1983 Tokai strat ??

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axeman2966

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I have just got hold of a guitar I was informed its from 83.before I bought it it didn't know a great deal about the guitars other than they were supposed to be solid guitars. I'm like everyone else trying to i.d it so i can refurb it.

problem is the head stock decal has been changed to fender the electrics have been changed guitar has been sprayed and there is no i.d on plate.

http://s347.photobucket.com/user/Christopher_Kerry/library/?view=recent&page=1
 
Thanks Iain think I've got images uploaded .

http://s347.photobucket.com/user/Christopher_Kerry/library/?view=recent&page=1
 
Body routings do not match anything Tokai I've seen (wire routing) even taking into account it coud have been modded in the bridge and neck positions.

Neck plate is not Tokai, I would suggest it belongs to the body.

Bridge and trem block are not Tokai.

Neck is Tokai. Top E tuner is Tokai, others look like replacements (strange). Cannot verify age.

Electrics look like budget Chinese, pickguard not original.

Partscaster at best.
 
I think the body has been modified at some point and then sprayed. I was thinking the same reference the bridge and electronics. The guitar feels solid well built and had good sustain when played even with not through an amp. I'm thinking about taking the finish off the body anyone done this before and can it damage the guitars playability ?
 
you could look to strip the paint off in the cavity to reveal a matching tokai code under the paint?
 
I'll give it a try and see thinking if i remove paint may remove original factory stamp if there is one underneath nothing to loose I suppose. It's and old giitar looks well used so not surprised parts will have been changed/modded.
Thanks for replys.
 
I think that both neck and heavily butchered body are Tokai.The electics are some cheap ceramic crap as has been suggested by Ian.
 
From research I've done i was thinking the same can see someone has cut away at the body as it's pretty ruff work. Any idea what model or sort of age the neck/body are?
 
I'm still not convinced it's a Tokai body because the routings look a little different to me. If it is Tokai body (there's not enough detail in the pics to go on) then it's definitely pre-'86.

No chance of determining date on the neck if the decals are gone, other than it's later than '82, given the cross-head truss rod adjustment.
 
:-? only got the guitar the day before I came away to work, didn't pay a great deal for it, hopefully I get some answers when I take the finish off the guitar, Is that the best way to determine the model (the stamped codes) or did that depend on hardware/electronics ??

appreciate the feed back.
 
Probably a nitro test on the neck would reveal if it was a higher end model. The code on the body will only reveal the original colour and if it matches the neck.

The electrics would certainly have helped in determining the model, and to some extent the date.
 
Thanks for the info. Once I get the thing sorted out I'll post again most importantly I'm looking for a solid strat to get some use out of and if I get that I'll be happy regardless,

thanks again. :lol:
 
The body is legit, but probably resprayed at the time of the cavity hack. The neck pocket is a dead giveaway. The countersink around the holes, almost as if the tip of the chuck was sunk in about 1 MM and the 4 pin holes. Also, look at the unmolested PU cavity, the two holes where the PU mounting screws could extend. That puts it in the 83 - 84 ish range, from the ones I have seen. If the tremolo mounting screw holes go completely through the body, and enter the cavity below the springs ever so slightly, thats a bit of a Tokai Makers Mark. If you gently sand away the paint in the control cavity, you will probably find a stamp that looks like the neck. Yea, neck plate and electronics are not the high quality stuff that should be on it. Hard to tell, trem may have just been sprayed with the cavities?
 
patchel said:
The body is legit, but probably resprayed at the time of the cavity hack. The neck pocket is a dead giveaway. The countersink around the holes, almost as if the tip of the chuck was sunk in about 1 MM and the 4 pin holes. Also, look at the unmolested PU cavity, the two holes where the PU mounting screws could extend. That puts it in the 83 - 84 ish range, from the ones I have seen. If the tremolo mounting screw holes go completely through the body, and enter the cavity below the springs ever so slightly, thats a bit of a Tokai Makers Mark. If you gently sand away the paint in the control cavity, you will probably find a stamp that looks like the neck. Yea, neck plate and electronics are not the high quality stuff that should be on it. Hard to tell, trem may have just been sprayed with the cavities?
+ 1
 
The guitar originally looks to be a red colour. Confirming my suspicions from the images I've looked at the countersunk holes seem to be a give away. I will try sanding in the control pocket but still want to take the finish off . Just worried it could affect the guitars playability.
 
try a paint stripper (Nitromorse) to remove the layer so that you dont sand off the code, it will be on a paint free area in the control pocket that was laquered over (see book photos)
 
http://s347.photobucket.com/user/Christopher_Kerry/library/?view=recent&page=1

So after making a start on stripping the guitar I looked in the control pocket and never found a stamp so was wondering if it was indeed a tokai body. When I found it in the middle pick up position what looks like the same stamp as the neck 6=11 and FO - - X there's also possibly some thing stamped in neck pick up but can't make it out. Any one know the body wood?
 
Hi guys,

The one thing I can confirm for you is the neck is definately Tokai - made sometime between June 1981 and June 1985. If you carefully remove the Fender transfer, you may get a "ghosting" of the original Tokai logo. It should be either script or spaghetti.
The body code " 6=11 FO" in the control cavity would place the body after 1982. There may also be a third letter - Z, X, etc.
The FO indicates the original finish of Flamingo Orange - a similar shade to Fender Fiesta Red. FO was introduced into the colour palette in 1982 also.
As the neck and body codes match, the Neckplate for a Rosewood neck should have had an L+5digit serial number.
The finish was offered in 1982 on ST-50, 60 and 80. From 1983 onward only on TST-70. This is not a TST-70 as they only had Maple necks. If the Alder body has 3 pieces it would be an ST-50. If it's a 2 piece body then an ST-60. ST-80 have Ash bodies so this is not an ST-80.
Electrics are crap - throw them away and get a decent set of pots, capacitors and pickups. Everything else is just minor cosmetics.
Good luck

Peter Mac
 
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