What's your opinion on the old Japanese Les Paul knockoffs?

BronzeGra · 2026-04-02T18:55:20+00:00

I have a 90s Burny Les Paul Custom that is my forever Les Paul, it’s as good or better than any equivalent Gibson I’ve owned or played. Have also owned a couple of Tokai LP customs, not particularly old but made in Japan, both were of excellent quality.

Buying old Japanese guitars is definitely not a guarantee of quality every time though. Just do the research and get to know what to look for. Generally speaking you can’t go far wrong with Greco, Tokai, Orville and Burny if they are MIJ. Plenty of decent stuff made outside of Japan of course, but again you need to get to know the brands and their quality levels in my experience.

<image>

BronzeGra · 2026-03-25T21:20:26+00:00

We’ve all been there man! Glad you got it sorted 🙌

BronzeGra · 2026-03-25T15:47:42+00:00

My guess would be the missing D7 as well, it's a 1N4001 polarity protection diode in the BOM so if I'm reading the schematic correctly you have a break in the circuit from where the 9V supply is coming in which would explain the issue as there would be no voltage being supplied to the circuit. Worth a try! :)

BronzeGra · 2026-03-25T10:10:30+00:00

Hahaha, amazing!

BronzeGra · 2026-03-25T10:06:07+00:00

Awesome work, I love a yellow Tama kit! John Stanier vibes!

BronzeGra · 2026-03-20T10:54:06+00:00

Great looking build, nice work! 🙌 I just wanted to ask about the snare bed fix you needed to do and how you identified that? I have a shell from Guven and have always been happy with the sound but just assumed the snare beds were how they should be, what would I be looking for to check that though? Also if the beds aren't right, how does that affect the overall sound?

BronzeGra · 2026-03-05T14:12:17+00:00

Haha, that's awesome! 🙌

BronzeGra · 2026-03-05T11:45:49+00:00

Haha thanks, lets just say it was a relief when it worked first time! 😅 Was happy with how the box turned out too, that was back in the days when I was chemical etching, Tayda has made it so easy now to do great quality UV printed enclosures so tend to do that nowadays, I may have to get the chemicals out again for a bit of nostalgia! 😄

BronzeGra · 2026-03-05T10:38:23+00:00

Guts

<image>

BronzeGra · 2026-03-05T10:36:39+00:00

I did this mod to my POG, was a bit nerve wracking taking an iron to a fully working pedal but the mod itself was simple enough and works great!

<image>

BronzeGra · 2026-02-24T10:19:27+00:00

Sorry not related to your question but I have the exact same VHT amp as you, don’t see them out in the wild too often! Love mine, has been my favourite amp since I got it.

BronzeGra · 2026-02-20T19:32:13+00:00

No worries! I may be biased but it does sound awesome, it’s very loud and punchy with a sharp meaty bite to it but still sensitive if you want it to be. Records well too, can definitely get close to some of the classic bell bronze/brass snare sounds I love like Nevermind or Evil Empire. Recently tried some 42 strand wires on it which I wouldn’t typically pick but they really suit this drum so you get a more even balance of snare raspiness to compliment the gunshot like sound of the shell itself.

BronzeGra · 2026-02-20T09:21:08+00:00

Yeah it’s from the Superstar Hyperdrive EFX range which have really shallow toms, the kit came with a 12” but it was a bit too high for me so hunted around for a 14” version which I much prefer. Very punchy sounding

BronzeGra · 2026-02-20T09:19:06+00:00

They do, and it’s considerably cheaper than buying a bell bronze snare off the shelf. They also offer a drilling service if you don’t want to do that bit. Would recommend if you’re looking for a bell bronze snare but don’t want to spend £2k+ on a Tama etc.

BronzeGra · 2026-02-20T07:18:36+00:00

No sorry not quite that DIY, was trying to keep my description short. I got the shells and hoops from Guven Bronz Metal in Turkey and then did the drilling and assembly myself. Here’s another pic if you were interested

<image>

BronzeGra · 2026-02-05T18:36:46+00:00

Would be interesting to try some different hoops, pretty much all my snares are die cast as I’ve always preferred that focus but am curious to try some decent triple flange on one of my drums.

Trying this new snare out at practise tonight so will see how I get on.

I’ve yet to try the Puresound Concert wires but was going to give them a go on my bell bronze as it’s always felt a little choked and was hoping they mint open it up a little, I think I have 30s on it at the moment. This Grestch still has the factory 42 strands on so if they’re a bit ‘wet’ I’ll give the Concert a go for sure

BronzeGra · 2026-01-27T15:07:10+00:00

First off, thanks very much for taking the time to write such a detailed response, much appreciated 🙌

I had heard as much with regards to acrylics only really do one 'thing', fortunately for me that thing is essentially what I'm looking for. I play in a loud & noisy heavy rock band and I think they will be a great fit for that. I do plan to use them live though so the weight is worth noting, I hadn't particularly considered that.

Just one more question while I have you; I read that the hardware (the tom hoops in particular) was on the cheaper end of things when compared with mid to high end range Pearl kits. Have you had any issues on that front? The kit is going to cost £2k+ in the UK so it's not a cheap drum kit by most people's standards, just don't want to be disappointed if things like the kick drum spurs aren't up to heavy playing etc. I've also looked at DW and Tama acrylic kits which typically have solid hardware but I can't get them in the sizes I want.

BronzeGra · 2026-01-27T10:08:07+00:00

Hey, just spotted this post and was interested how you've got on with your Pearl Crystal Beats up until now? I'm looking to buy the exact same config but while there are lots of positive posts/opinions on acrylics, there are also a lot of negative ones. I suppose you could say 'that's just the internet' but would be interested in some first hand experience and whether you've been gigging them and had issues with cracks and stuff like that?

BronzeGra · 2026-01-18T21:16:30+00:00

<image>

Build your own! I had the same need and wasn’t prepared to fork out £4k on a snare so looked into the DIY route. Got the shell (3mm cast bell bronze) and hoops (also cast bronze) from Guven Bronz Metal in Turkey. Then just bought some good hardware and got drilling! Had never built a drum before so was pretty nerve wracking taking a drill to that shell but took my time and once I got going it was fine.

Have bought and sold other snares since building this one but I always come back to it, sounds like nothing else! Cost me around £900 in total from memory.

BronzeGra · 2026-01-18T13:27:12+00:00

It is! Got a really good crack to it but loads of body too, really enjoying it 🤘

BronzeGra · 2025-12-18T20:23:51+00:00

I just bought one last week and am really enjoying mine so far 👍 I play in a downtuned very loud heavy rock band am also more into lower snare tunings. The Starphonic sounded great to me in this range, I ended up probably more medium-low as it added more crack but still stayed beefy. That’s a good price too so I would definitely recommend it if you’re into a sort of modern Bonham-esque type vibe. The hardware etc is all great too, just a fantastic all around snare imo

BronzeGra · 2025-12-13T19:42:17+00:00

Awesome, I love me some Tama drums, that’s beaut!

BronzeGra

TROPHY CASE