Is this a PJ48?

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mrsuspend

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May 6, 2008
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Location
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Hello All,

Today I bought a modified and very red Tokai Hard Puncher at the local music shop (JAM for you Swedes out there). As you can see in the pics below it's been modified with a single coil precision type pickup and rather hideous mustard coloured pick- and headguards. The hardware is all gold although most of it has worn off. The Badass II bridge is obviously a replacement.
Am I right guessing this is a PJ48? The pic at http://www.tokairegistry.com/images/catalogs/vol12p10.jpg is very similar but with chrome hardware and a slightly different logo.
Any input regarding model type, age and so on highly appreciated! :)
/Magnus

pj1.jpg

pj2.jpg

pj3.jpg

pj4.jpg

pj5.jpg

pj6.jpg

pj7.jpg
 
Hi mrsuspend,

Quite a bass you have here.
By the code I can tell you the original colour was Black, not Red.
In fact it seems as though the ONLY things left that are original Tokai are the body and neck. Neck base should have a similar stamp to 11=16.
Body wood appears to be Alder.
The pickup, scratchplate (in 70's Pearloid Vomit), bridge, knobs, tuners and possibly the decal are all later editions.
The route through the PB pickup means this guitar will need a cover over that section, rather than being solid mount. Bit of a shame, really.
Decal is 50's style Fenddahh but serial number is 70's Fenddahh, so these don't really match. Decal should look more like SilverStar style. This decal is also on top of the paint instead of being on a natural finish. It may be possible thta the original decal is still underneath the paint.
Judging by ser#, I would place the bass at around 1983 / 84 although it could be a as late as '87

these are just my initial observations - should you plan to restore it, i believe a lot more info will be unvielled

regards
Peter Mac
 
Hello Peter!

How odd. Who would take the trouble to do such a thing? :eek: The paint job is factory quality really. The neck has exactly the same dimensions as my other Hard Puncher (from around '86). It's painted all over and has no visible code (where would I look if I were to sand it down?) Dot "inlays" in the side of the neck look factory perfect. I can't find any trace of black paint anywhere (excluding the screening paint in the cavity).
I think tuners, knobs, neck plate and jack may be original. They are all a very faded and worn gold, as are the screws holding the back cover plate and the neck. The screws holding the scratchplates are all silver. The tuners are the typical Tokai three-screw type with characteristic clouding- see pic below.
Could this have been some sort of custom job with the new pickup and scratchplates added at a later stage?
The Bass plays very nicely and the SD tele/pb pu sounds quite good but I'll probably "restore" it with PB and JB pickups and a custom scratch plate. Black perloid perhaps? :p

Thanks!
/Magnus
pj8.jpg
 
Just an update: After perusing the Tokai catalogues I'm now reasonably certain the Bass is a PJ55, possibly from '85.
The remaining mysteries are the factory-quality red paint job and the slightly odd logo. Again, any tips appreciated!

/Magnus
 

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