Excited to introduce another rare vinatge, 2001 Tokai ES-185. Again I am astonished by its excellent fit and finish, the best timbers and materials, and the touching resonance of PAF Vintage MkII pickups, but I see more than that. The guitar looks like custom one. Body is hard maple, where its grains are different from the ordinary ES lineups of Tokai which feature flamed maple. For comparison visit my previous collection and cross check the body and back: ES-145, ES-150, ES-158.

To hear how different it may sound? Check out the audio clip below. Jazz and blues players, you must be drooling for this treasure. She has no curvature, but higher frets sound a little buzzy. Currently I set it up as 2mm high on 12th fret, but you may want to take her to technician for customized fit of action.

Lastly, a quick tip on interpreting the model name - the numbers following the model names indicate the price after thousand such as JPY xxx,000. ES-185 can therefore be translated to 185000 yen in 2001 price. Interestingly, 2000 Tokai catalog only lists low end Semi hollows such ES-60. Judging from that again, ES-185, must be a custom craft...