![]() ![]() ![]() It’s possible to find a ST-55s, for example. These changes would be reflected in the model number. Tokai would add 5,000 yen (roughly $57 dollars in today's money) to left-handed or custom painted guitars, such as the ones with colored headstocks. The Springy Sound guitars that Tokai built between 19 can be broken down according to their model number, which was a reference to the guitar’s expected retail value.įor example, an ST-42 would have cost 42,000 yen at the time (roughly $480 USD in today's money). The Very First Attempt at a Vintage Reissue While the popularity of Tokai’s replicas remained strong in the Japanese market, the introduction of Fender’s Japanese-made models (made by FujiGen Gakki from 1982-1997) into America and Europe largely forced Tokai out of these markets by the late 1980s. From 1997 until 2015, Tokai produced Fender " Made In Japan” models, which are also collector instruments today. In fact, the two companies made a deal in 1997: Tokai could continue to produce some of its replicas with subtle changes to their branding and headstock shapes if they would agree to supply Fender with guitars. Stevie Ray Vaughan posed with a Tokai Springy Sound on the cover of his 1983 album Texas Flood, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top was spotted with his Tokai Strat replica on the road.Ĭollectors often lump these models together with other Japanese replicas as “lawsuit guitars.” However, Fender never actually sued Tokai. But they started to gain notoriety in the 1970s and ‘80s with their production of high-quality Fender and Gibson replicas that captured the old school vibes of the original instruments at a fraction of the cost.īy the early 1980s, Tokai’s Stratocaster replicas-known as Springy Sound, Goldstar Sound, and Silverstar Sound-were surpassing Fender’s American-made Strats in popularity. Tokai didn't make Fender Japan guitars till around 1997.Founded in 1947, Tokai Gakki Company, Ltd., or Tokai Guitars, began as an obscure Japanese musical instrument manufacturer. Tokai was one of the companies that Fender approached about making the Fender Japan guitars, though the contract initially went to Fujigen. In fact in the late 70s, Tokai seemed to be much better aware of Fender's vintage heritage than Fender were! In 1979 I don't think that Fender had even given a moment's thought to revisiting their own heritage - the AVRIs didn't appear till late 1982 & the Fender Japan JVs started earlier in 1982, so Tokai showed Fender the path back to the straight & narrow after the horrors of the 70s. Tokai were very familiar with vintage Fenders. The same reason that many (but not all) of Tokai's base level models got ceramic pickups. The reason for using them must have simply been saving on cost to get them down to a price of 45,000 Yen. The problem is that replacing them with Klusons leaves holes in the headstock where they don't line up. It's quite possible that the early Tokai traps were significantly better than the later traps on cheaper guitars that some of us have grown to hate. I'm very wary of any trap shaped tuners, though plenty of Tokai owners seem happy with them. Especially if (as I assume) Tokais are significantly less common in Canada. I'm reluctant to comment on price because we're separated by a lot of water! But if 620USD = £475, that doesn't sound unreasonable to me. The only real problem with the base level models like the ST42 or ST45 (same model, different years) is those trap tuners which are "vintage incorrect" & rarely anything like as good as the Kluson type on the higher models. So I would expect that you would have to pay more for that than we would in Europe. Even Springys are fairly common in Europe, though I imagine they are quite rare in Canada. Value? Hard to say, it depends on how common they are in Canada. So yes, it's almost certainly genuine & looks to be original. By the time of the Goldstars, the pickup covers must have changed to a different type of plastic as they didn't discolour nearly as much - but the knobs usually still did! It's strange, the pickup covers on early Springys often discoloured to quite an extreme extent like this one, the same colour as the knobs. By the middle of 1980 that feature had gone, as had the model number stamped into the fretboard, which was (unfortunately) replaced by the oval sticker on the neck, which often got removed making identification much harder. 1979 was the last year when Tokai made the rosewood board Springys "50s style" with the truss rod inserted from the back with the skunk stripe & headstock plug. ![]() Yep, that's a 1979 ST45 - the model number is stamped into the end of the fretboard. ![]()
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