Here's a weird one, just delivered to me. It's all Tokai parts, but certainly an odd combo of features. The basic model could be SS38, but there's a whole lot more going on:
Ok, so that's odd. But after a lot of googling I actually found a single almost identical one, in a 2019 post in a Canadian guitar forum:
https://www.guitarscanada.com/threads/ngd-tokai-silver-star.234496/
This guitar basically ticks most of the same boxes, except one: it seems to have standard SS electronics, with unmarked grey bobbins, no brass plate and normal SS height screws with smaller rounded heads and no countersinking. There's nothing in the text about the bridge and no pics clear enough to show if it has block mounting screws or not.
Interestingly, it has a 48 model sticker, which seems off, since a standard SS-48 would have the octagonal higher-end tuners. The body stamps in both are close, 4=7 in the Canadian guitar, 4 =8 in mine, so both April and one batch number apart according to the prevailing interpretation.
So, what are they?
Well, they seem to potentially fit rather well with the "Order-made system" detailed on page 16 of the 1982 catalog. You could order a custom paint job and different pickups out of the Tokai range and the cost would be minimum 20% on top of the RRP for the basic model. Both guitars seem to be based on the SS-38, and 48k for the Canadian guitar is indeed slightly more than 20% extra. I've no idea what the U-stamps and ST harness in mine would have added to the price, but maybe it came with a 50 or 55 sticker? It's also interesting that the body stamps are so close.The catalog clearly states that there was a waiting period for custom orders, so maybe the waited until they had a few on their books before manufacture began?
Really, the oddest little detail to me is the SS-60 decal. Why not apply just the logo on a guitar with a black head, Greco certainly did. Or maybe SS-60 sales were disappointing and they just had more small-cap decals than they needed?
Yeah, all of the above is just speculation, of course. And the truth may be unknowable at this stage anyway. But either way, it's a really nice, and cool-looking guitar. The neck is a tad skinny for my taste, but as always, I love the sound of those U's.
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- All-black finish, i e painted neck, not just headstock. I'm not sure if that was official finish option or not, like matching headstock?
- No serial, not on the headstock, not on the neckplate, not even on the trem spring cover...
- Headstock decal á la 1982 SS-60, i e with Silver Star in small caps. Black on black and almost invisible, but at least it helps date the guitar, since that decal was only in use in 1982
- U-stamp pickups and brass control plate, i e basically a harness straight out of an ST-50 Springy. It even has the same countersunk height adjustment screws with large heads as the pre-CBS copies, and a pickguard with countersunk holes for them. To me, this suggests a guard custom for this guitar, there were no ST models with black plastic
- The bridge seems to be an ST-style Final Prospec unit... only with Silver Star-style cast saddles. It has a separate plate and a smallish screw-in block with rounded ends, both which look extremely similar to FP parts to me. Hard to be sure, though, it's not unlikely that it's a subcontractor part anyway.
Ok, so that's odd. But after a lot of googling I actually found a single almost identical one, in a 2019 post in a Canadian guitar forum:
https://www.guitarscanada.com/threads/ngd-tokai-silver-star.234496/
This guitar basically ticks most of the same boxes, except one: it seems to have standard SS electronics, with unmarked grey bobbins, no brass plate and normal SS height screws with smaller rounded heads and no countersinking. There's nothing in the text about the bridge and no pics clear enough to show if it has block mounting screws or not.
Interestingly, it has a 48 model sticker, which seems off, since a standard SS-48 would have the octagonal higher-end tuners. The body stamps in both are close, 4=7 in the Canadian guitar, 4 =8 in mine, so both April and one batch number apart according to the prevailing interpretation.
So, what are they?
Well, they seem to potentially fit rather well with the "Order-made system" detailed on page 16 of the 1982 catalog. You could order a custom paint job and different pickups out of the Tokai range and the cost would be minimum 20% on top of the RRP for the basic model. Both guitars seem to be based on the SS-38, and 48k for the Canadian guitar is indeed slightly more than 20% extra. I've no idea what the U-stamps and ST harness in mine would have added to the price, but maybe it came with a 50 or 55 sticker? It's also interesting that the body stamps are so close.The catalog clearly states that there was a waiting period for custom orders, so maybe the waited until they had a few on their books before manufacture began?
Really, the oddest little detail to me is the SS-60 decal. Why not apply just the logo on a guitar with a black head, Greco certainly did. Or maybe SS-60 sales were disappointing and they just had more small-cap decals than they needed?
Yeah, all of the above is just speculation, of course. And the truth may be unknowable at this stage anyway. But either way, it's a really nice, and cool-looking guitar. The neck is a tad skinny for my taste, but as always, I love the sound of those U's.
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