1980 Tokai LS-150 — The Cashew-Lacquer Revelation

The headstock markings confirm that this is indeed a 1980 LS-150.

For many years, I had believed that cashew lacquer finish was an exclusive option reserved for the LS-200.
This guitar’s existence proves otherwise.

As you can clearly see in the photographs,
this LS-150 features Tokai’s gold logo beneath a rich cashew lacquer finish —
a combination once thought to belong only to the flagship model.

When acquired, the headstock had a hairline crack,
so I sent it back to the original maker, Tokai Gakki Mfg. Co., for professional repair.

The pickups follow the catalog-correct configuration:
a DiMarzio PAF in the neck position and a DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge.

The tuners had been replaced with Gibson gold units,
but I later restored period accuracy by fitting Tokai’s own gold-plated Kluson-style tuners from the early 1980s.

The sound is outstanding — warm, articulate, and precisely to my taste.

Weight: 4.26 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 26, 2016)