Early 80s Tokai Jazz Sound - Year & Model Identification

[Aleks]

Hey all, I am a brand new member but have read quite a bit of threads here on MIJ vintage Tokai instruments, really appreciate all the knowledge and experience in this community, making it such a fantastic resource.

Curious to ask your thoughts on the year and exact model of my recently purchased early 80s Tokai Jazz Sound.

Here is the context - I am primarily a guitarist who was looking to pick up a nice bass for my home recording studio, wanted a high-quality instrument without paying the kind of price tags I typically spend on luthier-made archtops and flamenco guitars

So, after doing quite a bit of research, I decided to look for a nice vintage MIJ jazz bass copy and ended up picking up an incredible bass from Danny Stewart @ Bass Japan Direct (who is awesome to deal with btw). The bass is a spaghetti-logo Tokai Jazz Sound in immaculate condition (just about mint), all original with the exception of the pickguard. Plays and feels fantastic, really enjoying it.

Danny marked it as a 1982 TJB60, based on the alder body, one piece maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, bridge and tuning machine type. However, in Tokai registry the serial number starting with “000….” points to early 1980.

I know there isn’t a lot of clarity on those old Tokai serial numbers, but I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on year and confirmation of model - I’ll post a few pics and give links to Danny’s original listing and pre-shipment video.

Also, since the bass already had an aftermarket white pickguard which I didn’t quite care for, I asked him to replace it with a metal pickguard, which he did a great job on aging and fitting - it wasn’t an exact retro fit, but very close and the look and feel of the instrument with it is much better, IMHO.

Here is the original listing:
Tokai Jazz Sound TJB60 1982 - Sunburst | Reverb

And here’s Danny’s pre-shipment video, still with the white pickguard:



Thanks in advance for your thoughts,
Aleks

 

[Sigmania]

Congratulations.

It is from 1980.

The 3 screw tuners make it a JB45 I believe. I need to confirm that for that year with a catalog.

 

[Sigmania]

Looks like the first catalog that the JB appears in is 1981. So this one was made after the 1980 catalog was printed. Probably mid to late 1980.

Still looking at specs to see how they broke down the models in 1980/81. Later on this would definitely not be a JB60 because of those tuners. Checking to see if that was true from the beginning.

 

[Sigmania]

So looking at the 1981 catalog, which is the first one that the JB appears in, they all came with alder bodies. JB120 also offered in sen ash.

"Old Kluson" tuners are the 4 screw reverse wound design available on JB60 and up.

1981 flat top catalog

 

[Sigmania]

Introducing the JB series, a new face with an attractive neck.

This is an oldies model with a rosewood fingerboard and a laminate maple neck from Superview, which has been explosively popular since its release as the second Tokai Electric Bass. Here we will reveal its appeal and the results of a thorough analysis. A perfect replica of the '64JB model, including the headstock, shape and design. The Tokai logo is a decal type and is applied using the same special method as the original after painting, making it very different from the average copy model. The jazz sound naming is really good, and of course the strap button on the back of the head is attached to the same position as the old one. The outstanding peg head feeling of the old Kluson type with the onion peg is quick and monopolizes the topic and popularity of MOSUPER bassists.

Neck: All models are maple necks with rose fingerboard laminate, which is the same spec as the original '64JB model. In addition, it goes without saying that the JB series has a slim narrow neck, which is the most distinctive feature, and the old U-shape nigiri shape provides outstanding fingering playability. The Rose fingerboard is made of the same material as the Pre-CBS Traditional JB model. The outstanding characteristics and precision are the same as the rose cow pattern neck of all Tokai series.

The Fletching Pro model boasts perfect fletching that fully meets the demands of all playing styles, including chopper playing and harmonic playing. The edge treatment, fret filing, etc., are all carefully finished by craftsmen with the utmost care and the highest level of skill. The content is truly worthy of being called a super neck.

