I'm not looking for a 335 anymore...

[jtwang]

... and this is the reason: MIJ Tokai ES135. It's a keeper.

 

[gadzooka]

Looks fabulous! I'll bet it's great to hold and play.

 

[Tone Disciple]

Looks great! Congrats.

 

[magnido45]

Congrats!!! Very Nice!!! How does the neck feel compared to a Gibson 335 (slim 60's neck)?

 

[jtwang]

I've always found describing neck shapes difficult. That said, I think the Tokai neck is a bit deeper than the 60's slim, but it's certainly not huge. I like the neck shape a lot, it actually feels very much like my '91 Gibson Les Paul Standard.

 

[magnido45]

how did you acquire it? Ebay? New or used? More details pls...

 

[jtwang]

It's new, a late 2008. I put up a want-to-buy on the Tokai forum and got a reply from Gottfried Schmid in Germany. He's a great guy to deal with.

Gotta run, more details to follow.

 

[jtwang]

All right, like I said I got it from a dealer/collector in Germany. To be honest I had some difficulties finding a 335 that I was willing to pull the trigger on so it took me quite some time - several months -before I settled on this one. The reason is largely financial; I didn't want to make a compromise on specs, quality and looks but on the other hand these small block inlay 335s from Gibson (and other brands), especially those with a flamed top/back, are pretty expensive. Finding the right one at the right price sure wasn't easy. H*ll, even finding the right one at the wrong price wasn't easy! Anyway, for a while Edwards seemed like a good enough choice, but when I found this Tokai it was instant game over.

As for specs... they are all over this forum but here we go: mahogany neck, flamed maple top, back and sides, nitro finish, MKII Vintage PAFs, pine/maple/pine sandwich center block, bone nut, correct headstock (and angle). Not sure what counts as "long tenon" but it extends a good 10 mm or so into the pickup cavity. As for electronics, they might be cts and switchcraft, but I'm not sure. I can see orange drop caps through the f-holes.

 

[OrangeAD30TC]

Does this guy have any more? How much? I am looking for a 335 in red with block inlays. Contact info?

 

[karmadave]

Congratulations! Tokai's are excellent guitars (I own 2 of them). If I hadn't already bought a '59 Historic ES-335 I would consider a Tokai. Enjoy!

-KD

 

[jtwang]

Does this guy have any more? How much? I am looking for a 335 in red with block inlays. Contact info?

I think my guitar was the only small block 335 he had at the moment. His website is tokaiguitar.de and he goes by the member handle "togps" at the Tokai forum. (Btw, I have no affiliation whatsoever).

 

[bilbal]

Cool!!! I have an old Tokai Telecaster that I love. It needs a setup desperately but otherwise... It used to play great. I'm sure it will again, I'm just cheap.

 

[HRydarcik]

Congrats!

 

[go7]

Congrats; lookin good!!

 

[scott58]

I'm going to have to check out the tokai. I went with money in hand for an Es 335 based on what I was hearing out of my Variax and didn't like the feel of the gibson at all. Ended up buying a motorcycle.

 

[5E3]

Beautiful! Congrats :AOK

 

[strattitude]

I bought a Tokai ES130 about 6 months ago. It has Duncan '59's in it. I love it!
It killed the Gibson 335's I tried.

Higly recommended!

 

[HRydarcik]

I bought a Tokai ES130 about 6 months ago. It has Duncan '59's in it. I love it!
It killed the Gibson 335's I tried.

Higly recommended!

I had a 1997 lefty Gibson 335 for awhile...to be honest...it was a dog and I ended up selling it after about six months. A little over a year ago I bought a Tokai ES 120 and could not be any happier with it. They're just awesome guitars...virtually perfect right out of the box...not a flaw to be found. I did to a couple of cosmetic changes...put a Gibson historic trc on it and black pickup mounting ring screws...plus I aged the hardware. Plus this week I put a short pickguard on it...I like those better than the long one in the pic.

 

[bluesjuke]

One nice looking guitar jtwang!
I think Tokai ought to specialize in 335 style guitars as they do such a good job on them.

HRydarcik, I've seen yours before and the grain is just how I like them. I do however prefer the long guard.

 

[HRydarcik]

... and this is the reason: MIJ Tokai ES135. It's a keeper.

Just curious...what's the small print on your truss rod cover say? I've never seen a Tokai TRC like that...I wonder if that dealer has them made special? I wouldn't mind getting one for my ES 120.