Tokai Strat

[jig]

I have a daphne blue goldstar strat and trying to date and determin the model.I checked Tokai regestry and figured out its got L+five digits it has the script logo,so its 1984 and a TST model.How do you find out exactly which TST number it is .IT has a U shaped neck?Thans for any help

 

[greco_burst]

Hi, welcome to the forum, can you posts some pics here? of the back of the pickguard showing the pickups (stamps), and the control cavity stamped number/letters, thanks!
Does it have an oval black sticker with a number on the back of the neck?

 

[jig]

Sorry for comming back so late but only just had it set up,the tech took some photos

any ideas on the model,I think the routings are insulated,thanks

 

[mrsuspend]

Hello there Jig, the shielding in the cavity is not original. Seems to be well done though!
A U-shaped neck indicates a tst-50 (or possibly 55 if it's a custom colour), VI pickups indicate 1985 or thereabouts as 1984 TST-50s more commonly had "U" pickups.

/Magnus

 

[Anonymous]

It would be nice to see the whole guitar! Especially the headstock, front & rear.

Mike

 

[jig]

1984 by the head stock,why would someone put insulation in the cavity,hope its not dodgy.The guitar tech still has the guitar so cant take a photo of the rear of the headstock.Im pretty sure its 1984 but didn't know which TST model and think the pick ups are VII.Delux machine heads I think

 

[mrsuspend]

Sorry, there is no way to know if a Goldstar is exactly from 1984 but the very early ones usually had "U"-type pickups.
The headstock changed shape in the US only so this is no indication to go by.

Some people try to tame the hum of single coil pickups by shielding the pickup cavity, I never bothered personally but I don't think it's anything to worry about.
Having said that, the only way to know without doubt that the body is original is to remove the shielding as the manufacturing code is stamped in the electronics cavity

 

[stelyn]

I'd say this is either a late 1984 or early 1985 model. Does the neck have a skunk stripe? Have the frets been replaced with fatter width ones (they look to have been from the photos)? Was Daphne Blue a colour option at that time? Is it a single ply or 3 ply pickguard?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd say this is either a late 1984 or early 1985 model. Does the neck have a skunk stripe? Have the frets been replaced with fatter width ones (they look to have been from the photos)? Was Daphne Blue a colour option at that time? Is it a single ply or 3 ply pickguard?

I would agree with Magnus that it's more likely to be 1985 because of the pickups, though it's hard to be sure with Goldies. It won't have a skunk stripe - no RW board Goldies did. No RW board Fender clones should ever have a skunk stripe, it was just a weird anomaly on the 1977 to 1980 Springys, by mid 1980 that particular error had been put right by Tokai & they were loading the truss rod from the top - the correct way.

It's a 3 ply scratchplate - you can tell as it has 11 screw holes, not the 8 holes that the 50s-type single ply scratchplates had. As for the colour, that's why it's a great shame that the cavities are covered by that shielding as we can't see the colour code, or even be sure that it's a Tokai body. Tokai did Goldstars in SO - Sonic Blue - but I don't think it was a very accurate take on Fender's Sonic Blue, so it's quite possibly got a SO code under the foil. And if the code says something else, it's even more interesting.

Looks nice.

 

[Anonymous]

And assuming the body is original, it should be an ST55 - a custom colour version of an ST50.

 

[blake375]

The colour looks like my Springy, which is an ST-55 and is stamped SO for sonic blue. As the laquer has aged it has gone slightly green in places - you can see the original blue in areas where the laquer has been chipped off.

 

[greco_burst]

That colour is really nice, 8)

 

[marcusnieman]

Great photos too

 

[jig]

Am I right in thinking the paint code is in the electrics cavity,is there anywhere else I should look while the scratch plate is off .I might get the tech to take it off again and take pictures as I have to sell this and will put it on here first with better pictures,as it would be appreciated more.

 

[Anonymous]

Am I right in thinking the paint code is in the electrics cavity,is there anywhere else I should look while the scratch plate is off .I might get the tech to take it off again and take pictures as I have to sell this and will put it on here first with better pictures,as it would be appreciated more.

Yes, it should look something like mine. Except that it seems that my ST50 was intended to be SO - Sonic Blue - but then they changed their mind and wrote OW - Olympic White - over it & painted it white instead. Maybe they used the last of the blue paint on your guitar?

:wink:

 

[jig]

Thanks for all your help.I'll speak to the tech tomorrow and keep anyone who is interested informed.Failing that i'll take the scratch plate off my self.Taking off the strings shouldn't ruin the set up?

 

[jig]

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This is inside the electrics cavity,so I suppose its a TST-50,and its up for sale,any ideas of the value?

 

[JohnA]

Some pics of the whole guitar might help put a value on it, and your location too. Also stuff like general condition, fret-wear etc.

 

[Anonymous]

I couldn't resist it. Now keeping her white sister company.

I do like the colour, but it does seem greener than yours, Blake, even though it's newer. It certainly isn't Sonic Blue, despite what Tokai claimed. I reckon they were probably closer to Daphne Blue when new, & now they are going greener with age. As I suppose we all do, eventually. :-?

 

[blake375]

I think that's the second Goldie with an SO colour code that looks more like sea foam green we've seen on this forum isn't it? It certainly looks different to mine in your photo.

Does it show obvious signs of discolouration? Any uneven tone? Mine is 'greener' in some areas than others, but it's nowhere near as green as that anywhere.

I wonder if it's to do with exposure to sunlight...