Tokai Factories in Hamamatsu, Japan

[Homer J. Simpson]

I wish that old picture would contain a landmark that helped finding its (former) location.

But there's also that 3rd production site I can't figure out, where the CNC stuff is located and the Talbo aluminum bodies are made (pictures from this Japanese blog site):

This is a bigger complex as it seems, apparently both of these buildings belong to it. The sign over the entrance behind the car says...

Tokai Musical Instrument Manufacturing (local stock) factory

The blogger mentioned that he didn't dare to take pics from the inside.

A Japanese piano related site mentions a production site at an address "559 Onchi-cho", which is not far from the mysterious placemark someone left on Google Maps, however I spent hours on Google/Apple Maps and Streetview a few times, to find a building that maybe looks like this one (with these umm... things in front of it) so that may or may not be yet another facility, maybe one that vanished with the piano production.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Which building(s) would this be?

It shows an outdoor pic of the entrance of the Dormitory building. Not sure if all the pics are in the same building?

Hard to tell, most of them look like the dorm, yes.

 

[Sigmania]

Hmmm. So there’s some secrecy about other locations?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Nothing out of the ordinary I guess - if you had a store and a factory making stuff for that store, you'd want people to visit the store and not crash at your factory keeping staff from working, asking stupid questions and wanting stupid freebie souvenirs.

 

[Sigmania]

Here is an article I shared a little while back by MODA in 2012. Includes some pics of the Dorm facility.

宮地楽器 神田店

Lightweight!

TOKAI SUPER SHOP MODEL

Miyaji musical instrument order completed.

This article was written on Friday, February 01, 2013.

Hello everyone. It's been another month in 2013, and there are only 11 months left, but how are you all doing? As we have already announced to those who have read this blog, I am producing a guitar that is particular about materials as TOKAI SUPER SHOP, but I will inform you this time. Masu is a FENDER system. It's a challenge to a custom shop, not the Gibson style such as the 335 style and Les Paul so far.

The material was actually selected in Hamamatsu in late September 2012, when the heat still remains. It is a problem to always ask the staff of Tokai Musical Instruments who inevitably work in a factory where the heat is harsh. On that summer day, I heard that there was a lightweight one-piece ash and a straight-grained neck, and vowed to produce a guitar that made full use of the goodness of the material. When I recall, it actually took 4 months to complete. With the finished product in front of you, I am impressed.

When making this kind of guitar, the weight could be assumed as a numerical value at the stage of conception, but no matter how much experience it has gained. However, I don't understand anything about the performance feeling until I get the actual instrument. This is a difficult place to order a shop. Create a prototype and repeat trial and error Unlike ready-made products that are commercialized, it is a real game.

By the way, the feeling of crossing expectations and anxieties when unpacking the guitar I was involved in producing became middle-aged. It gives a slight fever and a feeling of excitement to me, but if it goes too far, it will not be excitement. There is a great possibility that you will become a god of guitar, or even a Buddha, due to myocardial infarction. Cool, Objectively confront the finished product.

The moment I picked it up, I opened the box and checked what kind of guitar was made from the outside ... "Light !!!!" The biggest feature of this guitar, "lightness", that you can experience before checking the grip feel and appearance of the neck. Yes, one of the goals was a lightweight guitar. That summer day when I selected the materials. The first stage has passed. Then, when you play it down raw with Jalan, the vibration is transmitted from corner to corner of the lightweight body, and the balance is perfect. A few minutes to enjoy the live sound without going through the amplifier for a while. The solid middle sound that comes from the texture of the straight neck is so great that you can feel the sound even with your left hand. Naturally, the ash body, which has a good sound that is directly transmitted to your belly, makes the overall total balance feel even closer to VINTAGE. And finally plugged into the amp. Since I was convinced that the material was good this time, I did not specify the pickup in particular (I considered replacing the pickup I like later and to keep the selling price down), I left it to Mr. TOKAI, but it is really Matchon. Good TWANG sound. The genuine TOKAI pickup does not have a strange habit, but rather it seems to output the goodness of the material obediently, which can be said to be a miscalculation. It's more than you can imagine, it's more than you can imagine. The materials and parts are specified in the specifications, but is it a business that can make a passion for making guitars with attention to detail? A polite work that does not make you feel any compromise even if you look closely. The awesomeness that every detail of the part exists to create a single sound.

Total balance and neck feeling when playing, familiar with amps The wood that I saw in front of me at the factory, such as the goodness of the ash peculiar to when it was done The board of Npeace Ash and the maple neck material of the grain are the skills and processes of the people of the TOKAI factory with Japanese custom shops. We have opened our eyes as a musical instrument that has been beautifully completed by the staff. You can say it.

