History of Tokai Registry & Forum

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ned

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TokaiJoe asked in another thread why a Texas would start this forum so here goes.

I grew up in Houston and hung out at Rockin' Robin (music store) which had Tokai make their guitars for the first few years before moving production to Houston. The store always had Tokai's, this was late 80's/early 90's and we all new they were great players.

Skip to 2000 and I felt the need to for a Les Paul. Already having owned a Gibby and new they were over priced POS's my thoughts quickly turned to Tokai as I had remembered how great and consistent players they were. Tokai had just started exporting into Canada but I wanted a late 70's early 80's guitar. Date must be in the serial number like other guitars right, but no one new how to decode. Email conversations with Tokai revealed that there was a manufactured date in the serial number but they didn't know how to decode and that it had changed over time.

Since I build databases to track marketing activing for a day gig I quickly built a online database at TGR to track information which lead me to cracking the serial number date code. Had help from friends in AU as well. The forum was just an extension of the site so we could all exchange ideas.

And there you have it.
 
Those were great days Ned.
I just remeber that old "plain" forum(have some info printed still),about 20 members only(or less?).We did knew very few about Tokai....

How many from there are still here?Just wonder....
 
luis said:
Those were great days Ned.
I just remeber that old "plain" forum(have some info printed still),about 20 members only(or less?).We did knew very few about Tokai....

How many from there are still here?Just wonder....


8) around when was that u r talkin about luis? only 20 members but
feels like the good ole days now huh......wish i was there man luis.





8)
 
ned said:
TokaiJoe asked in another thread why a Texas would start this forum so here goes.

I grew up in Houston and hung out at Rockin' Robin (music store) which had Tokai make their guitars for the first few years before moving production to Houston. The store always had Tokai's, this was late 80's/early 90's and we all new they were great players.

Skip to 2000 and I felt the need to for a Les Paul. Already having owned a Gibby and new they were over priced POS's my thoughts quickly turned to Tokai as I had remembered how great and consistent players they were. Tokai had just started exporting into Canada but I wanted a late 70's early 80's guitar. Date must be in the serial number like other guitars right, but no one new how to decode. Email conversations with Tokai revealed that there was a manufactured date in the serial number but they didn't know how to decode and that it had changed over time.

Since I build databases to track marketing activing for a day gig I quickly built a online database at TGR to track information which lead me to cracking the serial number date code. Had help from friends in AU as well. The forum was just an extension of the site so we could all exchange ideas.

And there you have it.


8) thank you very much ned. we owe you a big one here! thanks!

so this very famous texas store called "rockin robin" was/is
actually the original place in texas for the texan guitarists to
get the rare foreign guitars (expensive or affordable both)
even from the old days like the 70s/80s? its in houston now
but is this place possible where SRV and billy gibbons and
joe walsh and some others to find their tokai guitars??
i know they are kinda famous but actually kinda the holy place
for the texan guitarists??? sounds like so from your story......


http://www.rockinrobinguitars.com/



8)
 
TOKAI JOE said:
ned said:
TokaiJoe asked in another thread why a Texas would start this forum so here goes.

I grew up in Houston and hung out at Rockin' Robin (music store) which had Tokai make their guitars for the first few years before moving production to Houston. The store always had Tokai's, this was late 80's/early 90's and we all new they were great players.

Skip to 2000 and I felt the need to for a Les Paul. Already having owned a Gibby and new they were over priced POS's my thoughts quickly turned to Tokai as I had remembered how great and consistent players they were. Tokai had just started exporting into Canada but I wanted a late 70's early 80's guitar. Date must be in the serial number like other guitars right, but no one new how to decode. Email conversations with Tokai revealed that there was a manufactured date in the serial number but they didn't know how to decode and that it had changed over time.

Since I build databases to track marketing activing for a day gig I quickly built a online database at TGR to track information which lead me to cracking the serial number date code. Had help from friends in AU as well. The forum was just an extension of the site so we could all exchange ideas.

And there you have it.


8) thank you very much ned. we owe you a big one here! thanks!

so this very famous texas store called "rockin robin" was/is
actually the original place in texas for the texan guitarists to
get the rare foreign guitars (expensive or affordable both)
even from the old days like the 70s/80s? its in houston now
but is this place possible where SRV and billy gibbons and
joe walsh and some others to find their tokai guitars??
i know they are kinda famous but actually kinda the holy place
for the texan guitarists??? sounds like so from your story......


http://www.rockinrobinguitars.com/



8)


Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas is where those guys shop(ped) and Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music in Austin - in fact Stevie bought his number 1 strat from Ray Hennig back in the 70's.

