![]() I had to have this guitar, which was priced at 825,- German Marks (the equivalent of 420,- € /US $ 540). No question that I had to play that guitar: it also sounded much more like a vintage Strat than the contemporary Strats. But this Tokai had the classic small head, a white pickguard with white knobs, staggered vintage style pick-ups, a separate tremolo block, the correct kind of pickguard screws, a light alder body, and even a decal that looked like the old Fender spaghetti logo see pictues below) – in short, it was exactly like those legendardy old Fender Strats at a time when Fender was still building those infamous 70ies style Strats that were so heavy that they got the nickname boat anchor. The regular Strats still had that ugly large peghead that CBS had introduced in 1966, and at that time they all had black plastic parts. But besides the cool colour, there was something else that was unique: it was a replica of a 1964 Fender vintage Stratocaster, it really looked like a pre-CBS Fender. And on this shelf there was this elegant looking fiesta red Tokai Stratocaster. One day I visited the local guitar shop – something I did regularly, just to see and to play as many guitars as possible. Fender had dropped fiesta red eleven years before, in 1969, and in fact I had never seen a fiesta red Strat at all until then. Red guitars were rare in the guitar shops – or rather non-existent. Mark Knopfler was still associated with his red Fender Strats (although in fact he had just started to play Schecter that year). ![]() I noticed that a lot of people surf into this site because of these articles, so I want to release a fourth one, this time about the almost legendary Tokai Springy Sound Strats. This is a fully functioning, playable Strat.I already wrote three articles about Japanese vintage Strats, an introduction and a portrait of the fiesta red and the pink metallic Squier JV. Thank you! Banner-header image: "Fracturecaster" by Phil Sylvester at Portland, OREGON. Please contact us if there is some issue with listing content or photos, which we will be happy to revise or remove accordingly. As we are helping to promote those listings and sellers, we usually do not include additional photo credits besides a current seller link. Note: Many photographs presented in this blog represent eBay listings, and as such are the property of the original photographers. Let the buyer beware this blog also contains affiliate, sponsored-paid links, and I take no responsibility for any purchases made through such links. I do not claim ownership of images posted in this blog. I make no guarantees as to the accuracy of the information published here. This is a personal web log, and as such, it contains opinion, bias, conjecture and ridiculous wackiness. Please Note: Articles on this website are for informational, educational or humorous/satire purposes only. Stratoblogster is in no way affiliated or associated with FMIC. "Fender", "Stratocaster", and "Strat", are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC). ![]() Site and content, © 2006-20 13 JP Holesworth unless otherwise noted. But wait- there's more! He also states that SRV's guitar, pictured on 1983's Texas Flood album cover art, is a Tokai Springy Sound, and that the Tokai headstock labeling was removed before the album covers were printed- however, the giant pre-release music store posters plainly displayed the headstock labeling shown in the above photo!Ĭlick Here for more SRV-related Tokai photos. This only leads one to assume that other folks must be making counterfeits of Tokai Springy-Sound models.Īnyone remember the movie Multiplicity with Michael Keaton?īut wait! It gets even crazier! An article by Larry Meiners at states that Stevie Ray Vaughan was featured on the 1985-1986 Tokai Guitar Catalog cover. The really wild part is that now, "vintage" Tokai clones of vintage Fender Strats are becoming collectible and gaining cult status on their own. So in effect, they helped kick off the re-issue industry, as well as Gibson and Fender outsourcing "more affordable" models. Tokai weren't the only ones, but they best represent good quality in that niche. You see, back when guitar players were first talking up the Pre-CBS era instruments, someone in Japan was listening. This Tokai model was NOT a copy of the Fender Strats of its time- it was an attempt at replicating earlier "vintage" Strats. ![]() Lawsuits eventually forced Tokai to dial back the look-alike knob, but those old "Springy Sound" models have become somewhat of a cult collector's guitar. (photo: Back in the '70's- early 80's, Japan's Tokai company was making some of the most blatant replicas of popular Gibson and Fender guitars. ![]()
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