Got a '79 Springy Sound from KATANA on Ebay... take a look-

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bluedean

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The doorbell rang at 9:15 AM on 2/16 with my '79 Tokai Springy Sound 3TS ST-50 being delivered by the USPS. I played it for a half hour without plugging it in. That was a good sign right there. It felt very comfortable to play and at 7.27 lbs., it's nice and light. The accoustic tone is very lively. It looks virtually perfect from the front. The rosewood board is a beautiful piece of Brazilian. The grain on the ash is very nice. Is it possible that it is one peice? I then tried it with my '59 Ampeg Jet. It has excellent sustain and lots of useable tones when I used the 5 way PU selector. Everything from a mellow jazz sound with the neck PU to a bright and chimey bridge PU. The 3 mid positions sound great playing chords. Then I cranked the amp. OMG - stomp box? I don't need no stinking stomp box. I can't wait to try it with my Hoffman board and WeberVST speakers upgraded RI Bassman.

I have been looking all over, on the web, to find authoritative info on these Tokai's, but I find nothing but conflicting reports regarding dating and even the models, especially the early years. Since somebody removed the decals, this is particularly troublesome. He probably wanted to pretend it was a Fender or got tired of being asked "What's a Tokai?". I tried twice to get more info from the Japanese seller (KATANA) when I sent the payment, but I got no response other than the usual shipping info. He specializes in lawsuit type guitars and has a lot of good feedback. So hopefully his auction details were correct. One thing he was wrong about was the PU selector is a 5 way not a 3 way. Lucky for me, because those two in between positions both sound great. It seems that the first # on the neck plate (9) is the year it was made (1979). The maple necks are a repro of a Fender '54, but I have seen the Rosewood necks referred to as '58, '59', '62 and probably other Fender years. I'm going to enjoy my guitar and not obsess over this.

Eventually i'll probably have a tech give it a thorough setup and upgrade any hardware thats not up to the job. I think we all agree that a good quality instrument (and amp) is fun and inspiring to play. For now, it plays and sounds great and it looks like my Ebay gamble paid off. BTW I also have a nice tobacco burst '80's Burny Les Paul that the seller put a Duncan JB and a Jazz Pickup in.

The neck plate # is 9008977. Does this confirm that it's a '79 Springy Sound ST-50? I can't find definitive dating info for '79's on this site. I don't want to take apart the pickups or take off the neck right now. What year of Fender Strat model are the rosewood neck Tokai '79 Springy Sound ST-50's supposed to be a repro of?

Thanks for your interest---

Auction link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3703671964&ed=1076904000
 
when you look at the pic of the back it almost looks book matched. I have seen one piece bodies on Tokais for sale in Japan so they do exist. Looks real nice, kinda like mine but yours has a lot less wear... almost looks new. Mine had been played when I bought it.
 
Hi bluedean,

Congrats on the great-looking guitar!

(I'd been looking at that guitar too, have been after a 3-color "target" sunburst Springy with rosewood board & 'skunk-stripe" for a while now but finances too tight at the moment, so I didn't bid, hehe).

As far as I know Katana is very trustworthy (I have a collector friend in UK who buys from him regularly, always correctly described). THe guitar is not an exact 'replica' of any one year, just a really great guitar with a 60's Fender 'vibe - - as far as I know Fender never made a Strat with a rosewood board & 'skunk-stripe" in the 50's or 60's.

You can get the correct decal for it here :-
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3704440796

Oops, that one has ended, but he ("Mike") regularly lists more, & has a web-site here: -
www.thedecalshop.co.uk

Good luck!

Bill

http://homepage.mac.com/cybercat/
 
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