Fretless Neck - There are two types of fretless necks in the JB series.
①Fretless neck with Jacaranda fingerboard: First of all, it's a normal fretless neck with JB120FL's Jacaranda fingerboard, and it has a sticky jersey sound with Jacaranda's fingerboard and fretless. Its almost limitless expressive power goes beyond the realm of electric bass and approaches the world of acoustic bass.
② Mizokiri fretless neck: And, thank you for waiting, this is a special fretless neck made of the same materials and specifications as the Jaco Pastorius model. A special specification exclusive to Tokai, in which completely adhered black cells are embedded in the grooves using a special strong adhesive, and exhibit outstanding effects both in terms of strength and acoustics. With this neck, we want you to approach and surpass Jaco Pastorius, the genius of contemporary music.

Body: All types of bodies are made from a single ply of alder. (However, the JB120 also has a Senpei veneer veneer body.) I've said this before, but the genius of the NC router is demonstrated here as well, creating a completely fringe body. It is a perfect replica of the original JB body, with an offset shaped waist cut body, pickup hole processing, etc., without even a 1mm deviation. The neck joint has a splendid finish that rivals the already well-established set neck, and the use of the same alder material as the 64B produced the perfect old JB sound for the first time in Japan. The shocking original feeling that penetrates your heart as soon as you cut the guitar in half is a characteristic of Tokai's E guitars and basses, which have achieved perfect replicas in all series that make them the king of old models. Why not make these hot models that are about to surpass the originals with your own hands?

Finish: JB series with outstanding old coloring unique to the alder body. JB45, 60, and 65N have a polyurethane finish, and JB80, 85N, and 85 FL-90R have an old lacquer finish. B120 and 120FL have a cashew finish and the best finish. Available in 6 colors including YS, BB, OW, BL, N, and MR.

Pegs: The peg is an old Krewson type reverse-wound peg developed especially for the B series.It is strange because even a small headstock with an old-fashioned feel such as buttons and bearing plates can be tightened with just one peg. . Of course, it has excellent operability and is also more accurate than the original. Mounts on all JB60 and above models and has an outstanding feel. In addition, the TB45 uses a 3-point fixing plate type peg with torque adjustment, and is a normal winding specification for middle class players.

Pickups: There are two types of double pole piece pickups that boast a variety of sound colors. They are competing for unique sound characters.

JB Vintage: Adopts the same coil material as the 64 original JB, and winds the coil directly around a fiber bobbin magnet with a double pole piece set, perfectly reproducing the tight and dry JB sound characteristic of the old JB. The JB model's unique 2-pickup humbucking system boasts a variety of tonal colors, from dynamic sounds to straight single-coil sounds. This is a professional-oriented pickup that can be said to be the definitive version of the old JB sound.

JB Super: High quality pickup for any music genre JB Super. It responds sharply to overwhelming power and subtle tonal nuances. This is a unique pickup that represents single coil pickups for electric basses. Almighty active on stage and live.

Pickguard: A tortoiseshell-type pickguard with a bright tortoiseshell color that was characteristic of the 1960s. Since the pickup is mounted directly to the body, it can be easily removed. You can enjoy it even more with the optional pickguard.

Bridge & Tailpiece: Introducing the spiral bridge. This is natural if you want to copy the old one. Two types of spiral bridges are also available.

①Brass spiral bridge: No one would think this is brass at first glance. In short, it's brass with a nickel finish. This can be called a hidden aesthetic, and the tailpiece and bridge are made of genuine brass with long sustain and durability. And the screw for adjusting the string height is exactly the same as the old one (JB80 or higher).
②Steel Spiral Bridge: This is a steel nickel-finished bridge and teeth piece made of the same material as the original. Not only do they have an old feel, but they also provide solid support for strings of any gauge. It reliably transmits string vibrations to the body, helping to improve sustain.

