Are Tokai 'Strat's allowed on this forum?

[Hipster]

I've just bagged a early 80's Goldstar Sound 50's style sunburst model. Two piece & light alder or sen ash body(not sure).

Really thin finish like nitro but not as no crackling.

Sounds the business and has a solid trem block which is a surprise.

This guitar cost exactly one tenth of a Fender 5oth Ani Ltd Edition so I can stop saving for that now.

A happy man!

[Hipster]

Please forgive me but this has made my year.

Here she is!

[Mark Davis]

Id rather have a Tokai than alot of USA made Strats. Congrats thats a nice one.

[Dana]

Originally Posted by Mark Davis

Id rather have a Tokai than alot of USA made Strats. Congrats thats a nice one.

Ditto that. Those are great guitars.

[Hipster]

There only one fault I can find on this 'budget' guitar and that the neck pickup sounds a little underpowered/muted in some way, odd, so that may have to go.

Probably stick in a Custom Shop replacement or something similar, nothing too overwound.

The other two 'U' pups are great sound really punchy, bridge pup isn't too thin sounding.

Everything has aged to perfection giving it a genuine 'relic' vibe without the modern price

[Sarge]

Tokai's are great guitars....get em' while you still can.

[BB]

Originally Posted by Hipster

Please forgive me but this has made my year.

Here she is!

Cool...congrats! My 78 Tokia looks very similar to yours. One of the finest strat style guitars I've ever played regardless of brand or price.

[Mark Davis]

Japanese are world famous for taking something made in the USA and replicating it or making it better.

They have done this on almost everything we use. TV's Cars Motorcycles Guitars etc etc.

[Hipster]

79! Wow! That would be a 'Springysound' I presume?

Mine seems to be identical to a 'Springysound' I owned way back in my teens except for the 'U' pups and the Goldstar logo.

Does yours have metal dots in the back trem cavity behind the springs? They are a mystery to me.

Another gratuitous pic!

[chickenpicker]

I once tried an amp in my local music shop, using a cheap second hand Tokai tele as test guitar. I didn't like the amp, but thought the guitar was really good, under the grime.

When I got home, I realised that I should have bought it, so phoned to make the deal.

It had been sold...

[Sunburst Island]

That's a nice shot, the colour goes well with that wooden floor too.

[Dr. T]

Stevie Ray endorsed Tokais at one time, so I guess if they were good enough for him...

[shakedancer]

That's nice!! I'm still haunted by a fiesta red one I let get away years ago. Wish I had bought that one then, was only $250. Oh Well!! :( Duke Robillard played them for a long time.

[Dennis68]

In particular, if you can find yourself an '83 Roadstar RS205, that puts most American Strats to shame from that same era. I own several of them a recently sold one on eBay to thin the herd a bit...

Even better, the RS405 which is Custom Shop Strat like quality. Those are rare, I have one, never gonna sell it...

[Hipster]

Cool. post a pic of the RS405?

Does anyone know what finish is applied the older Goldstars?

Mine is def not poly or if it is it's applied incredibly thin. It's just like old nitro but not a soft and hasn't aged in the same way. ¨

The grain of the wood can be felt thru whatever resin is applied - it looks beautiful like an antique surface to fine furniture.

[T-bone Tone]

The late 70's to '83 Tokais are some of the best instruments money can buy. I personally found them superior to the Fender '57 RI of '82, having tried both for a few hours at a store in that year.

Another overlooked gem are the very first Fender Squiers, with the Fender logo larger than the Squier logo. These are the equal of those early Tokai's.

[woof*]

hi Hipster!
im a huge tokai fan. im no expert but i have a few tokai's and know a little bit. you mentioned it has a solid block. do you mean steel? will a magnet stick to it? if so it should be a nitro finish. i have the same early goldstar and it has a thin nitro finish thats starting to sink into the body nicley, just like a real 50's looks. is your neck a fairly chunky C shape and flamed also? mine is comparable to fender custom necks. not all tokai's are this nice though and im unsure of the model numbers and cutoffs where they made them and finished them this well. someone mentioned SRV using them and he did. i had this goldstar refretted by rene M..... stevies tech. rene told me stevie always had a red tokai in his apartment and one of the cd's stevie has a black tokai on the cover. i love my old tokais. i also have two springysounds.
rand

[Hipster]

Hello, yep it's solid steel. The model I have is a ST50 - still has the sticker on the back of the neck!

I think this is one of the very early Goldstars having checked a few things out on Tokai's forum mine is identical to Springsounds that are equivelant in spec - same body routes, necks, machine heads- some Springsounds also had 'U' marked pickups - the finish I'm sure is not nitro on mine - the highest grade Toks had nitro and are very rare. It's the next best finish I've come across as it has sunk into the grain and looks awsome.

The neck on mine is a one piece slim C - no flame.

It's is a spot on replica for a 56 Strat apart from the decal obviously - just got to source a good neck pickup and it will be perfect.

Fender fans have a lot to thank the people of Tokai for scaring the pants off their shareholders etc and forcing them to produce Fender guitars the way they were meant to be made.

I remember the crap Fender were producing in the early 80's. Toks were THE must have guitars.

[Dennis68]

Originally Posted by Hipster

Cool. post a pic of the RS405?

Just got the pics up. And I typo-ed, its a 505. And as of yesterday, I may eat my words of never say never regarding keeping it. While at the local music shop yesterday I struck a discussion with a fellow who offered me alot more than I paid for it. Weather permitting I am meeting with him this evening so he can see it. This all of course goes into my consideration for either a '68 Tele I had my eye on or one of the Custom Shop Models that I would love to add to my collection.

Here's the RS505 that is about to go out the door it seems:

[Joel Terry]

Originally Posted by Dennis68

Just got the pics up. And I typo-ed, its a 505. And as of yesterday, I may eat my words of never say never regarding keeping it. While at the local music shop yesterday I struck a discussion with a fellow who offered me alot more than I paid for it. Weather permitting I am meeting with him this evening so he can see it. This all of course goes into my consideration for either a '68 Tele I had my eye on or one of the Custom Shop Models that I would love to add to my collection.

Here's the RS505 that is about to go out the door it seems:

I hope you get a great deal on that 505, if you decide to part with it, Dennis. Those are incredible guitars.

Joel

[Hipster]

Originally Posted by Dennis68

Just got the pics up. And I typo-ed, its a 505. And as of yesterday, I may eat my words of never say never regarding keeping it. While at the local music shop yesterday I struck a discussion with a fellow who offered me alot more than I paid for it. Weather permitting I am meeting with him this evening so he can see it. This all of course goes into my consideration for either a '68 Tele I had my eye on or one of the Custom Shop Models that I would love to add to my collection.

Here's the RS505 that is about to go out the door it seems:

Is this a Tokai? It looks like an 80's Ibanez. RS = Roadstar? Were they made in the same factory?

[Styrofoam]

I've heard some killer tone come out of the 80's tokai strats.

[Dennis68]

Originally Posted by Hipster

Is this a Tokai? It looks like an 80's Ibanez. RS = Roadstar? Were they made in the same factory?

Hipster, no these Ibanez Roadstars were manufactured at the Fujigen factory in Japan. They are top notch guitars as many (Like Terry above) knows. I had a collector come to my home to inspect the one I pictured up above and I am both happy and sad to say it's now sold. Happy in the sense that I will use the proceeds to by another guitar, but sad in the sense that I owned it for quite some time and may not see another in the same condition ever again in my lifetime... I believe I received a very fair price though to see it go...