Red String - Liverpool

rlw

Has anyone had any dealings with them?  There's a guitar I fancy but I can't help feeling that there's something not quite right.

BlueStrat

970 five star reviews?

what's the concern?

axisus

BlueStrat said:

970 five star reviews?

what's the concern?

They must have a good turnaround to pay for that many reviews

demby236

I have submitted numerous sensible near offers on used pedals pedals which have either been dismissed very bluntly or totally ignored. On every occasion I have noticed he still has said pedal available 9 months later...

That's not to say untrustworthy but certainly odd.

rlw

The guitar he's selling is insanely cheap for what it appears to be.  Check it out

https://reverb.com/uk/item/37355894-tokai-tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-guitar-made-in-japan-mij-w-mij-hardcase

I can figure out where it's come from but new these are £2K plus....

mark123

rlw said:

The guitar he's selling is insanely cheap for what it appears to be.  Check it out

https://reverb.com/uk/item/37355894-tokai-tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-guitar-made-in-japan-mij-w-mij-hardcase

I can figure out where it's come from but new these are £2K plus....

Brave man putting the ad on here.
Plenty of flippers trawl this site now.
 If it is what it says it is it will be gone by the end of today .

rlw

mark123 said:

rlw said:

The guitar he's selling is insanely cheap for what it appears to be.  Check it out

https://reverb.com/uk/item/37355894-tokai-tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-guitar-made-in-japan-mij-w-mij-hardcase

I can figure out where it's come from but new these are £2K plus....

Brave man putting the ad on here.
Plenty of flippers trawl this site now.
 If it is what it says it is it will be gone by the end of today .

That's my point...................

bacchanalian

I bought a guitar from Red String about two years ago.  It was in unmarked condition as described and all went very smoothly.

mark123

rlw said:

mark123 said:

rlw said:

The guitar he's selling is insanely cheap for what it appears to be.  Check it out

https://reverb.com/uk/item/37355894-tokai-tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-guitar-made-in-japan-mij-w-mij-hardcase

I can figure out where it's come from but new these are £2K plus....

Brave man putting the ad on here.
Plenty of flippers trawl this site now.
 If it is what it says it is it will be gone by the end of today .

That's my point...................

had another look ,
Im not saying its fake , i'm no expert .
Looking at the Reverb ad pics , it looks a gloopy gloss chinese finish not a thin laquer finish.( it may be the camera flash / lighting)
The made in japan stamp is white ? never seen that , and the 2 hole trussrod cover could just be a 2 hole with a screw in the top and a superglued head in the bottom , the laquer stickered scratchplate could be just a add on .
As i said earlier i could be a mile off and this could be a cracking bargain for someone.

thermionic

Not conclusive but the bridge posts are not what I’d expect on a cheap Chinese LP type. Also the plain top - cheaper copies tend to go for gaudy veneer.

mark123

thermionic said:

Not conclusive but the bridge posts are not what I’d expect on a cheap Chinese LP type. Also the plain top - cheaper copies tend to go for gaudy veneer.

As i stated i'm no expert ,just what i see when looking at the pic's the top looks far too gloopy/ glossy to me.

rlw

The truss rod cover is correct. I’ve checked the Tokyo site.

Philly_Q

rlw said:

The guitar he's selling is insanely cheap for what it appears to be.  Check it out

https://reverb.com/uk/item/37355894-tokai-tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-guitar-made-in-japan-mij-w-mij-hardcase

I can figure out where it's come from but new these are £2K plus....

I don't know about the prices but it is a cherryburst, that might put a lot of people off...

It definitely looks like a genuine Japanese Tokai, but I'm not knowledgeable enough to say if it's a high-end one.

DesWalker

I would be more tempted if the description was less flowery (aka written in English). Might be a bargain but needs further enquiries IMO.

mark123

Just looked at a Tokai laquer series196 on e bay and another for sale at fretsguitarcentre.

Both have a faded or nickel finish on hardwear not shiny chrome.

Both headstocks have "reborn old " on the headstock  ,this one has" love rock" .

The truss rod can easily be done by screwing the top screw in and cutting the head off the bottom screw and superglueing it in position.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tokai-PREMIUM-SERIES-LS196-/184639150466

https://www.fretsguitarcentre.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p3916_Tokai-LS196-EF-Relic-'Old-Reborn'---Vintage-Lemon-Drop.html

I'm not on a witch hunt just don't want to see somebody get ripped off .

rlw

https://tokaiguitarsaustralia.com.au/collections/premium-series/products/tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-lp-style-electric-guitar-cherry-sunburst

But here is the very guitar - complete with shiny chrome and Love Rock.  It's confusing and I have decided to pass. And Made in Japan in white............

I think that those two are probably official "relics" but who can say.

My feeling is that if he can't sell it at this price, there's an issue and that would come back to haunt me if/when I tried to sell it.

mark123

If you buy over the internet from the shop ( all you can do atm)  you have the right to return no questions asked.
So you could purchase it give if the once over ,if its a no send if back .

rlw

This started off as a plan to get a very light burst or a goldtop to put some HB sized P90s in but I have been sidetracked by this one which is the wrong colour but an apparent bargain.

I think I shall just look for a decent goldtop and have done done with it.

BlueStrat

Made in Japan in white - can't see anything wrong with that myself, look nice guitars too

https://www.livingmusicstores.com/products/tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-lp-style-electric-guitar-cherry-sunburst

https://www.tokaiguitarsaustralia.com.au/collections/lp-style/products/tokai-premium-series-ls196-cs-lp-style-electric-guitar-cherry-sunburst

gatheredinsong

I bought a Cioks power supply from Red String. It arrived promptly, seemed brand new and had everything with it. Works perfectly. 

I was a bit sceptical at the time too, considering it was a bit cheaper than all the regular shops were asking. I did send a message to check it was brand new and to ask how they were sourcing the products but received no response. In the end I concluded that most of their products (pedals at least) seem to be boxed etc, so I figured they weren't from pedalboards nicked from tour vans or stages. Perhaps more likely to be bankrupt stock, or a mate of a distributor maybe??! 

This purchase was a few months ago and it looks like they continue to get good reviews from buyers although it's interesting to hear that others here have had no response to some messages too. 

A guitar at about 10 times the cost of my psu is a rather different matter! 

Philly_Q

On the "Reborn Old" and "Love Rock" thing, don't they produce slightly different models for different markets?  I think the ones Faber used to have were "Reborn Old".  And I don't know if it's still the case, but for a time the ones imported into the UK had to have a slightly modified - non-Gibson - headstock shape.