My Old Tokai

[Craig-]

Hello everyone, I’ve just joined the forum today , I have a Tokai Jazz sound bass that I bought around 1985-86 for the huge sum of £90 GBP . I have gigged this bass all over the country and beyond , I’ve had it stolen and recovered , and although it’s a bit battered and bruised I still love it . I was just wondering if anyone could help with identifying more details about my bass as I have very little info of it other than I’ve owned it for the past 38 years or so
Thank you in advance for any help and info

 

[Sigmania]

Wow!!! That’s a rare color in that bass! Metallic Green, MG.

TJB50 MGR

Super cool!

 

[Sigmania]

That serial number is from 1984/85.

Your pots and internal codes may help more to narrow that down.

 

[Sigmania]

Unless it’s translucent. Then you have an even more rare color. Can you see through the finish at all?

 

[Sigmania]

And I added it to this thread:

Metallic Green Gallery

 

[Craig-]

And I added it to this thread:

Metallic Green Gallery

Hi , thank you so much for replying and the info , yes you can see through the Green a little , almost as if it’s double layered if that makes sense , it’s not been used in anger for a few year but I’ve just got home from dropping off with the Luthier for a complete clean and set up …. I love that bass …. In my opinion it’s plays better than the Fenders I’ve had

 

[Sigmania]

Very interesting. There is a very rare color called TG or Translucent Green. I have only seen one guitar with that finish.

If you ever get a chance to pull off the pick guard there will be a code stamped in ink in one of the cavities. MG is metallic green and TG is that translucent.

Here is the only TG I have seen:

T/ST100 TG

 

[Craig-]

I may ask the Luthier to have a look as he’s going to do a deep clean on everything, how fascinating, I’d be curious to know myself now , it definitely looks like the green in the pics of the one in the link you’ve posted , when I get back I’ll post up some better photos too

 

[Sigmania]

Cool. If you can, ask him while he is in there to take pictures of:
- all the cavities
- the pots with any codes on them
- the backs of the pickups

And if he takes the neck off, there are codes on the end of the neck and in the neck pocket may have clues too.

Would be great to see all of those. They could tell you a lot out your bass.

 

[Craig-]

I’m going to drop him a message today to ask if he will take any pictures of anything he comes across while doing his thing , I’d love to get my hands on another one of the Japanese bass’s but guess they’re getting harder to find now ,

 

[Sigmania]

Awesome. Those ink stamped codes on the body (and neck if he takes the neck off) are the most important ones followed by the codes on the back of the pots.

Let us know what you find.

 

[Craig-]

I’ve spoken with him this morning , he said it will be a couple of days before he gets to it but he will certainly have a look for me when he starts on the bass , I’m very curious to know myself now

 

[iainblack]

The suspense is killing me - I love a good paint code mystery

 

[iainblack]

Only thing I would add is that the 50 sticker indicates the price point of 50,000 yen, there may have been a 55 model with matching headstock but I'm more expert on the strats however I would have thought they had similar options. Note sure if there was a 40 or 60 model with lesser or better tuners, pickups etc but interesting. I have come to aprreciate the fender basses after getting into Geddy Lees big beautiful book of bass - its lush

 

[Sigmania]

Tokai was inconsistent with how they added charges for special order colors after 1982 from what I have seen. Sometimes the sticker reflected it, sometimes not.

See the block logo gallery thread for examples of that inconsistency.

1982/83 Block Logo Gallery

And this guitar I would assume is a TJB45 with the added 5,000 yen for the paint job making it a TJB50MGR.

Here is the 1984 catalog.



