Wood grain

[Petetom]

Close up of the arm rest area of my 82 st50 springy sound. Really thin poly.

 

[Sigmania]

Yep

 

[Sigmania]

It's driving me crazy because I can't find something I was translating (ad or catalog) that actually mentioned several types of coating on their ST guitars. I believe poly, lacquer over poly, and then a pure lacquer coat?

At any rate, look at this Cat's Eyes catalog that mentions the thickness of the coat and how they intentionally applied a thin coat on acoustics.

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35/36. When painting, the real feeling is important. It can be applied in a variety of ways, including spraying and brushing. The most basic point is to value the feel of the wood grain. The coating also has a subtle effect on the tone, so it must be made as thin as possible. I don't like guitars that have too much of a mirror-like shine.

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37/38. Martin did the intermediate sharpening and pickguard installation. It's so cool. When painted, the painted surface looks just like ground glass, and is then semi-sanded to achieve smoothness. In fact, this ``sharpening'' is the lifeblood of the painting process. The pickguard is completely Martin-esque, covered in paint and paint. (CE400 or higher).

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39. Water hooks are also an important point in painting. Once the coating is finished, the painted surface is given a final finish by wet sanding. Every part of the guitar has this sharpening applied to it. This process is also important in terms of aesthetics and durability

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40. Buffing requires advanced technology. A wet-honed guitar is quickly finished with a buff that rotates at high speed. This is an important process that requires advanced technology and experience.

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41/42. Assembling and bridge installation, almost completed. The polished guitar is covered to prevent scratches before it is assembled. First, the condition of the neck is checked and then the bridge is glued on. The paint on the adhesive surface of the bridge can be completely removed and it can be firmly attached using glue and a jig.

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43. Fret adjustment is an important point for playability. Fret adjustment is one of the most difficult processes, requiring great care and skill. In addition to the flat finish to prevent chattering, the overall playability is pursued.

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44. The inspection is done by the players themselves. After the pegs and strings are set, the inspection process begins. First check the neck angle. You can start with this. Naturally, a large number of players are chosen as the checkman. Inspecting the guitar from the perspective of the player gives it an pleasant quality.

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45. String height adjustment also determines playability. Checking the string heights of the 1st and 6th strings is an important point in determining playability. Here's the secret to the easy-to-play Cat's Eye guitar. Of course, don't forget to set the first fret.

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46. The craftsman is artistic in adjusting the nut. Adjusting the nut is an important step in properly absorbing string vibrations and achieving longer sustain. The depth and width of the nut groove can be said to be perfect. It is an artistic task that requires career, skill, and concentration.

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47. The final check is also thorough. After checking the appearance, the instruments are seasoned for about a week. Subsequent changes are then checked again, and subtle readjustments are discussed, resulting in a perfect tune-up.

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48. After completion and packaging, the guitar arrives at your fingertips. It takes approximately six years to complete one guitar, from the raw wood to the final packaging process. The final touches have been made, and the Cat's Eye guitar is finally being played by guitarists from all over the world.

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49. V sign of completion! Excellent staff to work with. A face full of "Cat's Eye spirit" that loves music and making guitars. We want you to experience the wonderful sound of the Cat's Eye guitar for yourself.

 

[Sigmania]

Here is something else, but not quite what I was remembering so will keep looking.

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④ Painting determines half of the completeness of a guitar. The craftsman's dedication to coloring and finishing is amazing.

●Special Old Finish

Painting not only protects the guitar, but also expresses its beauty as a musical instrument. Tokai uses three methods to recreate the old colors:

(1) polyurethane finish,
(2) lacquer finish, and
(3) cashew finish.

In particular, the lacquer finish and cashew finish have a warm and unique special finish that boasts a taste, beauty, and protection that even threatens traditional models.

The VF color of the LS series, which has become a hot topic among old fans, is a tasteful color with a lemon drop on the sunburst part that changes over time, which is unique to vintage models, and is reproduced with a secret color combination and finish.

In addition, in the ST, TE, PB, and JB series, subtle coloring changes from the 1950s to the 1960s are beautifully reproduced for both the neck and body. This is where the results of thorough analysis and research of the traditional model appear. Tokai's entire series has a luxurious and special hold color finish that cannot be imitated anywhere else.Starting in ‘82, five special colors have been added, making them even more appealing.

⑤ The goal is in sight. Careful fret finishing and assembly. It must be perfect!

●Buffling~Assemble~Complete.
Now that the guitar has been painted, it goes through wet sanding, buffing, etc. to give it a shiny finish, and the final step is parts installation and assembly. Of course, strict checks and extreme care were taken, and the process progressed until it was finally completed. The above is a simple explanation of the process, but there are still many detailed operations and processes involved. A single guitar is born out of a workload that would probably be too much to write about even if I devoted all my time to it. I hope you will take good care of it, sharpen your musical mind, and create even more wonderful sounds through this instrument.

●ES series...
The /ES series was born on a completely different production line from the LS and LC series. Each guitar is painstakingly crafted one by one using advanced technology and craftsmen's long-standing know-how in making guitars. Since it has the same structure as a so-called box guitar, the finish of the body construction with the arched top, back, and sides is the deciding factor. The ES Jazz and ES Rock models are truly handcrafted. Color: It is wrapped in a special old finish of rich Tokai Red (TR), natural (N) that makes the best use of the materials, and black sunburst (SB) that perfectly reproduces the traditional color tone, and is waiting for its turn on the hot music scene.

⑥ Now, what kind of guitarists and musicians will you meet? I sincerely want to be cherished and loved for a long time.

●After inspection and shipping/final checks, each guitar is carefully packed in its own special carton and shipped. The company has a comprehensive network for guitar freaks, centered on five sales offices across the country: Tokyo, Osaka, Chubu, Kyushu, and Hokkaido. In addition, export models are shipped all over the world from Tokai USA and Tokai AG (Netherlands).

Tokai is the official name. ----"Tokai Musical Instrument Manufacturing Co., Ltd." In fact, they are a comprehensive musical instrument manufacturer that makes not only electric guitars, but also piano light pianos, harpsichords, banjos, chroma harps, pianicas, harmonicas, and even cat's eye guitars.

●''Tokai is a comprehensive musical instrument manufacturer'' and ``Everything from baroque to rock." -----
''We have a full lineup of Grand Pier Upright Pianos, including the Electric Light Piach, which we produced for the first time in Japan, and have received high praise overseas. The harpsichord, which is also known for its use of musical instruments, ranges from historical types to spinet types. This treasure of baroque music, which is completely handmade, has enjoyed a quiet boom and has gained many enthusiastic fans. The familiar Cat's Eye.This is a masterpiece of an acoustic guitar that was born out of a quality-first policy and a technical partnership with Martin. Also, this banjo is known for its brand names of ``Gold Star'' and ``Tokai'' all over the world. Chroma harp harmonica is always talked about. It has been designated by the Ministry of Education as one of the educational instruments. We also produce "pianica" and "harmonica"... Because we are a comprehensive musical instrument manufacturer, we can guarantee quality and continue stable production for many years.

Quality before Quantity
Tokai Musical Instruments

Tokai Souki Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
Head Office 36 Teramachi, Hamamatsu City 430 TEL (0534) 41-3137
Office Tokyo (03)295-2881 Osaka (06)380-1118 Chubu (0534/53-6950)
Fukuoka (092)511-6263 Sapporo (011)822-1133