1981 ES-150 Blonde

[chuckyz2]

I just purchased a Tokai 1981 ES-150 in Natural or Bonde finish.
It is the R version with replaced pickups to a lower wind to make it more like the jazz version.
It is on it's way as I speak and should be here next week. I can't wait.
It comes with the original pickups.
It is listed as having a Cashew finish as it should. My question is,
I want to be able to confirm it is actually Cashew and not a Lacquer.
So far after extensive research, the only way I have found that you can tell
is the amber finish color. On the body and logo. I am thinking there has to be
another way to actually positively confirm it is cashew.
Scent? Some chem test in a hidden area?
I will post pics when I get it. It has the typical figuring on the front and rear of
the body, only more and more evenly spread than I have seen. Can't really
see any birdseye, but that is not an issue with the figuring being so amazing.
It might be there, but the pics are not HD enough. It has the Ebony board witch
will confirm it is a 150, as I heard the 100 is Rosewood. It is really black. Too black
if you ask me. Might have just been oiled. I will clean it to confirm.
The seller is a good guy and very knowledgeable on Tokais so I am confident
it is all good. But I want/need to know for sure. It wasn't cheap.

 

[Sigmania]

Congrats. I’m not aware of a way to test it. It definitely looks different. I have a TE120 with cashew finish and the binding has a uniform amber tint.

Here’s a related thread:

Cashew Finish

 

[chuckyz2]

Congrats. I’m not aware of a way to test it. It definitely looks different. I have a TE120 with cashew finish and the binding has a uniform amber tint.

Here’s a related thread:

Cashew Finish

 

[chuckyz2]

 

[chuckyz2]

 

[chuckyz2]

 

[chuckyz2]

 

[Sigmania]

Here’s another ES150 that seemed to have a cashew finish.

6 digit serial number. A bit of a mystery.

1991 Tokai ES-150 (non catalog model - specs?)

 

[guitar hiro]

that's a nice one; enjoy it!

 

[chuckyz2]

Here’s another ES150 that seemed to have a cashew finish.

6 digit serial number. A bit of a mystery.

1991 Tokai ES-150 (non catalog model - specs?)

I think you may have made a mistake. There is no talk about cashew on that 91' Black ES. And the headstock isn't amber looking. Not to mention the 150 in 91' wasn't the highest model. The model number is the price so a 150 in 91' would be the equivalent of a 100 in 81'. If they were to use Cashew, it would be on their highest model, unless it was a special order. But I didn't see any mention of a cashew finish in the thread you posted.

 

[chuckyz2]

that's a nice one; enjoy it!

Thanks. I can't wait to see it in person. Praying for a safe trip! It's a rare bird and it has a long journey ahead.

 

[Sigmania]

I think you may have made a mistake. There is no talk about cashew on that 91' Black ES. And the headstock isn't amber looking. Not to mention the 150 in 91' wasn't the highest model. The model number is the price so a 150 in 91' would be the equivalent of a 100 in 81'. If they were to use Cashew, it would be on their highest model, unless it was a special order. But I didn't see any mention of a cashew finish in the thread you posted.

That ES150 that I linked may or may not be a '91. If you have information showing that it is I would love to hear it. Nobody has been able to definitively say when that guitar was made as far as I know.





And if you look at its binding, it is yellow. I said it looked like cashew in that thread if you read it,

And I linked this thread wit the following quote:


tokai es-100's

The ES100's are spec'd with nitro, the ES150's are spec'd with a cashew lacquer (same as the spec on the LS200's).

And I was the one that assembled the thread on cashew finishes that I linked, so that list in that thread is absolutely not complete, nor definitive. It is simply tohe ones I could confirm at the time.

Just had to make those clarifications.

This is a guitar forum for enthusiasts trying to piece to getther a puzzle in the absence of clear information from Tokai. We are all sorting this stuff out as we go.

Best to have an open mind I would say.

 

[chuckyz2]

That ES150 that I linked may or may not be a '91. If you have information showing that it is I would love to hear it. Nobody has been able to definitively say when that guitar was made as far as I know.

And if you look at its binding, it is yellow. I said it looked like cashew in that thread if you read it and I linked this thread:


tokai es-100's





And I was the one that assembled the thread on cashew finishes that I linked, so that list in that thread is absolutely not complete, nor definitive. It is simply tohe ones I could confirm at the time.

