1984 Tokai TLS-50

This TLS-50 was built in 1984, the very year Tokai Gakki entered corporate reorganization under Japan’s Civil Rehabilitation Law.
Given those difficult circumstances, it feels almost surprising — and admirable — how honest and well-made this guitar is.

Although an entry-level model, it retains the “golden” structural formula:
a two-piece maple top and a one-piece mahogany back —
the latter being, of course, African mahogany (Khaya) rather than Honduran.

According to Mr. Sato of First Touch in Akita,
the headstock veneer is made of maple.
Even at the lowest price tier, Tokai still took pride in its woodworking —
a level of craftsmanship rarely seen today, when many respected makers
use synthetic laminates instead.

The frets are installed using over-binding,
a more labor-intensive process, yet one that offers real practical benefits:
it allows better use of the entire fret surface and simplifies future refrets.

In instrument making, effort alone doesn’t always translate into better functionality.
A guitar must not only play well as a tool but also appeal to the eye and heart —
as an object of craftsmanship.
After all, nobody would buy a mere board with a stick attached to it.

The pickups are Tokai ’57 PAF models.
The low end feels a little thin — perhaps a result of the body wood —
but I’ve decided not to swap them out.
Sometimes it’s best to accept a guitar’s individual voice for what it is.

Weight: 4.13 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 27, 2016)