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Anonymous
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Oh? So Koiz owned it?
It's a shame guitars don't come with a log book, like cars do, showing previous owners. I would love to know the history of this Breezy.
It's a shame guitars don't come with a log book, like cars do, showing previous owners. I would love to know the history of this Breezy.
MIJvintage
Well-known member
I do not recall seeing an example of this particular model with a rose' 'board neck; I have seen only maple neck examples
I'm curious about the rose' 'board neck on yours, particularly so as it does not have the Tokai logo .............
Koiz did have a 1980 TE-120 maple 'board listed on his web site
I'm curious about the rose' 'board neck on yours, particularly so as it does not have the Tokai logo .............
Koiz did have a 1980 TE-120 maple 'board listed on his web site
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Anonymous
Guest
Forum member bunbury has a RW board one. I'm hoping he will contribute if he sees the thread.
MIJvintage
Well-known member
it is interesting to note that the fret size & the dot material has come into the discussion
I'm curious to know why the codes on the body would be covered; that is obviously not shielding paint but someone's attempt at covering the codes ...............
I'm curious to know why the codes on the body would be covered; that is obviously not shielding paint but someone's attempt at covering the codes ...............
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Anonymous
Guest
It looks to me as though a previous owner tried his hardest to cover up it's Tokai ancestry, & convince the world that it's a Fender. Even though Fender never made anything like this, either in the 60s, or as a re-issue.
It would have been a shame if someone had bought it expecting a "genuine" Fender, but I knew it was a Tokai when I bought it.
It would have been a shame if someone had bought it expecting a "genuine" Fender, but I knew it was a Tokai when I bought it.
MIJvintage
Well-known member
stratman323 said:
they didn't bother to cover-up the neck code ..............
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Anonymous
Guest
Maybe they didn't know it was there? Or maybe they didn't know that it would enable us to ID it!
JohnA
Well-known member
stratman323 said:
No, Koiz spotted it on YJ and remarked on it on his blog.
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Anonymous
Guest
JohnA said:
Does he like it?
stratman323 said:
How could anybody not like that
Nice score Mike!
Revealing the paint code : Not an easy task, but I don't think it's impossible. Code is probably ink-stamped on bare wood but I don't know if the lacquer coat over it is nitro. That shielding paint is likely to be ethanol/water based so if you used ethanol (Vodka would do) as the solvent, it could harm the lacquer over the code. I'd try ordinary 'turps' or white spirit first. There's a lot of graphite and carbon black in that paint covering it, so be careful not to spread it. Using a small stiff paintbrush, if you work the turps away from the outer edges towards the middle of that paint patch you should be able to wick up the resulting 'gunk' with absorbent paper.
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Anonymous
Guest
Thanks Tom. I can actually think of a better use for vodka!
I appreciate all the tips on exposing the body code, but it's not going to tell us anything useful, is it? We all know it's a Tokai, what we don't know is exactly which model number it is (TE80 or TE120), or what date it was made. The body codes won't tell us either of those.
I appreciate all the tips on exposing the body code, but it's not going to tell us anything useful, is it? We all know it's a Tokai, what we don't know is exactly which model number it is (TE80 or TE120), or what date it was made. The body codes won't tell us either of those.
MIJvintage
Well-known member
............. it would be interesting to know if the body & neck codes are the same, as on many Fender style Tokais :wink: ....................
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Anonymous
Guest
I will check. But it won't tell us much whether the codes match or they don't.
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Anonymous
Guest
OK, well I've had it for a few days now. The styling may not be to everybody's taste (though I think it's gorgeous), but there are two facts that it's hard to dispute:
1. A good ash bodied Tele is a wonderful thing.
2. This is a VERY good ash bodied Tele by anybody's standards.
Having played it for a while now, it sounds to me like a 50s style Tele - bags of character, honk, twang, whatever you want to call it. Just how a Tele should sound. So it has the feel of a 60s Tele (rosewood board) with the tone of a 50s Tele. Seems like the right combination to me!
It's very close to my TE70 in sound and feel, but the TE70 has a darker sound to it. The pickups in the new one are a bit brighter, & seem to be excellent. Looking at the two of them together, I can't help but wondering what's the point in binding a Tele body if you just use plain old cream binding? Add a bit of abalone (or whatever it is) and the binding seems to come alive, & really adds something to the looks.
As for the body code, I removed the ink with white spirit today, & this is what it revealed.
So what do we all make of that then? Different, huh? It looks like it's written on rather than stamped, but the numbers do match the neck code - in reverse!
Any theories on this?
I also had a good look for any evidence of an old Tokai decal under the Fender one. There is no sign of this at all, so maybe it never had one?
The bottom line is that I still want to know what it is!
1. A good ash bodied Tele is a wonderful thing.
2. This is a VERY good ash bodied Tele by anybody's standards.
Having played it for a while now, it sounds to me like a 50s style Tele - bags of character, honk, twang, whatever you want to call it. Just how a Tele should sound. So it has the feel of a 60s Tele (rosewood board) with the tone of a 50s Tele. Seems like the right combination to me!
It's very close to my TE70 in sound and feel, but the TE70 has a darker sound to it. The pickups in the new one are a bit brighter, & seem to be excellent. Looking at the two of them together, I can't help but wondering what's the point in binding a Tele body if you just use plain old cream binding? Add a bit of abalone (or whatever it is) and the binding seems to come alive, & really adds something to the looks.
As for the body code, I removed the ink with white spirit today, & this is what it revealed.
So what do we all make of that then?
Different, huh? It looks like it's written on rather than stamped, but the numbers do match the neck code - in reverse!
Any theories on this?
I also had a good look for any evidence of an old Tokai decal under the Fender one. There is no sign of this at all, so maybe it never had one?
The bottom line is that I still want to know what it is!
DaveWW
Well-known member
Mike don't know for certain what model it is but let me know if you ever want to sell it
Dave
Dave
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Anonymous
Guest
Cheers Dave. I meant to add that if this is sen rather than ash (& I assume it is sen), this proves to my satisfaction that sen sounds like ash. Some wood information sites claim that sen looks like ash but doesn't sound like it - one site I saw says it sounds like poplar. This guitar, like my others that I assume are sen, has all the complex tones I associate with ash guitars. Which is exactly what I wanted & expected.
JohnA
Well-known member
DaveWW said:Mike don't know for certain what model it is but let me know if you ever want to sell it
Dave
Hands off!! :wink:
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Anonymous
Guest
If I sell it, which is very unlikely, John has first refusal. It wouldn't be here if it wasn't for John.
8)
8)
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