Tokai uses a seven-digit serial number usually pressed into the back of the headstock for the Gibson model replicas. Furthermore, MIK Gibson replica guitars usually have a neck made from maple, and the body wood is usually made from either alder, agathis or nato. The MIK guitars usually have a different Nashville style bridge instead of the usual ABR-1 bridge. Japanese guitars have a two-screw truss rod cover whereas the Korean guitars have a three-screw truss rod cover (although some early Korean guitars also have two-screw truss rod covers). The MIK (Made in Korea) guitars can be differentiated by the truss rod cover. Tokai guitars made in Korea (MIK) are lower priced guitars, similar to the Korean Epiphone guitars. Korean production started around the mid-1990s. Tokai guitars have been made in Japan, Korea and China.

The higher priced Tokai Gibson replicas have nitrocellulose finishes and long tenon neck joints. 2010 for $1200 that's also amazing.The original selling price in Japanese yen is often included in the model number-for example TLS-100 = 100,000 Japanese yen. but I'd love any ideas on how I could identify it better.Īs for the OP if you haven't got one yet and are still looking he has. The guitar players like a dream and sounds amazing. Now that I own it I would say at worst he might know why (could of been listed in the auction he got it from) and it's something he thought might of stalled the sale? There no marks on the neck that would indicate a repair or replace paint and one of the Greco's I was looking at had a neck repair and he very quickly told me about that? We spent 3 hours playing different guitars and just going over what to look for in certain models/auctions. He told me he didn't know Why it didn't have one and honestly I think I believe him. In the flesh it's clearly a Japanese model (if it's fake or made somewhere else it's a **** good copy of a copy). So much so that I didn't really think about the serial number.

No **** he has at least 40 different Japanese guitars in his guitar room (all the known Jap lawsuit brands) and I was blown away by his knowledge of not only the guitars but the factories and basically just everything Japanese guitars (he doesn't have ESP or Ibanez, really more of a Gibson/fender clone collector).Īnyway I played the Greco's and then the Tokai and I personally immediately fell in love with it. I actually went there to try a few Greco's he had listed on a Facebook group and saw this Tokai on eBay the day before, saw the suburb and put 2+2 together.Ībout the seller. I actually went to the guy's house as he lives around the corner from me so I got to try it whick is always a plus. I found this post cos I searched 'Japanese Tokai no serial number' So I bought this exact guitar today and here's what I know and then I'd love anyone's input.

Tokai guitars serial number 71040004