HOW TO SPOT A FAKE TOKAI GUITAR

I am a fan of Tokai Guitars. I first became aware of the brand in one of my interviews with my pal Gary Moat from Burnt Out Wreck. He plays a Korean Love Rock and introduced me to the brand initially. That was around five years ago and from that moment on, I’ve been on the lookout for Tokai’s ever since.

If I’m honest, it’s become a bit of a fascination. I’ve noticed them at gigs, it delights me when I see one on stage; (Phil Campbell from Motörhead plays one!) I also talk to other players about them every chance I get, I was even chatting to the guy who used to run the Tokai forum on Facebook the other week. I love them. 

My collection started with a Korean SG from 2008, I found it on EBay and that’s where the love truly manifested itself. This was a guitar to rival any Epiphone, it would even give a few Gibson’s a run for its money. Enthused and excited about my new guitar, I texted fellow Tokai fan Gary Moat to tell him, not knowing that this guitar would lead to a bit of a collection.

It was after an interview with former Mama’s Boys guitarist Pat McManus that I discovered the Holy Grail of Tokai guitars. The 1980s lawsuit era Love Rock – a guitar that is quite sought after and fetches a fairly decent price on the used market. Well I found one and it was considerably cheaper than it should have been and I won it! Believe it or not, I was the only bidder! And it is a dream to play. It blows current spec Gibson Les Paul’s out of the water, plus it’s got that mojo of being a guitar that is older than me!! (It’s a 1985 model)

Following that I purchased a few more, a more modern Love Rock, a bright yellow Junior and over this summer a Breezysound; Tokai’s version of a Tele.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with the article title ‘how to spot a fake Tokai’, well every story needs a bit of context and this is a bit of background on my own personal experience with Tokai guitars. They are quality instruments that more people should know about and be playing. So as a Tokai fan, imagine my delight when I see on eBay a Korean Tokai Firebird, circa 2018, being advertised.

It arrived on EBay and looked stunning, I had to make an offer and within minutes had agreed a price. In the description, the seller said that he’d lost the original Tokai Truss Rod cover, but there was a Gibson one  that he’d fitted. He stated he “had every intention of giving it the full relic treatment to make it look like the Gibson Johnny Winter Custom Shop, but I never got round to it” and that was perfect! I don’t like relic guitars. And the truss Rod cover? I’m sure I could get hold of a Tokai one from somewhere. The guitar was on its way, I had a lovely message from the seller saying his wife had packed it in the box it came in and had already shipped it. In two days, my Firebird would arrive!

Well… My suspicions started as soon as it arrived: the box was a polyester box, rather than cardboard, with no Tokai branding on the box at all, as I would expect from a brand like Tokai. This kind of packaging is consistent with cheap Chinese guitars, Chibson’s if you will; and to add insult to injury, I noticed that under all the tape, the remains of a shipping label from, you guessed it, China! Not a good start. 

I opened the box and whilst you can see, the guitar looked stunning, picking it up it just didn’t feel right. It didn’t have that Tokai quality that I was so familiar with. It both felt, and plugged in, sounded cheap. The volume and tone pots are terrible, the volume is either off, or on; and the tone pots barely work, the neck is on or off and the bridge tone is non existent. The neck doesn’t feel like a Tokai neck either – even the binding doesn’t look right. It was much too bright and didn’t blend with the guitar.

The guitar has no serial number either; all Tokai’s come with a serial number from the factory. A Chinese Tokai starts with the preface ‘CN’ whereas a Korean Tokai is just numbered and on the Firebird there was nothing. 

Upon closer inspection, having taken the pickups out, the pickups are unbranded. Tokai pickups, as you can see below are branded with a stamp and unlike the two Tokai guitars pictured you will also notice on the Firebird, there is no shielding either. 

Furthermore; The neck certainly isn’t the Canadian Maple that I would expect either. The firebird logo on the pickguard is actually a sticker and there are also only three screws in the rear control plate cover – the Tokai firebirds come with five. I have been sold a ‘dud’.

So, what did I do? I contacted the seller, who initially wasn’t very impressed that I thought the guitar was a fake. He ‘bought and sold it in good faith’ however, he did offer me a token refund so I can buy a new wiring loom, which I rejected. Because I bought it on EBay, I knew I was protected under the EBay Moneyback guarantee, and so I contacted EBay, and I’m now delighted to say the seller and I have agreed to a refund settlement more appropriate to what I believe the guitar is actually worth. 

This will give me an opportunity to try installing new pickups and wiring looms which I will of course keep you updated on my progress; I’m sure it will make a very entertaining read as I’m the least practical ‘handyman’ person in the world!! Stay tuned…

So, what to look for:

1: Firstly, does the guitar look a quality instrument? 

2; Check for a serial number

3; If you do get a chance to play it, does it feel right. How does the volume and tone react when altered?

3; Check the pickups – do they have any branding?

4; Is the logo a sticker or transfer?

Be careful out there. There are more and more people selling fake Tokai’s now on the internet because the brand is so good and as such, demands a certain price tag. Be really sure what it is your buying. Buying from a reputable store will guarantee an authentic instrument. I hope this has been helpful, and please let me know if you can think of any more points of ‘What to Look for’ when buying a Tokai and I’ll add them to the list. And now… Onto the guitar modding! Wish me luck!