Opinions on this springy please.

[Georgerarnold]

Hello,

I’ve been offered this springy sound but I’d like your opinions on it’s authenticity.

I have no reason to disbelieve the man selling it and my instincts say everything he says is true but I don’t know a lot about the details of these guitars so if anyone could help me that would be great.

Originally apparently it’s an 83 block logo which has had the decals replaced for fender.
It’s had the tuners, saddles, pickguard changed. But most importantly it has had the Tokai marking removed from the neck heel. That’s the only thing that gives me a bit of doubt. That and that it has clay dots, which if it’s a genuine Tokai neck, presumably are replacements.
The other thing that makes me wonder is that the rosewood is pretty light coloured compared to photos of other Tokai rosewood necks I’ve seen.

Any advice would be great.

 

[Sigmania]

It is hard to say what is up with that neck since they altered it so much.

Here is a thread with 1983 Goldstars to compare.

1982 - 1983 Goldstars Script Logo

Here is another Fenderized Flamingo Orange Tokai.

Help identifying early 80's Strat

And another Tokai where they messed with the code on the neck.

Possible Tokai Breezysound neck (dated with a Fender stamp)!

 

[Georgerarnold]

It is hard to say what is up with that neck since they altered it so much.

Here is a thread with 1983 Goldstars to compare.

1982 - 1983 Goldstars Script Logo

Here is another Fenderized Flamingo Orange Tokai.

Help identifying early 80's Strat

And another Tokai where they messed with the code on the neck.

Possible Tokai Breezysound neck (dated with a Fender stamp)!

Thanks very much.
Interesting stuff but I can’t see anything conclusive yet.
Thanks.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Interesting stuff but I can’t see anything conclusive yet.

The body is conclusively a Tokai body, but the neck will never be a genuine Tokai neck without any doubts again (if it was one), no matter how good the story was that sold it to you. The fretboard looks a little flat to me (9.5" radius, the pic may be deceiving tho) to me, other than that it has all the proper Strat shapings tho so it's not a big deal if you just want some kind of "proper" Strat (for the right price).

That's the problem when <cough> not very well informed people started messing around with the stuff that makes it conclusive, damaging identification features is harming the guitar's credibility and therefore value. If you want a vintage Tokai, would you pay the same money for one that's only 50% credibly original and the other 50% "maybe, maybe not, also some other parts were changed"?

Don't get me wrong, we're not talking about thousands here and if the price is right it might turn out to be a great player, I just find it sad when people lightheartedly dishonor a fine Japanese "hommage" guitar by slapping the insignia of an inferior a certain other company on it for all the wrong reasons, and turn it into what it wasn't meant to be - an imposter guitar (and a dumb one on top, I mean c'mon, grubby clay dots with a '65-'68 transition logo? Why is there a Custom Shop sticker on the pickguard, aargh!! ).

 

[Georgerarnold]

The body is conclusively a Tokai body, but the neck will never be a genuine Tokai neck without any doubts again (if it was one), no matter how good the story was that sold it to you. The fretboard looks a little flat to me (9.5" radius, the pic may be deceiving tho) to me, other than that it has all the proper Strat shapings tho so it's not a big deal if you just want some kind of "proper" Strat (for the right price).

That's the problem when <cough> not very well informed people started messing around with the stuff that makes it conclusive, damaging identification features is harming the guitar's credibility and therefore value. If you want a vintage Tokai, would you pay the same money for one that's only 50% credibly original and the other 50% "maybe, maybe not, also some other parts were changed"?

Don't get me wrong, we're not talking about thousands here and if the price is right it might turn out to be a great player, I just find it sad when people lightheartedly dishonor a fine Japanese "hommage" guitar by slapping the insignia of an inferior a certain other company on it for all the wrong reasons, and turn it into what it wasn't meant to be - an imposter guitar (and a dumb one on top, I mean c'mon, grubby clay dots with a '65-'68 transition logo? Why is there a Custom Shop sticker on the pickguard, aargh!! ).

I know. People who do this are completely unfathomable to me.
If I buy it the first thing I'll do is put a Tokai decal on it.

The price I think is not bad but not great either.

The clay dots really get me.

 

[Sigmania]

The body is conclusively a Tokai body, but the neck will never be a genuine Tokai neck without any doubts again (if it was one), no matter how good the story was that sold it to you. The fretboard looks a little flat to me (9.5" radius, the pic may be deceiving tho) to me, other than that it has all the proper Strat shapings tho so it's not a big deal if you just want some kind of "proper" Strat (for the right price).

That's the problem when <cough> not very well informed people started messing around with the stuff that makes it conclusive, damaging identification features is harming the guitar's credibility and therefore value. If you want a vintage Tokai, would you pay the same money for one that's only 50% credibly original and the other 50% "maybe, maybe not, also some other parts were changed"?

Don't get me wrong, we're not talking about thousands here and if the price is right it might turn out to be a great player, I just find it sad when people lightheartedly dishonor a fine Japanese "hommage" guitar by slapping the insignia of an inferior a certain other company on it for all the wrong reasons, and turn it into what it wasn't meant to be - an imposter guitar (and a dumb one on top, I mean c'mon, grubby clay dots with a '65-'68 transition logo? Why is there a Custom Shop sticker on the pickguard, aargh!! ).

LOL.

Someone drank the Fender Kool Aid... The Custom Shop sticker under the pick guard cracked me up.

And am I seeing things or was the pickguard changed as well? Looks like they filled at least one hole that I can see.

The Flamingo Orange ST55s don't come up often but in pristine shape that guitar would sell in the $1,000-1,500 range I would guess? So with those mods I would guess it would sell for below $1,000. If it is more than that I would look around at other options. I post stuff off of Yahoo Japan on here just about every day.

Tokai Sightings & eBay Alerts

 

[Georgerarnold]

LOL.

Someone drank the Fender Kool Aid... The Custom Shop sticker under the pick guard cracked me up.

And am I seeing things or was the pickguard changed as well? Looks like they filled at least one hole that I can see.

The Flamingo Orange ST55s don't come up often but in pristine shape that guitar would sell in the $1,000-1,500 range I would guess? So with those mods I would guess it would sell for below $1,000. If it is more than that I would look around at other options. I post stuff off of Yahoo Japan on here just about every day.

Tokai Sightings & eBay Alerts

Thanks very much.
You’re doing great work there!