Help ID'ing a rather odd Tokai Tele

imalrightjack

Hi,

I've been offered this in trade but cannot for the life of me work out a model or anything.  The serial might well be 1981 but I can't find any with Strat-like trems or humbuckers with what looks like a maple cap.

Any help is welcome!

Stuckfast

Weird! Are you sure it's not a partscaster?

imalrightjack

Stuckfast said:

Weird! Are you sure it's not a partscaster?

I’ve found similar things, with the trem, with humbuckers, natural tops, but never all! Weird. 

Pickups are clearly not original. 

Teyeplayer

No idea what it is but I strangely like it.

roberty

Wow I love the look of that

WezV

I made a Tele partscaster with a tokai neck once (not this one)... I knew a guy who had a load of factory fresh tokai necks.


Unsurprisingly, I saw it for sale as a genuine tokai a few years later... Although there were enough wezisms to be clear to most that it didn't leave the tokai factory.  

imalrightjack

Interesting, @Wezv ;

I'm starting to think this isn't original.

Kittyfrisk

I believe the script headstock logo is of the style used up to 1982.

Is there any way you can take the neck off the guitar & check it & the cavities for information?

Other than that, even if it isn't a Tokai, it is a nice looking 'oddity' 

imalrightjack

Kittyfrisk said:

I believe the script headstock logo is of the style used up to 1982.

Is there any way you can take the neck off the guitar & check it & the cavities for information?

Other than that, even if it isn't a Tokai, it is a nice looking 'oddity' 

Yeah, serial suggests 1981.  But value is the problem!

guitars4you

imalrightjack said:

Kittyfrisk said:

I believe the script headstock logo is of the style used up to 1982.

Is there any way you can take the neck off the guitar & check it & the cavities for information?

Other than that, even if it isn't a Tokai, it is a nice looking 'oddity' 

Yeah, serial suggests 1981.  But value is the problem!

The neck does suggest that era/period

But at the time all the market was about replicas - I've not seen anything like this - As such my gut feeling is that it is a bitsacaster as it is not a copy at all but more of a 'custom caster'

Chances are the greater value is to split into parts

Kittyfrisk

Given that nothing identifies it as being Tokai apart from the neck & bridge, an appropriately low offer is the way forward (assuming that you still want it)?

imalrightjack

Kittyfrisk said:

Given that nothing identifies it as being Tokai apart from the neck & bridge, an appropriately low offer is the way forward (assuming that you still want it)?

Well, as it was a trade option, I'm inclined to pass.

EricTheWeary

I’ve spent a jolly ten minutes looking at old Tokai catalogues on the vintage Japan guitars website. Generally it’s straight copies and wackier originals, the only ones I spotted closer to that style were S shaped. 

Quick google comes up with this which is a close relative of the one in the OP:

https://www.mmguitarbar.com/listing/1981-tokai-breezysound-model-te-60rr-vintage-t-style-tele-w-strat-vibrato-57-paf-pickups-japan/33214037

Stuckfast

^ now that is ninja level guitar detective work. Nice effort.

WezV

EricTheWeary said:

I’ve spent a jolly ten minutes looking at old Tokai catalogues on the vintage Japan guitars website. Generally it’s straight copies and wackier originals, the only ones I spotted closer to that style were S shaped. 

Quick google comes up with this which is a close relative of the one in the OP:

https://www.mmguitarbar.com/listing/1981-tokai-breezysound-model-te-60rr-vintage-t-style-tele-w-strat-vibrato-57-paf-pickups-japan/33214037

I think it's one of them with a veneer/ top added

The centre join and edges are not great

Kittyfrisk

EricTheWeary said:

I’ve spent a jolly ten minutes looking at old Tokai catalogues on the vintage Japan guitars website. Generally it’s straight copies and wackier originals, the only ones I spotted closer to that style were S shaped. 

Quick google comes up with this which is a close relative of the one in the OP:

https://www.mmguitarbar.com/listing/1981-tokai-breezysound-model-te-60rr-vintage-t-style-tele-w-strat-vibrato-57-paf-pickups-japan/33214037

Wow, great detective work  

SteveRobinson

The colour of the neck appears to match that of the back exactly which makes me think they left a factory together.

EDIT: Agree with the above!

rossi

The smoothing down and rounding of the cap round the  cutaway and neck area doesnt look that good for a Japanese guitar

guitars4you

EricTheWeary said:

I’ve spent a jolly ten minutes looking at old Tokai catalogues on the vintage Japan guitars website. Generally it’s straight copies and wackier originals, the only ones I spotted closer to that style were S shaped. 

Quick google comes up with this which is a close relative of the one in the OP:

https://www.mmguitarbar.com/listing/1981-tokai-breezysound-model-te-60rr-vintage-t-style-tele-w-strat-vibrato-57-paf-pickups-japan/33214037

Good work 'Holmes' - Agree about the nature of the vintage replicas or wacky models like the Talbo - It may well be all built by Tokai, but equally a prototype, or their own 'partsacaster' for whatever reason that is  - Certainly would be running down the street if I saw a £1100 price tag - And that is running away 

Agree with @SteveRobinson and his thought on the matching colour of the body + neck but my judgement is still based on assembled from 'parts to clear'

WezV

rossi said:

The smoothing down and rounding of the cap round the  cutaway and neck area doesnt look that good for a Japanese guitar

I think someone planed 1/4" off the top and added a maple top. ... That bit is definitely too rough for the factory

Winny_Pooh

Neck pocket and wiring cavity pics would help