Identifying Tokai Jazz Sound

[goozer]

Hello everybody

I have this Tokai Jazz Sound bass and I would like to find out when it's made and where, can anyone here help me out?

I already checked the tokairegistry but didn't find any help from there.

So long story short in the neck plate there is serial number 7080024

I added a picture from the neck

Thanks for the answers!

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

AFAIK there's no way to date an AJB from the serial number and the pic of the headstock just tells us that it's an AJB. More pictures would be needed for more.

 

[Sigmania]

Yeah. Can you post a picture of the serial number. That will tell us volumes.

 

[goozer]

There you go!

 

[Sigmania]

Sorry to have to tell you, but I don't think that is a Tokai neck plate/serial number.

That number is a 1977 seven digit serial number. They didn't make basses in 1977 and they were ink serial numbers, and that head stock and logo are from the mid 80s or later.

It could be some sort of Korean or Chinese fake (?).

At this point, we would need pics of under the pick guard and the end of the neck/neck pocket to tell you if it is a Tokai.

But that serial number is not legit for a Japanese Tokai. No idea where it came from.

That explains why you were having problems sorting it out.

If you can provide those other pics we can probably tell you what the body & neck are.

 

[goozer]

Okay i have to remove the pickups soon then maybe i dont dare to remove the neck

 

[goozer]

Here is more photos

 

[Sigmania]

I honestly don't know what that is.

I don't see anything that is saying Tokai other than that decal, which you can buy on line.

What do the pots say? Hard to see.

Maybe someone else recognizes the features?

 

[Sigmania]

Pics all together for ease of seeing.

 

[goozer]

In one pot there reads "alpha"

 

[goozer]

That big hole in the middle of those screwholes is weird, its not in any use when the neck is attached to the body

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

1. Like Sigmania said, the 7-digit serial number on the neck plate doesn't really match anything known in Tokai serial schemes. The position on the neck plate isn't exactly typical either.

Korean Serial Numbers

Chinese Serial Numbers

Here's a similarly mysterious example (similar number position, number make more sense, still hard to tell if that's legit):

https://reverb.com/item/23769956-1999-tokai-jazz-sound-ajb-33bb
Legit non-Japanese Tokais often have at least a distinct Chinese serial number (beginning with C?, etc.), Korean Tokais often have stamped "Made in Korea" on or near the back of the headstock or some other place to be clear on their origin.

2. Small pots, funny wire colors. Usually says "China" or "Korea".

3. I have never seen a Chinese or Korean neck joint from the inside so I can't comment on this, and pictures of bass neck pockets and heels are generally in short supply currently.

If that was sold to you as a Japanese bass (what's the back story anyway?) ...this is how a Japanese Tokai TJB neck would look like (check the stamp near the trussrod access):

https://reverb.com/uk/item/28225123-1980s-tokai-jazz-sound-bass-guitar-neck-japan

 

[goozer]

Thanks for the answers, i cant remember what the seller said about which country its from its so long ago, not even sure are the neck and body from the same bass. It doesnt feel like cheap bass, neck is great, frets are great, could they be in chinese model/fake? Or even in korean?

 

[Sigmania]

No telling. That serial number on the neck plate does not look like any of the Korean or Chinese serial numbers I have seen. And many Korean ones don't even have serial numbers.

As far as the neck goes, if it were Tokai and made in Japan there should be a code stamped in ink on the very end of it. Can't see that in your picture unfortunately.

The neck could be Korean. If it were Chinese it would have a serial number on the neck, not the neck plate.

 

[Sigmania]

The tuners may tell you something. Are they marked in any way? 3 screw? 4 screw?

 

[Homer J. Simpson]

not even sure are the neck and body from the same bass.

That could very well be the case, looking at the body.

It doesnt feel like cheap bass

That's because the wood didn't know what price tag would be put on it one day in the future, so it just kept growing up happily the best it could. No seriously, if you like the bass and you were not shamelessly ripped off when you bought it - who cares?

 

[goozer]

Im going to sell it because my car broke and i havent played it for years and wonder about the price and what i call it ""

 

[Sigmania]

I’ve been doing a lot of sorting of Korean models today and think I figured out the numbering scheme.

I think your bass may have been made by a legit factory in Korea that seemed to have kept making instruments a couple years at least after offshore production moved to China.

I think your bass was made August of 2007 and was the 24th piece made that month.

Here are some others so you can see where it may fit in the grand scheme.

Korean Stamped No Letter Prefix Serial Number Neckplates

And these were likely made at a different factory but similar numbering scheme but with an F prefix up to 2000.

Korean Stamped Etched Impressed Neck Plate Serial Number Guitars