Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd. (Tokai Musical Instruments) is founded in 1947 as harmonica manufacturer.Tokai has produced acoustic guitars, electric guitars, electric basses, autoharps, and melodicas.
Tokai has built a lot of Gibson and Fender replica models over the years such as the 'Love Rock Model' and 'Les Paul Reborn' Les Paul replicas and the 'Springy Sound' Stratocaster replicas and the 'Breezy Sound' Telecaster replicas. Tokai has also made a lot of Gibson and Martin Acoustic model replicas as 'Cat's Eye'. In 1965 Tokai started making classical guitars and in 1968 started making the Hummingbird electric guitar series and in 1970 started making the Hummingbird Acoustic models. In 1972 Tokai went into a joint venture with Martin to supply Acoustic guitar parts and also build Martin's solid body Sigma guitars. Next year, the 'Cat's Eyes' Martin Acoustic replicas were started.
The Tokai 'Les Paul Reborn' Les Paul replicas started around 1976 and around 1978. Well, It was a starting time of 'lawsuit' guitars. Tokai made replicas are very good quality.
The wooden materials are much better than original Gibson - Tokai investigated the original 59 Gibson standard and analyzed. Download serial number easyworship 2007. Now, their 70's LS series are very difficult to find out, even for the collectors. The price of these guitars are expensive than original list price as premier.
Tokai used several logo on the peg head like 'Les Paul Reborn' and 'Love Rock Model'. Fender replicas were started in 1977 officially. These were great guitars too. Using good quality wooden material with great craft man ship.
'Springy Sound' Stratocaster replicas and the 'Breezy Sound' Telecaster replicas are superior to the original Fender. Tokai has own factory and has built guitars for many famous known brands such as Fernandes and Fender Japan.
For that mean, Tokai is only one original electric guitar manufacturer in Japan. (Note: Fender Japan used many sub constructors such as Fujigen, Dyna, Tokai, and Terada.
The JV and E serial were made by Fujigen. Tokai made has 'Made in Japan' under serial number in cursive handwriting) Serial Numbers Tokai uses a 7-digit number usually press marked on peg head back for the Gibson type replicas. Love Rocks series use the first digit for the made year, 10XXXXX=1981. Where is the serial number located on a moneygram money order stub. 1989 made Love Rocks has 89XXXXX=1989. Reborn series use first digit for the made year's 800XXXX = 1978. The Tokai Fender replicas have a production, serial number with no year information.
They have We should estimate it from the logo mark and other parts information.
I've got an '84 Hardpuncher. It's one of the best precisions I've ever played.
A lot of basses have come, and gone through the years. This one has stayed.
It has a lovely neck, 70's style narrower (B width) than the standard width neck, though not as narrow as a Jazz bass, and a deeper profile though not a bassball bat. The standard pickups are not much cop IME. I've put a vintage Dimarzio in mine, plus CTS pots, PIO tone cap & switchcraft jack. I've slso swapped the original b/w/b pickguard for a nice tort one. Here it is: url='/url Edited April 19, 2015 by nick. quote name='Turnaround' timestamp=' post='2751710' I've a real soft spot for 80s Tokai guitars and bass's. They're better than a lot of 70s Fenders and close to but ultimately only replicas of the 60s Fenders that inspired them.
Excellent instruments though in every way. /quote I know they did replicas of 50's & 60's classic Fenders, but the neck on mine is closer to a 70's P-Bass quote name='Glorianah' timestamp=' post='2751712' Wow, such a beautiful bass nick! How do you know/find out which year it is from? I'm guessing mine might be from the 80's aswell. It's hard to find enough info online i think i've been surfing a bit about it. Just got this guitar from my uncle, he said i could sell it if i wanted to but i thik i will hold on to it for a while ^^ /quote Thanks.I worked it out from the serial number & the logo shape. Check out the Tokai registry website, but I'd guess yours is maybe an 83/84 one.
I'd keep it, get a decent pickup in it & you've got a killer P-bass there. quote name='3below' timestamp=' post='2751714' Highly rated in the 80s at the time. /quote You know, I remember in the 80's a lot of people (wrongly) treated them as second rate to Fender, same as a lot of other Japcrap. TBH, I think Tokais as well as Grecos are now more highly regarded than back then IMHO. Edited April 19, 2015 by nick.
