Tokai tele 1982?????

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juliang

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Hi I have an Ash bodied maple neck Tokai tele with a serial number of 014080. It has a Tokai logo on the Fender shaped headstock which isn't exactly a copy of the Fender spaghetti style but close, it also says breezysound. Anyone have any idea when it would have been made? I got it 6 years ago, used. It had a Gibson PAF neck pick up and original bridge. I've replaced the PAF with a Seymour Duncan JB which I can coil tap from the original tone pot and a Seymour Duncan quarter pounder at the bridge. It plays and sounds better than my 50th anniversary Fender Strat and is all senses an awesome guitar. I was 19 in 1980 and now wish I'd bought a load of Tokai's around the early 80's they are really, truly quality guitars. Mine is certainly never going up for sale.
 
Hi Juliang ? Sorry, I completely missed your post, so.....Hi, nice to hear from you 8) . Sounds like you have a nice Tele there.....as Russ said, a pic would be nice. I guess I?m still looking for a Breezy, probably a double-bound, although I already have a MIM and an older US Tele :-? .

OK about the date??the serial number (014080) only indicates which Fender model is being copied, it doesn?t give the date unfortunately. Best guide is the style of Tokai decal - take a look in the Registry (under ?Tokai Info?). Early Breezy?s had the thin spaghetti script-style, with the ?T? formed like a backwards ?F?, ie what guys here call ?7okai?. In 83 this changed briefly to a small black block logo. And then from 84 it was a thicker stubby looking script with a normal style ?T?. From 85 most Breezy?s had a pointed end to the headstock (see illustration in Registry), but some Breezy models continued with the classic Tele shape well into the 1990?s (eg Double Bound Customs) :-? .

Ian.
 
Hi Ian,
Thanks for the reply, the decal looks like a silver couloured 7okai, I would post a photo if I knew how to do it!!!! I remember the early 80's when it seemed that the UK was awash with these things, wish I'd bought some more, did have a Strat which fooloshly I sold, along with 2 Fenders and a great SG, not to mention AC30's old Marshalls etc. They seemed to be 2 a penny then, I look at prices now and it's dohhhhh, so I now try not to sell anything. I guess that we have more disposable income at 40 than 20. If you can tell me how to post a photo, I'll do it. I tried copying and pasting into this but alas, no luck and no http address.

Julian[/img]
 
Hi Juliang ? ha, ... if you look through my posts you?ll find a glaring absence of any photos, must find out about that one day lol :lol: . You?d also find a reply to TG where I describe buying my very first guitar (aged 13) .... it was a choice between two hanging next to each other in the shop ... the one I choose was a shiny new Watkins Rapier-33 (terrible guitar),... the one I rejected was a rather scratched 2nd-hand US Strat (late 50?s or early 60?s) :roll: . Oh well, .... at least I still have an early 18watt Marshall 2x12 :-? .

Ian.
 
Hi Juliang ? nice family shot of you & Marie with Christmas tree 8) . Nice guitars too. OK, the tele logo is a little later than 82, but maybe 1984-85; eg see the TE55N in the 1985 catalogue, ie a sort of natural ash 52-reissue type with 5-hole single ply black guard & dome knobs, but with 6 saddle bridge ? I assume the humbucker is an alteration. Neat sound clips too?.hey, where did you get the ?original 18W Marshall? :eek: ?

All the best,

Ian.
 
Hi Ian,
Thanks for the reply. The Tokai's that I understood were from 1984/5 had the sort of squared off headstock no? The pickups are a Semour Duncan JB at the neck, tappable via the tone pot, just roll the other coil in and out gradually and a SD 1/4 lb at the bridge to even out the volume of them both. It had a Gibson PAF when I got it which was a bit muddy for me, probably a bridge P/U stuck in a neck pos.
The Amp is a plain old valvestate 100w I'm afraid. Now supplemented by the new Vox valvetronix combo which is absolutely awesome, the Marshall sounds great with the SG, fine if you;re a died in the wool AC/DC fan. I used to own a little 20watt Marshall valve head and 1*12 angled cab. It had 2 channels, guitar and bass each with volume and tone. That sounded great, the best but 20w wasn't loud enough. I outputted it into an HH 100W head ( remember those? ) When the output transformer caught fire I realised you can't do that with a valve amp, oh to be 17 again!!!
 
Hi Julian ? yep, I think I have a vague memory of HH .... if I recall correctly they made high power transistor heads and also a very stylish Hi Fi amp, although I think they were all too expensive for me at the time lol. Funny you should mention fire ? first band I was in after school (ages ago), the lead singer managed to incinerate my brand new AC30 (during our break he switched the voltage to 110V for some unfathomable reason :eek: ).

OK, about your Tele - the key is the decal, which is post 84 (see Registry, re. Fender decals) :-? . I think the pointy headstocks can be a bit misleading - catalogues first show those from around 85, but I think many models continued with the classic rounded shape until much later (eg see Catalogues) :-? .

All the best,

Ian.
 

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