Is this even a real Tokai Jazz Sound?

[simonmcroft]

Hi guys. I saw this bass and thought: Wow! Great deal. Now, I'm starting to wonder if any genuine Tokai Jazz Sound basses have truss rod adjustment at the nut and a serial number on the back of the head. Sorry if this is a naive question, or it's been asked before.

 

[Sigmania]

The serial number is very very odd.

It’s apparently a Chinese bass. But in 2016 the serial number shouldn’t look like that at all. Would be a CN serial number. That looks more like the unauthorized Legacy Series stuff that cost Jade Music their distributorship in Australia from what I heard.

Here are the Legacy guitars so you can see what I mean about the serial number.

Legacy Series

 

[Sigmania]

It is so hard to know.

Tokai sourced from a bunch of different mfrs in China over the eyars.

Here is a Breezy that is probably legit? Hard to know.

Tokais Made In China

 

[Sigmania]

I could be wrong about it being similar to the Legacy unauthorized guitars. The numbers are a different number count even though some are the same year.

And the truss rod adjustment is not alarming. They had different product lines. Some were true replicas, others took more license. I get confused trying to keep up with what their marketing folks call a Traditional or Vintage or whatever line. So that alone is not concerning.

 

[Sigmania]

Also, that Fender correct headstock shape does not appear in the catalogs of that period, which simply means it was marketed outside of the UK and the US.

Probably something similar to a TJB48/58 ? Made in 2016.

And again, could be legit or may not be. No matter what, it should be affordably priced. It is Chinese.

 

[Sigmania]

I found another one.

Tokai Jazz bass 2016 - Daphne blue with beautiful relic and case | Reverb

 

[Sigmania]

This may explain them? Classic series?

Review: Tokai Classic Series

Tokai Classic JB – 299 €


Finnish distributor: Musamaailma

 

[Sigmania]

So it is possible these were made for the distributor in Finland? Are you near Finland?

 

[simonmcroft]

I'm very impressed by – and grateful for – the level of knowledge you guys have taken the time to share with me. Thank you. I have a few extra pictures, which show what appear to be some questionable after-market changes. If we take the view that this might be genuine, what do you think its market value might be in the UK?

 

[Sigmania]

You are kind, and I was feeling my way through there. Tokai has made so many models for so many markets, not to mention special orders, that I am constanly scratching my head and trying to figure out what things are. But you are welcome if it helped at all.

And I stay away from valuing guitars for folks. That is a decision to be reached between a willing buyer and a seller.

But if it is what I am guessing, it originally sold in the neighborhood of 300 euros. But that is a guess. At most it is something like a TJB58 give or take which sold for 58,000 yen (374 Euros).

And then it has mods. I have no idea what the 3 holes are that were drilled in the top? Maybe that is just applied on top of the finish for some reason, but if it is drilled that drives the value down.

Hope that helps.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

At most it is something like a TJB58 give or take which sold for 58,000 yen (374 Euros).

Pretty OT (rant) now but the JPY prices look much less tempting than in the US after you did the math: 374EUR + currently 154EUR shipping from Japan to e.g. Germany = 528EUR, +19%VAT on that value + shipping total = 628EUR, + 3.5% import duty = that's whopping +74% on the model number price = 650EUR. For that money, this week's Chinese Tokai factory oughtta be on the level of this week's influencer-hyped Chinese quality brands for the same price.

But this thread's example seems to show again how awfully confusing that all gets from there: A lot of obscure "special" and occasionally completely made up series of non-catalog instruments keep washing ashore here, obviously spanning a huge range of prices for 3 instruments having the same serial and truss rod schemes, and it's completely unaccountable and obscure how the prices were made, if they represent a quality grade and if any of these instruments is even legit.

The Finnish (24%VAT) "Classic Series" bass sold for 300EUR obviously can't be anything near a -58 model, while the similar looking "aged" offer on Reverb.com is 699EUR and that would be plausible for a -58 model, but none of them give you that kind of distinction. It could as well be the just a slight variation of the 300EUR bass with aging. How is everyone supposed to see through this chaos?

 

[simonmcroft]

Well, here's an unexpected treat! The tracking said "3rd Jan" and about a minute later a courier arrived at the door with a big package. You only get timing like that in comedy films. Pictured below, in full festive mode, are the new Tokai alongside my Fender MIM/Squier hybrid. Interestingly, we seem to have quite a difference of opinion as to what shape a Jazz Bass body should be. In fact, I can't help wondering if the Tokai's mother was a Jazz Bass who'd been making eyes at next door's Precision…

Anyhow, it was almost in tune straight out of the packing, which is always reassuring. The intonation was about as far off as I've ever encountered though. I can't help wondering if this thing has ever really been played, because it was about 1/4 tone sharp at the 12th fret, meaning the saddles you see in the picture are now over the mounting screws for the bridge plate.

Most importantly, this bass feels like a Jazz should, and it should play really well once I've got a shim under the neck. Certainly, there are no issues with the neck. It records very nicely too, so thank you one and all for your help. What nice people you are!