Tokai Forum - a subsidiary of TokaiRegistry.com:: View topic - My first ever Tokai - Olympic white Jazz Sound (with pics).:: Author Message Fender32 Guitar God Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 69 Location: Germany Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 12:18 pm Post subject: My first ever Tokai - Olympic white Jazz Sound (with pics). Now that I think we've safely established that this bass is a geniune Tokai Jazz Sound (see link.). I think that it's a good time for me to post some pics of it. I'm afraid that I don't know too many details about it (year of manufacture, model number etc.), but maybe some of the resident Tokai experts here could chime in, if they have any comments or opinions about it!? Gracious and Curvatious Very Fendery Headstock Shape Unusual 'Split' Headstock Logo Indian Rosewood? Made in Japan, from Finest Shell of Plastic Tortoise Wot no Buckle Rash! Unusual Tuners, for a 'Jazz Sound' Horny Beast Zero Fret Wear Mmm, curvey!
That last photo has been 'sexed up' a bit with some photo processing software, so that I (and anybody else who wants to) can use it as desktop wallpaper. As I said before, all input regarding the date of manufacture, model number etc., would be much appreciated. Thanks for looking. Last edited by Fender32 on Mon Mar 22, 2010 12:48 pm; edited 4 times in total JohnA Guitar God Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 4176 Location: Leicester UK Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:26 pm Post subject: Lovely looking bass!
Tokai Jazz Sound Bass Serial Numbers
And the 'sexed up' pic is great too, can you tell me what you did to it? Fender32 Guitar God Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 69 Location: Germany Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 1:38 pm Post subject: JohnA wrote: Lovely looking bass! And the 'sexed up' pic is great too, can you tell me what you did to it? Hi John, Thanks for the kind remarks. All I really did with the photo was to play with the contrast levels (boosting them by about 10%) and then used 'control points' (these are specific to Nikon's 'Capture NX2' software) to darken the area around the bass until it appeared totally black.
Finally, I cloned out a couple of specks and blemishes around the bottom of the body of the bass. Here's how the photo looked, straight from the camera, so that you can see the difference. JohnA Guitar God Joined: 02 Mar 2007 Posts: 4176 Location: Leicester UK Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 2:58 pm Post subject: Thanks fpr the photo tips, I realy should try a bit harder! Anway, back to the bass, hows it stack up against the Fender? Stratman323 Guest Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:05 pm Post subject: Almost snap! I have a 1983 JB45. I know it's 1983 from the block decal, yours will be from 1984 onwards.
Have a look through the catalogues in the registry to see which models were listed in the 80s. I'm not sure if any of them were nitro finished though, with the guitars it was only 80s and above that had nitro. Here's the 1985 Vol 1 catalogue. Shame I haven't learnt to play it!
It's light, a bit neck heavy actually, but then basses do seem to be. The rosewood is up to the usual standard of 80s Tokais, easily much better than anything you see on current Fender Custom Shop stuff.
Hope this helps. Mike Fender32 Guitar God Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 69 Location: Germany Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:20 pm Post subject: stratman323 wrote: Almost snap! I have a 1983 JB45. I know it's 1983 from the block decal, yours will be from 1984 onwards. Have a look through the catalogues in the registry to see which models were listed in the 80s. I'm not sure if any of them were nitro finished though, with the guitars it was only 80s and above that had nitro. Shame I haven't learnt to play it!
It's light, a bit neck heavy actually, but then basses do seem to be. The rosewood is up to the usual standard of 80s Tokais, easily much better than anything you see on current Fender Custom Shop stuff.
Hope this helps. Mike It does indeed help, thanks very much Mike! I'd actually seen pictures of your bass before, when I did a Google search, but obviously didn't know who it belonged to. It's in great nick!
The nitro is a bit of a puzzle, but then this bass has a few features that I've never seen on any other Jazz Sound bass, all of which are much closer to an actual mid-60s Fender than Tokai normally seem to get (i.e. The transfer on the ball of the headstock, the '64 on Gotoh style tuners and even the divots drilled into the headstock). Actually, I've just been in contact with someone on the Talkbass forum, who has a Hard Puncher with a serial number that is only 30 away from mine (with no 'L' prefix, of course). He bought his new in Jan 1986, so I reckon that mine probably hails from 1985. The neck plate would seem to be one intended for a P Bass copy, but I guess that parts got mixed up in bins at the Tokai factory, just as they did at the Fender factory.
In that respect, Tokai were emulating Fender even more closely than they intended to! Thanks again for the cool pics! Your bass isn't 'neck heavy', it's 'body light'! If yours weighs anything like the 8.3lbs that mine does, you should be aware that that is pretty light for a Jazz Bass and so some neck dive is bound to occur. Stratman323 Guest Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:27 pm Post subject: Yeah it's in good nick, I just feel a bit guilty having something that I can't really get anything out of.
