bluejeannot said:
" He seems like an honest guy. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.Gabe :wink:
Yes,I think so.I sent him this email:
"Do you have an appraisal signed by George Gruhn? That guitar was definitely NOT made by Tokai. It is a serviceman special made in the Philippines in the 1960 0r 70s.
http://www.jimshine.com/phillipino/vietnam_serviceman_copies.htm"
He wrote back:
"Wow, thanks for the info! No, I don't have a signed appraisal, but two different employees at Gruhns both said that it was made by Tokai, one even said he was certain of it, "although Tokai would never admit it today".
If you don't mind my asking, how do you know that it was made in the Phillipeans? You seem to be very knowledgeable about this particular model. Id like to revise my listing"
and he added this to his listing:
"PLEASE NOTE: Here is a big exciting new twist, based on new info from a seemingly knowledgable Ebayer!
I have stated above, the info I was given at Gruhn's, but here's another exciting possible history for this guitar:
According to vintage dealer Jim Shine, this rare piece might have actually been manufactured in the Philippines in the 1960s, and then marketed and sold to US Servicemen durring the Vietnam war! Jim refers to it as "The Vietnam Serviceman Jaguar". He said that they were made by a company called Teo Dor, which also made various other Fender and Gibson guitar replicas, as well as.............get this.........Gretsch Drums! Also, Jimmy Page is pictured on a Led Zeppelin Collection album cover playing one of these Serviceman Jaguars, from what I am told by yet another source!
Wow, as much as I love and respect Gruhns for their vast knowledge of guitar history, I sure hope that Jim Shine is correct on this one! What a piece of American history! I can just imagine a lonesome US soldier, back in the Woodstock hippie era, purchasing this axe overseas with almost every penny he could scrape from his modest salary. Then, bringing it home on a ship, or plane, anticipating the sheer joy of plugging it in to a large "piggyback" amp, and playing Hendrix and Ventures tunes at top volume! I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about it!
I've reported everything I have learned so far. I'll post any new info as I receive it. Thanks to all the kind Ebayers out there for your valuable info!"