Tokai Mk1 Modified Pickups in Tokai LS150F Made In Japan - Matt Thorpe

Here we have the Tokai Mk1 pickups modified with Alnico 5 magnets. A polished A5 in the neck and rough cast A5 in the bridge. The pickups are back in the guitar from which they originally came, a Tokai LS150F, Made In Japan. This a bit of blues busking recorded direct as usual through the Line 6 PODxt.

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Music

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• Matt
• Thorpe
• Tokai
• LS150
• Japan
• Love
• Rock
• Les
• Paul
• blues
• electric
• guitar
• demo
• lesson
• improvisation

[MrEvilsyn]

mattukgtr...how to spot between fake china/korea tokai & original japan made tokai guitar? TQ

[Mattukgtr]

@MrEvilsyn Tokai have genuinely made cheaper guitars in firstly Korea and now in China. They stil make guitars in China. They still make their more expensive and better quality guitars in Japan. The Japanese made guitars have Made in Japan on the back of the headstock.

[Mattukgtr]

The modified pickups were an experiment. There was a lot of difference in the sound and how the guitar feels to play. Of course it depends on what style of music you are playing etc. I have gone back to using a DiMarzio DP-100 Super Distortion in the bridge and the original pickup in the neck with the replacement Alnico 5 magnet. For my style of music live this is an awesome combination.

[Mattukgtr]

@Mattukgtr Whether you change pickups is a matter of personal preference. It depends on whetehr you want to keep the guitar in it's original condition with a thought of it being valuable one day. I don't think it has any investment potential and my view is I bought a working guitar to play live with.

[ibek1200]

@Mattukgtr When I said about feeling that the guitar is missing something after pickup replacement, I did not mean its potential value :) (My English perhaps is not what you expect :)) I mean I have changed many pickups and after a while I got impression that it is different but in a wrong way (not in case of Epis. You can't make their pickups worse whatever you do). and usually returned to original. Greetings.

[Mattukgtr]

@ibek1200 yes I have also experienced this. You can think it's better because it's different and because you changed and paid for the new pickup ! Sometimes it's good to go back to the original to see if it really is better. I do this all the time. Eventually you have firm opinions about what is really best !!

[RyRobCon]

Excellent tone and feel, regardless of the name on the headstock. Well done!

[ibek1200]

I'm waiting for delivery of my LS 150, which is going to take a while. Already have LS90 and I find it great guitar. But I wonder, do you hear a lot of difference between orignal pickups in LS 150 and those after your modification in live performance ? I think replacing magnets was not an easy task. As a genaral rule I try not to change pickups because after that I have a feeling, that guitar is missing something. What do you think ?

[incantatis]

Superb tone! Thanks for sharing your experience in achieving such amazing tone! Where did you get those magnets?

[B3TTAF1SH]

Amazing! Can you give me an advice? Which are the best Blues guitar players one should listen? Which are the best songs for learning the Blues on guitar?