Tokai TLS-Series Transition — The End of the LS Era

Around 1983, the model prefix for Tokai’s Les Paul Standard changed from “LS” to “TLS.”
This happened right around the time Tokai Gakki applied for corporate reorganization under Japan’s Civil Rehabilitation Law.

In the LS Series, the lower-priced LS-60 and LS-50 featured a shallower 14° head angle,
while the TLS Series standardized the headstock angle at 18° across all grades —
a subtle but telling sign of a design overhaul.

When I first introduced this guitar in 2008, I described it as having a solid figured maple top.
However, in May 2011, I received an email from Mr. T of Tokyo, who owns a nearly identical instrument.
He pointed out the possibility that the top might actually be laminated (veneer).
Prompted by his observation, I examined the pickup cavity under magnification
and found that the grain on the cavity wall did not align with the grain on the top surface.
His assessment was correct — it is indeed a laminated top.

From 1984 onward, Tokai stopped publishing detailed specifications for the TLS Series in their catalogs.
It doesn’t take much imagination to understand what that omission implies.

Weight: 3.86 kg (including strings)
(Updated August 27, 2016)