Tokai Hibiki HES225 Sunburst Lacquer

Description

Tokai Hibiki HES225 Sunburst Lacquer – Tokai Super Shop Model

Why we love it

Absolutely exquisite craftsmanship, sublime playing experience, dreamy 335-style tone, exceptionally exclusive and hard to find.

Condition

This guitar is in Excellent condition with minor signs of prior use and aging typical of lacquer finish guitars. There is no significant damage. Given the rarity of this guitar, we are calling out any minor blemishes for full transparency. We did not find any notable dents or scratches in the finish. There is a series of very small, shallow chips on the back of the lower bout only visible in direct lighting (pictured). There is a very shallow circular scratch around the front strap button (pictured). There is some wear near the rear strap button (pictured). Three tone and volume knobs show cracks but are not loose or deteriorating (pictured). There are a couple spots in the lacquer finish only visible in harsh, direct lighting (pictured). There is a light patina on the bridge and pickups.

The original, excellent condition Tokai hard case is included . This guitar has been thoroughly inspected to ensure proper function and set up with D’Addario EXL110 (010-046) strings, low action, optimal relief, pickup height, and dialed in intonation. Additional pictures available upon request.

Overview

The HES225 is an extremely rare Hibiki build Tokai model. Hibiki models are rare to find, and the HES225 is the even more exclusive flagship model of the HES series and a truly exquisite guitar. Tokai Gakki made in Japan ES (Gibson 335-style) series guitars are already fantastic instruments, exceptionally well made using excellent materials. Hibiki editions are intended to represent the ideal specification and unique qualities of a particular Tokai model. These are premium, limited edition instruments with very low production numbers only available through the Tokai Super Shop dealer run by the high end Hibiki music store.

Stunning, intricately figured flame maple and carefully laminated maple are used for the top, sides, and back of the body. A beautifully applied sunburst finish is then coated with a special ultra-thin lacquer finish unique to Tokai Super Shop models. The lacquer finish is amazingly thin at about 1/3 the thickness of conventional finishes. The masterfully shaped C-profile one-piece mahogany neck feels amazing in hand and creates the fullness essential to the ES sound. The width, depth and profile of this neck are best described as “medium” (measurements below), with just enough depth and shoulder to feel substantial without feeling overly thick or cumbersome. In practice, it feels fast, fluid and comfortable.

Beautifully figured Madagascar rosewood is used for the fingerboard, which sports immaculately finished Jescar frets, Delrin nut, and white pearloid dot inlays. The vintage crème binding lining the body and neck is the final sublime tour de force of skillful craftsmanship, with beautifully smooth seams and no gaps or areas pulling away with age.

Tokai Gakki is dedicated to traditional craftsmanship methods employed by knowledgeable veteran luthiers as well as selecting wood properly dried and cured over many years (even decades for premium models). A great deal of time is spent on ensuring precise fitment of the neck pocket, repeatedly fine tuning the joint to ensure best possible transmission of string vibration between the neck and body. The neck and body are carefully adjusted and joined by hand using natural hide glue. There are many example of Tokai’s dedication to detailed and time consuming work not completed by other companies that ensure the finest possible product.  This instrument is one of the crown jewels of that experience and dedication.

Electronics and Tone

Not just beautiful to behold, the HES225 provides a brilliant playing experience. The guitar feels incredibly lively, dynamic and responsive. Warm, airy, full, and slightly mid-forward with great clarity, the wonderful acoustic tone carries over beautifully to your favorite amp. The front pickup position was profiled from a 1950s model to get closer to the sound from that era.

For development of the pickup used in Super Shop Limited models, many vintage PAFs from the 1950s were analyzed to determine the best qualities, and “The Fifty Nine” was created for Les Paul-style models. The pickup in this guitar, “The Fifty Nine Plus”, is intended to better express the unique qualities of a semi-acoustic guitar, and has slightly higher output and improved dynamic response for picking and tonal subtleties. The result is an exceptionally well rounded classic PAF-style pickup suitable for a variety of genres that beautifully communicates the depth and nuance of the HES225 for clean, lightly crunchy, and overdriven tones.

Specifications

Body: Flamed maple + arched maple body, sides and back

Body Finish: Ultra-thin lacquer over Sunburst

Neck: 1p Mahogany

Neck Profile: C

Neck Width, Nut: 1.65”

Neck Width, 12th fret: 2.05”

Neck Depth, 1st fret: 0.86”

Neck Depth, 12th fret: 1.02”

Nut: Delrin

Fingerboard: Madagascar Rosewood

Fingerboard Radius: 12 in

Scale: 24.75 in (62.8 cm)

Frets: 21, Medium

Bridge: LS-VB Bridge / LS-VT Tailpiece

Pickups: The Fifty Nine Plus ( Made in Japan ) x2

Controls: Neck pickup volume and tone, bridge pickup volume and tone

Case/Gig Bag: Tokai Hard Case

Year of manufacture: 2011-12 (approximate)

Country of manufacture: Japan

Serial Number: 1229066

Weight: 7 lbs 6 oz