A Tokai LS-80 made in 1980.  Matte nickel hardware makes a touch of vintage.

When Tokai produced this guitar, they could get good wood material easily by lower price.  I have no detail information about the chronological decreasing of good materials, but the decreasing itself is definitely true.

Once when we list representative guitar material of Les Paul body, Honduras Mahogany is the first.  As you know, this name doesn’t mean a tree species but a all-inclusive name of Mahogany genus in Meliaceae family in Latin America except for Swietenia mahagoni(Cuban mahogany) .

Now Cuban mahagany is extremely rare, we can call Honduras Mahogany as mahogany simply, because almost of trees named “mahogany” are not real mahogany.

Almost all guitar companies became to use African Mahogany after shortage of Honduras Mahogany.  African Mahogany isn’t a species name too. In short, it means species of mahogany-like tree cut down with a focus on Africa.  It belongs to Khaya genus in Meliaceae family, not Mahogany genus.  So when African Mahogany is adapted for body back, to be exact we have to call it “Khaya back”.

It is impossible to resuscitate nearly exterminated species to previous richness.  Please eternally love your guitar with real mahogany back. 4.54kg(include strings). (Updated 2016.8.27)