligent.
If you had both, one day the Toki would sound better and the next day Gibson would have more appealing attributes.
They're both great guitars.

[MotorcityBart]

Dude, that tone from the Tokai when you played Dancing Queen was rich. Some killer playing going on in the U.K. Respect from Detroit 🎸

[pakalkin]

many thanks this is a great video! i wish you write in the description the exact models... theres a lot of tokais LS! just to give us a better idea, many thanks again!

[bottomkitchen]

Glad to see a Tokai video. These guitars are amazing. I have a Tokai and am happy as can be with it.

[leeder]

I've had three tokais. Two goldstar sound strats and my current love rock.
Quite simply, stunning guitars. I can't praise them highly enough.

[juppheidi]

I'd prefer the Tokai. It's got that low mids I love. Nevertheless: Get both and enjoy both!

[Dav]

I've got a Japanese Tokai LS85Q and it's an amazing guitar, I was originally planning on buying a Gibson but the one the shop had felt, played and sounded terrible, then I saw 2 LS85Q Tokai's on the wall, tested them both and they felt perfect straight off the shop wall, they were also several £100 less than the Gibson as well (£899 for the Tokai Vs £1499 for the Gibson), they are very high quality instruments.

I'm trying to see if I can source one of their higher end models at the moment, they used to have their own UK site back when I bought mine where you could order directly from them but that site is gone now.

[marygaleac]

First Tokai in ‘84…..A Reborn Old…..and had them all the way through 2 LoveRocks 2 Customs ES224 335 and the ultimate LS1 R8….No need for that G on the headstock…especially thru a pedalboard and different amps…although 4 of my SGs have Gibson on the headstock…..but that is a necessity on the SG….unless you have my other SG….being Jaydee Iommi Custom…..

[unSTEVOED]

Ive got a Made in Korea Love Rock that Ive had and played for 20 years. Great guitar

[stuartmacdonald]

Tokai Pickups tend to have more treble and less mids than Gibson PAF pickups. But, if you prefer the Gibson pickup tones. There is a very secret magic trick that can cure this. So get ready folks, I am about to let you in on the biggest secret of guitar. OK, here we go. The know that thing you plug your guitar into? I think it is called an amp. If you look at it, you will see some knobs that say things like, Bass, Mid and Treble. You are allowed to touch these and reduce or increase them to level you find pleasing. I know it is a shock, but these knobs were actually invented for this very purpose. I know some of you will say it's cheating because if you can't get the sound you like with all the knobs on at 12 o clock, then the pickups are crap or maybe the guitar, perhaps the amp is just crap.

[greyguy]

Tokai for the price blows the gibson out o c the water.

[nelsonmuntz]

The Gibson seems to have more medium, i would choose it but for the money, Tokai is also great, a 90’s model of the love rock would have been a serious option i guess..Also nice to play Cliff of Dover on a Les Paul and then Abba !

[e.h.]

oh, you like Cliffs of Dover, don't you? Just came across your video as I'm considering a buy of a Tokai and trying to find if the sound is comparable to Gibson's.

[NotBCT]

Have both Gibbys and MIJ LPs (mostly Edwards, but there's a Tokai in there). Have to say that the mid-tier Tokai (mine's an LS 105 from the late aughts) compares very favorably to a current year Les Paul Classic for a fraction of the price (I got mine for the price of an Epiphone).

Yeah, the only thing working against the Tokai are the pickups-- unfortunately they're one-size-fits-all and they tend to be a little hot as a compromise to those who prefer harder tones. Hate to say it, but the Burstbuckers have an edge (and I'm not a huge fan of Burstbuckers).

Not gonna completely hate on Gibson as they seem to be improving things by a noticeable degree ever since the regime change and Henry J's ouster, they've put out good stuff post-2019 (love the newer stuff, only kept a couple of Henry J-era LPs since they're unique and probably won't be made anymore (Smartwoods)).

tl;dr: Tokai makes good stuff. Their mid-tier stuff is comparable to Gibson's $2200-tier offerings for less than a third of the price if you know where to look. Only issue is Tokai's choice of pickups. Too hot and sometimes a bit muddy depending on your amp of choice (my Tokai hates my Fender amps, my Vox AC15).

[jaymax]

As you can see the Tokai is tighter build and sound. The biggest difference is the fret binding, so I chose the Gibson. It should be noted that the low grade Tokai has a veneer flame maple top.The next one I'll get is Tokai's high grade LS, not veneer top, of course one piece back.For 200, 000 yen here in Japan, I can only buy a Les Paul Studio.

[monmixer]

I like them both. I have small hand syndrome so Tokai would be for me. I have playing since I was teenager in the very early 70's. I have never owned a Gibson. We had a great company here sort of close to where I live 2 states away in the midwest called Hamer. The started making hand made guitars in the early to mid 70's and rolled on until the late 80's before there was any out side interference or changes in plans. I was fortunate enough to find one of these while shopping for a Gibson SG and it beat the crap out of the price. It was a DC les paul copy called the Sunburst and they were les paul killers at 700 bucks. In 1980 I bought one there standards which isa Gibson Explorer copy. Still own that own. It's worth a nice chunk today. lo to mid 5 digits and 4 years ago barley cracking 5 digits for a nicer specism. What I areally love about these guitars is the neck. Fit is perfect for me. They do have all of the qualities of a Gibson aside of a nitro finish. they were poly. The company is still out there but none of the same people are involved. The name was sold and they are NOT the same guitars, however they have stepped up their manufactured quality since about 2018.

[funfreq]

With these two examples I liked the Gibson better! It definitely had more clarity and articulation. That said the Tokai is really nice guitar! And if you are not looking for a Gibson label it seems a pickup change would fix that issue.