LeftyBassist.com

Hey guys,

as I am now really interested in buying a lefty-thunderbird I came back to looking for a Tokai TB48. A while ago I found them in several British musicstores but now I can't find one of them. Are they so hard to find now or even discontinued? And used basses are also not available.

Another thing: I read that the Tokai and Dillion T-Birds are produced in the same factory. Does anyone know something about their production?

Don't forget Gaskell Guitars. He ONLY makes lefties :

http://www.gaskellguitars.com/models/71.html

I know about Gaskell Guitars but they are more expensive and therefore too expensive for me as I am working in civilian service right now

i have a tokai and a dillion. they have the tokais at the tokai site in the uk. They are telling me theyll have them in end of next month, $750 shipped. Dillions, andirondack guitar $550 shipped. I love my tokai, feels so great to play! the pick ups are very good, Im a parts snob but i didnt change anything on this other than ditch the pickguard. It is long, really exagerated headstock. I got a coffin case for a flying v guitar, took the storage compartment out, it fits. the dillion, I changed all the hardware as I dont like chrome. It is all mahogony, a really great bass, shit pick ups. I just dropped in duncan ssb pick ups in it. The dillion is very neck heavy having clover leaf machines. I moved the strap pins to the neck heel using flush mount straploks, much better. The tokia is better to me, has a thinner neck, whereas the dillion is bigger than a p bass. Im actually buying a new dillion now and a tokai next month. either way cant loose

Thank you for your description of both basses. As you say that the Tokai is 750$ shipped and the Dillion 550$ I guess you live in the States. But I live in Austria and therefore the Basses are about the same price in the end (tokaiguitars.co.uk says £399.00 which is ~510€, and the Dillion is 550$ but shipping is very expensive, 105$ - so 530€)

If that price for the Tokai is true and the Dillion is as expensive as the Tokai for me living in Europe would you suggest rather the Tokai as you say that it is a very nice bass and you didn't feel like changing any hardware on it?

FYI to keep in mind guys -- last I saw, Tokai had cheapened these up somewhat in the past couple years as they moved manufacture of the TB48 from Korea to China (blank pickguard, upside down truss cover, etc. kind of a bummer). The black Tokai bird I sold Wolf was one of the older Korean ones maybe 4-5+ years old, that has better build quality and attention to detail (pickguard, truss cover, knobs, bridge etc.)...

thats a great point,, my tokai is a killer bass and I know their not made in korea anymore. AND htey say they are SAPOSE to have them. I thing youll love the dillion. the tokai wd be cheaper since it comes from england. Email dennis@adirondackguitar.com get a total cost. or call em, they actually answer the phone!518.746.9500.

How much the Gaskell sell for?

I dig my Dillion!

i have two tokais, i found both on UK ebay. they're made in china but with some diferences i think the black one is newest (buyed to richtone.com via ebay) is a little more heavy and sound is a bit dark, but the sunburst one (buyed second hand via ebay) ... is a beast for rock'n'roll!!!

but they're hard to find and more hard to know about them, where are made, wich woods, pickups, etc...



yes i need a white one to complete the collection!

I believe the Gaskell's will be selling at about $1100AUD and the custom about $4K

Well... now that you've twisted my arm , I have to post my pics of Tokai White Thunderbird...

Made in Korea, upgraded w/ vintage Orville by Gibson pickups and electronics, nickel ultra light tuners (same as Lull), nickel Badass bridge, hand carved bone nut, frets leveled, and a Gibson logo truss rod cover... It absolutely kills.

BTW, I also took PJ's advice and got a Heads Up strap a couple weeks ago. Between that and the ultralight tuners I was able to cut the neck dive way down, but I still think I'll have to move the front strap button to the heel of the neck to completely eliminate it.

couple more pics...

Jeez... that bass is Freaking Gorgeous! Great pictures!

ultra cool!!! really lovin' it...

That looks killer! That's just about as close as a lefty can get to the real deal.

Regarding the Heads Up strap, even with all 3 weights in you're still getting neck dive? The one drawback to that strap, IMO, is it's a typical (though wider) nylon strap. Had they offered a higher end leather model, I think they'd sell a lot more of them. You could try putting a strip of suede or other material with some friction to it under the strap where it meets your shoulder and see if that helps.

On the Tbird with the front strap button in the original factory position, I still get neck dive even with all 3 weights in. On my other Tbird where the strap button was already moved to the neck heel, the strap does pretty much eliminate neck dive. Is your strap button at the neck heel also? I notice on the Heads Up site, all the demo photos are of guitars with the strap button at the heel, including the Tbird Bass (see below).

I do love the concept of the strap-- but like you, I'm not that crazy about the slippery all nylon construction. Incorporating a pad of suede or grippy material where the strap rests on the shoulder would be a big improvement. I'm thinking about coming up with a way to make some permanent modifcation on mine...any ideas? I'm thinking maybe some kind of velcro set up that would allow for some range/ flexibility in positioning the pad?

I own an Epi T-Bird with a bolt on neck. Using the front strap button and all 3 weights, it balances fine. Prior to getting the strap, I used an extended neck screw to serve as a heel strap button, which helped but wasn't perfect.



If I still use that extended screw, I only need 1 weight in the Heads Up strap. Since the Epi is a different build than the Tokai (or Gibson) neck thrus, I'm guessing that's why my results vary from yours.

I do think a piece of leather or suede under the strap at the shoulder would be the simplest least invasive solution (as long as it isn't shifting around under the strap). Maybe a strip of suede that wraps completely around the strap width and is velcroed to the strap would work (or some other way to secure to the the strap. i.e. rubber bands?). with an added flexible piece of plastic on top to hold the strap to shape so the rubber band(s) don't scrunch it up (like the kind used for plastic folders). Otherwise, I recall seeing an add-on strap button extender rod made by some guy for his G&L ASAT years ago.

Upon further research, lookee what I found:



Unfortunately, it appears the company's out of business. But, at least you can borrow the concept and build something yourself. Maybe you don't need a strap button that long, for example.

There's one other option I read about that some have tried successfully. Just get a longer screw (same thread count and width as front strap button, preferably) and stack 2 buttons on top of each other. You can also add a few washers, using the felt washer underneath in the original way.

ok, ok i decided that I am getting a gaskell! ive been in contact with them for the past week. the cost is just about $1000 USD plus shipping from australia which is about $300. Now, im paying a Deposit of $300 and it should be ready in november. I requested it in white which I am getting it without a pickguard which I dont like. So, white bird, all mahogany AND neck thru for less than a righty gibson...sold!

I've been writing them the past week as well, and I'm very probably going to pull the trigger on a standard burst model later this year.