Here's SRV in a Charley's tshirt:

http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/[email protected]
 
History of Tokai Registry & Forum (continued)

... in 2006 a major event happened, one of its more illustrious members, Ganzua, proudly joined the registry... :lol:
 
marcusnieman said:
TOKAI JOE said:
ned said:
TokaiJoe asked in another thread why a Texas would start this forum so here goes.

I grew up in Houston and hung out at Rockin' Robin (music store) which had Tokai make their guitars for the first few years before moving production to Houston. The store always had Tokai's, this was late 80's/early 90's and we all new they were great players.

Skip to 2000 and I felt the need to for a Les Paul. Already having owned a Gibby and new they were over priced POS's my thoughts quickly turned to Tokai as I had remembered how great and consistent players they were. Tokai had just started exporting into Canada but I wanted a late 70's early 80's guitar. Date must be in the serial number like other guitars right, but no one new how to decode. Email conversations with Tokai revealed that there was a manufactured date in the serial number but they didn't know how to decode and that it had changed over time.

Since I build databases to track marketing activing for a day gig I quickly built a online database at TGR to track information which lead me to cracking the serial number date code. Had help from friends in AU as well. The forum was just an extension of the site so we could all exchange ideas.

And there you have it.


8) thank you very much ned. we owe you a big one here! thanks!

so this very famous texas store called "rockin robin" was/is
actually the original place in texas for the texan guitarists to
get the rare foreign guitars (expensive or affordable both)
even from the old days like the 70s/80s? its in houston now
but is this place possible where SRV and billy gibbons and
joe walsh and some others to find their tokai guitars??
i know they are kinda famous but actually kinda the holy place
for the texan guitarists??? sounds like so from your story......


http://www.rockinrobinguitars.com/



8)


Charley's Guitar Shop in Dallas is where those guys shop(ped) and Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music in Austin - in fact Stevie bought his number 1 strat from Ray Hennig back in the 70's.

Here's SRV in a Charley's tshirt:

http://www.peoplenewspapers.com/Media/PublicationsArticle/[email protected]


8) thanks marcus. for the american gtrs yes those places but
do you know how they (SRV n others) got the japa gtrs like
tokai in texas??





8)
 
ganzua said:
History of Tokai Registry & Forum (continued)

... in 2006 a major event happened, one of its more illustrious members, Ganzua, proudly joined the registry... :lol:
Illustrious or notorious? 8)
 
Ozeshin said:
Illustrious or notorious? 8)

Illustrious, notorious, industrious... anything ended with trious will make it, even disastrous :D
 
Are you sure?

Some of these I wouldn't own up to

* Suspicious
* Previous
* Delicious
* Curious
* Mysterious
* Luxurious
* Ingenious
* Auspicious
* Pernicious
* Capricious
* Nutritious
* Vicious

:lol: :lol:

Dave
 
TOKAI JOE said:
8) thanks marcus. for the american gtrs yes those places but
do you know how they (SRV n others) got the japa gtrs like
tokai in texas??





8)

Every brand ever made has found it's way to the United States. Some are better than others and developed a reputation that musicians became aware of - they then sought out those guitars.

You have to remember that before Made in China was stamped on everything, Made In Japan was. For a very long time, MIJ was considered inferior product for the same reason MIC is now - it's cheap, mass produced and taking business away from US producers. Also, there was the Pearl Harbor effect of Japanese products - many people would have nothing to do with Japanese producs - no matter what it was.
 
Very good read people, goes to show that you shouldn't judge a book by the cover nor believe the marketing man LOL. As to the Pearl Harbor effect certainly true, some wounds run deep but see what a few years of being friends can do ??? Now many americans drive Mitsubishi cars and I believe they provided most of the planes/engines to bomb Pearl Harbour.
 
brokentoes said:
Now many americans drive Mitsubishi cars and I believe they provided most of the planes/engines to bomb Pearl Harbour.

The infamous Mitsubishi Zero:

http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Riverside2005/Highlights/ZeroBankingAtRiverside.jpg
 
luis said:
Those were great days Ned.
I just remeber that old "plain" forum(have some info printed still),about 20 members only(or less?).We did knew very few about Tokai....

How many from there are still here?Just wonder....

#7 is still here from day to day creeping!!
 
I believe at one point Jackson guitars had something to do with Tokai as the current President of Tokai spent some time at Jackson in DFW area.

Rockin Robin has always been in Houston.
 

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