LeftyBassist.com

nice!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Tokai-Thunderbird ... 0a432#shId

Nice indeed, I'd like to own one. But they're not that rare. There's usually at least a couple of them on eBay.co.uk
At the moment it is indeed the only lefty though: http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trks ... okai+tb48*

Looks like Tokai has cheapened up the detail on these in the past couple years (blank pickguard and upside down truss cover is kind of a bummer)... I'm wondering did they perhaps move manufacture of these from Korea to China? I have 2 older ones maybe 4-5 years old (see pics below) that have better detail (pickguard, truss cover, knobs, etc.) ...

Yes, the current TB48 is Chinese-made.

I've been curious to know what they sound like and how they compare to the Epi T-Birds. Tokai's done various versions of these over the years, and with the set neck and the hardware/knob appointments they look closer to the real deal than the Epis, IMO.

I had a lefty Epi Bird which I sold (for a truly ridiculous amount of money) when I got my first Tokai. Maybe should have kept it just for the rarity, although I always figured at SOME point Epiphone would offer it in lefty again . The difference in sound was not huge (they sound more like each other than either one sounds like a true T-bird)- but I think the Tokai is the marginally better sounding of the two, and that may also have been a function of the more appreciable differences in the substance and feel, fit and finish, and attention to detail of the overall platform. With the set neck Tokai you definitely get a playing experience that is more reasonably close to a "real" Bird, whereas with the Epi I always kinda felt like the bolt-on neck felt less legit, more of a "pretend" Bird- which is not to be critical of the Epi, they both sound good, it's more just that the Tokai feels better. These comments apply to the older Tokais I have, I can't say whether this is still the case with the newer ones...

Speaking of Tbirds- I don't think I've ever shown you guys this one have I? Truly weird as only the Japanese can (or would dare) do it, I picked this up 4 or 5 years ago from a Japan seller. Yes, it's the same picture flipped both ways; I thought that might make it a little easier to figure out what you're looking at here. Apparently, back in the early 80's perhaps, someone at Greco decided to solve the balance issue associated with the reverse body style by- uh- reversing the reverse, as it were...... so this is a right handed neck thru bass with a left handed body... or a left handed neck thru bass with a reverse headstock and the controls on the top side...or...or.... ...

...Anyway yep it's a killer, sounds exactly like a real bird. But the down facing tuners make it even more neck heavy played lefty. I've thought about asking my luthier if he can cut off the headstock and create a new lefty one- but he'd probably think I was crazier than Dr. Frankenstein. I've thought about pulling all the lovely nickel hardware and electronics out of it and putting them in one of my Tokai's- but I just can't bring myself to tear it apart. And, who would buy the empty body so I can recoup some of my investment ? Righties? Lefties? Both? Nobody? Somebody? Anybody?

I used to have a beat-up-to-rat-poop righty 63' Gibson T-bird I bass with a (hope I get this right!) non-reverse body and a reverse neck. So the balance was perfect, the tuners were on top, and the knobs were the only knobs on any righty bass I've ever owned that would not get in the way. The only concession I had to make to left-handedness was to use a lead cord with a 90 degree end.

The pickup was so microphonic it doubled as a backup mic when the P.A. would go down. Ah, those were the days ........