Tokai bodies...were any plywood?

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Integra

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Mar 20, 2008
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Hi, I recently picked up a Tokai Hardpuncher P-bass. I guess it's around '81 or '82 as it has the 'spaghetti' logo, serial # on the neck plate is 100668. The neck is great and has a nice grain to it. But I noticed the body was kind of light feeling, at least compared to the Tokai Hardpuncher P/J bass I have. It looks like the body is made of plywood. The bridge also doesn't look stock (doesn't have the grooved saddles) so I'm wondering if the body is not Tokai-made. Did Tokai make any instruments with plywood bodies in that era?
Thanks for any info.
 
It's news to me if they did. Post some pics of your instrument, and I'm sure someone will have an idea about what it is.

Mike
 
No, I got this one in Japan. The neck and neckplate appear to be authentic. I've had other Tokais for reference. I will take it apart again and get a shot of the body, but I'm really doubting it's Tokai. Thanks.
 
I have an early 90s MIJ Squier Strat that surprised me when I discovered it had a ply body. I had assumed that all the Japanese stuff was better quality than that. But I would be much more surprised if Tokai had dropped their standards that much.

But you never know....
 
Ok, now I'm not sure if the body is ply or not. I think I saw the ridges in the pocket where it looks like someone did some extra routing(?) and I just thought "ply". But then I took the pickguard off, pickups out and looked in the control cavity and it looks like solid wood. I also took some pics of the pickups, the neck, neckplate, bridge and what looks to be a capacitor which was just taped on the inside of the control cavity. None of the pots were with the bass when I got it.

I was wondering if anyone could tell whether some of the other parts were Tokai or not. The bridge doesn't look like some other Tokai's I have (non grooved saddles) plus the strings seemed a little out of alignment when I got the bass. It was like they were off center, the E string was too close to the edge of the fingerboard and the G not close enough to the edge.
The pickups appear to say "NC" on one and "SC" on the other.

If anyone can help me ID the body and parts I'd appreciate it.

Here are some pictures from my photobucket site (disregard the two Fender pocket pics):

http://s227.photobucket.com/albums/dd117/vintagejapanbass/Tokai%20P-Bass/

Thanks
 

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