This is my new SS38, but is this really a Tokai?

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dramatolog

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Hi people!

I got a decent deal on a Tokai SS38 today.

I just brought it home, it sounds quite nice and plays well. Now I looked what's inside it and I can't find any markings on the body except YS. The electronic is obviously totally changed - Lace sensor pickups as it seems. What bothers me the routing and the setup of the sades.

Can you people help me with this one?

here you can find the photos:
https://imgur.com/a/EHpDNHY

Thanks a bunch!
 
The neck looks like a Tokai, but I’m not sure about that body.

The pickup routs are different than any Silver Star I’ve seen.

rdXFQYj.jpg


ok5O6yj.jpg


qekSncN.jpg
 
Sigmania said:
The neck looks like a Tokai, but I’m not sure about that body.

The pickup routs are different than any Silver Star I’ve seen.

I see. But where could another 3 bolt body come from? Were there copes so widely available back in the days, because the body looks old for sure?

Thanks!
 
Well Fujigen obviously made 3 bolt bodies for Fender.

And the “YS” is the color code Tokai used for the 3 tone burst, yellow sunburst.

The only guitars I’ve seen with a code written in crayon are custom orders or one offs. With Tokai I never say never. Anything is possible.

If you take the neck off, the neck pocket may hold some clues as well as the butt of the neck (markings, etc).

Tokai bodies have slightly countersunk holes in the neck pocket. Could you take some pictures in there? That might help.

Also, what is the serial number so we know when this was made?
 
Here is the neck and the neck pocket

zgTX4Zu.jpg


Fs9P7IY.jpg


dNNMk3S.jpg


And there is another interesting thing, what I read, the serial numbers should start with the year the guitar was produced, followed by 0 and then five numbers, my serial number starts with 21.
 
Can you post a picture of the serial number?

The stamps in your guitar do not look like Tokai. Not even the neck. Same with the holes in the neck pocket.

Numbers starting with 21 are typically from 2021.

The decals are easily available on line. Not sure if they have fake serial numbers or not. You might try a search.

That big "F" stamp is telling. It's not Tokai. I can't remember who used those big letter stamps. I believe Fender in Japan may have.

Was that sold to you as a Tokai?
 
Also, is there a number on the very butt end of the neck containing an = sign?
 
Sigmania said:
Can you post a picture of the serial number?

Here it is >

HTBvMBd.jpg

https://imgur.com/a/mBKoMXh

felis on Strat-talk mentioned that the 21 number means the guitar was made in a another factory >
the second digit (1) makes it a Nagano (Tokai's secondary factory) build. Tokai started this secondary factory for other clients using different brands, and for their own Tokai branded base models.

I also saw an example on Reverb.com with the same serial format, 210 followed by 4 bold numbers.

https://reverb.com/item/10977488-tokai-silver-star-stratocaster-ss-38-1982-3-tone-sunburst
 
In that case it would have been made in similar fashion to the “inkie” Love Rocks. That’s wild.

If true, it was like a subcontract the way the lower end models are made in China to this day.

Fascinating.

Search inkie, inky or inkies on here.
 
Sigmania said:
The stamps in your guitar do not look like Tokai. Not even the neck. Same with the holes in the neck pocket.

That big "F" stamp is telling. It's not Tokai. I can't remember who used those big letter stamps. I believe Fender in Japan may have.

Was that sold to you as a Tokai?

Yes, it was sold as a Tokai, it looks quite convincing, as you can see everything is matching until you open it up. The logo, the tuners, the tremolo, the tremolo block. For me it is crazy that someone went so far to make such a good copy of a Tokai that would sell only for only few hundreds??

On the subject of the body and the micro tilt, I haven't find other examples of it other than those on the old JV fenders and squiers. and these guitars were made in the same period and same factories like the Tokais. Is it possible that this one was just branded as Tokai when it left the factory?

This guitar is exactly the same as mine, to the point of the similar wood grain in the neck pocket, but it is a Fender>
https://reverb.com/item/13970403-fender-1980-s-fujigen-stratocaster-1972-ri-mij-e-serial-1984-87-yellow-white
 
If it was made in Nagano that would explain it. Like the "DSS" stamp which seems like "Silver Star".

I just wasn’t aware that they made Fender copies there as well as the Les Paul copies which were also atypical Tokais (dowels in the neck joints, similar to Greco guitars I believe).

Very cool.
 
Hmmmm I think we may possibly be connecting the inklie puzzle?

Here is the routing on a 1974 Ibanez 2375 (Fujigen)

https://www.ibanez-vintage.net/guitars/2375/

j4A3j2a.jpg


And your guitar.

qekSncN.jpg


The inkie Love Rocks have a doweled joint like Grecos (Fujigen).

It is looking like there may indeed be a connection between Tokai and Fujigen around 1980/81 where they were contracted to make the loewer end models.

Very interesting.
 
Also interesting that Ibanez called its big head model "Silver Series" by the late 1970s.

W2Rye6l.png


https://reverb.com/item/996367-ibanez-lawsuit-silver-series-strat-1978-black
 

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