Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd. (東海楽器製造株式会社, Tōkai Gakki Seizō Kabushiki-gaisha?), often referred as Tokai Guitars Company Ltd., is a Japanese guitar manufacturer founded in 1947 and situated in Hamamatsu city, Shizuoka perfecture. Tokai Guitars produces acoustic guitars, electric guitars, electric basses, autoharps, and melodicas.
A Japanese Tokai SG-60
Guitars branded with the Tokai name are made in Japan and Korea. The Japanese built instruments are very highly regarded amongst players and collectors, as equal quality to USA made Gibson and Fenders. A drawback to some middle- to lower-range models is their tonally inferior polyester finish, as opposed to nitrocellulose which was used on vintage Gibson and Fender guitars. Higher-end Tokai guitars, however, feature this nitrocellulose finish applied in much the same manner as the originals. Some vintage models can fetch as high a price as 'genuine' guitars from the same period. This was during the so called lawsuit era of the late '70s and early '80s. The highest quality Tokais are considered by many to actually surpass the quality of contemporary Fender and Gibson guitars.
Tokai guitars made in Korea (MIK) are of a lower quality, similar to modern Epiphone guitars. The guitars can easily be differentiated by the truss rod cover; Japanese guitars (just as USA-made guitars) have 2 holes, whereas Korean guitars have 3 holes. MIK models usually have white plastic plates on the back of the guitar, too, as well as a different bridge in "Nashville style", i.e. with additional bushings for the posts instead of the ABR-1 bridge with its thinner posts directly drilled into the wood. Furthermore MIK copies have a maple neck instead of mahogany like the Japanese models, and the body wood usually is either alder, agathis or nato instead of mahogany, too.
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Originally published on Wikipedia
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