When a guitarist picks up a new guitar, a new guitar from there It is a common story that the story begins. But that At the beginning of the story, a lot of passion was added to this guitar. It is out in the world with a story. You also get this guitar and produce the continuation of the story Isn't it.

Please see this page for details.

Tokai HST-MIJ LTD ASH STW / M
Tokai HTE-MIJ LTD ASH STW / M

see you.

by Moda

 

[Sigmania]

I wish that old picture would contain a landmark that helped finding its (former) location.

Yep. Looks like a warehouse district. All the streets are at right angles. No real geographical features.

Maybe the pattern of wide versus narrow blocks would show up on a map of the area?

 

[Sigmania]

From the Blue Book of Pianos published for over 50 years.


TOKAI PIANOS, U.S.A.


Tokai Pianos are manufactured by Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd., in Hammamatsu, Japan, the third largest and leading musical instrument manufacturing company in Japan. The company offers Studio Classic Pianos, Chippendale Uprights, Modern Uprights, Grand Pianos, Continental and American Consoles, Spinets, and Modern and Historical Cembalos/Harpsichords, all of the highest quality.


Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd., 36 Terawakicho, or P.O. Box 160, Hammamatsu, Japan. Telephone (0534) 41-3137 key. Telex 4225-225.


All Tokai vertical and grand pianos include bass agraffes, Royal George T pin hammer felt, reverse locking tuning pins, artist bench, and a 12-year full warranty. Models include studios, uprights, grands, and Continental and American consoles in high-polish and satin finishes. Tokai also manufactures handcrafted harpsichords. Worldwide headquarters of Tokai Gakki Co., Ltd., is in Hamamatsu, Japan. Tokai Piano U.S.A., Inc., is a joint venture with the parent company, Tokai Gakki Co. Ltd. Tokai Gnkki is the third largest musical instrument company in Japan.


In February 1983, a third facility was opened which is to be devoted entirely to the manufacturing of grand pianos.

Ages T

 

[Sigmania]

I just want to point out this long history of Tokai using multiple facilities since at least 1975 it appears, and sourcing from other countries (Korea) as early as the early 1970s.

This is a very different picture than the one I originally had of Tokai. They were always very resourceful and took advantage of technologies like CNC before any other guitar maker in Japan or the world for that matter.

Quite an impressive little company.

In some of the literature or in a catalog it said they “shocked the world”. I would agree.

 

[Sigmania]

This seems interesting.

Based on the date it appears to have been printed around 1987?

Tokai Musical Instruments Profile Since its founding in 1947, TOKAI has created a history spanning more than 40 years and has survived single-mindedly. As a comprehensive musical instrument manufacturer, we are unique in the world, and our diverse product lineup demonstrates our superior development technology. In addition to folk harmonicas, we manufacture and sell pianicas, acoustic guitars, chroma harps, banjos, harpsichords, light pianos, electric guitars and basses, electric guitar amplifiers, upright pianos, and grand pianos, and play an important role in all musical genres. . We are also widely known as the sole exclusive distributor of CF Martin, a prestigious company in the acoustic guitar industry.

Tokai Co., Ltd.
Quality before Quantity
Head Office/430 Matsumachi TEL (053)25-3631
Tokai Musical Instrument Yingyosho/Tokyo (43)/(06)434-4461 Chubu (0534)25-363
b318 [New] Tokai Musical Instruments Harmonica A Key 10 Holes Fork Japan | eBay

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Based on the date it appears to have been printed around 1987?

Can't see a date? Did you mean to write phone number or do I need new reading glasses?

 

[Sigmania]

Can't see a date? Did you mean to write phone number or do I need new reading glasses?

..."Since its founding in 1947, TOKAI has created a history spanning more than 40 years..."

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Ah well that could also mean 1988 or later. What's interesting on that slip is that it has the new phone number but the old address. The 1987 catalog footer on page 3 of this thread (or the 86/87 bass works ad) has only the old address but no phone number.

 

[Sigmania]

What's interesting on that slip is that it has the new phone number but the old address.

Exactly the reason I posted it.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Speaking of phones... this is apparently Shohei Adachi's phone:



Following is a shortened version (cutting out some stuff we really know already) of a 2014 Chinese article/forum post about Tokai, bringing us interior pics from the Onchi factory and some mildly interesting new insights into recent posts here!

Translated from Chinese with Google Translate - Occasional text emphasis added by me

---

When I was auditioning the first batch of Tokai Japan a few days ago, a colleague said to me: "Good things take time to 'explain', you have to tell the story, and you have to take the initiative to let people understand. This is a necessary process. "I agree very much, so today's article is written. Even as a promoter of Tokai in China, I will make this introduction more real and objective

If I have to give a definition of "excellent guitar", I'm afraid it will have to be a matter of opinion - after more than 70 years of experience in electric guitar In the course of its development, different masters of violin making have different opinions, which in turn has given rise to many great brand legends.

