OEM versions of 1989 VC-75 and VC-55 with different headstock shapes

[Sigmania]

This is another you see alot on line. Yet another headstock shape.

Note that it says the original run was made in 1987...

Less than 100 made on the original run in 1987 selling for $3,000.00. Rand reissued the guitar in 2008 for $7,000.00 and had minor success in selling them. 2002 Ed Roman produces a handmade severely upgraded model called the Caligula. Prices starting at $3500.00 and a mass produced high quality model starting at $1,295.00

Rand Vivian Campbell Guitar - Ed Roman Guitars

 

[Sigmania]

And.... it gets more interesting...

1987 prototype?

They don't say why they think it is a prototype, but using that date certainly jumped out at me.

Tokai Vivian Campbell JSR PROTOTYPE 1987 concept guitar Cocaine white original vintage mij japan dinky | Reverb Canada

 

[Sigmania]

And I guess it is possible that they wired it after they built the guitar. Typically pot dates are 1-3 months before production, but if it was a mock up or prototype, who knows?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Lol. Are you reading the sellers description? Funny. I rarely do that. The vast majority seem to be wrong and misleading. I tend to rely on what my eyes tell me and will read them if they are the original owner or have a good story but typically overlook them.

And.... it gets more interesting...

1987 prototype?

They don't say why they think it is a prototype, but using that date certainly jumped out at me.

The trick is probably to always read them (there could be clues hidden in the drivel) and never believe a single word they wrote. Let me guess....they found a 1987 pot in the guitar too?

 

[Sigmania]

That would be cool if they found a pot, but that is just a guess.

And +1 on not believing what someone writes. Especially without any physical evidence.

It is amazing how misconceptions get spread on line.

I recently was asking a guy abut a guitar on FB and how he figured out the date on a Korean giutar. His response was a cut and paste of something I had posted on here. So you never know who is reading this stuff and then passing it along as gospel. Oh, and by the way, he had misinterpreted what I had written, adding his own assumptions, and arriving at an erroneous conclusion in my opinion, not supported by what I had posted. Was weird to have someone use my own words to support their misconception.

Good to take it all with a grain of salt. We are weaving together a narrative, but it needs to have enough flexibility that it can be refined over time as more information comes to light. It is an incomplete story.

One of my favorite quotes is from Scarface. He said "Don't get high on your own supply." I take that to mean don't believe your own drivel either. We are all blind men here feeling our way though. Humility is a tool we have to keep close at hand.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

I take that to mean don't believe your own drivel either.

Exactly. Figuring out Japanese guitars (even though at least a part of the Tokais are among the most transparent ones) is like a house of cards built out of very little facts, some obvious and totally logical and plausible deductions and many assumptions. A tiny little new verifiable tidbit, a circumstance, a feature, a guitar that looks like an inexplicable outlier first.. and a at least a part of the totally logical and plausible deductions will collapse and potentially make you look like a fool. Humilty will come the one or the other way.

Some dealers are a bit special though. But then again, dealing with guitars for a living isn't easy, and people unable to understand the bone-dry facts love to hear that the offered axe has a super special story to it and is of course totally unique.

 

[Sigmania]

Not just guitars. Happens in all sorts of collectibles. I got into collecting Native American artifacts. Unbelievable the amount of BS and deception that goes on there. Can be very off putting.

 

[gitarrero]

BTT - did any late 80s Tokai models with double locking tremolo come with a factory allen wrench holder on the back of the headstock? I'm pretty sure that's what these screw holes were for.

 

[Sigmania]

Yes. I have seen that.

 

[Sigmania]

Here is one. He has the date wrong. Should be 1986.

Tokai Stratocaster Custom Edition Japan 1982 | Reverb

 

[gitarrero]

Have you tried contacting MONACOR? They may have some records.

I just reached out to them through their website and hope they will respond.

 

[gitarrero]

I got a lightning fast response from MONACOR, kudos to them!

However, the only data they have is a 1989 catalog, see the scan below, and the list price. They couldn't tell me any production numbers or OEM contractor affiliations.



My guitar is a MONARCH MG-11/CS and it had a price tag of DM 900,- which puts it in a tier that can be associated with Japanese production. For comparison, the 1989 price of a Fender American Standard Stratocaster (USA) was DM 1200,- and a Fujigen-made Ibanez RG550 had a street price of DM 1100,- at that time. The CS is of course the "Cherry Sunburst" finish, and I'm guessing M is for the brand MONARCH and G is for Guitar, because there's also a Jazz Bass copy that is called MB-1 with B for Bass.

 

[Sigmania]

Wow! Good lob!

 

[gitarrero]

So, in conclusion, can we safely assume - judging from the overall appearance, the specs, the build details, and the price range - that the 1989 MONARCH MG-11/CS is an OEM variant of the 1989 Tokai VC-75CS and it was made at the same production line?



BTW never mind the misconception "28 frets" in the catalog text. The picture clearly shows only 27 pieces of fretwire.

 

[Sigmania]

I just noticed some similarities with an Aria apparently made in 1991 by Tokai.

Aria By TOKAI