Gone: Toronado (It's a Toro, after all)

[wmachine]

Welcome to OSG wmachine! Looks like your Toro are with SD pickups of some sort, and they are probably better than the Atomics that came stock in mine. I mean, if I were to do a Slash thing with it, they totally do the job, but I'm more into "complex cleans" for the lack of better word, and might replace them when I do some homework and figure out what I want exactly.

But yeah, you got a Les Paul scale, bridge, controls and placement of them, and two humbuckers, that's even closer to LP than the Tele Deluxe.

Thanks for the welcome. The specs for the pups are SD '59s at the bridge, and Pearly Gates at the neck. So I don't feel any need to change the pups.
I think Fender gave it a good effort with this Korean made guitar, I guess the market didn't give it a fair chance.

[wmachine]

Welcome to OSG wmachine! Looks like your Toro are with SD pickups of some sort, and they are probably better than the Atomics that came stock in mine. I mean, if I were to do a Slash thing with it, they totally do the job, but I'm more into "complex cleans" for the lack of better word, and might replace them when I do some homework and figure out what I want exactly.

But yeah, you got a Les Paul scale, bridge, controls and placement of them, and two humbuckers, that's even closer to LP than the Tele Deluxe.

Thanks for the welcome. The specs for the pups are SD '59s at the bridge, and Pearly Gates at the neck. So I don't feel any need to change the pups.
I think Fender gave it a good effort with this Korean made guitar, I guess the market didn't give it a fair chance.

I wrote to Fender and here are the specs on mine:

(KC)04099390 - Toronado GT HH in Red from 01/2005, made in Korea.
Model Name: Toronado GT HH
Model Number: 026-0700-(Color#)
Series: Special Edition Series
Body: Mahogany
Neck: Maple, Modern “C” Shape,
(Satin Polyurethane Finish)
Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5” Radius (241mm)
Frets: 22 Medium Jumbo Frets
Scale Length: 24 3/4” (629 mm)
Nut: 1.6875” (43 mm)
Hardware: Chrome
Machine Heads: Cast/Sealed Tuning Machines
Bridge: Adjusto-MaticTM Bridge with Anchored-Tailpiece
Pickguard: None
Pickups: 1 Seymour Duncan® SH-1N RP ‘59 Reverse Polarity Humbucking Pickup (Neck),
1 Seymour Duncan® SHPGP-1B Pearly Gates Plus Humbucking Pickup (Bridge)
Pickup Switching: 3-Position Toggle:
Position 1. Bridge Pickup
Position 2. Bridge and Neck Pickups
Position 3. Neck Pickup
Controls: Volume 1. (Neck Pickup),
Tone 1. (Neck Pickup),
Volume 2. (Bridge Pickup),
Tone 2. (Bridge Pickup)
Colors: (540) Red with Racing Stripe,
(595) Blue with Racing Stripe,
(598) Green with Racing Stripe,
(599) Bronze with Racing Stripe,
(Polyurethane Finish)
Strings: Fender Super ST250L, Nickel Plated Steel, (.009 to .042), p/n 073-0250-203
Case: None
Other Features: Jazzmaster® Headstock Shape,
24 3/4” Scale Length,
Side Mounted Jack,
Contoured Heel,
Oversized Strap Buttons
Source: Korea
Accessories: None
U.S. MSRP: $899.99
INTRODUCED: 1/2005
DISCONTINUED: 1/2007
WRENCH SIZES: 4mm Hex Truss Rod Adjustment Wrench

[PixMix]

So, I let mine go. I spent he last week trying to decide weather to go "all out" on it with a refinish and a pickup swap or just let it go. I liked the way it played, but still decided against modifying it. So I ended up adding a few bucks and got a 2011 Les Paul Special with P90s and an ebony board. Oh well, perhaps in future I'll come across one I will like better.

[s_mcsleazy]

my friend has one of these sitting under her bed.

[secondhand]

I saw that guitar while looking for a Coronado. Good score!

[crankwalk]

That was a really sharp Toronado. I forgot some (all?) of these were made in Korea.

[PixMix]

That was a really sharp Toronado. I forgot some (all?) of these were made in Korea.

Some. I think the original run was MIM, then came some MIA and some MIK. The one I posted above is MIM. It's a really great playing guitar, but honestly, I didn't feel like going down the rabbit hole of changing pickups and the ones it came with (Atomics, I believe) didn't really make me happy. So I swapped it for an LP special with P90s.

[crankwalk]

That was a really sharp Toronado. I forgot some (all?) of these were made in Korea.

Some. I think the original run was MIM, then came some MIA and some MIK. The one I posted above is MIM. It's a really great playing guitar, but honestly, I didn't feel like going down the rabbit hole of changing pickups and the ones it came with (Atomics, I believe) didn't really make me happy. So I swapped it for an LP special with P90s.

My Atomic was the first thing I ditched and threw a Seymour Duncan in my Cyclone. Atomics are hot but I could never get the harshness out without making the tone muddy. SD cured that.

[PixMix]

That was a really sharp Toronado. I forgot some (all?) of these were made in Korea.

Some. I think the original run was MIM, then came some MIA and some MIK. The one I posted above is MIM. It's a really great playing guitar, but honestly, I didn't feel like going down the rabbit hole of changing pickups and the ones it came with (Atomics, I believe) didn't really make me happy. So I swapped it for an LP special with P90s.

My Atomic was the first thing I ditched and threw a Seymour Duncan in my Cyclone. Atomics are hot but I could never get the harshness out without making the tone muddy. SD cured that.

I got SDs on a HH mustang, love them.

[burpgun]

I've got one of the black/tort Mexican Toronados. A great guitar, but yeah, those Atomic humbuckers are dark and in my case, they were also pretty microphonic. I put a humbucker shaped P-90 in the bridge and that helped a lot. I've been going back and forth about selling mine. It's really nice but I think I just like the traditional Fender scale a bit better for guitar.

[Danley]

SD Jazz humbuckers are great; almost single coil-Ish in their attack and EQ, very clear.

[Subgenius]

I remember my Toronado. It was one of those guitars I wanted to fall in love with but I could never get it to sound right . Pickups, pots, caps, etc ... No matter what kind of money I threw at it the thing just didn't sound right . But it was beautiful.
Eventually I sold it for what I bought it for but lost the money invested . From then on I vowed not to get too involved with a guitar. It got to the point it was like trying to date a bitchy girl and trying to change her because she was pretty or good in bed...LOL From now on if it sounds or plays like shit I put it back and don't look back.

[wmachine]

That was a really sharp Toronado. I forgot some (all?) of these were made in Korea.

Some. I think the original run was MIM, then came some MIA and some MIK. The one I posted above is MIM. It's a really great playing guitar, but honestly, I didn't feel like going down the rabbit hole of changing pickups and the ones it came with (Atomics, I believe) didn't really make me happy. So I swapped it for an LP special with P90s.


My Atomic was the first thing I ditched and threw a Seymour Duncan in my Cyclone. Atomics are hot but I could never get the harshness out without making the tone muddy. SD cured that.

I got SDs on a HH mustang, love them.[/quote][/quote]

That's why I'm so impressed with the Toronado GT. The stock SD pups are great, and it is a great player totally as is.

[Deed_Poll]

They should do a set-neck Toronado, just to stick it to Gibson !

I'm sorry it wasn't the one for you. Damn I love that shape, and the small pickguard. I gotta make one some day!