Friends Reunited

[iainblack]

A story 15 years in the making! I saw a recent advert on marketplace for a Tokai pointy strat known as the JSD model, at a resonable price. i negotiated down to a better price with the knowledge it may not be all present and correct, generic floyd trem HSS set up etc. When I went to play and pay it was a great tokai neck but i wasnt sure about the body and its bad repaint. i took a punt and for sure it was just the neck.



At this point I remembered i had a snow white custom edition Tokai body so this seemed like the way forward. I had a quick check to see if i wanted to change the existing one as the new one was not that good a guitar. Here is the comparison:



note the Tokai brass knobs from Mr president himself! So not a light decision but I felt Tokai neck on tokai body should be the best option and unleash the mojo


I then wanted to compare it to its sister another JDS I got a while back:



Neck binding different and the white one has white finished neck.



So the rebuild began with the first challenge - does the neck fit? At first I thought I had a problem but it was so snug it had to be pursuaded in, it was either going to aid the overall resonance or a great crack was going to appear

Problem 2, the original body was routed for a 2 pivot trem (not sure which Tokai version - Im looking for a black Extra Tokai Trem is anyone has one?!?!?) so do I re-route as I had filled and converted to a 6 point standard trem.



Decision was to go with a black standard trem that didnt lock to check out the electrics and overall feel of the guitar. I could leave to the locking nut open and look for a proper Tokai trem in the meantime.

So i ordered some black strap buttons and a black jack socket from Amazon and commenced the rebuild.

Here she is and voila - a Tokai JSD that plays really well, some alignment issues maybe that can be solved when getting a professional to fit a proper locking toaki trem when i find one. Im glad I made the swap:



So friends reunited after 15 years - here is the link to the original story of the 2009 body which originated from 1986 or 7 I believe.

Fendai mark 2 | Tokai & Japanese Guitar Forum (tokaiforum.com)

and the knob story too

Tokai factory tour, Hamamatsu, Japan 1.6.16 | Page 2 | Tokai & Jap4anese Guitar Forum (tokaiforum.com)


hope you enjoyed my story and keep an eye out for that trem please !!!

 

[iainblack]

Note the 56 mm routing distance for the trem compared to the 74 mm ayers recoker / floyd spacing hence the search for an extra Tokai trem or i have to cut the scratch plate or buy a new one. its a hybrid model anyway.

 

[Sigmania]

Hi Iain,

Looks like a fun project.

I thought the ET hardware was 1983/84?

Your HHH body looks like some of the ones I have seen that seem to date to from 1986-89?

I was looking for one with the same production code but don't have enough examples to find one.

Here are a couple of HHH Tokais to maybe give you some ideas on the trem options?

SN 220598

1987

Diving board neck!

Color code: GR

Tokai Custom Edition: Vai Green Meanie 1986 | Reverb


View attachment 4970View attachment 4968View attachment 4969
View attachment 4958

SN 220914

HSS

Tokai Custom Edition Super Strat guitar SD603

View attachment 6080
View attachment 6079
View attachment 6081
View attachment 6082
View attachment 6083

 

[Sigmania]

Ayer's Rocker models

Ayer's Rocker

 

[Sigmania]

Extra Tokai

Extra Tokai “Super Emotional Vibrato” ET

 

[iainblack]

Hi Iain,

Looks like a fun project.

I thought the ET hardware was 1983/84?

Your HHH body looks like some of the ones I have seen that seem to date to from 1986-89?

I was looking for one with the same production code but don't have enough examples to find one.

Here are a couple of HHH Tokais to maybe give you some ideas on the trem options?

Thanks Sigmania for all the links to help decide - it just needs to be 55-56 mm width, black and Tokai, not really worried about period correct as it is a hybrid. I will need to check the neck code , dont recall seeing one but didnt specifically check.

The body code is 12-1- SW - X for Snow white, not sure if you have cracked the date code yet?? Apologies for my poor fill and paint job but it was covered by a lovely gold trem

 

[iainblack]

Hi Iain,

Looks like a fun project.

I thought the ET hardware was 1983/84?

Your HHH body looks like some of the ones I have seen that seem to date to from 1986-89?

I was looking for one with the same production code but don't have enough examples to find one.

Here are a couple of HHH Tokais to maybe give you some ideas on the trem options?

Wow - green meanie

 

[Sigmania]

Thanks Sigmania for all the links to help decide - it just needs to be 55-56 mm width, black and Tokai, not really worried about period correct as it is a hybrid. I will need to check the neck code , dont recall seeing one but didnt specifically check.

The body code is 12-1- SW - X for Snow white, not sure if you have cracked the date code yet?? Apologies for my poor fill and paint job but it was covered by a lovely gold trem

View attachment 56917

Working on it. ATO has been logging these month-batch combinations and looking for patterns with some success.

BTW, he now owns the green TST100 in your book.

 

[iainblack]

Working on it. ATO has been logging these month-batch combinations and looking for patterns with some success.

BTW, he now owns the green TST100 in your book.

Cool, hope he bought a copy for his guitar case, adds to resale value

 

[Sigmania]

Somehow I don't think he will be selling it, but who knows.

It turned out to be a very interesting piece of the puzzle.

The decal was changed from block logo to script at the factory it seems.

Some other interesting stuff too.

Link here:

T/ST100 TG