Control circuit: The control circuit section is also very important for the sound. It has perfect specifications in terms of shielding and wiring, and forms a control rack that will remain stable over a long period of time. In particular, the JB120 uses a solid type volume and oil condenser to achieve high control performance.

Special spec old parts: All JB series parts are special spec old parts.The control plate is made of the same material as the original and finished with 1.6mm thick nickel. The volume and tone knobs are also made of black resin and come in two sizes: large and small. The finger rest that can be attached as an accessory is made of rosewood (JB80 or above) and is a perfect replica of the original, even down to the screws. A thorough production policy that does not overlook even the smallest parts allows you to take an old guitar from your hands in the true sense of the word. The serial number engraved on the neck plate is the history of the Tokai JB series

 

[Aleks]

thanks @Sigmania. So, possibly they did these 3-screw pattern tuners in the beginning prior to the 1981 catalog, and then switched to the 4-screw pattern? Any other specs that can point us to the particular model?

 

[Sigmania]

So the specs in the 1981 catalog say the JB45 has the 3 screw tuners, 60 and above have 4 screw.

 

[Sigmania]

thanks @Sigmania. So, possibly they did these 3-screw pattern tuners in the beginning prior to the 1981 catalog, and then switched to the 4-screw pattern? Any other specs that can point us to the particular model?

I don't think so. I think you have a JB45.

The JB was introduced officially in 1981, but they were obviously being made beginning sometime in 1980.

The seller was also wrong about alder bodies indicating it being a JB 60 as well as you can see in the catalog specs. They were all offered in alder bodies.

Not the first time sellers have been wrong about models. Most people have not been able to translate these catalogs until recently, and you have to own a copy to get a good image and they are hard to find. I happen to own a bunch of original catalogs and have been doing the translations.

My belief is that you have a 1980 JB45YSR.

 

[Sigmania]

And it looks like the bridge is different on the JB45. It looks like it is a nickel plated steel rather than plated brass.

Maybe put a magnet on your bridge plate and see if it attracts.

 

[Aleks]

Got it. Thank you. It’s interesting, since all the woods are the same across models (except for the JB120 sen ash option), the electronics are very close or basically the same, the model differences are very subtle.

 

[Aleks]

 

[Aleks]

It does mildly attract a magnet, I think it is plated steel.

 

[Sigmania]

Cool. I have a JB45, and I too am a guitarist. It is a nice bass for the price.

And there are different pickups as you go through the line. Not sure if they are marked or not though.

1981 catalog:

Pickups: There are two types of double pole piece pickups that boast a variety of sound colors. They are competing for unique sound characters.

JB Vintage: Adopts the same coil material as the 64 original JB, and winds the coil directly around a fiber bobbin magnet with a double pole piece set, perfectly reproducing the tight and dry JB sound characteristic of the old JB. The JB model's unique 2-pickup humbucking system boasts a variety of tonal colors, from dynamic sounds to straight single-coil sounds. This is a professional-oriented pickup that can be said to be the definitive version of the old JB sound.

JB Super: High quality pickup for any music genre JB Super. It responds sharply to overwhelming power and subtle tonal nuances. This is a unique pickup that represents single coil pickups for electric basses. Almighty active on stage and live.

 

[Aleks]

Definitely a great bass for the price. They seem to have gone up in price lately, but still very much worth it IMHO, especially for those who appreciate a vintage JB esthetic and feel but do not want to pay the kind of a price tag an original ‘64 jazz bass pulls.



The pickups sound great and are not marked on the exterior, I don’t really feel like pulling them off just for identification

 

[Aleks]

@Sigmania thank you for posting the catalog images with translations btw, really appreciate it.

Another interesting bit is that the finish on this bass feels much more like old lacquer rather than poly, it is thin and elegant, doesn’t have the thicker poly texture to it.

 

[Sigmania]

Yep. Tokai used a thin application of poly to get more of a lacquer feel.

They were guitar freaks and very focused on details when your bass was made.

Project Team of “Guitar Freaks”