Help with ebay breezy id

[MarcoXMarco]

Hi everyone,
-Marco
This Breezy is very interesting to me, and the seller in Japan doesn't state much to ID it, beyond it being an ATE, and the headstock seems to reflect that.
Because it is a ATE, does that mean it is a 9.5" radius, which is what modern Teled seem to come with? Are the ATEs made with a thinner, "Modern C", as most of the Fenders do?
I have rather small paws, 7 1/4" from wrist to the tip of my middle finger, and wonder what the neck profile shape, depths at 1st, and 12th frets, nut width, etc. would be on this instrument. I have noticed a lot of the Tokai Breezies copies, have 50's U necks.
He doesn't state what model it is.
Does anyone know what this is ?
Sorry, I don't know an easy way to include a url for the ebay ad.
Thanks
Marco

 

[Sigmania]

Looks like a 2011 ATE70 MRR

2012 catalog

 

[Sigmania]

Note sure about the neck shape & radius.

 

[Sigmania]

Neck: Maple
Fingerboard: Rosewood
Scale length: 25.5"
Nut With: 1-11/16"
Fingerboard radius: 9.5"
Frets: 22 (medium jumbo)

2012 Tokai ATE-70 YSR Breezysound Tele-Style Guitar w/GB, Sunburst, Japan 40580 | Reverb

 

[MarcoXMarco]

Hi Everyone
Marco
I sent the ebay offerer an email, *through ebay*, asking for thickness measurements of the neck at the1st and 12th fret positions, nut width, and attached three images of how to put a button cell between the center strings, and do the measurement with an electronic calipers, but have not yet heard back from "EDGE_japan" about it.
I *was about to say*, "this is unusual, a *differently named* ebay seller, "Convienience of Japan" has an ad on ebay for the same instrument", with the same images, but slightly different copy and price, who I've yet to email.
But then I noticed two *other Japanese sellers*, "Jugemu Musical Instrument Store" and "japan_holic",have both posted ads, with the same images, but different prices, for a different Tokai, an ATE128.
And all of them, *very polite* !
I'd say I better buy the red one before it's too late, but do not want to end up with my small left hand trying to fret a "baseball bat" !

 

[Sigmania]

You are dealing with middlemen called brokers.

 

[MarcoXMarco]

I *pushed* the ebay "buy button" on this axe. Although the *lower price asker*, "EDGE_japan", of the two brokers hadn't gotten back to me with neck measurements, an offer arrived at ebay from the seller, knocking $30 off. Hopefully the, *seemingly unbelievable*, weight of this guitar, at 2.8 kg, 6.1 lbs, was arrived at with something more accurate than a bathroom scale, in the back of an Osaka pawn shop.
I may also find out what Tina, Gary's luthier at Amp Shop Bass Exchange, in North Hollywood, California charges, not only for rolling the fretboard shoulders of a guitar's neck, to suit my small hand, for thumb fretting, but also, reprofiling and refinishing, a maple neck.
¡¡¡¡ I'M EXCITED !!!!
*Lights dim*
Thanks everyone, and wish me luck !
- Marco

 

[Sigmania]

Well... with a broker, none of them have the guitar. It is possible someone else may buy it before your broker closes the deal. It can be disappointing when that happens. Good luck

 

[MarcoXMarco]

Well Sigmania, you seem to have been correct. I have left negative feedback for EDGE_japan, as nowhere on their, or the the other seller's, "Convenience of Japan", listings, is mention of "item is listed on several sites, and may be previously sold". I also was not interested in emailing them for more info for "some other guitar" they showed three pics of, but I did take s look at their other listings, and this dark red, double-bound T-style did not appear. I also felt it was a "bait and switch", and was too pissed to want to continue dealing with them.
I did though, late last night, email "Convenience", stating what had happened, including that I had left neg. feedback for EDGE, and asking if "they" actually posess the Breezy, and have it for sale. I have not yet heard back from them.
So, wondering if the images were stolen by both "sellers", off somewhere else, I search-engined the web for the serial #, and other details of the Breezy, but didn't find anything. But as both the Chrome, and in my case, the Brave browser, bring up nothing but ads for things currently for sale, it doesn't surprise me.
But also take a look at what appeared on ebay when, seeing more than one listing for a metallic blue Breezy ATE 112S, I search on ebay for "Tokai ATE 112S". There are *five sellers* listing it for sale, and none of them are named "BIGBOSS HIROSHIMA", that every of their images carry as a watermark. There are *seven* "sellers" of the listing for the butterscotch.
It occurred to me last night, as I was looking at my bank charge for this, that during the "3 to 5 days" ebay tells me I am now waiting for my refund, due to "seller cancelled order", that ebay willl be making interest on this money, thus they may not be motivated to do anything about this trickery.
Does the forum have a thread about this issue.
- Saddened In Pasadena

 

[MarcoXMarco]

Perhaps the "2.88 kg" was BS as well.

 

[Sigmania]

Well, the policy on here has been for over a decade not to bash individual sellers. Some folks have been banned for that.

As for brokers, some can be good. I’ve gotten a couple guitars using them.

Eventually you start poking around and figure out how to go around these folks and buy directly from sellers in Japan.

You can buy from retailers in Japan or through different auction platforms using proxies.

Search around on here. It’s been discussed quite a bit over the years. Shipping was pretty expensive for a while. Not sure if that has eased.

 

[Sigmania]

Best Way to Buy a Tokai?

 

[Sigmania]

I posted this a couple years ago after having an experience like yours:

https://www.tokaiforum.com/threads/buying-guitars-in-japan.25928/

 

[MarcoXMarco]

Thank you so much Sig. As I said when I had joined, I've never been a forum, and have only spent about five minutes reviewing the forum guidelines, which I will revisit. I had actually thought that I was giving the members a heads up, my relating who I had been dealing with, and what the traps look like these days, as well as seeking further advice.
In hindsight, I didn't *think* the $700 or so asking prices on this were oddly low.
But,
I *didn't* wait until I could get a neck measurement from the seller, as a neck swap, at worst, wouldn't break my heart, and if the ebayer was a broker, and didn't have it in his/her prescense, it wouldn't surprise me if he hadn't immediately responded.
But one thing, that I may have only seen after I'd hit "buy", was that in addition to offering free shipping, as all these Japanese ebay sellers seem to offer, this one had offered 30 days, and "Free Return shipping", so maybe it *did look* too good to be true
Thanks to every of you.