Just had to make those clarifications.

This is a guitar forum for enthusiasts trying to piece to getther a puzzle in the absence of clear information from Tokai. We are all sorting this stuff out as we go.

Best to have an open mind I would say.

He said the serial number indicated it was a 91. So I assumed it was 91. I have been researching Tokais a lot and am aware of the oddities that pop up once in a while and the the difficulty because of the records and being in a Japanese doesn't help. But so far what I have seen, is the 81' ES's are pretty consistent. Both the 100's and 150's are easily recognizable and match the specs. I have no concerns about that. Mine easily meets all specs from what can be seen in the pics I have on it. And the seller has a lot of experience with them and I believe he is being honest. That is also not my concern. I am mainly just interested in a way to definitely prove a finish is a Cashew Nut finish. The Cashew nut finish was invented in Japan and is considered to be a top notch finish by many high end boutique guitar builders, as I am sure you are already aware of, and the Japanese us the finish on mostly very high end expensive models. I not only am interested in a way to positively I.D. this finish for my guitar, but also for any future possible guitars I may purchase, Be it a Tokai ES, LS200 or a nice Japanese or American built acoustic that claims to have a Cashew Nut finish from Japan applied. Although it would be interesting to see a one off Cashew finish ES I am mainly interested in being able to positively Identify this type of finish. If there is a way, it would be very useful for us all as these models come up for sale in the different markets. I would wager there is way.
Also, my LS60 has ambered colored binding, as do most Tokai Vintage models do in the LS models, Poly and Lacquer. Mine is Poly. So just on that, it is not a definitive way to identify Cashew. Though it is something that has to be there if it is Cashew. If they are the same looking in person, I will find out when mine arrives. Pictures can be deceiving. Don't think I am being argumentative. I appreciate your replies. And I have read all your posts on the vintage LS's over the years. And I do appreciate your knowledge on these and other subjects. You are a serious positive asset to this forum.

 

[mdvineng]

83 onwards had the crown inlay but not before, so that should rule out the black one being from 81. 7 digits is the normal not 6!

Plain faced headstock, was 80<81 and 82 was the ornate inlay.

Model number and colour finish, should be inside the neck pickup cavity.

Ser# is on the back of the headstock and the paper label and I think that I can see part of it in chuckyz2 picture, a 4 near the end possibly.

No mention of cashew in Peter's book, only nitro for ES.
But here there are two guitars with cashew finish, special order only models though.

http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/page 6 Tokai.html

 

[chuckyz2]

83 onwards had the crown inlay but not before, so that should rule out the black one being from 81. 7 digits is the normal not 6!

Plain faced headstock, was 80<81 and 82 was the ornate inlay.

Model number and colour finish, should be inside the neck pickup cavity.

Ser# is on the back of the headstock and the paper label and I think that I can see part of it in chuckyz2 picture, a 4 near the end possibly.

No mention of cashew in Peter's book, only nitro for ES.
But here there are two guitars with cashew finish, special order only models though.

http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/page 6 Tokai.html

That would be the first ES=200 I have seen. What a beauty.

 

[Sigmania]

7 digits is the normal not 6!

Yeah. No kidding. The only ones I know of like that were Korean models, but that doesn’t fit either.

 

[Sigmania]

1981 catalog specs cashew finish in the specifications table.

 

[chuckyz2]

One moment

I'm preparing myself to be wowed

 

[chuckyz2]

83 onwards had the crown inlay but not before, so that should rule out the black one being from 81. 7 digits is the normal not 6!

Plain faced headstock, was 80<81 and 82 was the ornate inlay.

Model number and colour finish, should be inside the neck pickup cavity.

Ser# is on the back of the headstock and the paper label and I think that I can see part of it in chuckyz2 picture, a 4 near the end possibly.

No mention of cashew in Peter's book, only nitro for ES.
But here there are two guitars with cashew finish, special order only models though.

http://www.japanguitars.co.uk/page 6 Tokai.html

That link is awesome. There are other links in it that have even more info and goodies. Thanks.

 

[Sigmania]

I'm preparing myself to be wowed

See above. I edited that post to show it spec’d in the 1981 catalog.