Tokai Strat ID'ing again..

[stefanus]

Hi all Tokai-people,

this is my first posting on this forum (a great one indeed!) and yes, I'll be right away bothering you with an ID'ing issue.. sorry guys, those who's got a fed-up with such, just ignore.. )

The Tokai-strat in question is quite fresh one, I suppose something like 2000 - 2002 year model. There's serial number F01015050 in the neck plate and no "Made in"-indication found anywhere in the guitar. More details you can see in pictures at http://kotisivu.mtv3.fi/stefanus/tokai.html

So, I would be pleased if anyone would have info whether the guitar is AST-33 or 50 (or something else perhaps..). I've gone through quite an amount of previous posting on this forum cocerning Tokai-strat dating (also checked tokairegistery-site), but based on what I've found I can't convince myself which model this guitar is (either where it's been manufactured).

Many thanks for any hints in advance!

BTW, interesting how the colours gets altered in the pics depending on the colour "chart" of the picture.. in the picture of the guitar body, it lies on a cherry-wood table and also the guitar body looks like cherry coloured, however in the first picture where the background is somewhat blue the guitar's colour seems more like it actually is.

 

[ian]

Hi Stefan,

Looks like nobody here can add much to what you already know . See if the following is any help:- according to the registry any serial number beginning with F is Korean. As you know, later models like yours have that pointed H-stock. On most Japanese copies, the rosewood fretboard (without skunk-stripe), 11-screw pick-guard, Kluson type tuners (un-slotted in your case) are usually typical of a 1962 re-issue. Looks like body is 3 or 4 piece Sen or Alder. Any help :-? ?

Ian.

 

[ian]

Hey Stefanus,

I re-read my amateurish analysis (above) & thought maybe it sounded a bit negative ? OK, maybe I should add this:- ?(i) many people here have good things to say about Korean Tokais :lol: , and (ii) after about 1956, almost ALL USA Fender Strat?s, inc. crazy $20,000 vintage ones, have 2-piece, 3-piece, or even 4-piece bodies (1-piece Strat?s are super rare). And, although many advertisers proudly claim ?Swamp Ash body!?, in fact ALL solid-colour Strat?s after 1956 should be Alder, NOT Ash. Only the blond see-through bodies got Ash (mainly the Tele?s). Any better ?

Ian.

 

[doogie]

I have the same problem. But mine does not even have a sn.

Oh well, I compared my tele side by side with a US '62 RI worth 2 grand and could not see or hear any real differance. As a matter of face I liked it so much I went back and bought the matching strat, also no sn.

 

[stefanus]

Hi Ian,

thanks for your comments (thanks for Doogie as well), and hey no problem, I really didn't feel your comments being any negative! I wasn't thinking that my guitar would be best-of-all Tokais ever or anything, I mostly thought that if there would be someone following this forum that would have recently compared these more recent AST-models at guitar shops for instance, and could identicate right away which one this is.
The shop the quitar is originally bought (according to the original owner at least..) is about 200km from where I live, so I'm not able to go there and check for any visible differences between those models. Anyway, I'm planning to visit a local shop that has Tokais some day this week to see what they have and check their stuff once again, I think I can pay attention to the relevant things now when I'm more educated on the subject -thanks for this forum.

I'll let you know what I'll find out,
BR, Stefanus

 

[stefanus]

Hi again,

nothing much to add since visiting the local store, maybe only that I saw a MIK-labeled strato-model which SN did NOT start with F, don't know if that's anything new though.

However, through another forum I got some info which would indicate that this quitar is AST-33. The "judgement" was based on info that 33-models pickups typically have ceramic magnets and their pole parts look like being chrome plated and "shiny" while in the 50-models the poles have more like a matt surface and are more greyish in colour.

Other thing was that the block-part in the 50-models' bridge is more massive and made of steel, having plenty of material around the string holes while in 33's, the block is only that thick that the string holes require it to be.

I added a couple of pics on my page that aim to illustrate these details.

Thanks and BR,
-Stefanus