Tokai Cat's Eyes CE-250 Acoustic Guitar - D-28 Model - Japan

Early 1980s Cat's Eyes CE-250 acoustic guitar made in the famous Tokai Gakki factory in Hamamatsu, Japan.

This model is based very closely on the popular Martin D-28 model and as you can see by the pictures, it gets pretty darn close! This guitar was made in the same factory and at the same time as the highly sought-after Martin-stamped Sigma range, which now attracts lots of attention for being as good or better than the real thing.

Have a listen:  

The tone is big, balanced, and rich with excellent sustain and it brings a smile to your face when you're playing it. Even though the 250 is nearer the bottom of the range It has a spruce top and rosewood back and sides, a three-piece heel, and scarf jointed headstock. The rosewood is lovely and dark and the spruce top looks just like an 80s Martin with that pale natural look. The bridge appears to be ebony and the fretboard to me looks like very dark rosewood almost black.

The action is medium to low.  The saddle can go lower without shaving the bridge.  When strung with 11s it brought the action right down.

The truss rod works fine and it's got the right amount of relief.

The neck feels identical profile-wise to a Martin. There's a small amount of wear around the bass side of the rosette and on the pickguard but other than that the guitar is in exceptional condition for a 35-year-old.

The frets look great near 95%.

Amazing vintage guitar, with great history and sound.

There were a lot of very high-quality acoustic guitars coming out of the Japanese factories in the early 1980s, which prompted the lawsuits from the big American makers as the Far Eastern guitars were rivaling those coming out of the North American factories for tone and looks, and were available at a fraction of the cost. This guitar is no exception. It feels really close to a Martin D28 in your hands with its solid build quality and practically identical appointments.