TJB Series

TJB45 / 1964 MODEL / ¥45,000: Body, neck and hardware inheriting the functions of the high-class model. Jazz sound regardless of music genre is ideal for middle class players.
TJB60 / 1964 MODEL / ¥60,000 A contemporary model boasting unrivaled playability and rich sound variations that challenge the limits of solid bass. Tight and lively heavy bass is exactly the jazz sound.
TJB70-F/1960 SPECIAL MODEL / ¥70,000 Long-awaited model for fretless bass freaks. Sticky deep bass and exquisite tone full of jazz flavor are attractive. Flat rose fingerboard narrow neck, alder body, high grade specification of special parts.
TJB50 / 1964 RARE MODEL / ¥50,000 A headstock color finished base known as the most enthusiastic rare model of the '60s. The striking color combination is perfect for individualistic bassists. (This model is based on the
TJB45.) TJB80 / 1960 MODEL / ¥80,000 '60 Tradition The TJB80 is a perfect reproduction of the original materials of the '60s. The all-discretionary sound of the newly developed pickup responds to the sensibilities of professional bassists.
TJB70-J / 1960 SPECIAL MODEL / ¥70,000 A chopped fretless model recommended for professional bassists who play an active crossover role.The newly developed JB vintage pickup is a professional bass player. Specifications: A super base full of jersey feel.

 

[Sigmania]

1982 catalog with the introduction of new colors like Metallic Green:




INFORMATION
The long-awaited appearance of 5 special colors that can be said to be the symbol of the old-fashioned model. We have started accepting special colors for ST, TE, PB, and JB series. Mania-like colors- Sonic Blue (SO), Candy Apple Red (CR), Gold Metallic (GM), Lake Placid Blue (LB), which can be said to be a symbol of the oldish model slightly produced in the 1960s. A brilliant appearance of Metallic Green (MG). The list price is increased by 5,000 yen for all models. In addition, the reception of the same color finish of the body of the head stock part will start at the same time, and as with the special color series, all models will have a uniform price increase of 5,000 yen. In the case of head coating in the special color series, a total of 10,000 yen will be added. Delivery takes about 3 months after receiving an order. Please apply at Tokai product dealers nationwide. Assemble the parts of the Tokai Electric Guitar series to the specifications of the custom-made system.
● Minor change: A minor change model with pickups, parts, etc. For guitarists who insist on their desired personality, the Tokai Electric Guitar Project Team produces custom-made guitars only for the following items. Please note that the price will vary depending on the content of the special order, but it will be 20% or more of the basic model price. Custom-made guitars are limited to Tokai electric guitars of 80,000 yen or more.
● Special color: Finish the desired color on your model. The colors are all the colors of the Tokai Electric Guitar series. In addition, we also manufacture possible color finishes. However, it is limited to Tokai electric guitars. Please refrain from repainting the colors of other manufacturers. Please refrain from minor changes due to pickups and parts from other manufacturers.
● Orders and inquiries for custom-made guitars: Please apply or contact us through a Tokai product dealer.
We will inform you of the custom price and production period.
As of January 1, 1982, custom orders are available only for the above items.
Please be sure to apply for inquiries and orders through Tokai product dealers. We cannot accept direct orders from the head office or each sales office. Please be aware in advance.
(Note 2) About the left guitar / Currently, Tokai does not make any left guitar.

 

[Sigmania]

Note that in the 1984 catalog pic above that the matching headstcok TJB45 is called a 50.

The MR color was not a special color, so the upcharge was not for the color but for the headstock on that one.

In fact none of the basses pictured are special colors.

Yours is rare for sure.

 

[Craig-]

Thank you for all this wonderful information ! I’m hoping to get more information from the Luthier sometime early next week so I’ll be sure to post anything I get . The bass is not in perfect condition as you can imagine after it being my primary guitar for gigging through most of my adult life , it’s got a few knocks and scratches I think after all the info and the possibility of it being a bit rarer than some I need to take care of it a little, the one thing I’m sure of is that it is completely original with no mods or replacement parts so I’m happy about that …and in my opinion plays better than anything else I’ve owned

 

[Craig-]

Just on a side note , I’ve been trying to add my Bass to the registry but ever time I try to upload the information it tells me there’s a data base error and won’t upload

 

[Sigmania]

I believe it. I’ve been pushing to overhaul the registry for a while. Lots of issues with it.

There’s a section of this forum to post issues and feedback for the registry.

Tokai Guitar Registry Feedback

You might say something there about the problems you are having so it is logged.