What is the body wood of an st-50? I'm looking at one, here are some pics.
http://imageevent.com/chingo123/october2008/tokaispringyst50sb3478
could it be a one piece body on a st-50?
It could be one piece body on that age guitar. I have been selling Tokai guitars in Finland from 1985 to 2000 as new.
Your guitar is older that 1985 I think. I have once had one second hand Tokai Tele that has same old logo.
I read some were made with Castor arabia. What is castor arabia wood?
I have never heard "castor arabia" term. In Japan they used imported and local woods. Mayme some alder or similar like wood is called castor arabia or it would be some latin word of some alder.
Anybody know what castor arabia wood looks like? what are the chances this body has that wood? Wouldn't a sunburst be more an alder body? they didn't make ash on st50
what do you think of this guitar? It has U pickups. Been trying to find the difference between all the pickup types E-U
It seem to be all original with pickups and pots. Those old Tokai pickups were like those are in your pictures.
Anyway when they made sunburst guitars they could be alder or ash. Mainly all sixties models with rosewood fingerboard are alder. With these instruments neck profile is U shape and with rosewood fingerboard.
As Fender Guitars late fifties stratocasters, they could be alder or ash.
I am not sure how it was with Tokai. But what I do know is they really made Tokai guitars as true replicas.
My friend had original Fender Strat 1964 and we compared Tokai and his guitar. The weight and tone was the same. After we changed Seymour Duncan SSL-1 pickups for Tokai the tone was really the same.
It was late 1985 we did this.
(I met those two guys from Tokai at Frankfurt Messe 1986 and tried to discuss with them. They were the two sons of Tokai Pianofactory owner. Those guys started to make Tokai guitars in this factory on early eighties.
They can not speak english and no-one was there to translate. It was pitty.)
I hope someone else knows better than me..... This is all I have found out during the years.