Since the rise of Fender and Gibson in the 1960s, in the following decades, countless imitators have appeared to follow in the footsteps of the giants. This is nothing to hide. Excellent products are often based on classic improvements and sublimations. With the advent of the Internet era and the development of international trade, Chinese people have also had more opportunities to understand, experience, and purchase more brands of musical instruments. In recent years, new high-end products have emerged in an endless stream, each with their own quality and characteristics. , what I want to introduce today is Tokai, a classic brand with a history of more than 60 years in Japan.

In 1947, Mr. Heishichi Adachi, the founder of Tokai, founded Tokai (Tokai Musical Instruments Co., Ltd.). At first, Tokai Musical Instruments mainly produced small musical instruments such as mouth organs.

In 1972, Tokai received technical support from Martin Company and began producing acoustic guitars.

In 1977, based on the imitation and improvement of Stratocaster and Les Paul, Tokai began to produce ST (the predecessor of AST series) and LS series electric guitars.

In 1983, Tokai invented the world's first metal-bodied electric guitar - the predecessor of today's Talbo series. In

1980, Tokai began manufacturing for Fender Japan, Zemaitis and Washburn.

In 1996, the Talbo series, as Japan's national treasure electric guitar, once again swept the market and established a special sales store.

In 2001, the GLAY band was invited to be interviewed by the then president of the country at the Great Hall of the People and presented Tokai Talbo as a gift to the supreme leader, making Tokai one of the symbols of Sino-Japanese friendship at that time, which was unprecedented.

In 2004, Tokai applied for a patent for the stringed instrument resonance box structure (SEB for short) and began producing electric guitars with SEB structures the following year.

In 2009, it obtained SEB patent invention certification in China. (Patent number: ZL 2005 1 0078010.8)

In 2014, Tokai officially launched various businesses in mainland China.

Today, after decades of unremitting efforts, Tokai has conquered too many musicians. In addition to being widely recognized in Japan and Asia, it has also been exported to more than 30 countries in Europe, Africa, South America, and Australia.


Founder Heishichi Adachi, 2nd generation president Tetsuichi Adachi, 3rd generation president Tadayuki Adachi

---

Editor's note: Cutting some pics we already have and the SRV and SEM stories here, to preserve storage space and keep things a bit more tidy here, so the interesting things don't get lost.

---

Mr. Adachi Shohei is a man with a special craftsman temperament, kind and simple yet strict. As a family business, the Adachi family has always upheld this craftsman spirit and infused it into the works of art they create.

When we first visited Tokai's headquarters and Onchi factory, it was easy to find this "classic" temperament. Many details made us feel the retro characteristics of Tokai, even the old-fashioned telephone that has been used all year round on Mr. Shohei Adachi's desk, and the antiques in the office Tube speakers are eye-catching. Every corner is stacked with objects full of traces of time. Decades of accumulation have given Tokai a special charm. I even heard that there is a constant-temperature room filled with nearly extinct items. Brazilian rosewood was accumulated decades ago! Of course, if you want to use them to make a neck fretboard, you'll have to pay quite a bit




The old-fashioned telephone on Mr. Shohei Adachi's desk


The late Heishichii Adachi in oil

Today, with highly advanced technology and streamlined production, Tokai still adheres to the semi-manual production model of mass-produced pianos. When you walk into Tokai's Onchi factory, the first thing you hear is not the roar of the machine, but the roar of the machine. The sound of manual knocking and polishing by master violin makers - of course, except for the Custom Shop, some aspects of mass production of violins still use machinery, but at the end of the production, each component needs to be strictly debugged by hand.

As a master violin maker, Mr. Shohei Adachi often comes to the factory to supervise and control quality, and he personally led the tour this time.


This is the exterior of the Onchi Factory. It is worth mentioning that "Onchi" also means "tone-deaf" in Japanese. I wonder if this was intentional when the site was selected


This is called the brain of Donghai Musical Instruments. Development, design, factory management, material allocation management, and production management are all carried out here. [Editor's note: I think this is the Onchi office where the Chinese production in Donghai (county?) is coordinated]


The woodworking department of Tokai Endi Factory has 6 electronic CNC machine tools, 2 heavy-duty cutting machines, 1 vacuum compressor, 2 wood grinding machines, 2 single-axis milling machines, 2 hand-held planers, and automatic planing machines. 1, 1 double-column vertical lathe, 3 routers, 4 wood cutting machines, 4 drilling machines, 1 hydraulic press, and a wood drying room. The south side of the carpentry department is the painting department, the east side is the metal department, and the west side is the assembly department.


