No Information On Models Beginning with 'CN' Or Other Letter Combinations...???

[gmeades]

I just bought a Tokai ALC70 WR (Wine Red) with S/N CN20040291

The seller provided no other info than claiming it was "purchased new and hardly played".

So, I wanted to authenticate it and find out what year it was made and "purchased".

Aside from 2 guitars listed in the registry with serial numbers starting with "CN" confirming that these are Les Paul models and have been made in China, and 1 post I found in the forums with one individual responding to the original poster and simply telling them their serial number that started with CN indicated it was a Chinese built model built in 2020 and was part of the "Traditional Series", it seems there is no information at all to be found on any Tokai serial numbers that start with CN or any other letter combinations.

I found a number of posts that state that any Tokai with a serial number starting with "CH" is a Chinese model, but obviously, "CH" is not the only prefix used to designate guitars that were produced in China on models produced at least in the 2020 time period.

Have I somehow missed where information and explanations are located on Tokai models with serial numbers that begin with letter combinations..?

Does anyone have any information on identifying Tokai Guitars with Serial Numbers that start with two letters...?

Can someone add information on Tokai Serial Numbers that start with to Letters to the registry or in the area for "Tokai Gibson Copy Information" perhaps...?

While I have been able to determine this guitar which I am currently awaiting arrival on is a Chinese produced model built in 2020, it would be nice to have some source of easily accessible information regarding these Tokai models that have serial numbers beginning with letter combinations...

 

[Sigmania]

What you are running up against is a lack of information that begins with Tokai itself.

Lower cost models are commonly contracted to be made in China (and Korea at times) for cost saving reasons.

I doubt you will find any official Tokai information even acknowledging that these guitars were made outside of Japan.

In other words, the cost saving manufacturing deal Tokai has with other countries is not shared openly.

 

[Sigmania]

By the way, the CN serial numbers seemed to begin on Tokai guitars in 2012.

It is also likely that this serial number scheme relates to a particular factory in China.

The CH serial numbers were used on some Tokais in 2008 in 2009 as I recall. Again, that likely relates to a particular factory that was making them.

 

[Sigmania]

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[Sigmania]

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