ST 60 tokai springy sound

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jeotokai

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My humble tokai st60, got it a 1 3/4 years ago from a Pinay who worked in japan. given to her by a japanesse suitor. Anyway, no inside pictures yet. The pickups are stamped "E". All original parts, just got it refretted last years. Its my best strat so far, sold my other fender japan strat's and tele. Luckily this one is a player, sings more than screams, the best dynamic range i have heard in a guitar. I think its a '78 model. correct me on this, done some research but your inputs are much appreaciated. Thanks Tokai-forumites!
 
Nice.

I believe that mine is an ST60 from 1980, but it doesn't have the 60 stamped into the fretboards. Is that because it's a 1980?

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Mike
 
Thanks Volker. Interesting.

However, I've never seen a 1961 type slab board on a Springy or a Goldie, and I think discussions on here have confirmed that they are very rare, if they existed at all. Tokai always seem to use a very thin veneer of rosewood. If there are any slab board Springys or 80s Goldies out there, I would love to see them.

My fairly recent Breezy (new headstock shape) has a slab board, however.

One more exception - in the thread about ST100s, Rupert has posted a pic of his black ST100 which has a rosewood cap board, but an early 50s style round string tree. Another mystery? Or a one-off?

Mike
 
stratman323 said:
Nice.

I believe that mine is an ST60 from 1980, but it doesn't have the 60 stamped into the fretboards. Is that because it's a 1980? Mike
Click to expand...

Mike, at the base of the neck you probably have a little residue left from the sticker (assuming it's gone). If you hold the guitar up to the light and turn it slowly you may still be able to read a very faint 'imprint' what it said - ie '60'.
 
bunbury said:
Mike, at the base of the neck you probably have a little residue left from the sticker (assuming it's gone). If you hold the guitar up to the light and turn it slowly you may still be able to read a very faint 'imprint' what it said - ie '60'.
Click to expand...

Just looked - no sign at all of a sticker. :-?
 
settebello said:
If you noticed,Rupert's has also a 8-screw singleply-pickguard.You know not all is vintage correct. :wink:

Volker
Click to expand...

I hadn't noticed that :oops:
 
stratman323 said:
Just looked - no sign at all of a sticker. :-?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how to best describe it. Like very faint 'ghost' numbers ... you have to catch the light just right on the base of the neck. Some guitars it's there long after the sticker is gone, sometimes it's not!
 
I would imagine that it depends on 2 things - how long it's been gone and what the final finish is. Lots of these stickers were removed early in the guitars life (it's a cheap and nasty design feature, if we're honest, isn't it?) so there would be less or no shadowing if it's been gone for over 25 years.

I would also imagine that nitro would show shadowing more than poly. Mine feels like thin poly on the neck, though I'm less sure about the body.
 
stratman323 said:
I would imagine that it depends on 2 things - how long it's been gone and what the final finish is. Lots of these stickers were removed early in the guitars life (it's a cheap and nasty design feature, if we're honest, isn't it?) so there would be less or no shadowing if it's been gone for over 25 years.

I would also imagine that nitro would show shadowing more than poly. Mine feels like thin poly on the neck, though I'm less sure about the body.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I've got two from the early 1980s sticker-era (sub-division of 'Lawsuit' that surely needs a Latin name) - the imprint is visible on one, the other still has the sticker. The one with the sticker is a 60 - so I can't help on the nitro/poly argument!
 
No, I'm very reluctant to use anything like that on any expensive guitar, even inside the pickup cavities, it just seems so destructive. I've tried the black light test, usiing a fake bank note detector (see separate thread on black lights) but I found it inconclusive, even on guitars that I know are nitro.

I think I can usually tell by the feel of the neck whether it's poly or nitro. What is probably just as relevant (though it never seems to get mentioned) is whether poly is polyurathane or polyester. Also, the thickness of any lacquer coat is critical too - thick lacquer (especially poly-anything) tends to box in the sound and take away the quality edge to the sound.
 
Nice one jeotokai, your serial number indicates 1978..

Stratman, acetone on a q tip under the trem springs is ok.. Although on my St 80, it was sure hard to see any nitro dissolve. mabey the older the nitro , the harder it is to desolve?
 
Thanks forumites for the confirmation on the date and other details. A luthier told me that the body is finished in polyesther and neck is nitrocelloluse on my strat. Happy Holidays! :D :D :D
 
Sounds unlikely if it's all original. Why would a manufacturer finish the neck in nitro but use poly for the body?
 
stratman323
Sounds unlikely if it's all original. Why would a manufacturer finish the neck in nitro but use poly for the body?

I havent confirm yet if what the luthier said about the finish was true. Anyway i think necks and bodies were finish differently, its a bolt-on design, so its very logical. But on set-necks its always the same finish all throughout.
 

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