Tokai ES100J
An absolutely positively stunning 335 from Tokai. There's a lot to be said for the 335; it's semi-acoustic construction, stunning looks and lush tones have cemented itself in guitar lore as the epitome of guitar construction. There's nothing that sounds quite like one, they occupy a sonic space like no other and look beautiful on top of that. Our Tokai ES100J is a very very good 335 style guitar. In fact, it might just be the best 335 we have ever had our hands on (and we've had A LOT).
1981 was a fantastic year for Japanese guitar production, and Tokai were leading the charge with their range of Fender and Gibson copies. The ES100J sat in the upper end of the Tokai catalog with a price of 100,000 yen from new. For this you got a proper handmade '59 style 335; sporting a chunky neck with a D profile, custom wound 'Jazz voiced' PAF's and a proper Nitro finish.
Spec:
- Maple top, back and sides
- Mahogany neck with Rosewood fingerboard
- 2x Tokai Jazz PAFs
- 2x Volume Control
- 2x Tone Control
- 3-way selector
- Tune-o-matic bridge
- Stopbar tailpiece
- Vintage style tuners
- Original padded softcase
Our old Tokai has been played (as all guitars should be) and has some simply gorgeous aging present, in the form of scratches, oxidisation to the hardware and yellowing to the binding. This is all cosmetic and in no way impacts how this guitar functions. You could pay he custom shop lots of money to make a guitar look this worn in, this is all natural. The frets have been freshly dressed by ourselves. Strung up with Daddario 10's and ready for another 40 years (at least)