Computer 3D CNC processing of the piano body is more accurate and faster, but because the wood will change due to changes in the surrounding environment, it must be processed again by the craftsman after being processed by the machine.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

ES series piano body keel production [Editor's note: By "piano", Google always means "guitar" and "keel" is the center block, looks like the spruce layer on top of the rectangular maple block is being carved here, which later supports the arched top laminate]


Automatic buff tool made in 1978, serving tokai manufacturing for decades


Gotoh steel bars are used inside the neck.


Preliminary polishing of the piano body [Ed. note: This looks more like milling an edge radius or the recess for the binding]


Use a high-speed rotary belt to precisely modify the body shape



Check the finished fingerboard. The requirement is to use a steel ruler to check. No light should be allowed to penetrate, otherwise it will be reworked.



It should be pointed out that no matter how precise the machine is, because the texture of the wood is not 100% uniform, and the location where the neck and body join is very important, Tokai never wastes time on the work of joining the neck and body. It is completely done by hand with high precision. It is worth mentioning that Tokai is one of the few manufacturers that can achieve high-precision insertion. When the bolted neck is not screwed, two people want to remove the neck from the body. It is very difficult to pull it out. I seem to have only seen Tom Anderson reach this level of craftsmanship...



In order to ensure a perfect combination, even the remaining paint from the spray painting process must be carefully sanded off.


Hand processing of joints


The joined neck shows no workmanship flaws.


Preliminary check whether the fret inlay is qualified



Preliminary mechanical grinding of fret edges


The ends of the frets are again hand-polished to make them "smooth like a match head"

Check the fret inlays again after polishing [Ed. note: Looks more like hammering a runaway fret]


Processing and checking the piano code [Ed. note: I assume that means "sanding the nut"]

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

This is a paint exclusive to Tokai


"Grind it like a mirror!"


BUFF grinding to remove scars and dirt


Using sandpaper and water grinding methods to create each guitar according to the requirements of art



It is very prudent to apply conductive paint to the circuit compartment to reduce noise. At the same time, it is necessary to cover the piano body with tape to prevent the paint from getting on it.


Install the pickup


After installing the knobs, in order to protect the piano body, the violin maker made his own protection tools.


The chairman personally checks whether the accessories are qualified


Install the strings and check the string height


Curiousness 1: It will definitely be a work of art when completed


Curiosity 2: Another work of art!


Curiousness 3: I met Japanese guitar manufacturing students by chance and visited the Onji factory.

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

After the visit, I had a lot of thoughts. Tokai has grown very rapidly. As mentioned earlier, its products have been exported to more than 30 countries. However, the rare thing is that Tokai does not seem to be stingy with time and manufacturing costs, and still uses people instead of machines to complete most tasks that require precise control. This moved us very much. I am afraid it is precisely this kind of craftsmanship that makes the electronic roar so enduring and still flourishing after decades of standing.

Finally, I attach a few photos of Tokai Custom Shop's works. I was short of time and could not take detailed photos. Please forgive me












What is exciting is that Tokai Japan has officially entered China in 2014. It is currently producing a large amount of audition and video materials for piano fans, and will soon set up an experience center in Beijing to facilitate everyone's understanding of Tokai.

[End of original article/post]

---

Since this is a Chinese forum post (by a member called "TOKAI-JAPAN"), some comments by other members are following. A few of those <cough> don't look exactly friendly, and apparently refer to events between China and Japan during WW2. I was surprised to see this but then again, my (very limited) personal experience is that these old wounds and misgivings can be mutual.

Some key takeaways from this are:

- Shohei Adachi has a vintage telephone
- The Onchi factory has a lot of cool machines and it's larger than it looks from the outside
- Tokai has a Brazilian rosewood stash
- Xi Jinping owns a Tokai Talbo since 2001
- China production apparently started officially only in 2014. This raises a few questions.

 

[Sigmania]

Awesome. Thanks for posting and translating that.

The article was a bit loose with dates re information. So who knows what the 2014 thing is? I read it as some sort of facility investment.

They absolutely were having guitars made in China long before that. The date I use is 2005. Lots of documentation and guitars with Made In China stickers with Chinese serial numbers.




So I don’t put much stock in that other than thinking there’s some miscommunication there.

Plus why would they wait 13 years after giving Xi a Talbo to enter? I think that’s just one of those lost in translation things.

Thank you again for posting this!

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

Yeah that basically wraps up the questions it raised. Thinking about it, it likely only means that Tokai started selling guitars in China in 2014, which in itself seems a bit strange again but who knows how difficult it is to sell stuff there.

What I found interesting is how much the Chinese factory tour participant(s) were interested in the actual processes and number of machines etc., creating some quite meaningful images about that!

 

[Sigmania]

The pictures are awesome. Thanks for posting them.