1980s 1981-82 Tokai sales flyer

[Voidoid56]

This one turned up with the last couple of guitars arriving from Japan.

I'm not sure exactly what it is, but probably some kind of retailers promo slip, with a Tokai ad on one side, and one for Morris acoustics on the other. There's no sign of it having been cut with scissors or any holes where staples have been removed, so it seems to be a flyer, possibly intended for a brochure stand or counter in a store, or distributed at some trade fair.

The date is probably late 1981, the copy states that the '82 catalog is just out and the 1982 SS70 "Limited" Fender The Strat copies are featured. It contained a couple of points that surprised me a little, and is a good example of promo material outside of the catalogs that is nevertheless official and valid. There must be any number of similar stuff issued over the years, and I try to pick interesting bits and bobs up whenever it turns up for sale in Japan.




The whole thing. The use of the "script 7okai" (or whatever you're supposed to call it) logo used on some export models in the mid-80's in the ad footer is interesting.



New 1982 Strat models. Google translation:

"It's been 10 years since the genius guitarist JH passed away. And the super guitarist MT who was born in Japan. Strangely enough, one of the guitars used by great artists of the past and present is a rare model with a non-brown point maple fingerboard neck called "One of a Kind". These two models have been revived as Tokai SS60, BB ST70, and YS. If you want to re-experience the sound that changed history, there is no better choice than this model. Any true guitar freak knows who J.H. and MT are. A rose fingerboard model will also be released at the same time.

• ST70MR ¥70,000 (rose flat fingerboard)
• OST70-YS ¥70,000 (maple fingerboard)
• SS60-BB ¥60,000 (maple fingerboard)
• SS60 YSR ¥60,000 (rose earl fingerboard)"

So it's an ad emphasizing the maple cap versions of these two models. I get who JH is, sure, but I'm cluess as to MT is, so I'm obviously no true guitar freak...



Two LP models. Google translation:

"The '56 single-coil pickup standard model is indispensable when talking about the LS model. The pure and old sustain taste produced by this model is reproduced in the Tokai LS70/GT. In addition, the all-gold standard LS75 AG, which can be called "rare of rare" and "one of a kind", has appeared due to the desire of old guitar files. In addition, the '59 Toramoku standard model with curly maple laminate top is also urgently released. It is packed with shocking specs worthy of being called the high-cost performance king.

• OLS70-GT ¥84,000 (Guitar ¥70,000 Case ¥14,000)
• LS75-AG ¥89,000 (Guitar ¥75,000 Case ¥14,000)
• LS100V・CS ¥114,000 (Guitar ¥100,000 Case ¥14,000)
• LS100V-OS ¥114,000 (Guitar ¥100,000 Case ¥14,000)"

Not that up to speed on LS models, but I wasn't aware they made an all-gold P90 Goldtop? Interesting to note that the prices suggest that these weren't supposed to be sold without a case?



SS70s in the footer. Google translation:

"THE SUPER ST'' and ``THE ST WHITE'' that decorate the beginning of '82 - A shocking appearance as a limited edition. Full of super specs such as gold parts & blast tremolo unit, gold rotomatic pegs, limited to 100 pieces each, nationwide release at the same time. Available from February 1 at Tokai product dealers
THE SUPER ST- -SS70S・ WNR (rose fingerboard neck only) ¥70,000/THE ST WHITE- SS70S・OWR (OW) rose fingerboard & maple 1-piece neck ¥70,000"

Wait, what, "limited to 100 pieces each"?? Per SS70 finish option? Or just these two? First time I can remember ever seeing an actual number of instruments of any "limited edition" specified.
That doesn't seem like a lot of guitars? At all. The Walnut finish is pretty unusual but you see white ones fairly often and quite a few MRRs. If they made 100 each of those, how many ST-120s? Like fourteen in total?
A couple of small points: they're being touted as being "STs", despite the SS designation. But I guess it's just general shorthand for Strats. Also, "Available from February 1st" is interesting. So far, all SS70s I have seen so far have had 1981 serials. Might say something about the time-to-market from the production date?




And the Morris/Moridaira ad on the reverse side. I've no idea what the connection between the companies concerning this flyer at this point might be. Probably just shared printing costs?

 

[Sigmania]

That is beyond cool. I have never seen this flyer before but I keep seeing ones I’ve never seen before.

The Feb 1 date is the date specified in the Spring 1982 catalog for when the new serial number system was to be in effect.

My guess is Tokai printed these. Not sure how Morris is related though.

Thanks for posting. Would love a flat scanned copy.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I get who JH is, sure, but I'm cluess as to MT is, so I'm obviously no true guitar freak...

Here you go...


Edit: Didn't know that guy either (until last week or so) but obviously he was and still is really big in Japan.

 

[Sigmania]

Here's one I pieced together from 1977/78 ?



And one from 1978/79 ?





And one from 1981


VintAxe scan

 

[Sigmania]

Maybe the "One of a Kind" flyer was produced by a dstributor that handled both the Tokai and Morris lines?

 

[Sigmania]

Many of the guitars featured in that flyer are "Rare Model" guitars. ST70, SS60, LS75AG

Spring 1982 catalog

 

[Sigmania]

Isn't Orange related to Fernandes?

 

[Sigmania]

Orange

View attachment 799
'77 Catalog.
FERNANDES ELECTRIC GUITARS ELECTRIC BASS GUITARS CATALOGUE. FERNANDES CORPORATION SE Fernandes Electric Sound Research Group. FST-SERIES FTE-SERIES FLC-SERIES FLG-SERIES FPB-SERIES FJB-SERIES ORANGE-GUITARS

I believe this was at the musical instrument fair in 1977. I got it. Fernandez's site.I don't ride. From this year, Fender guitars became the stone logo.

