Script Logo Started When?

[Sigmania]

Trying to sort out when the Script logo was actually first in use?





My TST70 has a scropt logo and E pickups, pardon the melted spacers.



Fender type serial numbering system, but note this is a TST70.





Catalogs show the V and VII (Vintage, MKII) pickups in the 1984 catalogs.







So it seems like the script logo was possibly used outside the UK in 1983?

 

[Sigmania]

Answering my own questions...

Looks like it was used in 1983.

VintAxe scans of 1983 catalog.

 

[Sigmania]

I recently went through some old receipts, and I found the receipt dated 8/12/83 for my first Strat, an ST50 in Sunburst with maple board, and I remember that it had the Tokai Goldstar Sound decal, the Fenderish one, not the block lettering. I remember wondering what Goldstar Sound meant, and why the model numbers didn't appear on the guitar. Now, thanks to this site, I know, a mere 23.5 years later!

Mike

HI new here, I need to know more about my TST...

 

[Sigmania]

The Registry needs work…

 

[Sigmania]

Another example of an '83 Goldstar.

I am bit confused here coz I still have the original receipt for my Tokai Goldstar which I purchased in 1983 , so there must be some Goldstars from then, maybe the change over period?

ZIPPY

HI new here, I need to know more about my TST...

 

[Sigmania]

This one seems to be a 1984?

Unfortunately the pickups were changed.

Fender L serial number

SN L13955 ?

= sign in codes


First post and Goldstar find

 

[Sigmania]

More 1984s

TST80s

TST80 Goldstars

 

[Sigmania]

More evidence that the script logo began in 1983, my TST70 which has the script logo appears in the 1983 catalog and is absent from the 1984 catalog and all catalogs afterward.

Has E pickups and the Fender style serial number.

 

[bambony]

Some say very late '83 but script logos are generally '84. Serial numbers don't give any clue according to experts.

Thanks
Tony

 

[Sigmania]

Thanks Tony. I appreciate that.

I have been trying to nail this down with real world examples rather than what we have come to believe based on what is printed in the Registry and elsewhere.

The pickups apparentlly changed for the 1984 model year.... V, VII and VS-1 replaced the older E and U marked pickups.

In the UK there were Block logo Goldstars in 1983 for sure.

It is looking like script logo Goldstars may have preceded the '84 model year guitars since they have the older pickups. Possibly in Europe outside of the UK?

Unfortunately, we don't have pots in Tokais during this period that have date codes.

I have found a couple of people with original invoices from 1983 for Goldstars (see above). Hoping to figure out if they were script logo or not.

I'm trying to put this puzzle together with the facts as they present themselves rather than forcing an existing narrative onto what we find.

If you see above I posted a guitar from June (mine) of 1983 presumably (E pickups). This would be before the new model year guitars would normally come out.

If you find hard evidence in the form of invoices or things we can date that would be awesome.

Will see where this leads...

 

[Sigmania]

 

[Sigmania]

Also note the 1983/84 catalog posted above.

Why would there be a half year catalog?

Might be on to something here.

 

[Sigmania]

This half year idea makes sense in light of the block logo issue

1982/83 Block Logo Gallery

resulting from the lawsuit in the UK in 1982.

Lawsuit?

 

[eborej]

Kudos for trying to track down the facts between '82 & '84.

In regards to the table of '82 - '86 Fender-style serial number ranges from the Faber site, I just picked up a TST-80 with E stamp PUs, serial number 0619 and the script logo on the headstock. This conflicts with the script logo starting in '83 and the 4 digit range of 0001 - 1000 in '82. I think that table of serial number ranges might be suspect.

 

[Sigmania]

I realized as soon as I posted it that it kind of ran counter to the whole idea of this thread to use someone else’s findings without testing them myself. So I pulled it in favor of Sherlock Holmes.

 

[Sigmania]

Kudos for trying to track down the facts between '82 & '84.

In regards to the table of '82 - '86 Fender-style serial number ranges from the Faber site, I just picked up a TST-80 with E stamp PUs, serial number 0619 and the script logo on the headstock. This conflicts with the script logo starting in '83 and the 4 digit range of 0001 - 1000 in '82. I think that table of serial number ranges might be suspect.

Congratulations! Nice score!

Check out this thread that I started.

TST80 Goldstars

And you may want to reach out to bluejeannot. He’s had one for a long time and done lots of research.

 

[Sigmania]

Wondering if this is a smoking gun?

Block logo ST100 changed to script logo.

ATO shared this from Facebook.

82/83 ST100

 

[Sigmania]

I found some weird misfit serial number Goldstars from this period.

Both are lefty Goldstars.

It seems like they may intermingle with the TST-62/AST-62 production??

Both also have 5 digit serial numbers around this time.

Very Weird 5 digit Serial Numbers In 1984

 

[Sigmania]

Wondering if this is a smoking gun?

Block logo ST100 changed to script logo.

ATO shared this from Facebook.

82/83 ST100

View attachment 3102
View attachment 3100
View attachment 3101
View attachment 3099

And looks like this guitar may have had VS-1 pickups originally?

Has a 2 stamp. So maybe Feb 1984?

Or Feb 1983 if they aren’t VS-1 or the guitar was held and re badged?

 

[Sigmania]

….the same logo that persists on Goldstars to this day was introduced probably in 83….

+1