Tokai and Hamer in the 1980ies

[19tlb84]

Hi all,

stumbled upon a Tokai fold-out brochure from around 1986/87 which shows guitars from the MAT- and Custom Edition series as well as then new Hamers like the Steve Stevens I or Chaparral. Here's two screenshots.





Looks as if Tokai had a distribution deal with Hamer for Japan at that time. Any other explanations?

Talbophile

 

[HAMAMATSU]

8) thanks! this is so cool & nostalgic! wanna go back to then really if i could! those were the better days!

 

[19tlb84]

8) thanks! this is so cool & nostalgic! wanna go back to then really if i could! those were the better days!

I have US-Hamers from that era, and they are really good! Still not sure about their connection with Tokai.

 

[HAMAMATSU]

8) i am sure that tokai was once the official japan distributer for hamer-usa back in those days. i think tokai did it for martin before.

 

[19tlb84]

8) i am sure that tokai was once the official japan distributer for hamer-usa back in those days. i think tokai did it for martin before.

Hi there,
many thanks for that info! Seems like a good match, since both companies had the same sense for quality, attention to detail, and innovation. Sadly, Hamer went down in the 2000s, especially after being bought by Fender. Today, the brand name is used for cheapo imitations of some of Hamer's old models. What a shame...
I recently bought my first Tokai, a Talbo form 1984, and what a great guitar that is! Seems most companies have reached peak quality before 2000...
Best, Talbophile

 

[HAMAMATSU]

8) take care well your cool talbo & yourself. a merry christmas & good new year 2021! (really hopefully!)