View attachment 800
The lineup of FLG and FST has not changed from the previous year. A more advanced model has been added. They are FST-120 and FLG-140. Is it because the Fernandez brand has become expensive? The low-priced brand ORANGE was listed.

View attachment 801
This year's orange single catalog. the Orange news Fernandes pricing structure because it has become too expensive Updating the guitar There is a meaning of digesting old parts electric, round. research group I thought it was a cheap brand. I personally think.

View attachment 802
Small talk.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

There was something with Fernandes and the name Orange (IIRC not necessarily related to Orange amps) but the "Orange Communications" could just be the ad agency printing those or something else, it's apparently not an uncommon company name in Japan. I ran that part through OCR too but the very last small line could not be read, maybe it contains more hints.
Edit: No it doesn't, it just says "To apply for the catalog, please enclose a stamp of ¥300." and "Moridaira Musical Instruments Headquarters..."

However, it was maybe a store (or -chain) stocking both brands having these flyers printed for them.

 

[Sigmania]

Rare birds...

ST70MRR, ST70YS, SS60BB, SS60YSR

 

[Voidoid56]

I had this Orange catalog for a while, but passed it on to a friend of mine, who's a Fernandes collector/hoarder and (literally) scholar. I'll ask if he's got a scan of it. I can't seem to find it online?



It's seems possible that the brand was basically what Cimar was to Ibanez or Westminster to Greco, i e a cheaper sub-brand to the main Fernandes brand. Music-Trade JV has hearsay of some sort of connection with an Osaka store as well, but it's murky.

As to why they chose that brand name... the logo is weirdly evocative of the amp brand without being an actual copy of it in any obvious way. But it's interesting to note that Fernandes was the Japanese distributor of Orange amps for a while in the early 70's. They feature heavily in the 1973 Fernandes catalog, then - infuriatingly - there's a gap in the catalog scans until 1977, at which time the Orange amps are gone. Hm. I bet there's a story there, whatever it may be...

Otherwise, here's my favourite Japanese brand appropriation:



Kyowa Shokai brand, high-end big brother of Fresher, but short-lived, a year or two during the late 70's. I've had three of them, all P-basses, and they're actually among the finest MIJ PBs I've come across so far.
Anyway, they certainly milked the connection with the cigarette brand, with pyramids and palm trees and a camel with sunglasses and a cheeky grin on one catalog cover. :-D It's hilariously funny and very weird to my Western eyes. But possibly also another indication of another mindset when it comes to copying what others have done. Maybe it really is the sincerest form of flattery?

 

[Voidoid56]

And more on the Camel theme... turns out I have what I believe is the only catalog they issued. Unclear date, but some time in the late 70's.

The cover. Gotta love it right?



The first spread is even more hilarious. Not only a pack of cigarettes, but also albums by the band Camel. Two brand appropriations in one fell swoop.



The instrument range have all the predictable classics at several price points, but also includes not one, but two Gibson Marauder copies, one with a dot neck, the other one with block inlays. Oddly, they're the same price, one would think the blocks and binding could have merited a 10k price hike. I may have seen like one or two for sale during a dozen or so years, so (predictably) not a big seller. I know there's a Cimar one as well, but otherwise the Japanese industry seems to have (wisely) steered clear of that particular original.

 

[Voidoid56]

Orange catalog scans. The catalog (or large folder, really) is in an awkward size, so the these pdf's really need to be edited together to be easily readable, I'm not really Acrobat-savvy enough to do it myself.

The info is in the same infuriatingly Google-resistant handwritten format as the earliest Revival-catalog. I'm afraid. The most interesting instrument to me is the OPO-520 1951 P-bass copy. Fernandes did one under their own badge as well, as FPO-75, I think those two are the only copies of that vintage?

 

[Sigmania]

Cool. I am piecing them together for you in Photoshop.

Looks like slightly different angles, so hard to seamlessly match up.

Would love a scan of the "One Of A Kind" flyer.

 

[Sigmania]

BTW.... looks like the exact same cartoonist drawing parts as in the early Tokai catalogs (1979-1982)

 

[Sigmania]

This needs its own thread... This is way too cool.

People will want to be able to find it in a search if they have an Orange guitar.

ORANGE Guitars By "Electric Sound Research Group"

Let me know if you want me to take it down. These are your images.

 

[Voidoid56]

Great work, thanks. As far as I'm concerned it's all in the public domain, I'm just the guy who bought the folder.

Scans of the One of a kind flyer, incl the Morris ad on the reverse side.

 

[Sigmania]

Thank you for scanning that!! Amazing find!

 

[Voidoid56]

Stuff like that turns up pretty regularly in YJA auctions, catalogs, flyers/brochures and sometimes ads cut from magazines. Easy to miss, but they often cost just hundreds of JPYs.

This one arrived fairly recently, a full-spread ad for the Greco Super Real series. No date provided, but since there's a JG-700 pictured, I would assume late 1980 - early '81. All I've seen so far of of both that model and the JM-700 have had Sept-Nov 1980 serials. Nothing out of the ordinary with the instruments pictured, but still, nice to have.



I'll probably have a look through my binders have a scan-athon later on. I do have some rare stuff on file. Now is not the time, though. My partner the accountant owns the household scanner, she's up to her neck in clients' tax forms and Not To Be Disturbed at this point.

 

[Sigmania]

Would be nice to have a separate section for catalog and flyer scans. I have scanned a bunch in the past but they are scattered. And they are certainly better than what is in the Registry.

Would you be will to have your stuff posted in the Registry if I can get some movement happening on overhauling it? Maybe I can figure out how to watermarklstuff so poeple don;t take it and sell it or present it as theirs.