cathyklysmik's Reviews

Ground control to Major Tom!

I have been wanting to add a Marshall stack to my studio just in case I need to do an outdoors gig. This is perfect and doesn't cost too much.

It's a hybrid tube/ solid state head with a slant cab. I really enjoy the onboard digital effects. Some of them sound spacey and wide, and fiddling with the eq gives me lots of different tones. Not what you would expect from a Marshall half stack. I would recommend this set to anyone into shoegaze, ambient and noise pop. Especially as a gigging amp. It will fill out a school hall or a medium sized outdoors stage.

Les Paul for les money!

It has everything you need from a Les Paul minus all the frills. A no bs straight up rock machine. Mine came plekd and when I strum it unplugged, all the notes rang out loud and clear. The difference between this and an Epiphone was just night and day. Really love the weight relief - sounds like a semi but without the hollow wooden tone you can get from a 335. It just adds mids (unplugged) and resonance.

The downside is that there is a price to pay for that crystal clear acoustic resonance. The frets are really TALL and wide. My fingers did not feel any rosewood at all. It is a tough transition from an Epiphone LPC fretless wonder. The entire fretboard was like a railway track. I read that you have to get used to fretting lightly but that doesn't come easily to me. The fret ends are bumpy too cos there's no neck binding. I guess it's a Gibson thing. Those big frets. And I also have to mention that there's a pcb in the control cavity to which the pots are hard soldered. It works fine, I'm not changing it for now.

The bridge doesn't rattle and the advanced plating stamped stop tail looks nice. I'm really loving the faded finish because it's low maintenance and there's no fingerprints to wipe off. It feels really nice to the touch. Especially on the neck. I love the feel of the finish as well as that 50s profile which you can't get anywhere else.

I think it's cool that the stuff collectors want like flamed maple and gloss and binding and pearl logos are not present. It makes the guitar very modern looking and minimalistic. It's stylish and tasteful the way it is and best of all it costs waaay less than a standard. I was saving up for one but now I don't see the point. The burst bucker pros are wax potted and get the job done (no loud pick attack sound). One last thing - this doesn't have the push pull pots for the split coil sound. I actually do not want the push pull pots and would replace them if they were installed.

I really like this guitar (except for the frets). It's my first US made Gibson.

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I love it!

It's cheap on the used market and it has no tubes in it. So you basically fo not have to be worrying about when it will break down. And also no computer chip either. Those things can go wonky after a while and often without warning. Cheap and dependable. And the sound is great! You get a spring reverb and that Fender tone. And theres an effects loop on the back. It is light to carry around. Downside is that this is made for gigging. I never go past 1 on the volume at home. The pot is linear so after that it is L.O.U.D loud. Oh and the built in 'drive' isnt any good. Just stick to your overdrive pedal. I have this and the plus and they are both the same! Get the non plus model cos its probably slightly cheaper used. Itll sound the same anyway!

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Great value!

Im a LP custom player so I can only compare the two. First off, I thought this would weigh like an Epi Sheraton since it's not 100% wood. WRONG. It weighs a ton! Why I have no idea but it weighs almost as much as a Les Paul. Oof. Secondly, it doesn't play like an acoustic guitar despite the sound holes. It sounds just a tad louder than any electric when unplugged. The Sheraton is a little louder, and the Emperor louder still due to a larger hollow body. Thirdly, this Tokai has its own unique mojo going. It's a lot thicker sounding, sort of like a homemade lemonade, compared to the LP custom which is more of a bubbly Perrier with a dash of lime. The pickups on the Tokai have high output, and the notes on the higher strings have a bell like chime which I found very jazzy and pleasant. If you love playing clean guitar, this 335 clone will not disappoint!

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Great case amp

The guitar is a short scale and is easy to play for women and kids. The hard case has a wonderful little tube amp built in, just loud enough for bedroom practice (disastrous for live, as I had learned, after trying to mic one in a large hall). There is a lot of hype surrounding lipstick pickups, but be warned that they are a lower output design and will not "cut through the mix/ mayhem". I also hate that the tuners do not keep the strings in tune for long. I dont know how Jimmy Page managed to gig with his similar Danelectro. Does he own 10 ? When I find the time I might swap out the bridge for something modern, put in a set of grovers, and try a bottleneck on it.

Fun Retro Axe

It's a guitar synth from the 80s, like a guitar version of a portable Casio keyboard. There are loads of instruments on board to try out. But not everyone digs its shape.

Great value!

It's a Chibson so not pricey. If I had to play standing up, I would use this because its light (Nyato wood). You can get a range of sounds from the 3 pickups which I find really neat! Perfect for blues and jazz. They dont make them in China any longer. The newer ones seem to come from Japan but I'm not 100% sure.

I love it!

It's my first Les Paul. It just oozes sustain and tone, and the neck is comfortable to hold. A bit heavy though, but I play sitting down most of the time so that doesn't bother me. I've a soft spot for guitars with 3 pickups cos the middle one adds a dash of spice to the tone!

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