| Reviewer
| Nick
|
| Experience
| 8
|
| Review date
| November 21 2002
|
| Manufacturer
| Tokai
|
| Model
| Tokai Jazz Sound
|
| Price
| $400 CDN
|
| Item owned for
| Less than 1 day
|
| |
|
| Bass type
| 4 string fretted
|
| Neck join
| Bolt-On
|
| Neck construction
| Rosewood / Maple
|
| Fingerboard
| 22 frets
|
| Body
| Alder
|
| Finish
| Sunburst
|
| Pickups
| Tokai (jazz configuration)
|
| Hardware
| Chrome
|
| Electronics
| Passive (Volume, Volume, Tone)
|
| |
|
I saw this bass at a local shop. It was a 1964 jazz bass replica made
around 2000, made in Korea. I was told that Tokai has been went bankrupt
and had re-emerged as a shoddy bass manufacturer mascarading under the
old, respected Tokai banner but that didn't deter me from checking out
the bass. I wanted to see if this was true 'cause I needed to replace my
aging, failing generic Samick.
Unfortunately, it is true. Current Tokai basses really stink.
The bass looked like the 1964 Jazz Bass that Fender manufactures in
Mexico. However, closer inspection and actual playing revealed some
significant flaws.
The body was made out of two solid pieces of alder and had a nice sunburst
finish. That was the only positive for this bass.
The bridge was "vintage-style" but was thin and flimsy. The control
knobs were misaligned such that when they were set to maximum, the knobs
pointed in different directions (easy to fix but c'mon, do it right at
the factory). The neck was okay but the nut didn't look like it was cut
very well (too uneven). The tuners looked flimsy, thin and weak. The
pickups had two attractive pickup covers but that hid the fact that the
strings did not align over the pick-up poles. Only the E string was
properly set. The G string wasn't aligned between the G pickup poles AT
ALL.
As for the tone, the electronics and pickups were GOD-AWFUL. I really
can't comment on tone because the pickups emitted an extremely loud hum.
I'm aware of the 60 cycle hum but the intensity was totally unacceptable.
Take an Fender Mexican Jazz Bass and multiply the hum by 100 (not kidding
at all). The hum nearly overpowered the tone of the bass! The dealer said
it was an old building and perhaps the wiring was bad and he asked for an
opportunity to try fixing the bass first. My experience tells me that,
nope, the bass is really that bad.
Hell, I was totally embarassed testing that bass in front of the general
public - twenty minutes of pure agony.
I would never recommend this bass to anyone. It would be better to
purchase a Mexican Fender Jazz instead. The construction, finish and
electronics would be better for the same price.
Sorry to sound like a saleperson from Fender but I own an American Jazz
and an American Precision and I would never use anything else (Old school,
baby!). I consider them as the standards for all bass comparisons. The
Tokai Jazz Sound does not measure up at all.
| Construction
| 25% | 
|
| (Shoddy construction, lousy electronics.)
|
| Appearance
| 75% |
|
| (Looks exactly like a 1964 Jazz - from far away.)
|
| Playability
| 50% |
|
| (Acceptable, neck is not very fast.)
|
| Sound
| 0% | |
| (See review. It stunk.)
|
| Customer Service
| 25% |
|
| (The dealer truly believed that Tokai represented the best value. I say otherw |
| ise.)
|
| Value
| 25% |
|
| (No value.)
|
| Overall
| 25% |
|
| (Buy a Mexican Fender Jazz. Same price, better bass.)
|
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