St-? lefty

Bardt · Oct 10, 2010

Looks nice,
It would seem more logical to me that the neckplate nr would start with L..
Never saw a lefty with that finish, looks like a 3 piece body to me...
I'm thinking it would have to be a lower model as the tuners don't say "Deluxe" am i right?
Also thinking it's strange that the seller states that he bought it NOS but managed to have the stickers missing...
I'd like to take a look under the pg and the neck+ pocket...

would the experts here like to share their opinions?

http://cgi.benl.ebay.be/TOKAI-Stratocaster-GOLDSTAR-SOUND-lefthand-1984-OK-/230533337463?pt=Gitarren&hash=item35acdb9177

Bart

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

L serial numbers were used from around 1981/82 onwards on most rosewood board Strat & Tele copies - these numbers were copies of the serial numbers used by Fender in 1964. A maple neck Goldie should have a serial number in a similar style to a '57/'58 Strat - no L.

Mike

Bardt · Oct 10, 2010

thanks stratman,

I guess i just did not look too good at that tabel...

so looking at that guitar it would look to me that it would be a copy of a 50's strat, so a 4 or 5 digit number would be in place, not a 6 digit number like this one has?

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

Bardt said:
thanks stratman,

I guess i just did not look too good at that tabel...

so looking at that guitar it would look to me that it would be a copy of a 50's strat, so a 4 or 5 digit number would be in place, not a 6 digit number like this one has?

You're right about the 5 digit serial numbers on 50s Fenders.

http://www.fender.com/uk/support/usa_instruments.php

I don't really check out maple neck Strats often, but I've just checked my RW board Goldies, & 2 of them have 6 digit numbers (no L), so Tokai weren't very consistent about this. For some reason I haven't worked out, a 4 digit number on a Goldstar indicates an ST60.

It's all very strange....

Bardt · Oct 10, 2010

"It's all very strange...."

Indeed it is...
I have a (84 i think) lefty maple neck breezy that absolutely looks like a '50s tele but with a L+5 digit nr... so that doesn't match up either... it does have the deluxe tuners however and a two piece center seamed body,

but anyway, does the absence of "deluxe" on the tuners indicate that this would be a lower grade model? (as i have read somewhere on this forum in the past)
A 3-piece body does am i right?

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

Ah well, there you go - Tokai make their own rules & then break them! :lol:

A 3 piece body should indicate something below ST60 level (60s have 2 piece). So it should be an ST50. As for the unstamped tuners (are you sure they are unstamped?), I'm really not sure. Maybe a later model?

Bardt · Oct 10, 2010

Yeah i'm pretty sure they are unstamped, but they look identical to the gotohs on my fender 57 avri, so my gues is that they are good quality tuners.

anyway thanks for your quick replies, they were, -as always (i don't post much but i read a lot)- helpful,

cheers,
Bart

jacco · Oct 10, 2010

The table on the Registry applies only to the 1982 catalog.
This guitar has 6 digits without the L so should be a ST-70 according to the table. That isn't possible for that wasn't made in 1984.

I see a 3 piece body too so it can only be a TST-50.

lifeline · Oct 10, 2010

I'm fairly new to the forum, very interesting and informative site.
I have owned several lefty Gold stars since 1984 and would agree with Stratman that this could be a later model - Very grainy for a lefty and the round string tree?
All 1980?s lefty rosewood board TST 55L & TST60L?S owned have had L+5 digit serial numbers except one 6 digit beginning with a 2 - A metallic red model acquired in 1988. All had deluxe tuners.

I?ve also never seen a maple neck Tokai with an L plate serial.

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

Two thoughts on this: if it's from 1984/85 it would be a TST-55L - this is from the 1985 catalogue.

Second thought - could it be one of the new ones that are on sale now? It does look very new - are they doing leftys? I have one of the new ATE-50 Breezys, & the body wood looks similar, + it has unstamped Kluson style tuners. This would also explain why it comes in a very new looking Tokai cardboard box.... :roll:

Bardt · Oct 10, 2010

I agree

Thinking more and more it's just a new one... it sure does resemble this one here very much : http://www.tokai-guitars.co.uk/index.php?page=shop.product_details&category_id=18&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=126&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=31

And as i stated before, if the seller had bought it NOS, and only played it for 10 hours, how did he manage to not leave the stickers on?

either way: price is still good at this point and it should be a nice guitar...

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

Hang on a minute - the new ones don't have serial numbers.

:-?

Erm, I'm confused! I think we need to see under the scratchplate to find out when this guitar dates from. If it's really from 1984, it should be easy to tell from the electrics.

jacco · Oct 10, 2010

You all seem to think that the serial on this guitar starts with an L while you can see in the auction description (Q & A) the serial is 017088.

Mike is right that a lefty TST50 would be a TST55.

Are you sure that an 80s Goldie would have stamped tuners?

The round string tree is what I see in one of the 1984 catalog on maple neck Goldies so that could be normal.

Anonymous · Oct 10, 2010

TST-55L, to be precise. :wink:

I think that Bardt was asking whether it shouldn't have an L serial number - he didn't say it does have one.

An '84 Goldie would have DELUXE stamped tuners. Earlier Tokais were stamped TOKAI, & the new ones are not stamped at all.

jacco · Oct 10, 2010

BTW 4.2 kg, isn't that a bit heavy?

bazz · Oct 10, 2010

Hi guys, just checked my lefty 84 goldstar, a 50's copy it has a maple neck, round string tree, 5 digit serial number (no L at the beginning) and deluxe stamped tuners.That strat looks pretty new to me. :roll:

bluejeannot · Oct 10, 2010

Yeah , 84maple neck St 50s should have butterfly string retainer no L but a 5 digit serial.84St 60s should have 4 digit number and round string retainer.Later maple necked Goldies 85 onwards had six digit serial numbers 3 piece bodies and NO brass plate.This guitar is definitely not an 84.A maple neck leftie was designated as An st55L,but did not have an L serial number,this was only present on rosewood necked guitars.Gabe.

bluejeannot · Oct 10, 2010

http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/reviews/guitarbuyer_uk_p154.jpg Here`s a lefty Goldie that this magazine article claims to be from 84 but cannot be due to the fact that it has 6 digit serial and mushroom as opposed classic strap buttons.Gabe.

BlueThird · Oct 10, 2010

Not being a Goldie owner I can't really add anything much about the guitar, but I can say that the box my Anniversary came in didn't look anything like that one. The condition is obviously unusual, but the typeface on the box seems to match the one they used on the special edition guitars around then.

jacco · Oct 10, 2010

BlueThird said:
Not being a Goldie owner I can't really add anything much about the guitar, but I can say that the box my Anniversary came in didn't look anything like that one. The condition is obviously unusual, but the typeface on the box seems to match the one they used on the special edition guitars around then.

Those were my thoughts too, but that italic fond is from around 86 I believe?

St-? lefty

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