At least my guitars get played to some sort of standard. If the basses are like the guitars (and they must be), you can't date Tokais from 1984/85ish from the serial numbers. What Tokai did is to copy the serial numbers Fender would have used on the model they were copying.
So a RW board Goldstar from the same period would have a serial number starting with L - same as a 64 Strat. They weren't sequential, as far as we can make out. And as we know, neck plates are easily changed - even on real 60s intruments.
Tokai Jazz Sound Bass Review
Goestoeleven Guitar God Joined: 30 Aug 2008 Posts: 335 Location: Hertfordshire Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 4:58 pm Post subject: Wow! Looks like a different instrument. Is that a Fender control cavity plate? I often wondered whether they were interchangeable on the basses. Most of the Tokai guitar parts can be interchanged with Fender (There's even a theory that Mark Knopfler's repainted red Strat from the first Dire Straits album was actually a Tokai) but it's interesting that you can do it on the basses too. Anyway, you've kept the old parts, so originality won't be an issue if you ever sell it again. Given the bargain price of Tokais though, why not collect some more?
'My guitar is definitely a P. extension. I play with it behind locked doors for my own amusement' Fender32 Guitar God Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 69 Location: Germany Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:02 pm Post subject: stratman323 wrote: Yeah it's in good nick, I just feel a bit guilty having something that I can't really get anything out of. At least my guitars get played to some sort of standard.
If the basses are like the guitars (and they must be), you can't date Tokais from 1984/85ish from the serial numbers. What Tokai did is to copy the serial numbers Fender would have used on the model they were copying.
So a RW board Goldstar from the same period would have a serial number starting with L - same as a 64 Strat. They weren't sequential, as far as we can make out.
And as we know, neck plates are easily changed - even on real 60s intruments. Don't feel guilty for owning a great conditioned bass and looking after it! The vintage market needs more people like you, Stratman. If/when you come to sell that bass, someone's going to get a fantastic instrument. IMHO, the people who probably should feel a little guilty are the ones who modify, abuse and generally play their vintage instruments into the ground - one day, there'll be nothing left for future generations to experience.
Anyway, best not open that particular can of worms. Goestoeleven Guitar God Joined: 30 Aug 2008 Posts: 335 Location: Hertfordshire Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:09 pm Post subject: Stratman323 wrote: It's light, a bit neck heavy actually, but then basses do seem to be. It was designed that way. If you went out shopping for a vintage Fender and wound up buying the Tokai you'd find it would balance perfectly when your back pocket was stuffed with the?4,000 you'd saved.
'My guitar is definitely a P. extension. I play with it behind locked doors for my own amusement' Fender32 Guitar God Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 69 Location: Germany Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 5:09 pm Post subject: Goestoeleven wrote: Wow! Looks like a different instrument. Is that a Fender control cavity plate?
I often wondered whether they were interchangeable on the basses. Most of the Tokai guitar parts can be interchanged with Fender (There's even a theory that Mark Knopfler's repainted red Strat from the first Dire Straits album was actually a Tokai) but it's interesting that you can do it on the basses too.
Anyway, you've kept the old parts, so originality won't be an issue if you ever sell it again. Given the bargain price of Tokais though, why not collect some more? Don't tempt me - I'm already thinking back to the pair of fretless, sunburst Tokai Jazz Sounds, which 'Can-U-Music' had in stock for most of 1986 (remember those two?). If I could find one of those I'd be tempted, as they had bags of 'mmmmwwwwaaaaahhhhh'. As for the control plate, yes, it a chromed brass Fender replacement part. As you probably know from experience, (short of having your genitals submersed in paint stripper ) there is nothing more painful known to man than getting a splinter of chrome plating under the finger nail!
That was reason enough to change it. Stratman323 Guest Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2009 6:04 pm Post subject: Fender32 wrote: IMHO, the people who probably should feel a little guilty are the ones who modify, abuse and generally play their vintage instruments into the ground - one day, there'll be nothing left for future generations to experience. Anyway, best not open that particular can of worms. I think cruelty to Tokais should be punished. Norman Watt-Roy played a Tokai Jazz for years. Seraulu1 Plucker Joined: 20 Mar 2010 Posts: 1 Posted: Sun Mar 21, 2010 3:36 am Post subject: 'Newbie' Wow that's look nice!! Display posts from previous: - All times are GMT - 6 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum.
Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |