What is it?

[DenJerus]

My Brother-in-Law passed recently and I took it upon myself to recycle his collection of old guitars.
I have a friend who works in the local College of Knowledge and he took this one in for a servicing and spruce-up.
He thought it may have some value, at least more than the £70 the original vendor offered my sister for it.
Here is what my man came up with for the guitar.
"Based on a 1953 Fender Telecaster.
The guitar features a solid lightweight Alder/ Ash body with a one piece Maple neck.
Modified parts/upgrades on this include "Alan Dingwall" tele pickups, 3 way CRL switch , CTS pots.
For a 40 year old guitar there is minimalsigns of wear. Truss Rod is in full working order. Frets have been crowned and levelled with plenty of life left in them.
Bad Points: at some time the body was routed for a neck Humbucker but has now been restored to to proper single coil. Not Visible under scratch plate"
The neck securing plate carries a serial number (I think) which is 13243 and the Tokai brand sticker on the Headstock may indicate a date of around 1983.
The blond scratchboard is post update and servicing.
Any further information you can add to this, or any corrections would be appreciated, as I would like to get the best price for my widowed Sister.
Thanks in advance

 

[Sigmania]

Sorry for your loss.

Looks like a late 1982/1983 “block logo” TTE50 sold in the UK.

Possibly Snow White color? SW

 

[Sigmania]

Btw, in order to confirm that the neck goes with that body we would need pics under the pick-guard revealing some clues there. Neck pocket and control cavity.

 

[ATO]

Realistic value in UK roughly £500-600 if neck/body match

 

[DenJerus]

Thanks for that. I am picking it up from the college tomorrow. There isn't any pictures from the "inside" just yet. How will I identify whether the neck and body match.
And thanks for that valuation, much nicer than the original vendors offer of £70!!

 

[ATO]

Bought from a shop 5 miles down the road from the UK importer Blue Suede Music.

 

[ATO]

Sorry didn't notice the extra routing for the humbucker, you're prob looking more at £300-400 if body & neck codes match - it's been messed with, pups, pick guard not original etc. There's a stamp on the body under the pickguard and on the end of the neck. Will look something like 10=8 (or some other numbers)

 

[DenJerus]

My restorer assures me the body and neck numbers are a match and is a little disappointed in your valuation as the value of the replacement pickups and switches and controls surely add to the value.
None the less, I thank you for all your inputs and am pleased that my late brother in law bought certain quality.

 

[Sigmania]

I try not to place a value on other people's guitars because price is decided by a willing seller and a willing buyer, and that can be anything you decide.

What ATO is basing his assessment on is from watching the sales of these and similar guitars over a long period of time there in the UK. He would have a pretty good idea of what the market is there.

And a guitar that has been modified like that would lose value in the eyes of collectors.

As far as your repairman goes, maybe he knows someone who wants to buy it? Sounds like he has some ideas?

I live across the pond and can't say what the market would be like in your area.

Good luck and again I am sorry for your loss.

 

[chuckyz2]

I would agree with Sigmania. Most of the people that buy vintage Tokais are familiar with them. And being vintage, having all the original parts and electronics brings the price up to the max you can sell for. There are always situations where you could find a buyer that is not concerned with all that.
But they are pretty rare from what I have seen. I love Tokais. And it is a must that it has it's original pickups/electronics and tuners. Tokais have become very collectable when they are in original condition. They sold new for very cheap for they are. Now, if it is guitar that has the "thing", I call it mojo, then that could bring the price up. If it speaks to someone and they love it, they may be willing to pay more. But they would have to actually play it and hear it in person to fall in love with it. Which, is the best way to buy guitars. Unfortunately, you don't get that privilege very often with these unless you live in Japan. THe routed cavity, is a deal breaker for me. But that is just me. You never know. There are all types of people out there. All you can do is try is see what the market offers you. List it for what the tech suggests and see what happens. If it doesn't sell, lower the price a little, and repeat until it does. I would list it locally and let potential buyers play it. If it is as good as the tech says, someone may pay your price. Guitars with mojo are hard to come by. And one guys opinion of mojo can be very different to the next guy. There is no best. We are all unique. Finding a match for a player and guitar can take some time. Selling on Ebay or Reverb, can mean having to except returns and having to eat shipping at least one way if not both. I would just try to sell it locally. Craigslist. FB marketplace etc.