Can anyone help?

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Stephen

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Hi,

I'm new here, having finally found something on these splendid guitars on the web!

Trying to find out info on my TST-50 Goldstar sound, bought new in 1987. It's serial number is 214310. It's got very light body, lighter than say my Fender Classic 60s Strat which I know is alder. Would my Tokai be ash? Headstock is rounded Fender shape, so I'm assuming this wasn't brand new manufacture when I bought it. I bought it from a shop in Belfast, Matchett's which in the early to mid 80s was the licensed Tokai dealer in Ireland, so it could have been stock for a while... they carried a huge stock of Tokais and I kick myself that I didn't buy about 4 at the time!!!!

I haven't played the Tokai in years as it was at my parent's house, and so when I took it out of the case, to my delight I noticed some slight checking... looks wonderfully, but understatedly reliced. What was the finish on the Tokais? I noticed when I popped the pickguard off that the finish was even ly applied around the routing, but then again, I don't suppose this matters.

When I took the trem cover off, noticed the trem block to be a proper sized one and not one the piddly efforts Fender puts on their Mex and US Standards. Is it steel? I also noticed the bridge screws come through the wood slightly into the trem cavity, unlike a Fender. They had rubberised paint over the screw tips. Silly question, but will this extra metal in there cause any sort of electrical interference?

Its a maple neck, and my only gripe is that the finish seeped into one of the dot marker holes, presumably because the fret marker wasn't a snug it, but that, I guess is me being picky!!

Silly questions and points, I know, but I'm curious about the origins and manufacture of the guitar, and there is very very little on the net. If anyonecan help, I'd be really grateful!! 8)
 
Stephen, it might be from -87, in Europe you could get Tokai's with the correct headstock even in the late 80's. The body is alder (according to my 87-88 catalog only alder was used for the TST-50 (the picture also shows it with the correct headstock)), my alder AST-40 from the late 80's is also very light, lighter than most basswood strats I've tried. My new alder AST-50 (2002 model) is also very light.

The TST-50 should have a cast sustain block, TST-60 and up had steel blocks. However, Tokai seem to have put better spec parts on some guitars, for example my Love Rock TLS-50 (bought new in -84) has the TLS-80 PAF pickups.

Mike
 
Hi Stephen, I have a mid-eighties TST55 which should have the same spec. as TST50 except for metallic paint but it has a steel sustain block.
The easiest way to test the sustain block material is to briefly touch it with a magnet. If it's steel it will attract the magnet. Keep the magnet well away from the pickups though!
 

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