Help ID: TL62 neck (Fender), Tokai electronics, body??

[superbadj]

Just got a guitar, knew it was a bit of a risk but am curious what I ended up with.

Overall body: Routing is identical to my 1985 TL62. I don't know early (or recent) Tokai routing. The bridge is NOT Fender Japan, it's more like a USA aftermarket.


Neck: Looks to be a legit 1985 TL62 (I have another to compare it with).


Pickups/electronics: Looks to be Tokai...but from when? TEB markings on pickups. No markings on back of pots, but looks to be 1meg marked on the side which I've never seen.



And lastly, here's the neck plate--5 digit serial, but starts with 9.




Neck: Definitely Fender TL62 (1985)
Body: Very likely Fender TL62 (not sure of age)
Electronics: Tokai, not sure of age
Bridge: Fender aftermarket (but saddles do look legit early 80s Fender Japan w/slot heads)
Neck plate: Tokai?? Or just aftermarket? Font looks like Tokai.

OK, Tokai experts, do your best!

$$$-wise I'm fine on this. I paid $900 shipped from California to Virginia (about $150), and it came wtih a brand new G&G Fender Custom Shop case (retail for $300) and a souldier strap ($50). So set those costs aside and I have about $400 in the guitar itself. Which ain't much. And it looks great. I may switch out the pickups and electronics but want to know what I have first.

Thanks for helping a newbie to this forum. Been on the TDPRI for a looooong time (same username) and have owned my first TL62 since about 1989. Was my first electric guitar, so I got started out right.

 

[superbadj]

Forgot to mention--don't see any body codes/markings in the pickup routes. For Tokais I've seen some on tape and some printed in the body, this has neither that I can see.

I know Fender Japan usually put a "TL62B" stamp in the neck pocket but there are loads of examples with nothing stamped, so that doesn't seem to work against the body being Fender Japan, though again I have no way of knowing the age.

 

[Sigmania]

The pickups are Tokai TE MKII stamped TEB.

The rest is not Tokai as far as I can tell.

The 5 digit serial number is way too high of a number to fit any actual Tokais.

Not sure why they would put those pickups in a Fender, but to each his own.

This guitar seems familiar. It may have been discussed in the past?

 

[superbadj]

Hey @Sigmania thank you.

So the pots/electronics don't look like Tokai? That switch looked a lot like the one this thread but maybe not. I was thinking given the 1MEG pots that it seemed to fit the Tokai scheme.

It does seem weird to put Tokai pickups in a Fender, especially as I've read that the TEB pickups aren't as well regarded as the TEA versions. I assume they have little value at this point?

Here's the Reverb sold listing for it. Again, I didn't pay that much. https://reverb.com/item/81804132-fe...le-bound-candy-apple-red-nitro?show_sold=true

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

That body and neck may or may not belong together and do look like Fender, the serial doesn't fit anything Fender or Tokai, the pickups are Tokai but the rest of the electronics - the pots look like Noble (which would be very unusual for a Tokai TE I think) and the switch looks like Matsushita but unfortunately the pics show it from the wrong side and you need a macro lens to shoot the production stamp that may or may not be on it.

 

[superbadj]

The pot does say Noble, good catch. I didn't see that before.

Better pics of the switch from the other side.

 

[superbadj]

converted the iPhone HEIC images to JPG to see if that helps w/clarity.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

The switch is a Matsushita from December '83 (or '93) but since it comes from some other guitar (could be the same as the pickups) that information is of very little value.

 

[Sigmania]

The listing says "original American made pups".

You would think a dealer with pickups in their name would know?

 

[superbadj]

The listing says "original American made pups".

You would think a dealer with pickups in their name would know?

Yeah, it's no nitro either. I knew that going in. I got a bunch more detail pics of the neck before buying--but not the electronics.

I realized when it was a day away from delivery that the bridge wasn't right. That worried me a bit, but really....if the body and neck are right, in my personal opinion, that's fine given what I paid. And they seem legit Fender. I would have preferred to have it untouched and all original I guess, as my TL62 sounds great. But it will give me an excuse to use a Cunetto-era Nocaster pickup that I have laying around, and some other stuff.

Once I figured the pickups were Tokai, I thought maybe the entire body and electronics (sans the bridge) were early 80s Tokai, which would be kinda neat. But it doesn't seem that way.

Am I right that these TEB pickups aren't that well regarded? I need to put it back together and decide for myself, just curious. ANd frankly, debating installing other pickups/pots/wiring while I have it all blow'd up.

 

[Sigmania]

The pickups are fine as far as I know. If you pull them you can sell them as TEB / MKII pickups. Someone may need them for a restoration.

And cool to have the double bound body and a slab board.

 

[superbadj]

Yeah I do love that Fender Japan did that in this era. Such nice necks. This is my '85 TL62 I've owned since 1989 or so. Same slab build. And the two necks are just 36 days apart.