So, at the same time as I was narrowly avoiding scams, I stumbled across a guitar I've been after for donkey's years...
It's a 2003 Tokai TJ60, a copy of a 58 Les Paul Jr. doublecut.
It's brilliant - thick, wide neck, light mahogany body, the bloke who had it before me has replaced the pots and put an orange drop in there (FAO MIEK), the bloke before him has fitted one of those butt-ugly Wilkinson compensated wraparounds and thrown the original away. Bit you can't have it all...
I'm everso, everso pleased with it.
* not only was the bloke I bought it off lovely, he also used to be Roy Harper's shepherd. PUNTASTIC!
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:37 pm
by Freddy V-C
Didn't you have a custom made Gordon Smith one of these? Or am I imagining things?
Either way, it's lovely.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:46 pm
by benecol
I had a singlecut Gordon Smith; it felt a bit redundant when I built my tele (they did similar jobs and I love teles above all else), so I bid it a fond farewell and sold it to NickD in order to raise funds for my 335. Then suffered from buyer's remorse for about three months.
I also used to have an Edwards TV yellow Jr DC, but sold it to fund my Jazzmaster.
In 2007.
When you were about fucking six or something ridiculous.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 3:58 pm
by Freddy V-C
I wasn't even born.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:00 pm
by benecol
Now stuck on internal jukebox:
[youtube][/youtube]
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:08 pm
by sunshiner
I can't express how much I envy you
These Tokai's are stunning and your is not an exception, more photos please. Once I tried to buy one for about $600(+shipping$120), but was outbid 10 or 5 seconds before the auction ended. After this I bought myself Junior kit, but it is still laying inside my wardrobe waiting for the better times.
I'm agree with you about Wilkinson bridge, it looks ridiculous. I tried it on my kit and didn't like it. Then I tried Badass style bridge, it requests a steep angle of the neck to the body because it is quite tall, but it fitted my guitar nice. Nontheless I don't like the feeling of it, it is very tall and has sharp edges.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 4:14 pm
by sunshiner
[youtube][/youtube]
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:13 pm
by Hurb
I really really like it Tim. If we ever meet again I would love a right good old go on that.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:28 pm
by benecol
We'll meet again, Hurb...
*short pause here while Vera Lynn gets stuck on Fran and NickS's internal jukebox*
Cleaned it up and restrung it this afternoon. Quite a lot of fret wear on the cowboy chord frets (which I take as a good sign - nice to see a guitar's been played), and some manky green gunk around the same frets. Cleaned it with LemOil and a toothbrush, the fretboard's nice and dark anyway. Neck tenon's good, extends almost all the way back to that pickguard screw central to the P90. The pickup is a Gotoh one, sounds good to my ears. Can't quite suss out what he's done to the wiring - one of the earths had come adrift, but resoldering it made precisely no difference (not that there was any problem in the first place - earths confuse me). The volume pot rolls off very quickly (virtually silent by 7) so will probably rewire it soon anyway (flushed with my own success on the Firebird, see).
Was pleasantly surprised that the Wilkinson bridge was aluminium, but:
a) The strings go in at a weird break-angle, so are swines to get back out again when you're changing strings, unless you want to take the whole bridge off, and...
b) It looks like something from Judge Dredd's utility belt, and has Trev Fucking Wilkinson's name on the front of it, which gives me UK guitar shop fear.
... so I'll replace it with a plain aluminium stoptail.
Sounds fucking belting.
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:16 pm
by Fran
"There'll always be an England..."
Awesome Tim. Looks cracking. Good score.
A simple rewire is a small price to pay.
P.S. You will be catching me up on DNA removed from second hand guitars. I could have profiled seven people and an Alsation from the Vantage fretboard.
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:23 am
by DasBeef
One of these is very much on my list to own. Nice score man. Enjoy it!
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 8:33 am
by NickS
benecol wrote:We'll meet again, Hurb...
short pause here while Vera Lynn gets stuck on Fran and NickS's internal jukebox HMV Model 101*
Fixed
*
► Show Spoiler
Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:41 pm
by Thom
Looks very tasty indeed.
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 7:31 pm
by lorez
The colour is lovely and I bet it's a beast with some nice overdrive
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:24 pm
by NickD
Tim, that is lovely, I have a real soft spot for DC juniors.
Nicks - strangely I have an almost identical record player in my dining room, and some 78s to play on it
Posted: Tue Jul 23, 2013 10:04 pm
by Dave
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:30 am
by Progrockabuse
i knew you'd end up getting another jr style tokai. very very nice benecol. how they compare to the sg?
just open the case of my/your tokai sg jr to have a quick strum, must remember to wipe it after a sweaty pub gig. blackened strings fail!
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:08 pm
by NickS
NickD wrote:Nicks - strangely I have an almost identical record player in my dining room, and some 78s to play on it
They're great to take on picnics (and embarrass the kids). I have two but the spring is knackered on one.
Posted: Wed Jul 24, 2013 7:05 pm
by NickD
Fran wrote:"There'll always be an England..."
Awesome Tim. Looks cracking. Good score.
A simple rewire is a small price to pay.
P.S. You will be catching me up on DNA removed from second hand guitars. I could have profiled seven people and an Alsation from the Vantage fretboard.
I'd already given it a bit of a clean with the strings still on before you, and used half a bottle of polish on the body (after removing the stupid stickers).
I don't understand how guitars can get that dirty.
